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Bitwig 5 public beta
The long-awaited Bitwig 5 is out now!! Finally MSEG modulators. Completely overhauled browser. Modulation has been extended, now you can modulate the mixer and even the BPM.
https://downloads.bitwig.com/5.0 Beta 1/Release-Notes-5.0 Beta 1.html
Polarity live stream: 
Comments
Nice!
I really have to check out XLN XO on my Win tablet btw.
And Clip Actions!
Ableton has pretty much lost me. Outside of some cool things that are still in M4L.
Yeah, I rarely start up Ableton. Basically only for groove extract. I forgot about the clip actions. That’s pretty big for performing. They just released a video demoing clip actions. Really cool. I hope the alternate actions work with my LPX, too.
For everyone who just wants a "short" introduction of the new features, Moss made a good video:
Would you say a windows tablet is worth getting? I’ve been contemplating it just for stuff like Bitwig and other plugins not on iOS.
This has given me ideas to try in loopy pro
I'd say yes if you go for a recent model with enough cpu horsepower.
But be prepared to limit yourself to a relatively small number of apps that work well enough on a touchscreen. A lot of Windows apps still don't, with rather tiny controls that are not even fun to operate with a mouse.
A few exceptions that work for me:
U-he Repro plus a few other synths, Ableton in higher zoom, XotoPad controlling NI Kontakt, UVI Workstation and XLN Addictive Drums for the sounds that I can't get on iOS in the same quality.
Mine had a good pen included but I mostly prefer just using my fingers.
You'll need to set up XotoPad and the sound generators for switching presets yourself.
Thanks! Repro is definitely one I’ve been eyeing for some time now. The Kontact libraries and Abelton as well, especially with Abelton link and Note now. I see some pretty good second hand prices, might grab one next time I find a good deal. Any certain model/year/etc you’d recommend?
That's an interesting question, now that Microsoft have finally accepted that they have no chance but jump on the ARM train as well. Getting a Win 11 tablet with ARM CPU will give you the best power but its use will additionally be limited by the restricted number of music apps that support Windows running on ARM today.
My recommendation would be this: Either get a cheaper Win tablet with a good enough CPU (a model from 2020+ should work) or wait until more apps support the ARM version of Windows.
I have a Gen 2 Lenovo X1 that I got for $300 and it's just enough to run Repro inside Ableton with 8 voices polyphony.
MIDI goes into the tablet using a tiny CME WIDI Bud, fed with MIDI from Yamana MD-BT01 dongles.
Oh, and the tablet still has a headphones port and a Micro SD card slot currently holding a 512GB card with sample libraries.
There are a few more things to consider, like CPU throttling when on battery power. You can set the tablet to run on full speed even when on battery power but if it has an Intel CPU and you're working with a more resource hungry synth like Repro, the thing will get more or less hot - something we don't know from iPads. Shouldn't be a problem though if you don't plan to hold it in your hands.
I love XO on the desktop. The developer of Atlas has teased an iOS version a while back. I wonder if the iOS file system makes this a challenge?
@HotStrange : Robin of Molten Music Technology has done exhaustive tests of Bitwig with various iterations of Surface Pro. Persuaded me to put a second hand one on the list specifically for getting/running Bitwig. Check it out:
Looks like a good watch for ppl who have never used a Win tablet for making music.
This site helped me compare CPUs by their single thread vs multi core performance:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net
Single thread performance is very important when running resource hungry synths, more CPU cores mean more tracks running simultaneously.
You'll also find power dissipation numbers which tells you something about how hot the thing can get under synth load.
That's where the new ARM architecture will shine for sure, given that the apps will be optimized for running on ARM CPUs..
@rs2000 : if you were looking to buy a second hand tablet to run Bitwig and standard PC VSTs in the next six months, what would you go for?
It will be a free upgrade for all licence holders with an active Upgrade Plan at the time of release.
Actually at the time of the announcement. If your upgrade plan ended today, you will still be able to install v5 when it’s out of beta.
I'd look for either a tablet, a touchscreen laptop, a foldable touchscreen laptop or even an all-in-one touch PC with a processor at least as good as an Intel Core i5-1135G7 (which was released in Q3, 2020).
If in doubt, go to cpubenchmark.net, enter the CPU models and compare the "single thread rating".
Ah - that makes more sense - it was a YouTube video that said release date...
Sweet thanks for that! Looks like I have some researching to do. How’s the Surface Pro treating you?
I don't own one, just an old Lenovo X1 2nd gen tablet that I got for cheap and is barely enough for running the apps I've mentioned 😅
I quite like it though, it has a very nice high-res display, a headphones port, a Micro SD card slot for fast access to sample libraries etc and a built-in desktop stand.
Once most developers have updated their VSTs for Windows on ARM cpu, I'll re-consider a Surface Pro and then it's likely going to be the latest one.
Not sure though if getting a larger touchscreen monitor or all-in-one PC (like an iMac) would be a better idea, my hope is that if the screen is large enough, it will make those fiddly controls usable again.
It's not going to be cinema size (although physical exercise is healthy from what I've heard), just enough to make tiny switches and knobs touchable.
@rs2000 : am I missing something? The Surface Pro 8 I’m looking at runs Intel chips:
“ CPU: 3.0GHz Intel Core i7-1185G7 (quad-core, 12MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 4.8GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB LPDDR4x
Screen: 13-inch QHD (2,880 x 1,920) touch
Storage: 256GB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2)
Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4, combi audio jack, Surface Connect port
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.1.
Windows 11.”
This should run standard VSTs straight off, no?
I have the OG Surface Pro, the 3, the one that Bitwig 1.0 debuted on, (Musikmesse NAMM, Molten Music, and on Thavius Beck's first YouTube demos.) I bought it (a refurb one) to run Bitwig on.
Im running 5 on it now and its happy, though sonetimes it says just a second I need to deal with demands on the audio engine (i forget what the popup says exactly) Im able to use 512 buffer, without to many pauses like that. As mentiined abovr, it gets hot. Which at the time was a big bugaboo, and a source of tongue wagging by mac enthusiasts...
I use fingers, pen, mouse in that order. mostly fingers. Its a very nice machine. I added the SP4 keyboard (the SP3 one wasnt as slick feature wise)
@Svetlovska Yes, like mentioned, most current tablets (except the Surface Pro-X for example) run on Intel CPUs which give you lower performance but much better compatibility with existing audio software. And anything as good as or better than an Intel 1135G7 should work well in most cases.
If you want one now, your choice will most likely be Intel.
The config you listed looks good except for the storage. As the Surface Pro has no SD card slot, if you plan to use great sounding sample libraries or record and mix down audio regularly (not to mention digital camera pictures and videos) then you'll hit the storage limit faster than you might think.
I'd consider upgrading the Surface Pro 8 to at least 1TB of storage.
I have a 1GB SSD plus a 512GB uSD card in my tablet and I wouldn't want to give that up
@rs2000 : thanks!
Thanks for the reply! Those damn mac enthusiasts 😂
I’m excited to get one as I’ve been wanting to dive into some other VSTs lately.
Is it possible to auto-update with this version? Uninstall your previous version to reinstall the new version was annoying.