The “Tiny Desk Boom” Is Real: Here’s How NPR Helps Boost Artist InfluenceLuminate Data helps quantify the influence of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts on artists' digital reach.
The post The “Tiny Desk Boom” Is Real: Here’s How NPR Helps Boost Artist Influence appeared first on Hypebot.

Epica Audio offers the Lo-Fi audio degradation plugin for FREE until November 30th
Epica Audio (not to be confused with Erica Synths) offers the Lo-Fi plugin, a one-knob effect for macOS and Windows, for free until November 30th, 2025. This one is about as simple as an audio tool gets, but despite the minimal interface, it can be useful if you’re after quick-and-dirty character shaping. If you want [...]
View post: Epica Audio offers the Lo-Fi audio degradation plugin for FREE until November 30th

Minimal Audio Evoke is a must-have vocal processor that’s a little too expensive$129 ($79 introductory price), minimal.audio
If you’ve spent time in electronic music production circles, you’ve probably heard of US software developer Minimal Audio and its range of sound design-centric instruments, effects plugins, and sample packs. Evoke joins the Minimal range as a flagship vocal processor, offering producers a platform to manipulate vocals in a multitude of ways.

READ MORE: Is Neural DSP Mantra just another channel strip plugin? Not exactly

Although flexible vocal processors were once relatively scarce, the industry has stepped up its game here in order to cater to the effects-laden sound of modern vocal production. Considering existing solutions like iZotope Vocal Synth and Waves OVox, the Minimal Audio team really had its work cut out.
At its core, Evoke is a vocal resynthesis tool with timbral and tonal shaping capabilities, while also offering formant and pitch shifting, harmonising and powerful modulation and effects sections. It sounds like a mammoth task to cram all this into one plugin, yet Minimal Audio has streamlined features to form Evoke’s cohesive, straightforward interface.
The immediate strength of Evoke lies in the way it allows you to approach really complex vocal manipulation, without being bombarded with overly technical processes. Although you can access incredible vocal sounds without ever diving into advanced modulation features, putting on your sound designer’s hat doesn’t feel like a drag when you are feeling a bit braver.

How do I get evocative with Minimal Audio Evoke?
On opening Evoke for the first time, a handy walkthrough guides you through the various sections of the plugin. What’s more, you can activate Tooltip mode with the question mark icon in the top bar, giving you specific details of each control you hover your mouse cursor over.
The primary Resynth interface is divided into various zones, including the main Resynthesis View, where you do most of your sound shaping, the expandable Modulation Bar, and the Keyboard Panel, where you select the musical scale, pitch range, and notes you’re working with. According to Minimal Audio, the Keyboard Panel is the best place to start Evoke’s workflow because you want to ensure you’re in the right musical key before you dive into the resynthesis controls.
With my key locked in, I start exploring the range of Evoke’s sounds by cycling a vocal region in my DAW and flipping through presets. The preset browser is designed with plenty of attention to detail, which makes a big difference to the user experience when you’re still getting your bearings.
Besides exploring the various categories of presets and highlighting favourites, you can also use tags to hone in on the type of sounds you’re searching for. The main component of each sound comes from the 15 different Resynth Character modes, which are divided into three categories, including four Natural, seven Synthetic, and four Texture algorithms.
Once you find a basic sound character you like, it’s incredibly easy to start sculpting the sound with the main Shape control to alter the harmonic structure, and the Color control, which adds brightness and increases the amount of unison voices depending on which Resynth Character is selected. The pitch and formant controls are more readily understood, as these are found on most vocal tuning plugins. Meanwhile, the Resolution control produces similar results to a bit reduction effect.
When you start working with the Spectrum Filter within the Resynthesis Response graphic, things get exciting; this is where you shape the filter that resynthesizes the vocal signal. It’s extremely flexible, because you can choose some basic filter shapes, or draw your own manually, and then make adjustments using the Shift, Tilt, and Scale controls. What’s more, you can bypass the Spectrum section completely, along with each of the four Harmonizer voices.
Evoke Curve Sequencer Mod Matrix. Image: Press
Getting creative with Minimal Audio Evoke
The Modulation system allows you to add movement to sounds by introducing time-based resynthesis components that can affect almost any parameter within Evoke’s Resynth controls, or the effects rack. A simple right-click on any control lets you quickly assign it to one of six mod sources or two macro controls, and you can access the Mod Matrix view for a complete overview of the signal chain. For each modulation source, you can choose between an LFO, a fully-featured Curve Sequencer, or an envelope follower, and once you’ve assigned a parameter to a source, you’ll see a tiny mod depth control appear next to your destination.
As you select (or hover over) each of the six mod sources, they turn from purple to yellow, along with the parameter being modulated. This helps you stay on top of things, even when dealing with outrageously complex modulation routings. The Curve Sequencer, with its array of tools for mapping curves across the modulation grid, is particularly impressive because it allows you to work precisely, building sounds that interlock rhythmically with the other elements in your song.
While modulation possibilities are almost limitless, I find the ability to modulate the different Harmonizer Voices especially interesting, as you can create choral swells with sustained notes within your vocal parts, quickly and effectively. The effects section, too, is just as inspiring, with the ability to stack up to 12 instances of the eight effects processors, including Chorus, Compressor, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Filter, Reverb, and Shifter. Building complex effects chains is super-easy, as you simply click the effect type to add it to the chain, meanwhile each module has factory presets to get you started. Also, each effect parameter can be modulated or assigned to the macros, so you can do detailed effects layering and automate it with a single knob.
Adding to its versatility, Evoke has four global processing modes: the basic pitch tracking resynthesis mode; MIDI tracking mode (employing external MIDI for setting the scale for retuning; MIDI Instrument mode (which bypasses internal retuning and harmonisation); and the external mode for processing sidechain signals. Combined with all the processing features, these four modes extend the scope of Evoke’s capabilities beyond working with vocals alone, and it becomes a powerful modulation and effects device. Also, the two soft limiter modes offer gentle (marked purple) and more aggressive (orange) characteristics, for that finishing touch.
Evoke Effects Rack. Image: Press
Is Minimal Audio Evoke a serious competitor?
Regardless of Evoke’s sonic prowess and diversity, its interface design is one of its cornerstones. Even when delving into new concepts, it feels so seamless and familiar, almost like I’m using Serum at times. While there are some other competing options available, they don’t provide Evoke’s well-rounded creative experience as an instrument.
iZotope Vocal Synth isn’t a bad-sounding alternative, but for a steep $200, its interface is rather infantile in comparison to Evoke. Meanwhile, Waves OVox is an affordable option at only $40, but it isn’t in the same league as Evoke from a sound creation perspective. There are certainly amazing competitors at the upper end of the market, like Antares Harmony Engine and Zynaptiq Orange Vocoder, but these are far more niche in their application.
Evoke is an exciting, creative instrument for music producers in almost any genre that uses vocals, or even vocal samples. What’s more, sound designers will love how easy it is to manipulate voices for motion pictures and video games.

Key features

Vocal resynthesis plugin
AU / VST3 / AAX plugin for Windows (10 or above) and macOS (10.11 or later)
350+ presets
4-voice harmonisation
MIDI and sidechain modes
Pitch correction & hard-tune
6-channel modulation matrix
Effects rack
7-day trial with Minimal Audio All-Access

The post Minimal Audio Evoke is a must-have vocal processor that’s a little too expensive appeared first on MusicTech.

WIMS launch WoodPecker 1.0 The latest release from Woodman’s Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio introduces a new step sequencer that’s capable of controlling up to four instruments at a time. 

Blue Origin sticks first New Glenn rocket landing and launches NASA spacecraftIt's an impressive accomplishment for the new mega-rocket launch system, and paves the way for the company to start re-using the boosters in commercial missions.

3D Printing A Piano ActionPart of the reason there are always free pianos on your digital classifieds listing of choice is that, at least economically speaking, a piano is less of a musical instrument and more of a complicated machine that can and will wear out (not to mention the physical difficulty of actually moving one). Once a piano reaches that point, whether through age, use, or neglect, at that point it’s to intents and purposes worthless. But still, they’re essentially just machines. [Toast] figured that, since 3D printers not only can print all kinds of other machines and musical instruments alike, he would take a stab at combining these two and made his own 3D printed piano.
A piano’s action is the mechanical linkage between the keys and the strings of the piano themselves. Over many hundreds of years this has developed into a complicated series of levers which not only rapidly strike strings when a key is pressed, but also mute the strings while the key is not being pressed and strike the strings in a way that the hammer won’t be pressed into the strings if the player leaves their finger on a key. Rather than try to recreate all of this in meticulous detail, [Toast] has swapped out the strings for a series of tubes which, unlike strings, do not much change their musical behavior if the hammer remains on the tube after being struck. This greatly simplifies the action (and cost) of his miniature piano.
The piano works by positioning hammers above these tubes, which strike downwards when a musician depresses the keys. Rubber bands return the hammers to their upright positions after the key is lifted. The instrument went through a few stages of design as well where [Toast] refined the size and shape of the tubes as well as improved the way by which the hammers are attached to the keys.
Is it still a piano if it has pipes instead of strings? Perhaps, but at the very least we can all agree that he’s built a working keyboard action capable of producing music, if not an outright definitionally-accurate piano. It’s an interesting build that we hope to see more iterations of in the future, if not to build a more functionally accurate 3D printed piano action then to see what is possible from a 3D printer in the piano space. Despite their complexity and weight, pianos are a fundamental and popular instrument in the Western music tradition and we’ve seen many interesting builds around them like this modern player piano built with a series of solenoids.

Thanks to [Vert] for the tip!

Apogee Introduces Native Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity for Symphony Mk II Audio InterfaceApogee Electronics, a leader in professional audio technology, has announced a significant update to its flagship Symphony Mk II audio interface: native Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. This enhancement is a direct response to user demand and is designed to future-proof the interface, ensuring it continues to serve as the core of professional studios for years to come.

“The Symphony Mk II is a significant investment for any audio professional,” said Apogee CEO Betty Bennett. “Our users are in critical, no-fail environments, and they asked for a native Thunderbolt 3 connection for maximum confidence and a simpler setup. We’re thrilled to deliver that today, both for new customers and for the thousands of producers, engineers, and artists who already rely on Symphony.”

The Thunderbolt 3 update is focused on simplifying studio workflows while maintaining the sound and performance that Symphony Mk II users expect. Key improvements include:

Future-Proof Connectivity: Native Thunderbolt 3 ensures that Symphony Mk II will remain compatible with modern systems for years, safeguarding a substantial studio investment.

Streamlined Setup: Direct TB3 connectivity eliminates the need for adapters, reducing potential points of failure and simplifying the connection process.

Flexible Cabling Options: The module is compatible with TB3, TB4, and TB5 cables, including optical options for extended cable runs.

Importantly, Apogee emphasizes that this update affects only the connectivity. Users will continue to enjoy the interface’s elite AD/DA conversion, ultra-low latency performance, modular I/O flexibility, and existing drivers and software, without any changes to workflow or sound.

New Symphony Mk II units now ship with Thunderbolt 3 as standard, identified by the “TB3” designation in the part number. Existing owners can also upgrade their interfaces using Apogee’s Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Module, a process that is DIY-friendly for those comfortable with hardware installation, or available through Apogee support and authorized dealers.

For users currently operating with Thunderbolt 2 adapters, compatibility remains fully supported. The new module is offered purely as an option for those seeking a more modern and direct connection.

For more information on this update, visit Apogee’s official blog: apogeedigital.com/blog/thunderbolt-3-and-symphony-mkii/

The post Apogee Introduces Native Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity for Symphony Mk II Audio Interface first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Kymátika sounds Electro-acoustic Explorations for Synplant 2https://youtu.be/Z3mleb3pKXs?si=sAByILVlKX4EewX0 Electro -Acoustic Explorations is a preset bank for the synplant 2 synthesizer. 99 handcrafted patches, made resynthesizing, tweaking and polishing sound sources from pianos, gongs, crystal and tibetan bowls, handpans, and rare world instruments processed by modular synthesizers and other experimental electronic devices. 99 presets including Pads, keys, bells, leads, fx, atmospheres, basses, sonic evolutions... All sounds have an organic flavour where the electric and the acoustic converge, and are suitable for all types of music, from ambient, electronic, cinematic, to neoclassical and world music, especially for those looking for new timbres to apply to their productions. Each presets is designed and conceived to be a source of inspiration, the creative germ of new compositions. I wish you can enjoy these sounds, and that they serve you as much as they do for me: boosting your creativity and helping you express through music. Thanks. Josue Arias - Kymátika sounds. Read More

Confirmed: Thomas Coesfeld will continue to lead BMG in dual role alongside Chairman and CEO position at parent BertelsmannCoesfeld to succeed Thomas Rabe as head of Bertelsmann on January 1, 2027
Source

RT60 Songzap v3 now available  Thanks to RT60's new HFR technology, Songzap v3 can isolate and remove bleed in real time, resulting in clear recordings with no artefacts or spill.

Baby Audio discounts TAIP to $9.99 until December 8th
Baby Audio has slashed the price of its AI-powered tape plugin TAIP for Black Friday, bringing it down to just $9.99 (from the usual $99) until December 8th. TAIP isn’t a new release (it’s been around for four years – time flies!), but it remains one of Baby Audio’s most popular plugins, and I think [...]
View post: Baby Audio discounts TAIP to $9.99 until December 8th

Babyface’s LA studio – which has recorded Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Ariana Grande – is up for saleLegendary R&B producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is selling his Hollywood recording studio, where hundreds of Top 10 hits and Grammy-winning albums have been recorded.
The Studio A at Brandon’s Way recording facility – and accompanying upstairs residence – is located at 751 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038, and is currently listed for just shy of $7 million.
Spread over 4,641 square feet of commercial space on a 5,662 square-foot lot, the site boasts three studios, a lounge and social areas, as well as a living space with kitchen facilities, machine room, tech shop, and a second floor with a bathroom.

READ MORE: I broke up with Spotify — it was hard work with a huge payoff

The studio facility is sold with all its equipment: approximately $800,000 worth of “top-of-the-line” gear.
Under Babyface’s custodianship, the facility has seen a plethora of noteworthy albums and songs recorded there, including Whitney Houston’s My Love is Your Love, Michael Jackson’s Invincible, Janet Jackson’s Damita Jo, TLC’s Fanmail, Usher’s 8701 and Confessions, and Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly.
Credit: Jeremy Spann
Other albums recorded at the premises include Luther Vandross’s self-titled album (2001), Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable (2005), Barbara Streisand’s Partners (2014) and Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue (2000), as well as singles by Mariah Carey and Phil Collins.
Babyface has also put out a number of albums recorded at the studio: Face2Face (2001), Grown & Sexy (2005), and Return of the Tender Lover (2015).
Credit: Jeremy Spann
All in, Studio A at Brandon’s Way has seen 125 Top 10 hits, 45 Number One R&B hits, 16 Number One pop hits, and 13 Grammy winners, including three consecutive Producer of the Year awards for Babyface between 1995 and 1997.
“It might be easier to list who hasn’t recorded at this musical epicenter as the A-list names read like a who’s who of musical icons,” writes Carolwood Estates, the Beverly Hills real estate brokerage in charge of the sale.
“The list is long, so make this your next creative enclave, 751 N Highland clearly holds an unmatched provenance in LA’s music scene.”
Credit: Jeremy Spann
MusicTech attended the Warner Chappell Music songwriting camp in Las Vegas back in September, during which Babyface shared some crucial lessons on music making.
“Some people walk in with their ego; they think they know exactly how it should be, and they try to control the room. And so nothing comes from it. When I walk into a room, I walk in as an equal,” he said – interesting words from a producer of such calibre.
Elsewhere, the producer spoke of the importance of moving on from your previous successes to allow space for new ones in the future.
“Don’t be so stuck on what you’ve done in the past,” he said. “There’s another life beyond what you’ve already done. So many times I’ve had different writers coming to me after [selling their catalogue], saying, ‘Okay, so what do I do now?’ Go write another hit! Dig in, figure it out. You figured it out once, before you can figure it out again.”
You can learn more about Studio A at Brandon’s Way, Babyface’s legendary recording studio, at Carolwood Estates.
The post Babyface’s LA studio – which has recorded Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Ariana Grande – is up for sale appeared first on MusicTech.

Get free muted electric guitar plucks for Splice INSTRUMENT
Download our free muted electric guitar preset for Splice INSTRUMENT—grab these presets during the drop window and they’re yours to keep forever.

Deezer’s 50,000 Daily AI Song Uploads — How Fraud Hides Behind InvisibilityNew data highlights the growing shadow that generative AI content is beginning to cast, how it's reshaping streaming, and why platforms are racing to keep fraud in check.
The post Deezer’s 50,000 Daily AI Song Uploads — How Fraud Hides Behind Invisibility appeared first on Hypebot.

Bitwig Studio 6 vs Ableton Live 12: which DAW should you choose?For a long time, Ableton’s clip-launching approach to music production was its unique selling point. That workflow has since been, uh, borrowed by numerous other DAWs (see Logic Pro’s Live Loops), but it’s Ableton’s close cousin, Bitwig Studio, that stands as its most compelling alternative.
When Ableton Live launched in 2001, it was geared towards techno producers who required a dedicated tool for live performance. Over time, it’s morphed into an impressive double barrel of fully-fledged production workstation and live performance powerhouse.
Bitwig, developed by ex-Ableton employees, arrived in 2014 with a clear mission: a more flexible, modular approach to music production. Unsurprisingly, it shares much of Live’s DNA, but has since carved out its own dedicated following — particularly those with a penchant for experimentation.

READ MORE : Bitwig Studio 6, as reviewed by a Logic Pro user: “Heaven for sound design”

With Live at Version 12 and Bitwig Studio 6 on the horizon, both DAWs are immensely capable, and that’s partly what makes choosing between them tricky. We’ve spent time in both. Here’s what we’ve learned, and what you need to know before diving in.
Bitwig 6. Image: Bitwig
Side by side: Bitwig and Ableton features compared
With all major DAWs now boasting broadly similar feature sets, music producers are spoilt for choice. When it comes to sheer functionality, it’s easier to list what’s different — here are the highlights for Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio.
Ableton Live 12 offers:

A clear and structured workflow, moving between Session (clip launching) and Arrangement (linear timeline) views.
Extensive audio effects and instruments, including some unique and experimental devices.
An enormous bundled library — 38+ GB in Standard and 71+ GB in Suite.
Max for Live, a visual programming environment for creating new interactive devices for use within Ableton.
The dedicated Ableton Push controller.
Stem separation (coming in Live 12.3).
Intelligent browser for selecting sounds.
A significantly larger community, which can be beneficial for troubleshooting or advice.
Support for VST2/3 and AU plugins.
Basic support for video content within Live.

Unique Bitwig Studio 6 features include:

A more flexible non-linear workflow and interface that’s highly customisable.
The Unified Modulation System lets you easily modulate nearly anything.
The Grid, an easy-to-use, modular system for creating your own instruments and effects.
A powerful built-in library of around 26 GB.
Strong hardware integration with extensive tools for outputting CV and MIDI.
The Bitwig Connect 4/12 interface with CV outs.
Plugin sandboxing for greater stability, with support for VST2/3 and CLAP plugins.
Linux support (Ableton Live only runs on macOS and Windows).

Ableton Live 12 MIDI Assign. Image: Press
Pricing breakdown: what do Bitwig Studio and Ableton Live cost?
With any gear purchase, price is often a factor in your decision — so what’s the cost of entry for Ableton and Bitwig?
Each DAW comes in three loosely comparable editions. Bitwig Studio is slightly cheaper on the whole, ranging from $99 up to $399, and there’s no track limit in its cheapest tier, unlike Ableton Live (which imposes a 16-track limit for its Intro version). A license for Ableton Live ranges from $99 to $749. Both offer upgrade pricing so you can start at the lower end, as well as 30-day free trials.
Bitwig 6 GUI. Image: Bitwig
Ableton Live vs Bitwig Studio: full breakdown
Neither Ableton nor Bitwig are particularly cheap, and learning a DAW takes time. How does one make the crucial decision between the two? We have a few ideas.
Workflow and ease of use
At first glance, Ableton and Bitwig have a lot in common. They both offer a clip launcher for jamming and improvising, and a timeline for arranging — and flipping between the two is central to each DAW’s workflow — but beyond this, the two diverge significantly.
Live’s layout has changed very little since its arrival at the turn of the century, owing to a simple truth: it just works. The interface is tidy, the controls are predictable, and the flow from Session view sketch to dancefloor banger in Arrangement feels obvious and intuitive.
Bitwig also starts with this clip-to-timeline duality, but invites much more tinkering, with a stronger degree of customisation available than in Live. The interface may feel a little overwhelming at first — but you’re rewarded with fewer limitations once you’re done learning the rules, particularly thanks to its ‘modulate anything’ philosophy.

Bundled effects, instruments, and samples
Both Ableton and Bitwig ship with an impressive arsenal of factory content, so there’s no need to explore (or spend more money on) third-party plugins or sample libraries until you’re ready.
Live’s library is vast, with over 38 GB of sounds in Standard and over 71 GB in Suite. Software instruments include Operator (FM), Analog (subtractive), and Wavetable (we don’t need to explain that one!), among others, while samples span modular bleeps and classic drum machines to orchestral packs from Sonivox and Spitfire. Audio effects are varied, from standard utilities like EQ and compression to experimental sound-manglers like Roar, Corpus, and Beat Repeat.
Bitwig’s stock content is way more powerful than it first seems, although its bundled library is significantly smaller than Live’s. Nonetheless, it covers essential ground, with around 26 GB of synth loops, drum machines, and three orchestral packs. Its audio and MIDI effects are fantastic, but compared to Live, it features fewer virtual instrument ‘models’ — with a major caveat: you can build pretty much anything you desire using its modular Grid system. More on that next.

Extensibility: The Grid vs Max for Live
Extensibility is a major benefit of both Ableton Live and Bitwig, with both DAWs providing tools to craft your own effects, instruments, or entirely bespoke functionality.
The Grid is Bitwig Studio’s modular platform. It’s akin to Native Instruments’ Reaktor, offering a library of basic components — everything from delay lines to complex mathematical operations — that you connect to create something new. It’s slick and seamless, even for beginners.
Ableton’s near-equivalent is Max for Live, a powerful integration of Cycling ‘74’s visual programming language. It can be used to create all kinds of interactive software, and is particularly handy in multimedia setups. Like The Grid, it’s based around connecting objects, but is lower-level and comes with a steeper learning curve. On the plus side, there’s a large existing Max community, so if you need something custom, chances are someone’s already built it.
Max is ultimately an extension of Live that you can dip into as much or as little as you like, while The Grid is more central to the Bitwig experience. Both require the most expensive edition of their respective DAWs.
Bitwig Studio 6 Preset Modulation Curves. Image: Press
Modulation
Parameter modulation is where Bitwig steals the show. It’s part of the DAW’s fabric, with each channel device featuring three slots for various modulator types. Routing is largely frictionless, constantly encouraging movement and evolution within your projects.
Ableton offers some similar features, and Modulators were updated in Live 12. There are six available in Standard and Suite — compared to over 40 in Bitwig — but putting them to use involves a few extra steps, and they lag behind Bitwig Studio in terms of flexibility. This one’s a clear win for Bitwig, and is arguably its flagship feature.
Live 12 MIDI Note Probability. Image: Press
Live performance and hardware integration
Live’s performance pedigree is unmatched — no surprise given the DAW’s origins as a performance tool in the Berlin techno scene. Ableton’s native controller, Push, provides tight hands-on control of Live, but a vast number of third-party controllers are supported out of the box too.
Bitwig Studio’s hardware integration offers something rather different and is likely more suited to the studio than the stage. There’s no flagship controller akin to Push — yet — but the Bitwig Connect 4/12 interface with control voltage I/O lets you route the DAW’s powerful modulation system to Eurorack, analogue synths, and other gear.
Live 12’s CV Tools offer similar functionality, but Bitwig wins for flexibility and depth when it comes to more open-ended setups.
 
Mixing and mastering
How do both DAWs handle the later stages of production, and is it easy to get tracks finished and ready for release?
Live offers a reliable and familiar mixing environment with sends/returns, busses, and user-friendly automation lanes. Many producers carry full mixes through Live without needing to bounce to another DAW, and its stock effects are good enough for professional mixdowns and masters. Live copes well with large track counts too, and freeze/resample features help manage CPU.
Bitwig Studio fares similarly, with the version 6 update bringing several improvements to automation editing and navigation — so while it may not have been the immediate choice for mixing before, it’s certainly up to the task now. Given its modulation-centric approach, you may need to take a little extra care to avoid mix settings shifting unexpectedly.
Bitwig Studio 6 Automation Spread. Image: Press
Long-form editing and video support
Both Ableton and Bitwig perform well with large, sprawling sessions, though Live’s more structured approach might make life easier.
Neither DAW is specifically aimed at those scoring to picture, and both fall short for workflows heavy on video. Live 12 does support video import, timeline sync, and basic editing cues, but likely won’t meet the needs of professionals. Bitwig Studio 6 has no native video support, although it can be achieved via third-party plugins like VidPlayVST.

Stability
Nothing kills creativity like losing work, so which DAW wins here?
Live is renowned for its major version stability — there’s a reason it’s used in many professional playback and instrument rigs — provided you’re sticking with its stock devices. While bugs or crashes are rare, dodgy third-party plugins can derail things. But generally, Live does a strong job of recovering your session if it does crash.
Bitwig takes a different approach, ‘sandboxing’ third-party plugins, so even if they crash, the program itself doesn’t. Of course, the software’s propensity for pushing limits means you might run into glitches or quirks more often. Session recovery features are limited, so you’ll need to be more vigilant when it comes to saving.
Bitwig Studio 6 Audio Editor. Image: Press
Which DAW is right for me?
Deciding on a DAW ultimately comes down to the way you like to work. Ableton and Bitwig provide everything you need to make great records; you should think less about their spec lists and more about how you want to spend your studio time. Soul-searching aside, here’s our loose recommendation:
If you want a slightly more ‘traditional’ approach that’s faster to learn, stays out of your way, and delivers the kind of reliable predictability you’d expect from a 25-year-old DAW, try Ableton Live.
Ableton Live is your best bet if you want a slightly more traditional DAW and if the ecosystem of Push and Move is appealing to you. Performing live shows can feel a little more natural with Live, if that’s a priority.
If you fancy cutting your own path through modulating, patching, and experimenting, go for Bitwig. There is endless room for experimentation, so be ready to spend a little more time learning the ropes.
Remember, you can try both free for 30 days, so there’s plenty of time to get acquainted with each. And if neither feels quite right, don’t worry — our guide to the best DAWs has you covered, featuring popular alternatives like Logic Pro 11 and FL Studio 2025.
The post Bitwig Studio 6 vs Ableton Live 12: which DAW should you choose? appeared first on MusicTech.