Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

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stephen_doonan
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Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by stephen_doonan »

I'm impressed with Bitwig Studio in general, but frustrated with the seeming difficulty or impossibility of routing audio and MIDI between (to or from) Bitwig and other apps.

When Bitwig is configured to use JACK as its audio engine, it exports no audio or MIDI inputs to JACK and QjackCtl's Connections window list, to use to patch/route-data between Apps, and Bitwig seems to claim exclusive use of MIDI keyboards and controllers configured within Bitwig, and the sound card (audio interface), such that no other running apps can use them, OR, if another app was launched before Bitwig, and is configured to input MIDI or audio data from hardware, Bitwig's notifications complain that the MIDI or audio device cannot be used (is already in use by some other app).

Anyone found a solution or work-around for routing MIDI or audio between Bitwig and other apps?
(Other than or in addition to "Yeah; use Ardour or MuSe or Mixbus or Mixbus32C instead." :P

UPDATE Found help here -- https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitwig/comment ... y_lack_of/
studio32

Re: Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by studio32 »

Quite a shame how they support the Linux platform, no Alsa Midi nor JACK midi? AFaik they 'promised' to support LV2, at least they mentioned they would on their website in 2014. You should really complain to them. You pay, what is it, 300 + euro?

I think JackAss could help you here, which you add as VST instrument in Bitwig
https://github.com/falkTX/JackAss


(Vst https://www.steinberg.net/sdk_downloads ... ld_352.zip )
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khz
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Re: Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by khz »

stephen_doonan wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:41 pm UPDATE Found help here -- https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitwig/comment ... y_lack_of/
\o/
bitwig midi viewtopic.php?p=103718#p103718
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Re: Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by WforWoollyMammoth »

Bitwig uses ALSA midi, or am I missing something here?

Just don't start JACK midi and Bitwig should work without any additional tinkering. Once you get used to Bitwig's modules and how they can be connected with each other, I don't think you're really going to miss the JACK environment that much. It might even be that Bitwig's approach to modularity was heavily influenced by JACK.

If I recall correctly, starting "a2jmidid" with the "-e" option never allowed me to use Bitwig with MIDI. That additional "-e" has been included in many "How To" articles for Linux audio (for a reason that I can't quite remember - can somebody fill me in?)

I don't think any of the "Windows and Mac first" companies support LV2. Harrison, yeah, but that's because Mixbus is really just, you know, Ardour.
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Re: Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by varpa »

The -e option on a2jmidid exports hardware midi connections to jack, won't help with bitwig. Also, "man a2jmidid" lists options, explains -e option.
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Re: Bitwig Studio - Frustrated by (lack of) Inter-App Routing

Post by WforWoollyMammoth »

Thank you. Somehow I had just failed to notice the hardware I/O appearing in the patchage / catia window all this time and had been wondering what the -e option really does. Of course, in addition to the man page, google also gave me the same explanation.
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