Bitwig’s new “add-ons”* update

UPDATE: Bitwig have announced an apology and the spectral suite is now included for ALL users who update
and it appears their plan to introduce “add-ons” has been abandoned
you can read their official announcement here: https://www.bitwig.com/stories/to-our-community-218/
you can find their official announcement here: https://www.bitwig.com/stories/to-our-community-218/

I will be leaving the original article up for posterity, but you can find my reviews of the suite here: https://www.databroth.com/blog/bitwig-spectral-suite-review

Recently Bitwig has decided to launch a package of new add-ons for their Bitwig Studio DAW. This Spectral Suite is a rather new direction for Bitwig
While I’d like to discuss the features and utility of each of these new devices, I first need to discuss the controversy and contention surrounding this new addition.
The new Spectral Suite has been launched as a new “add-on”, this means it does not come with Bitwig but is instead an additional purchase on top of the main daw/ any upgrades you might pay for.
The Bitwig upgrade costs $170 and lasts for 1 year of updates, after which point you still own the DAW, you just do not get any new updates.
These upgrades go on sale a couple times a year, and can be pocketed for activation whenever you like. This is the clear distinction between Bitwig being a “subscription” or not, as you still have access to the same tools you paid for even without continuing to subscribe.
Now, for those who purchased before the newly released spectral suite add-on, there was an understanding, or perhaps assumption, that any updates or new features for Bitwig would be covered by your upgrade plan.

Customers, especially recent ones, are understandably upset at this decision to create new software that isn’t included in the main DAW or upgrade plan. 
Many people are upset to the point of searing off Bitwig completely, selling their license perhaps or just using something else. Many people also feel this was completely dishonest of Bitwig
Personally I think they should have communicated this MUCH better, either by lowering the upgrade price while explaining the change. But also by giving the Spectral Suite to people who have currently purchased an
upgrade.
Perhaps it didn’t have to be spectral suite either, so long as they announced it in advanced and took care of current customers with an active upgrade.
I personally think the upgrade pricing is a bit too expensive already, many people treat it functionally like a subscription, so putting add-ons on top of that really stacks up.
Again, it’s not a subscription, you keep the software if you unsubscribe, which isn’t true of actual subscriptions like Reason or KHS, though KHS offers loyalty vouchers, so it gets close to “rent to own”.
Loyalty is something Bitwig will likely loose out on from this move, a simple voucher for past customers, especially ones who have been using the software for years, would have likely gone a long way.

Understandably, this decision raises a couple concerns, “did my upgrade plan fund development of a new product that was not included in my plan?” 
and “How many more add-ons are they going to release, is every new tool going to be an add-on?”
To address the first question simply, yes, yes of course it did, and this is true of anything you purchase. If you buy any plugin or software, the money you spent is usually being used to develop new software to sell to you.
Now, of coarse, there was an understanding when buying your Bitwig plan, that you’d receive any updates within the grace period, and in many ways this can be looked at as an update.
This is where communication would have really come in handy, because at some point they would need to make this switch, as Bitwig is really a great deal for what you get.
Now, does your upgrade plan still go towards funding these new add-ons? Not necessarily, now it’s impossible to do a breakdown of how every dollar is spent by the Bitwig team, but from my understanding, the new Spectral Suite required additional development, time and research on top of producing regular updates and content for Bitwig. It is very possible that if they weren’t going to charge for it, they would have just not made it

After the chaos unfolded from everyone’s response, Bitwig put out a statement that sorta covers both questions, albeit to a minimal degree

If we are to trust Bitwig, the way this is put, they are expending excess development for add-ons, and there should be no reduction in pace for normal feature updates.
Wether or not this will be the case is yet to be determined, will we see regular non “add-on” development slow down compared to previous years?
How many add-ons will we see in the coming years? These questions will ultimately determine the future of Bitwig
Should our fears be met, and regular development just becomes compatibility and bug updates, and every new device arrives as an add-on, it will be clear and obvious that Bitwig is not the DAW of the future. But should regular development continue as normal, or even hasten, and add-ons are a rare release, reserved only for unique specialized tools like spectral devices, then as upset as we are about this change, we’re ultimately not loosing anything.
Bear in mind, Bitwig could have just not released these tools and no one would be upset about not having them included in the upgrade plan. (obviously)

Until then it’s difficult to say, personally I needed to update anyways as there were many devices I was already missing, and anything spectral calls to me. So I bit the bullet and bought the pair as a package. I did this also so I could review the new Spectral Suite. For other people, I might suggest holding out for a year. Don’t ditch Bitwig, but maybe don’t rely on it, and keep an eye on how things go before making a commitment towards another year.
As for wether or not these new devices are “core functionality” or “highly specialized features” is up for debate. Personally I’d use them a lot, and at least one of them could probably be described as “core functionality”, the others really are pretty specialized though. While Bitwig users are likely a fair bit more experimental than other DAW users, the Spectral Suite likely wouldn’t get used by the majority of people, they are creative effects with pretty bizarre use cases.

Again, I 100% understand the disappointment with Bitwig, I’m upset as well, but I wrote this article to be very specific about why and what I’m upset about. And present some ideas on how this could have been prevented or
dealt with.
But personally, it’s not the end of Bitwig for me, not by a long shot, I am not so upset as to cancel my plan and sell my license, but I am weary and cautious. If after the next year they prove themselves to be unreliable, then I’ll move on
I’ll still likely use what I paid for, just update rarely, if ever. If on the other hand they continue to make killer updates to the regular plan while on the rare occasion releasing some experimental crazy add-ons in moderation, I’ll probably remain a die hard fan.

It’s all kinda been said already, no one is happy with this, just the degree to how dissatisfied everyone is varies wildly. I will say, it’s not worth running on and on complaining about for hours on end. 
And it goes without saying (does it really if I feel the need to write this?) do NOT under any circumstances harass the Bitwig development team or any creators who chose not to speak out about this, that is unacceptable. Do be cautious and weary of Bitwig’s next moves. I do think some people are over reacting, but it would honestly be unfair of me to focus all my attention on the loudest portion of the community.
It is in everyone’s best interest to move on, in whatever way that manifests for you, either by leaving Bitwig for some other DAW, or by disengaging in arguments with those who are most upset.

I do understand the desire to “warn others” and speak out about this, that’s perfectly fine, just make sure you live your life a little too.
While we’re on this topic, I’m reminded of all the other DAWs and programs going subscription, I really really dislike the idea of music software being subscription only. That is essentially where I draw the line, the hill I will die on.
I really do hope that this is avoided at all costs, we see more and more companies releasing subscription options, which are ok so long as the potential to buy the software outright still exists.
But these form a sunken cost for people who subscribe for any reasonable period of time. Subscriptions are marketed as an affordable option for low budget musicians, but ultimately, if you plan on buying your tools for perpetual usage, you are spending far more in the long run. This in my opinion is far worse and misleading marketing, I feel there should always be a rent to own model, and an agreement that the tools you paid for will remain usable into the foreseeable future.
This means I also believe bug fixes and compatibility updates should generally be free, with a reasonable window of maybe 5-10 years (eventually tools become a little out dated)

I hope this clears up my position on the subject, I hope this dispels at least some of the outrage, but also please don’t misunderstand this write up as agreeing with Bitwig.
I still disagree with their move ultimately, just also disagree with much of the criticism being levied against the Devs.
I will keep comments active on this page so long as they are civilized and respectful, I took the time to write this up and express my perspective, and I will likely refrain from further debating with anyone on this subject
Bitwig has not ever reached out to me or supplied me with any of their software, though I believe I have earned some commissions from affiliate links purchasing Bitwig via PluginBoutique
It is important to me that I am transparent about who I work with and where my opinions come from, if in the future I do receive free updates add-ons or direct sponsorship from Bitwig, I will make sure to take note of it here.

For anyone who has read this far, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, and I will be back to regular reviews soon, including a review of the new Spectral Suite.
But I wanted to keep discussion about the controversy involved alongside this new set of tools to a separate article.

No affiliate links for this one.