Bitwig Studio
Paid music production studio with an official Linux version, built-in instruments and a modular sound builder.
Our verdict
Bitwig Studio matters here because it is a serious commercial music program whose maker actually supports Linux. The download page lists a Flatpak and an Ubuntu installer next to the Windows and Mac ones, and Linux users get the same releases at the same time.
For someone leaving Ableton Live it is the gentlest landing available. The way you launch clips, record ideas and then arrange them into a song follows the same thinking, and it brings enough instruments and effects to finish a track without buying anything else.
It is paid software, so check the current prices and editions on the Bitwig site. Your old projects do not transfer, which is true of every move between music programs. Export your Windows work as audio stems first and rebuild from those. Also check your computer, because the Linux version needs a processor with AVX2 support, which rules out older machines.
What's good
- Bitwig builds and supports the Linux version itself, with a Flatpak and an Ubuntu installer on its own download page
- Comes with a large set of instruments, effects and sounds, so you can write straight away
- Clip launching and arrangement will feel familiar to anyone coming from Ableton Live
- Runs Linux plugin formats including VST3 and CLAP
What to know first
- Costs money, with several editions at different prices
- Cannot open Ableton Live, FL Studio or Cubase project files
- Needs a reasonably modern processor, as the Linux version requires AVX2 support
- Smaller community than the big Windows programs, so fewer tutorials
The details
- Cost
- Paid
- Open source
- No (Proprietary)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), .deb installer
Windows apps it can replace
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