Ableton Live has long been the the major player in DAWs that allow for use in both production and live contexts, but Berlin-based Bitwig has announced their premiere software that aims to directly compete with Ableton as a solution for performance, studio work, and DJing – Bitwig Studio. After the jump, we’ve got the details on what’s different, and explanation why some fresh competition can only be a good thing.

According to the Ableton forums, four members of the Bitwig Team are ex-Ableton employees, meaning that this release won’t be something to be taken lightly. As with any new software launch, there are tons of features to note, but we got excited by the following features that Ableton users have been clamoring for at least the last two major releases of Live.


64-bit compatible
Native Linux support
Dual monitor support
Split view between Arrangement and Session views
A resizable clip matrix
Overlaid automation on clips
Automation on a per-note basis in the piano roll

Bitwig is due to hit in March, but if you can't wait, Beta testing is just about to start for them and if you are interested in Beta testing this new software or if you would like to find out more info, check out there website: http://www.bitwig.com