Video support

Community Wishlist
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Video support to fit a post-production workflow, consisting of these interrelated features:

  • Opening a video file, loading video and audio respectively in a floating video player and on a dedicated audio track.
  • Compatibility with OMF, AAF, XML, EDL and ALE files to allow to seamlessly exchange sessions with video editors and properly edit/mixing the audio of a video project. This would be fundamental to go beyond scoring and to allow Bitwig to become a fully fledged post-production option, making it a viable option for professionals.
  • A marker track allowing real-time and grid based cue markers.
  • Export the project in a video file without needing a video editing software. This would make sending demos out extremely easier.

What problem(s) would this feature resolve?

Bitwig doesn’t offer any options to work with video. There are a couple video player plugins, but they are not reliable and sufficient to work on video using Bitwig. In practice, users interested in integrating music with video end up relying on another DAW.

How does this feature fit in Bitwig as a product?

Bitwig is an innovative product heavily focused on opening sound design possibilities. Audio and image are increasingly integrated in a long-term trend. Bringing video support to Bitwig would open this product to a big professional and hobbyist market. It could also open the door to innovative ways to create music and sounds with support of video data.

Is there already an alternative way to achieve this on Bitwig?

No

Could it be implemented using Bitwig components or APIs, without Bitwig team’s support?

No

Could it be provided by a VST or something else reasonably integrated with Bitwig?

Yes and No. There are Video Players plugins like VidPlay VST and XJadeo but they are not stable and only cover the most basic features.

Are there other products that offer this feature?

Cubase, Pro-Tools, Logic.

Relevant links (optional)

VidPlayVST - Bitwig Page

Video Sync 6

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22 posts were split to a new topic: [Draft discussion] Video support

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For what is worth, VidPlayVST - Bitwig Page has been updated to document a bugfix, and they have also published a short video about it:

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I came here to request this feature as well. Coming to Bitwig recently from a filmmaking background, video support was the first (and biggest) missing piece I noticed. I do recognize Bitwig as a musician-focused DAW and turning it into a full-fledged film post-production DAW is probably a bad idea. The complexities involved along with the specific requirements for filmmaking in particular, and integration with longstanding “industry-standard” SW and HW (Avid, Protools, Nuendo, etc.) to make Bitwig usable in the industry (moving resources back and forth in post) is likely not worth the design changes it would require. Also, coming from a film post audio editing/mixing background, working with Bitwig was a very different experience than film post (unless you are actually composing for film). For example, the clip launcher is still alien to me. :grimacing:

Dolby concerns are real, especially with ATMOS, but with other formats, in particular 5.1, 7.1, etc., the Digital Cinema Standards for audio delivery is standard individual WAV files for each channel. No longer is AC3 format required; so no Dolby. Many plugins exist for metering that respect Dolby and ITU standards and are used to mix film sound. Many post houses will send the mix off to have it formally tested/certified without having to have their own Dolby-certified facility, if that is required for the release. ATMOS will undoubtedly require licensing to do certain things, although it appears Dolby is trying to make things less painful than in the past. Being able to route channels beyond Stereo would be a nice addition to Bitwig, simply from a sound design aspect, even if output were to 6 or 8 individual WAV files.

If it were easy, there would be no Cubase AND Nuendo. DaVinci Resolve’s audio editor, the venerable Fairlight, doesn’t understand MIDI, or use VSTi’s effectively for sound design. Neither does Adobe’s Audition, although it is pretty good at handling 5.1 sound mixing with video support. I’ve used Audition to create and mix 5.1 surround for short films ultimately to a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) that digital theaters require, all without Dolby’s interference. But since it doesn’t understand MIDI, I had to use existing Audio files as my raw materials.

Having said all that, I DO believe, that just having video support (with typical video frame rate timeline support) even in Stereo to allow for Composing for Film would be a HUGE advantage in giving Bitwig a toehold on the lucrative film post market. Most music in film appears in Stereo (at least that’s the common advice), although with ATMOS, music may be spreading rearward.

So, my wish is for video support to include timecode fimelines (instead of beats/bars) at least in Stereo for starters to permit composing music/atmosphere to film. Adding multichannel support like 5.1, 7.1 (ignoring ATMOS atm) and output to individual WAV files per channel would round things out. Neither would require the significant amount of retooling that would be needed to integrate Bitwig in the existing industry post workflows, but could provide the necessary assets to import into proper film post DAWs. Video support could be nothing more than reading MP4, and perhaps pulling out a track of dialog for reference on the timeline. My two cents. Loving Bitwig!

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Loving Bitwig it’s the future but tethered to Logic only because it has video support. If Bitwig supported video it would be a game changer for so many composers and musicians that are stuck having to use dinosaur DAWS. Video integration is everywhere these days it’s not just film composers who need this, although film/TV/game composing is a HUGE market !

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2 posts were split to a new topic: VS - Visual Synthesizer

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Working with music to video is sometimes part of my day job, so this would be a most welcome feature to Bitwig. With all of Bitwig’s sound design potential, decent midi handling and automation it feels like a natural platform for working to video and scoring. Beyond scoring to video, it would be cool if it were possible to work with some kind of creative visual engine / video clip sampler, maybe with its own Grid system to produce visual content for music. Or perhaps a way for Bitwig to hook into an open platform like Blender or a game engine. I appreciate this would be a lot of dev work and not something everyone would perhaps want or need, but it could give Bitwig another unique edge over the competition and open it up as a go-to tool for composers and sound designers for games.

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I really care mostly about AAF support, so I can exchange sessions with ProTools and Logic users.

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Did you see that?
FL and upgraded Video support is wuhuuu*

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@_ttc has mentioned already that a setup like this one may not fulfill his needs, but I thought I place a detailled description here on how I use VidPlayMTC Standalone (not the plugin) together with Bitwig if someone wants to know how this can be done.

Free Video support for Bitwig 4.4.3 with VidPlayMTC

This would enable full control of your Video Preview with Bitwigs timeline. It seems also that there is no fix needed for the transport notification with this standalone version (at least I had no problems with it)

Software needed

  1. VidPlayMTC Standalone (this is free, but you can support the software by buying the VST plugin)
  2. The famous loopMIDI by Tobias Erichsen

Steps

  1. Add a new virtual MIDI port (I named it VidPlayMTC) with loopMIDI.

  2. Inside VidPlayMTC select this new virtual MIDI port for the MIDI input (Menu: Configure > Midi In).

  3. Inside Bitwig I just enabled all switches for the new virtual MIDI port at Settings > Synchronization (even if SPP seems not to be supported by VidPlayMTC).

  4. And now any video you load with VidPlayMTC is in sync with the Bitwig timeline including the flexible selection of the position inside Bitwig - one way only (from Bitwig to VidPlayMTC). If you change the position of the video directly inside VidPlayMTC this would become the new “0” timeline position in Bitwig if you need to start from a specific position inside the video instead from the beginning.

As a new user I can only post a single image file so I put the screenshots of the steps above together here:

image
image1029Ă—1057 182 KB

Notes

  • VidPlayMTC would remember the last opened video for the next start.
  • I was not able to use “Sync Offset +/- msecs” inside the VidPlayMTC
  • As written above the SPP switch inside VidPlayMTC did not also work for me
  • And when a setting does not work inside VidPlayMTC you see this first obviously because the sync bteween BitWig and VidPlayMTC is broken and when you restart VidPlayMTC it is always selecting “no midi” for the “Midi In” automatically. You would need to select working settings again and restart VidPlayMTC afterwards.
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Some of us don’t want to host video inside the DAW. I like to host video outside the DAW (Video Sync 5), makes jumping around sessions quicker with less overhead.

It would be great to have real SMPTE and the ability to offset to sync with other system resources and apps.

Really, I’ll settle for a timecode offset rn, which shouldn’t be that difficult.

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At least a simple SMPTE would be good.
Then, when you have this video support, another feature that is missing : a way to manipulate the tempo with a warp function, in order to sync music with specific movie moments. I made a request for that, maybe you could vote for it.

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Definitely a huge missing link in bitwig compared to other DAWS

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I just came back on this forum after what feels like ages to leave a quick comment under the feature I’ve been asking the most about in the past few years…

This is getting so frustrating…bitwig 5 is basically here and, once again, nothing. At this point, I’m so hungry for this thing, I’d be super happy if it was nothing but the possibility of loading at least one video file in a project and adding frames/subframes/etc. in the timeline…

Another cool idea would be to create tracks a la Reaper, where you can just put any kind of file, including video. So basically hybrid tracks that allows to load videos.

But this is never going tom happen is it? :frowning:

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I checked in with them on this, just like I did when version 4 came out. They keep saying it’s high on their priority list but it won’t happen within version 5 lifecycle and they can’t guarantee if it’s going to happen when it’s going to happen.

What. A. Joke.

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Video Clips Wanted! Let me explain. First of all, huge Bitwig fan/user for years. I’ve used all the other DAWs and wanted something that inspires me on a daily basis that is more than a DAW but an instrument and creative tool and palette. Cubase, Logic Pro, Protools, Ableton Live, Reaper, and others. all have video support. I’ve requested this in person on phone chats and email support multiple times.

So, instead of just having one video that you can sync to the start of the project (this would be limiting and then require an upgrade in the future). Imagine video/videos you can drop into clips in the arranger or clip launcher area. For music scoring I may have a few variations I’m working on with different exports (lengths, transitions, etc. Sometimes / often times your musical edit informs the editor of how the music works with the video. The editor cuts to the music - but it’s a give and take.

Furthermore I’m in a live music group and we perform using Bitwig as our live Sync DAW controlling all aspects of our performance. It’s very reliable when compared with other DAWs and systems used in the past and for performance control of your controllers, loading patches, scenes, program changes across multiple aspects with different musicians. You can get as complex as your needs require. Incorporating video - currently for this I have synced to Ableton, and then use its video player, but this is not ideal at all. So then you get into video pro-level video / VJ software like Resolume which is great, but sometimes you just need the simplicity of one video or video clips to sync for live visuals and be in perfect time. Bitwig will be great at this. They too have said this is high on the wish list and they can’t announce anything until it’s actually coming out, so here’s to wanting and waiting and really needing and streamlining.

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You may like to have a look at VidDancer VST, released recently…

Thanks

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Again bumping this up. We really need video support in Version 5. PLEASE!!! I work in music to video daily. This really needs to be here now in 2023. Many users waiting to make the jump, this one feature would seal the deal for tens of thousands of people I’m sure. If that’s an incentive.

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I’m also a sound artist mostly active in the commercial media industry, that will be soon switching to Bitwig in Linux, as a personal challenge.

I’ve been working in Ableton Live since 2015, a DAW in which I’m able to add videos my clients send me and work on music frame by frame. I previously used to work on Pro Tools 9 and Logic Pro 9, both of which were able to handle video playback since a decade ago.

The music industry is rapidly expanding beyond knob tinkering, but creative media production in Bitwig is still considered an afterthought. I hope there’s video integration soon, even in its simplest form.

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Someone mentioned VideoSync 5. I use version 4, but I recall that it does work and is very robust. It may be a good solution until the devs come up with something.

It’s not cheap though…

https://non-lethal-applications.com/products/video-sync-5/video-sync-5

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