Bitwig 6 Clip Launcher Automation... What Went Wrong? (Patreon)

While working on music in Bitwig 6 and trying to record automation in the Clip Launcher, I ran into some workflow issues that disrupted the creative process.

Recording automation feels unintuitive since it defaults to the arranger and requires awkward steps just to get simple parameter changes into the clip launcher.

There are also confusing gaps in automation, odd visual feedback, and too many steps to simply record or overdub new automation.

Despite these hiccups, I still believe Bitwig 6 is solid and much improved, but the Clip Launcher automation workflow clearly needs some refinement to feel smooth and creative, especially for live use.

The user highlights frustration with automation recording in Bitwig 6's Clip Launcher, specifically noting confusion and workflow issues.

Main problem: Automation recording defaults to the Arranger, not the Clip Launcher, unless specific steps are taken.

There's no dedicated "automation write" button for the Clip Launcher, only for the Arranger, which is confusing and unintuitive.

To record automation into a clip, the track must be armed and the clip must be actively recording and playing, otherwise automation is written to the Arranger instead.

The workflow involves awkward steps: unwanted audio gets recorded when only automation is needed, and deleting the clip also deletes the automation.

Empty space is recorded at the start of automation clips, representing the gap between clip start and the first parameter change, which creates tedious extra editing.

Automation continues recording even after disabling “automation write” unless the whole clip is stopped, which disrupts live or fluid work.

Visual feedback in the automation lanes is confusing, giving the impression that waveforms and automation events are being moved together when only automation is adjusted.

Looping is not enabled by default for new automation clips, requiring extra manual steps.

The process is not intuitive or live-friendly; extra steps and bugs complicate quick creative automation during performance or production.

Despite these issues, Bitwig 6 is seen as a promising update, fixing old bugs and offering foundations for improvements, but needs more attention to the automation workflow in the Clip Launcher.