Bitwig has introduced the latest update to its namesake DAW, Bitwig Studio 3.3, as a beta release.
The lastest release focuses on offering greater control and sculpting possibilities for sounds, whether coloring audio sources or reinterpreting note messages in new ways.
Here’s what’s new in Bitwig Studio 3.3:
- Polymer – described as ‘a Hybrid Modular Synthesizer’
- New Wavetable Module – The Wavetable module brings another method of synthesis to Bitwig. True to The Grid, this oscillator can be controlled by stereo control signals, accessing different parts of a wavetable at once.
- Two new modulators:
- Vibrato is an LFO tuned for this musical purpose. Since Polymer keeps the focus on sound design, having an LFO automatically controlled by mod wheel saves another five clicks. Or switch it to Pressure for full MPE use.
- Ramp takes the set time to go up (or down), which is nice when reading thru wavetables. Its other parameters are curve, total range, and looping, which changes this simple envelope into a per-note sequencer of sorts.
- Updated Devices and Additions to The Grid
- Free Content Scaling. Whatever is selected in the timeline can now be stretched directly.
- Project Sections Page. The Project Panel has gained a new Sections page, which lists all Arranger cue markers and Launcher scenes side-by-side.
- Preserve Your Transients. Always a goal of Bitwig Studio, version 3.3 extends this thinking to fades, allowing you to fade in from where your audio starts or to go back before it begins, automatically extending the clip and keeping the sound as edited.
- Modulation Enhancements. While modulators could always control each other, any single modulation routing can now be scaled by a modulator. And each modulation routing now has various curves, either for shaping the signal or making it responsive across only part of a knob range.
Availability:
The Bitwig Studio 3.3 release is planned for Q4. It is a free upgrade to everyone with an active Upgrade Plan for Bitwig Studio. Polymer and the new modulators (Vibrato and Ramp) are also part of Bitwig Studio 16-Track. The Bitwig Studio 3.3 Beta is available for download as of today. Everyone with an active Bitwig Studio upgrade plan has access and is invited to download the installer from their account.
Looks like another great update!
Another great update., with the bitwig modulation system and the grid you can quickly build just about any sort of Wavetable synth… as usual, implemented with thought to be easy to use but very deep. The editing features are also very welcome, fade before clips is very clever.
This update is great. Polymer is instantly inspiring and logical. After 15 years of DAW use, Bitwig is the only one I actually look forward to firing up.
Great job guys, really impressive. Bitwig’s pretty much become the only legitimate and serious sequencer/DAW, given it’s across the board MPE integration, its being a live performance sequencer, and its modular architecture.
I’m not a Bitwig fan, never was and never will be. I don’t like how they started and I also believe they’re not exactly showing much ingenuity by continuing to copy Live features instead of providing exclusive features of their own. I tried it once, wasn’t impressed (though I can’t rule out prejudice and bias) and well, that was that for me.
But having said that I definitely respect their accomplishments and in all fairness: they lasted a lot longer than I initially gave ‘m credit for. It’s a good thing they’re still around and I definitely wish ‘m all the best!
Admin: Personal attack deleted.
Keep comments on topic and constructive.
Ableton is going to need to start copying Bitwig soon enough.
They already did with the cv control.
There is a lot Bitwig can do that Ableton cannot. There is not much that Ableton can do that Bitwig can’t.
Supplying your own competitor is a very German thing to do. I will not be surprised if the same guy own both companies.
But somebody need to tell them you are not impressed! This bastards working for nothing 🙂
please, bitwig people, please code something else next. i still miss a groove extraction function. it would allow me to take the timing of an audio clip and apply it to another clip, e.g. a midi drum track. ableton is way better in that regard.
I will be happy to have sysex support
yuck. laptops agail lol
Best one!!