Bitwig has announced the release of Bitwig Studio 3, a major update to the DAW for Linux, macOS & Windows.
Bitwig Studio 3 opens up the underlying modularity of the DAW, via The Grid.
The Grid In Bitwig Studio 3
The Grid is a modular sound-design environment, with a library of 154 modules, an assortment of editing gestures and interactive assistance.
Two new devices are available to make use of The Grid:
- Poly Grid is for instruments. That could mean simple, playable mono- or poly-synths. But it could also mean sequenced patches that play their parts whenever the transport is active. Or cascading drones that are controlled on faders for performance. Maybe a sample-based instrument that uses the note played for timbre instead of pitch. “Instrument” has a broad meaning, and so does Poly Grid.
- FX Grid is usually an audio processor. The default patch connects the audio in buss straight to the audio out, waiting for any process added in between. That often means an audio effect—with optional voice stacking to thicken and vary the sound. But it could also mean pitch tracking the audio input to tune a modulating oscillator. Or even using note input as well to build a fully polyphonic, responsive audio processor. Most anything imagined can be built.
As a new native element in Bitwig Studio, The Grid can be used in many ways.
- Grid devices can be nested or layered along with other devices and plug-ins, and they are controllable via MIDI mapping and from the Open Controller API.
- Song position is available as a sample-accurate signal, locking a patch in The Grid to the project’s timeline.
- Arranger or clip-based automation can be added for any parameter in grid patches, even in combination with Bitwig Studio’s existing modulators.
- Grid modules like envelopes, LFOs, and sequencers all have modulator outputs as well. And just as Bitwig Studio’s modulators can control any parameter in The Grid, any grid signal can be used to modulate child devices.
- With dedicated grid modules for sending any control, trigger, or pitch signal as CV Out and receiving any CV In, hardware can be seamlessly integrated with The Grid.
Here’s a summary of what’s new in Bitwig Studio 3:
- The Grid, a modular sound design environment sporting 154 modules and lightning-fast workflows
- Poly Grid device: for creating synthesizers, sequenced patches, and more
- FX Grid device: for creating audio FX with optional voice stacking
- Automatic Project Backups, each time you re-save a project
- Realtime Ruler, showing timelines in minutes and seconds
- Ableton LINK version 3, supporting start/stop synchronization
- Global GUI Contrast settings, making the interface pop on any monitor
- Redesigned Instrument Inspector, offering polyphony, two mono voice modes, and more
- VU Meters in Routing Choosers, showing the signal you are looking for
- Reworked audio backends, sporting timing improvements on all platforms
Pricing and Availability
Bitwig Studio 3 is available now for US $299. A free demo version is also available. Version 3 is a free update for customers with a Bitwig Studio license and a valid upgrade plan.
Loving it!
Found this, some sound examples..
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn2Z_OilkVqNzkBTWOmkDMQ
Im am not bitwig user, but this seems amazing.
I use Live and am comfortable and happy with it. I have tried Bitwig demos numerous times but I felt a little lost (unsurprisingly with any new environment).
I am interested in Bitwig because I think it would be easy to perform in clips and simultaneously translate said performance into an arrangement. Can Bitwig do that? I have researched as much as I could but still I am not clear on this. Could anybody give me helpful advice/insight please…cheers
As far as I can tell (having worked with plenty of people that use Ableton), Bitwig does just about everything that Ableton does and more. As for clip-based arrangements, that is definitely something Bitwig does. There is even deep integration with Push 2.
The question for me is: can it do anything ableton live + max for live can’t do?
yea, much better multicore cpu usage.
learning curve isn’t that steep. It’s way more straightforward. And it looks better :p.
That said, I’m also an Ableton/Cubase user and haven’t switched yet. But it looks exciting. Growing into an interesting direction…
Thanks for the feedback…much appreciated!
It may not be for everyone, but the Grid is a design masterclass. They really have put a lot of effort and thought in to making something that can be quite complicated accessible and fun to use. It’s easy to make useful things, the visual feedback and built in animated help system are best in class. It may not have the depth of Max, but I suspect it will do what 99% of people need it to do, and more importantly, they will actually be able to do it!
Well done Bitwig Devs, masterful. I hope this much thought goes in to all of your future updates, you have made a powerful and accessible sound and music creation tool, it’s more than a DAW, we need a new name!
Coming from Logic as a complete non-synth guy, Bitwig has been a revelation for me. Easy to learn but still incredibly deep. Haven’t even touched The Grid yet.