At NAMM 2019, Dave from Bitwig showed me the upcoming 3.0 version of Bitwig Studio. I really like what I’ve seen so far. The new modular engine makes Bitwig much more versatile in the workflow. Per example, if you do not find the right Synthesizer or effect processor in the factory library, you build yourself the one you need in the grid.
It will certainly be exciting how deep you can work modularly. At the start, 120+ modules will be delivered, more will follow in the year. Whether they team up with third party developers, is not yet known. It would be interesting to see some modules from other companies in the grid! Looking forward for BS3!
News From January 16, 2019
Bitwig Studio was shown at the Musikmesse for the first time 5 years ago. At that time the modular engine was presented as a key feature. What came in the following years was more of a classic DAW. But now comes movement in the topic. The Berlin-based company announced today Bitwig Studio 3 and yes it will be a full-modular sound design DAW.
The new system is called Grid and will be delivered with over 120 different modules that are built-in BS3. With this musicians can built all possible connections they need. From patched synths to CV generators for hardware Synthesizers. Thus, Bitwig Studio is finally becoming this modular DAW promised us long time. More information will follow during the NAMM coverage where the company presents for the first time BS3.
Overview
Particularly for a DAW, modularity has been at the core of Bitwig Studio from the beginning. Devices can be nested, clips are containers, modulators exist everywhere, and practically anything can be dragged anywhere. But with Bitwig Studio 3, we are zooming out so you can push in.
The Grid is an open modular environment that powers a family of new devices in Bitwig Studio 3: Mono Grid, Poly Grid and FX Grid. With a vast library of modules and a supersonic workflow, you’ll be creating your own unique sounds immediately, and in high-fidelity. Simply add a Grid device to your project and start patching. It’s fun.
The Grid includes:
- Fully-modular sound design
- Fantastic sound quality
- 120+ modules
- Any signal, anywhere
- Lighting-fast workflow
- 4x-oversampled, stereo signal path
Construct a polyphonic Synthesizer from scratch in one session. Create an adaptive audio effect with your signature sound. Experiment with generative drones until you find a new way to perform. Or simply create the undefinable. Patching is effortless, giving full rein to your creativity.
All signals are created equal. In The Grid, all signals are interchangeable so any out port can be connected to any in port. While this is rarely the case in other programs, Bitwig Studio has made it so. Try something crazy; you (probably) won’t get electrocuted.
Every signal is stereo. Yes, every audio cable is stereo, but so are all control signals as well. By altering any of these control signals, their corresponding audio will be affected. And plenty of modules are ready to help you Stereo-ize your signals…
Getting more with less cords. For signals that are needed regularly, we have the option of pre-cords. These clickable icons appear beside in ports allowing common connections to be made wirelessly. And with The Grid’s quick workflow gestures, new modules can be dropped directly onto ports, automatically wiring them into your patch. Work smart instead of hard.
Phase is the place. After pitch, timbre, and loudness, phase is the essential element of sound, capable of driving basic time functions, complex modulation synthesis, and so much more. With a dedicated category of phase modules, we have made these concepts freshly accessible and newly relevant for modern music production.
A New World of Possibility in Bitwig Studio. Best of all, this new system is a completely native part of Bitwig Studio, giving you so much more to work with than audio.
- Grid devices can be nested or layered along with other devices and your plug-ins, and they are controllable from the same Open Controller API.
- Song position is available as a sample-accurate signal, locking your work in The Grid to your project’s timeline.Draw Arranger or clip-based automation for any parameter in your new grid patches, even in combination with Bitwig Studio’s existing modulators.
- 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.
- Your hardware modular rig is completely integrated, with dedicated grid modules for sending any control, trigger, or pitch signal as CV Out and receiving any CV In.
- That’s just scratching the surface. And soon, you will be too.
Bitwig Studio 3 will be previewed at NAMM (January 2019) and will enter public beta shortly afterwards. Expected release of Bitwig Studio 3 is Q2 2019.
More information here: Bitwig
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