Bitwig Studio 5.3 is a free update and now in beta. It brings three new drum families, a stepwise sequencer, and an announcement of a Winter Sale with up to $100 off.
At Superbooth 24, Bitwig celebrated its 10th anniversary with a one-time 50% OFF deal. At the same time, they published update 5.2, which focused on mixing and mastering tasks and introduced new compressors and EQs to the DAW.
Shortly before the end of the year, there is another free update for the Berlin DAW. Bitwig Studio 5.3 is now in beta, with plenty of new stuff to explore. Plus, you can grab both the full version and the upgrade plan with a discount on their winter sale.
Bitwig Studio 5.3
Version 5.3 is ready for testing and supercharges the DAW with 25 new drum machine devices. These are sorted into three groups: v8 with a 808 set, v9 with a 909 set, and a collection of digital drum synths called v0.
The v8 family includes v8 Kick, v8 Snare, and v8 Tom, as well as some of the characteristic percussion instruments (maracas, cowbell, etc.). Unlike the original one-knob hardware setups, the new v8 devices give users five color parameters.
New sounds also appear in the v9 family, Bitwig’s 909-based instrument. These nine devices cover all the original’s instruments, from open and closed hats to the v9 Ride and a v9 Crash. You can dial in the additional Impact, Tone, and Punch knobs.
For me, more exciting is the new v0 family that brings six digital drum synthesis devices: v0 Kick, Zap Kick, Tom, Snare, Hat, and Cymbal. They represent a diverse set of digital drum synthesis techniques, such as detuned oscillator banks, FM, physical models, and sets of filters that are harmonic (sometimes).
Stepwise Sequencer & Master Recording
Then, Bitwig Studio 5.3 also unveils a new powerful step sequencer. Stepwise is a note device that takes familiar pattern sequencing in a playful and fun direction. Eight rows trigger different notes, with steps set to either off, normal, or accented.
Each row can play 16 steps long and advance at 16th notes. Or not… You can also go deeper. Switch a row to follow eighth notes, or maybe triplets. Use the global groove for some lanes, or Offset others to give a little wonk. Plus, it comes with independent lengths for each, making drifting patterns and polyrhythms possible.
Another new highlight of the update 5.3 is the new master recording section in Bitwig Studio’s transport header. It includes a meter of the outgoing level and a record button. Press on it, and it constantly records to disk as audio even if the project transport isn’t playing. A bit like the capture function in Ableton Live.
You can also use it to record full performance or capture a moment and drop it into the sampler. Besides this, it comes with an easier setup for your audio system. Any hardware selected will now be auto-configured, with all mono paths and sensible stereo choices. Bitwig Studio keeps track of previously used audio hardware.
There is also a new editor to create favorite configurations with a renaming option for the inputs and outputs. And those customizations will be kept for each interface, even when special configurations for using multiple audio interfaces are created at once (a new option on macOS, joining similar functionality on Linux).
New Grid Modules, Fasting Project Loading, & Windows ARM
Alongside this, Bitwig Studio 5.3 also ships with new Grid modules, including an analog-style frequency shifter (Freq Shift+), a pitch shifter, and other devices (step access, accents, dome (filter)).
According to the Bitwig developers, the DAW now also loads your projects with all your instruments and FX faster and more efficiently. That means opening a preset, patch, or project for the first time happens quickly. And it’s even faster the second time.
Further, Bitwig Studio now runs natively on Windows on ARM. Thanks to Bitwig’s unique sandboxing architecture, even those plug-ins that haven’t yet been recompiled for ARM can run seamlessly under emulation.
On top, you can now save up to $100/100€ during their Winter Sale.
Bitwig Studio 5.3: First Impression
An impressive end-of-year update for Bitwig Studio. The new drum instrument sounds great and versatile. The “endless” recording option also seems like a handy function, especially for improvisations and jams.
Biwig Studio 5.3 is now available for beta testing. They aim to release 5.3 before the end of the year. It’s a free update to all license holders with an active Upgrade Plan as of today (November 21, 2024).
Bitwig Studio Producer and Essentials license holders will receive the v8 family of drums and the Stepwise Sequencer.
More information here: Bitwig
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