Beta Testing of Bitwig Studio 4.3

Bitwig Studio 4.3 is now in beta testing for users with an active Upgrade Plan. It features new spaces via Convolution and Delay+, and an analog tone bundle for Polymer/The Grid. Where would you like to go today?

NOTE: Do not use a beta version to work on important projects! Project files created or saved with the beta cannot be opened in previous versions of Bitwig Studio. So if you are opening working projects, save copies of them for beta testing (instead of saving over your original files).

If you think you have found a bug, please drop us a line at beta@bitwig.com. Please be sure to include:

And if you get a crash report dialog from the program, please click Send Report. Adding a comment is most helpful, but this can still be useful to us regardless.

Let's go places.

System Requirements

Windows - Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 (all in 64-bit)
Mac - macOS 10.14 ("Mojave") or above
Linux - any modern distribution with Flatpak installed (more information here)
a CPU capable of SSE 4.1

Changes in Bitwig Studio 4.3, Beta 1

New Device: Convolution

A straightforward device with quick adjustment controls for reverb, coloring, or anything else convolution can do
Supports loading 1-channel (mono), 2-channel (stereo), and 4-channel ("true stereo") impulses
An impulse browser visualizes all impulses in your library, along with their length, category, and channel count
Tune resamples the impulse, changing its pitch and length by the set amount
The Start and End Time positions within the impulse can be adjusted visually, similar to Sampler
A Volume Envelope sets a start, mid-point (time-adjustable), and end gain levels, that can be quieter or louder than the original impulse for effects or reshaping it altogether
Brightness offers a tilt EQ, which favors the high end when turned to the right, or the low end on the left
Pre-delay time, Wet Gain amount, and dry/wet Mix parameters are also available
The Wet FX chain allows any Bitwig devices and VST plug-ins to be added for processing only the wet output portion
Convolution supports any audio file:
- Dropping a file from one of Bitwig's browsers or the OS's file manager onto the Convolution will load the first 45 seconds of it
- If a file conversion is necessary, the impulse will be saved into the current project's Impulses folder as a BWIMPULSE file
- Dragging any audio or note clip onto Convolution will bounce the clip, and then load it as an impulse
- A folder Import… option is available via the impulse browser for bulk import
270 impulses are available in the factory library, including real spaces, environmental captures, and generated impulses

New Device: Delay+

A souped-up delay, with hardwired modulations and a pre-stocked feedback loop that eats the latency of other devices/plug-ins
Standard delay options for delay time (either in seconds, or beats plus offset for triplet, dotted, or things in between), Feedback amount, low- and high-pass filters for controlling feedback, and a dry/wet Mix control
For delay time changes/modulations, a Time Update Rate parameter is available, as well as two Time Update Model settings:
- Repitch - Maintains audio output during delay time changes, making pitch effects audible
- Fade - Hides pitch artifacts during delay time changes
Like oscillator detuning, a Detune parameter is available in milliseconds, along with a Stereo Detune toggle to invert the right channel's detuning
Four Pattern options for the channel configuration:
- Mono - Flattens the incoming signal for processing, and offers a Pan control for direction within the effect
- Stereo - With a Width control and optional Cross Feedback (for left → right channel feedback, and vice versa)
- Ping L - Ping-pong, starting on the left side, and with Width control
- Ping R - Ping-pong, starting on the right side, and with Width control
Around the feedback stage are several controls and effects:
- Level Control keeps signal in the feedback loop from exploding, offer both a Threshold for when level control starts, and three Modes (Soft Clip, Hard Clip, and a Comp.[ressor] model)
  - The feedback (or cross feedback) icon illuminates red to show the amount of level control being applied
- Width affects Feedback factors in the Width parameter (when available) before the feedback chain
- Blur sets the amount of the selected Blur Character, whose choices are:
  - No Blur - Bypass option
  - Soft - Short diffusion network
  - Wide - Short diffusion network, with broader modulation and spread
  - Still - Long diffusion network
  - Space - Long diffusion network, with broader modulation and spread
  - Reverse - Time-offset diffusion system
- The Forever toggle maintains the current feedback buffer, keeping it at unity gain and not passing in any new signal
- Any other Bitwig devices or VST plug-ins can be inserted into the FB FX chain, becoming part of the churn
  - The FB FX chain uniquely provides delay compensation (for inserting devices that require it) by offsetting the delay time
Ducking automatically pulls down the dry/wet Mix setting and Feedback level when strong sounds arrive to help them be heard, even with high Feedback values or even the Forever option enabled
- The arrow icon (→) leading from Ducking to Mix illuminates orange to show the amount of ducking being applied

Polymer/Grid module updates

New Polymer/Grid oscillator: Union
- A DC-drifting, analog-inspired oscillator that blends pulse, saw, and triangle waves
- Level controls for each of the three waveforms
- Clickable toggle to quickly switch to only one waveform
- Pulse Width control for the pulse wave's shape and timbre
- Anti-aliased waveshapes slide around as any of these controls are adjusted, making them ideal for modulation or automation
- Union is now the default oscillator in Polymer for its immediate controls and warm sound
New Polymer/Grid filter: Low-pass MG
- A Moog-inspired classic low-pass filter
- Drive stage has similarly inspired mix buss character (try turning it up; we'll wait.)
- Standard Cutoff Frequency and Resonance controls
- Low-pass MG is now the default filter in Polymer because it sounds good and familiar
Updated Polymer/Grid envelopes: ADSR, AR, and AD
- Each have three modes now:
  - 🅰 Analog - Again, imitating Moog hardware's fixed curves nonlinearities
  - 🆁 Relative - (previously the only mode) With adjustable rate-differential curves
  - 🅳 Digital - Clean math with adjustable curves, for precise time segments
- A simple one letter button in each envelope's top left indicates the mode; click the box to see all available modes
- For its classic response and ease of use, the default Polymer envelopes (for AEG and FEG) are set to Analog
Updated Polymer/Grid filter: Sallen-Key (previously "Low-pass SK", with only three low-pass modes) now has 16 Filter Mode options, using various filter types
Updated Polymer/Grid filter revision: Comb now has a Dampening Frequency parameter (set relative to the primary Cutoff Frequency) for reining in the feedback segment
Updated Polymer/Grid filters: Low-pass LD, Low-pass MG, Sallen-Key, SVF, XP, and Comb
- All filters now including a Resonance Limit (or Q Limit) control, setting the point where clipping begins within the filter's resonance
- The Drive parameter sets the amount of gain (and clipping), and Resonance Limit sets the threshold when clipping/saturation begins
- Together, these parameters can greatly adjust the color of any filter
- Resonance Limit is available in Polymer by right-clicking on a empty area of any filter module
Updated Polymer/Grid oscillators: Pulse, Sawtooth, Sine, Triangle, Union, Wavetable, Phase-1, and Swarm
- All oscillators Phase Modulation Amount knobs now go up to 800 % (with 100 % at the center)
- These extended modulation index values provider a broader range of digital frequency/phase modulation sounds
Updated Polymer/Grid module: Sub (Oscillator) now includes a sawtooth option as an additional Waveform choice

Comments Are Welcome

Comments can now be added to any track, layer (within one of our Layer devices), Launcher scene, or Arranger cue marker
Comments can be added/seen in the Inspector Panel for any item, and:
- Track and layer comments can all be seen/edited together in either Mixer Panel
- Launcher scene and Arranger cue markers can be seen/edited together in the Sections page of the Project Panel
Comments are good for whatever you what — recording settings, performance notes, lyrics, etc. — and can be written in any language that Bitwig can display

FX Tracks Sends

FX tracks now have sends of their own, allowing FX tracks to be sent to any other effect track
An FX track sent to an FX track on its right (further down on the mixer) is sent immediately
An FX track sent to an FX track on its left (backward on the mixer) is sent with a delay of one audio buffer
- This includes direct feedback routing, shown with the square feedback arrow icon
This also applies to the FX tracks of group tracks and within Drum Machine devices

New Features

Updated FX device: Bit-8 now has an Anti-alias toggle, switching to different methods — and a different sound
Updated Grid module: Audio Out (I/O) now has higher-quality clipping algorithms, and the module icon glows to indicate how much clipping is being applied
Updated Grid module: ADSR (Envelope) now has a Bias Out port, sending a proportionate signal that outputs zero in the sustain segment (good for sliding pitches and much more)
Updated analysis device: Spectrum now has a toggle for the Frequency Range displayed:
- Human Hearing - Displays the extended human hearing range
- Sample Rate - Matches Bitwig's current sample rate
Updated Grid module: Oscilloscope (Display) now has display parameters to adjust the Y Maximum shown on screen and a Y Bipolar toggle
Updated tool device: Test Tone now has a Bipolar toggle for optional unipolar output, as well as Waveshape options:
- Sine (previously the only waveform available)
- Triangle
- Square
- Saw Up
- Saw Down
- Dirac - A series of one-sample impulses
- White Noise
- Pink Noise
When a group track is expanded and focus is within it, all Add Track functions now create tracks within the group
Operators: Note editor GUI updates (to show which events are playing on this loop pass) are now latency compensated [28277]
Controllers that target the Clip Launcher now use a rectangle to highlight the current targets from each active controller, and can optionally scroll Bitwig's GUI when the controller scrolls its targets
Modules now have a revision system, for managing updates and maintaining compatibility with previous use work
- When an UPDATE button appears on the top right of a module, mouse over it for a tooltip of the changes that clicking UPDATE would bring
The top of the Inspector Panel for devices has been simplified and given a fuller range of icons
Nested device chains now show a little box for each device in the chain
Linux builds are now released as FLATPAK files (more information here)
Linux: now supports the PipeWire audio driver

Improvements

Updated Grid module revision: Comb (Filter) now sets negative feedback to the same cutoff frequency/delay time as positive feedback
General modulator mapping improvements:
- When setting a modulation range of a linear parameter, the unit will be shown while mapping
- When setting a modulation range of a logarithmic parameter (such as the Rate scaler for the LFO modulator or Grid module), positive modulations will be shown with × and negative modulations with ÷, since the modulations are multiplicative of the current setting
- When setting a modulation range of a cubic parameter (such as any envelope time setting, or module attenuator, etc. etc.), the modulation shows the maximum modulation value based on the parameter's current set value, along with an asterisk (*) since changing the set value will change the effective modulation range

Fixes

Substantial memory optimizations for projects with a large number of tracks and/or scenes [28390]
Note FX Layer device: Notes were not playing correctly after transposing them in different layers [28479]
Note Out (I/O) Grid module: Properly clips note expressions, particularly for Note Grid uses
MPE expressions are now properly clipped for VST plug-ins [28477]
192 kHz audio playback had sync issues [28486]