System Requirements

• Windows - Windows 7, 8, or 10 (all in 64-bit)
• Mac - macOS 10.11 ("El Capitan") or above
• Linux - Ubuntu 17.04 or later

What's New in Bitwig Studio 3.1.1 [released 23 Dec 2019]

New features (because Christmas)

• New device: Vocoder as configurable audio effect. Including…
  • Chains for both the Modulator (signal analyzed; defaults to device's audio input) and the Carrier (signal filtered with the Modulator's spectrum).
  • Simply add the Audio Receiver or Note Receiver devices into the chains to configure routing as you please.
  • Formant and Brightness adjustments, to twist and skew the spectrum.
  • Between 8 and 80 bands for each section, and the option to go full stereo.
  • Slope and Bandwidth controls, for band-pass tuning.
  • Attack and Release times for the envelope followers, plus a Freeze toggle to hold modulator levels.
  • Default preset with noise as carrier, and 20 more presets.

Fixes

• Routing internal note input from one track to another did not work
• Some projects saved in 3.0.3 by more than one user could not be opened in 3.1
• Potential fix for very rare random crashes

What's New in Bitwig Studio 3.1 [released 18 Dec 2019]

Expanded Pitch Features

• New device: Micro-pitch, a note effect allowing micro- and macro-tuning of each note type, octave interval, and Scala (SCL) file import (for scales of seven or 12 notes) [tutorial video here]
• New modulator: Pitch-12, providing a modulator source for each pitch class (C, D, etc.) when played
• New Grid module: Transpose (Pitch category), for creating chords with or without signal input (with Stereo-ness options)
• New Grid module: Pitch → Ø (Phase category), wraps pitch signal's octave as phase signal
• 30+ tuning presets included, of various origins:
• Theory-based tunings, using the overtone (Otonal) and undertone (Utonal) series, Quarter-tone ET, and even A4 = 432 Hz
• Historic temperaments, including scales from Pythagoras, Werckmeister, Broadwood, Euler, and more
• Cultural tunings, including a number of traditional Chinese instruments (such as Ti-tsu 7 (flute), Yang-chin 7 (dulcimer), and Yün-lo 7 (gong-chime)), as well as the Javanese Chromatic 7, which is the source for various modes (like pelog, dangsoe, bem, barang, etc.)
• Artist-made tunings, either as concepts (Ives's Stretched Major, Wendy Carlos Optimized, and Johnston that blends the overtone and undertone series) and scales used for particular works (Partch from Harry Partch's "Two Studies on Ancient Greek Scales", and Blues – Harmonic, used in Ben Johnston's "Suite for Microtonal Piano", Wendy Carlos's "Beauty in the Beast", etc.)
• Original performance-minded tunings, which reshape the keyboard and coax new and unexpected outcomes from even experienced players (such as Beating Lydian, Phrygische Mütze, and Constant Portamento, which glides every note from a defined root)
• All of these presets are tagged with scale and tuning
• For frequency parameters (like filter frequency or EQ band), the window footer now shows frequency + pitch

New features

• Quick Draw action: holding [ALT] with the Pen tool will draw multiple notes at the current beat grid interval
• Quick Draw action: drawing defaults to a single pitch for each note (think hi-hats), but adding [SHIFT] allows various pitches to be drawn (like a step sequencer)
• Quick Slice action: holding [ALT] with the Knife tool will cut any clip/event at the beat grid interval, for as far as you drag the mouse
• Quick Slice action: slicing snaps its initial cut position to the beat grid, but adding [SHIFT] allows an off-grid starting position
• Slice In Place function: will slice any selected clip(s)/event(s) at the detected audio Onsets, the set Beat Markers, or at a set beat grid interval
• Interactive Help is now available for all 93 devices, 33 modulators, and 160 Grid modules
• Cue / Preview Cue Level control now exists in the Studio I/O Panel (and can be mapped via context menu)
• Cue / Preview Cue Mix control now exists in the Studio I/O Panel (and can be mapped via context menu), setting the balance between the cue and master outputs
• Note Chase option: when enabled (Dashboard > Behavior > Resume Playback), starting the transport in the middle of a note will sound the note (if the note duration is longer than an eighth note)
• Sampler (device and Grid module) now imports wavetables WAVs that use the "clm" metadata chunk, as used by Serum and others
• Audio paths can now be added from any audio I/O chooser (Add Buss… option)
• MIDI controllers can now be added from any MIDI I/O chooser (Add Controller… option)
• New Grid module: Pluck (Envelope category), an envelope generator modeled after a plucked string, with a built-in amplifier for easy connection
• New Grid module: Slope ↗︎ (Envelope category), a slope shaper for rising signals
• New Grid module: Slope ↘ (Envelope category), a slope shaper for falling signals
• New Grid module: Follower (Envelope category), a symmetric envelope follower with configurable math
• New controller scripts: for the Novation Launchpad Pro, Arturia KeyLab MkII 49/61, Arturia KeyLab Essential 49/61, PreSonus Atom, and PreSonus FaderPort 8/16
• Controller API: All Bitwig-made controller scripts are now available as examples or for modification on GitHub
• Controller API: Added Arpeggiator/Note-repeat functionality to NoteInput class
• Controller API: New high-level API for defining low-latency hardware controls and simplified script development
• English manual is now updated with all version 3.1 information

Improvements

• macOS: Now uses Apple's Metal framework (if available)
• macOS: Graphics performance is now improved overall
• In Clip Launcher: + button now appears when hovering over empty clip slots, for inserting clips from the Pop-up Browser
• Improved tempo detection when bringing audio into a project
• Audio fade handles are easier to grab on shorter fades, especially when zoomed out
• Window footer shows both the set parameter value and the currently modulated value (when a modulator is mapped)
• Fewer plug-in version conflict dialogs
• All oscilloscope widgets (Polysynth, Phase-4, Oscilloscope device & module, etc.) now draw smoother, with less flickering
• The Grid: Improved CPU performance of Grid devices with the Grid editor open
• Poly Grid device: Will now sleep when unused — unless in True Mono mode
• Poly Grid & FX Grid devices: Device Phase now follows time signature when set in bars
• Poly Grid & FX Grid devices: Device Phase setting now defaults to one bar (which follows project time signature)
• Poly Grid & FX Grid devices: Phase Offset now works when using bars
• Steps, LFO, Random, ParSeq-8 & Sample and Hold modulators: now use modern timebase options, correctly uses the beat unit multiplier, and properly follow time signature changes when set to bar units
• LFO & S/H LFO Grid modules: properly follow time signature changes when set in bar units
• EQ-DJ device: visualized crossover frequencies are now interactive
• Ladder device: frequency modulation amounts are all set in semitones now
• FM-4 device: Can now drag ratios by whole numbers (read: harmonics)
• Dynamics device: Input Meter now reflects input gain and Sidechain FX
• Oscilloscope device: Trace B channel can now be selected
• Voice Stack modulator: Individual voice modulators are now available in the detail panel
• Multi-Note device: All pitch and velocity offsets now have default values of zero (on double-click)
• MIDI Program Change device: Allows bank select LSB only when also using MSB
• Rotary device: volume modulation now shown in percent
• E-Cowbell device: Shape parameter is now in percent, as in Polysynth
• Assorted devices: improved parameter names and improved interfaces, like dynamically dimming parameters that aren't currently functional, etc.
• Audio MOD, LFO MOD, Note MOD & Step MOD legacy devices: Documentation suggests related, supported modulators to try
• APC40 MKII controller script: using the Shift + Record/Session buttons toggles arranger recording and automation recording
• German manual is now updated with all version 3.0 information

Fixes

• Sustain pedal messages (CC64) were not returning to 0 when stopping the transport
• Grid Envelope modules: visualizations were broken when curvature was set to 0 %
• Deselecting a clip did not work when selection cursor pointed to unselected clip
• When using the scroll wheel while performing a rectangular selection in audio expression editor (pitch or formant), the selection rectangle moved instead of growing in size
• VST Multiout chains were getting muted when adding VSTs to chains based on order
• Playing project with Elastique Pro samples could freeze the audio engine
• If an output port was configured in both a mono and stereo buss, it would sometimes not sound
• Previously crashed when undoing Launcher clip insertion with a controller connected in some situations
• Note audition was sounding wrong notes when moving them with arrow keys in drum editor mode
• Touch interface: Notes inserted by touch interaction are always auditioned, regardless of the audition setting
• Touch interface: Previously crashed when adjusting various parameters (e.g., clip loop length)
• Controllers that required no physical input or output (MIDI or USB) were not auto started
• Clips of various hidden tracks were still accessible via keyboard navigation
• Fixed random crashes when adjusting modulation amounts, etc.
• Crash when setting note channel of all notes in some clips
• Long, straight-line automation recording sometimes went wrong if adjusted in minute detail after a very long time. Rarely.
• Some plug-ins were getting the wrong value for modulated parameters after loading or connecting the engine
• Note Counter modulator: Current step readout is displaying correctly again
• Oscilloscope device: Downward slope option now works
• AHDSR modulator: All graph points are now drawn correctly
• Diatonic Transposer device: some scales were buggy
• HW Clock Out device: some parameters were improperly disabled when not in Clock mode
• MIDI Song Select device: Song select messages above 32 are now possible
• MIDI Song Select device: No longer sends malformed MIDI byte after song select message
• Mac: while dragging a clip, the tab key did not work to switch between Arrange and Mix views
• macOS: Sometimes would crash when typing into the tag field on preset save
• macOS: No longer scans 32-bit plug-ins on macOS 10.15 and later