Bitwig 3.1 announcement

[monophonK]

Bitwig Studio 3.1

Pitch is a fundamental cornerstone of music, and Bitwig Studio 3.1 is tuned up with new exciting ways to work with pitch and scales. Based on Bitwig Studio's unique way to work with micro-pitch information, our new Note FX device Micro-pitch lets you dynamically retune notes, import existing scales and define your own.

Welcome to Bitwig Studio 3.1:
New device: Micro-pitch
New modulator: Pitch-12
New Grid modules: Pluck, Slope ↗, Slope ↘, Follower, Transpose
Interactive Help view is coming to all Bitwig devices
Quick Draw, Quick Slice and Slice in Place
Note Chase
Cue Volume and Mix controls
Sampler imports standard wavetable WAVs
Improved tempo detection for audio files
New controller scripts and Bitwig controller scripts are now open source

https://www.bitwig.com/en/19/bitwig-studio-3_1.html

[newtobitwig]

Changes in Bitwig Studio 3.1, Beta 1
Expanded Pitch Features

New device: Micro-pitch, allowing micro- and macro-tuning of each note type, octave interval, and Scala (SCL) file import (for scales of seven or 12 notes)
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)
30+ tuning presets are already 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 mode (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 documentation for any device/module by selecting it, and then pressing the [F1] key or clicking Show Help in the Inspector Panel (device documentation is in progress and will be completed by official release)
Cue / Preview Volume 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 more than a half-note duration remains)
Sampler (device and Grid module) now imports wavetables WAVs with 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: added Arpeggiator/Note-repeat functionality to NoteInput class
Controller API: New high-level API for defining low-latency hardware controls and simplified script development

Improvements

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
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 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
Window footer shows both the set parameter value and the currently modulated value (when a modulator is mapped)
Mac: reduced GPU (graphics processing) load
APC40 MKII controller script: using the Shift + Record/Session buttons toggles arranger recording and automation recording

Fixes

Note audition was sounding wrong notes when moving them with arrow keys in drum editor mode
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 %
HW Clock Out device: some parameters were improperly disabled when not in Clock mode
Diatonic Transposer device: some scales were buggy
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
Mac: while dragging a clip, the tab key did not work to switch between Arrange and Mix views

[zengel]

Cool new Features !
The Bitwig signature is more and more specific .
They make It easy to get out of standards.
Beyond that they also included some standard Features to satisfy our need of Trans-DAW "normality".
That's good .
Still waiting for some other standardization but they clearly work on it .
this "Micro-pitch" device Seems to be a new door on an unexpected open world .
downloading the beta...

[bolba]

Scale. Notes. Selection. In. Piano. Roll. Please.

[carlca]

I've just installed the beta and after the splash screen disappears, all I am left with is a grey screen. The release notes talk of "Mac: reduced GPU (graphics processing) load", but I fear this may have been a step too far! I've contacted beta@bitwig.com, so we'll see what they say. I'll keep you all posted...

[carlca]

Admitted, I have an old Mac Pro which has been patched with https://dosdude1.com/mojave to cope with my ancient pre-Metal GPU, but I would hate to think that I am condemned to remain at 3.0.3 forever!

[sisarii]

Scale. Notes. Selection. In. Piano. Roll. Please.

Dont be ridiculous.

You would use this for actual work, let alone composing with midi, instead of having fun a sunday afternoon with the 1000th newly introduced device.

Thats not allowed in Bitwig man.

Wait for 4.1.

[Yokai]

Audio slicing is still very sub-par compared to Ableton (because it's still locked to the beat grid or to tediously-placed onset markers). Until Bitwig can make audio slicing work a LOT like how "auto-slicing" works in Ableton's Simpler device, a LOT of producers will not consider jumping ship from Ableton to Bitwig. They need to keep iterating on their slicing features and out-do Ableton on this front. Or at the very least move into parity with Ableton.

As a heads-down producer DJ, there's nothing in this beta that excites me or that makes 98% of my typical project workflow any better/easier/faster. I guess the scale-locked note draw on the piano role is nice for a small percentage of producers, but honestly there are faster/better ways of creating melodic/riff clips already.

What needs to come SOON are:

1. Powerful audio slicing like in Ableton's Simpler.
2. A real MSEG modulator that is right up there with the MSEG tools in Serum, Phase Plant, Pigments, Massive X, the "Shaper" M4L device in Ableton, LFOTool, Gatekeeper, Duck, VolumeShaper, etc.

Do those two things and you'll get pro Ableton producers jumping ship at last.

[neverbeeninariot]

• Note Chase option: when enabled (Dashboard > Behavior > Resume Playback), starting the transport in the middle of a note will sound the note (if more than a half-note duration remains)

Not sure if this reads as 'half-the-note duration' or 'half-a-whole-note duration'. Either way, if a note is under the play cursor when playback starts, it should chase, IMO.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I don't understand why limit note chase to only play notes that have more than 50% of the note duration left. At least make this an option in settings. A percentage duration left would be fine. Many people might want any part of the duration left to play.

[Echoes in the Attic]

• Note Chase option: when enabled (Dashboard > Behavior > Resume Playback), starting the transport in the middle of a note will sound the note (if more than a half-note duration remains)

Not sure if this reads as 'half-the-note duration' or 'half-a-whole-note duration'. Either way, if a note is under the play cursor when playback starts, it should chase, IMO.

I posted at the same time and hadn't thought of this. But I doubt they mean half a whole-note. That would probably be better. Though sometimes not.

[SLiC]

Scale. Notes. Selection. In. Piano. Roll. Please.

Dont be ridiculous.

You would use this for actual work let alone composing with midi instead of having fun a sunday afternoon with the 1000th newly introduced device.

Thats not allowed man in Bitwig man.

Wait for 4.1.

Having fun and being creative is my number one priority. I hate midi editing and rarely do it, just play everything in live and learn to live with imperfection, thats what I do

Bitwig is clearly defined as a DAW for 'creating and performing' (with an emphasis on experimenting and tweaking!) and I think many people want it to stay that way (but with comping as I think they can call that 'live looping' ) There are a bunch of realy good 'normal' DAWS that already do everything you want right now and will probably always be much better at that stuff than Bitwig...so don't wait if that stuff is necessary for your workflow.., use Reaper (cheap!) or your 'other' DAW of choice (I am a S1 guy) and have the best of both worlds.

[neverbeeninariot]

I don't understand why limit note chase to only play notes that have more than 50% of the note duration left. At least make this an option in settings. A percentage duration left would be fine. Many people might want any part of the duration left to play.

*snap.

But I agree, configurable note-remain-duration would be preferable.

[bolba]

Scale. Notes. Selection. In. Piano. Roll. Please.

Dont be ridiculous.

You would use this for actual work, let alone composing with midi, instead of having fun a sunday afternoon with the 1000th newly introduced device.

Thats not allowed in Bitwig man.

Wait for 4.1.

I will wait for sure, but that request is 5+ years already
https://answers.bitwig.com/questions/29 ... -midi-clip

Maybe my kids will stretch MIDI in Bitwig one day ^_^

[distomen]

I also have an old mac pro mid 2010 macOS High Sierra and it doesn't work for me either.