Bitwig Studio 3
Build your own synths and effects directly within Bitwig, thanks to The Grid
This year’s NAMM show in Anaheim, California saw plenty of exciting new software and hardware product launches to get computer musicians foaming at the gills. For our money, though, the headline act was Bitwig Studio 3, introducing the long-awaited modular instrument and effect construction system that Bitwig have been promising since day one.
Called The Grid, it comprises three separate devices: Poly Grid, Mono Grid and FX Grid, geared up for the creation of polyphonic instruments, monophonic instruments and audio processors, respectively. More than 120 modules will be available at launch, comprising all manner of oscillators, filters, modulators, distortion units, phase manipulators, sequencers and more, and patching them together is as simple as dragging them into a big, zoomable Reaktor-style interface and pulling cables around to connect inputs to outputs in classic modular style. Intelligent module replacement lets you switch one module – an oscillator, filter or whatever – for another without interrupting signal flow and with parameter settings retained; and since “all signals are created equal” in The Grid, any output can be connected to any input, for total freedom when it comes to experimental routing. Of course, being fully integrated into the broader Bitwig Studio environment gives The Grid some advantages over conventional plugin modulars, too, such as direct connection to the transport/timeline, mixer and automation system.
We had the chance to get hands-on with The Grid at the show, and came away mightily impressed by its slick, intuitive workflow and obvious creative potential. Bitwig Studio 3 is scheduled to drop at some point in Q2 2019, and will be a free update for those with a Bitwig Studio Upgrade Plan (€159/year). For newcomers, the price is €379, and it goes without saying that we’ll be trumpeting our official verdict on it just as soon as it’s ready for review.
bitwig.com