New Devices

Bitwig 2 gains a total of 17 new devices. Along with the hardware routing tools, there’s also a suite of fresh MIDI effects. These include tools to control MIDI note length and velocity, a note latch tool, MIDI harmoniser and MIDI echo. There’s also a Multi-Note device, for generating chords from a single incoming MIDI note.

Beyond this, there are five new effect devices, including the previously mentioned Spectrum Analyser. There’s a Phaser, which offers a solid level of frequency and stereo image control. This is joined by a Pitch Shifter, with a range of +/- one octave, plus fine-tune and grain rate controls. Next up is Dual Pan, which offers detailed control of a sound’s placement in the stereo field.

Finally, these are joined by Treemonster, an effect which Bitwig describe as an “organic zero-crossing amplitude controlled ring modulator with a life of its own”. What that exactly means under the hood remains a bit of a mystery, but the resulting device is capable of some inspiring harmonic and inharmonic ring mod effects that respond well to the shape and rhythm of the source sound. It sounds particularly good stuck over drum loops or rhythmic samples to create ready-made Aphex-style squelches and glitch effects.