Bitwig Studio 4 (DOWNLOAD)

General

* This includes an upgrade to Bitwig Studio 5, which will be released during the second quarter of 2023 *

For a producer, picking out the right DAW is a deeply personal decision. And while Bitwig is already a long-standing chunk of audio production software, it's often viewed as an entry level title, but beyond the smoothly navigated interface and easily understood controls, Bitwig Studio 4 packs way more beneath the bonnet. Basically, if you're familiar with the free copy of Bitwig 8-Track that comes with many interfaces, keyboards, and controllers, then you're going to want to read on.

What's New with Bitwig Studio 4?

The fourth edition of Bitwig Studio now has a comping function; meaning that multiple takes can be laid down, all of which are then saved before you decide which is the best. This all happens in the Launcher, by the way, since the comping is linked internally to an audio clip and not exclusively to the timeline. Using Operators, notes and audio events can be pumped up with more life, making them sound less static and sterile which, in the copy-and-pasting age is a more than welcome feature. You can already select Chance (the probability of an event being performed or note being played); Repeats (re-triggers and note-lengths); Occurance (the play/performance conditions); or Recurrence (which brings up a mini-timeline with its own triggers), but even more randomness can be injected, since you can now apply random velocities to notes, or random gain to a piece of audio. You can also randomise the panning of the different notes in a chord. Want more? A note starting at the right pitch can be made to glide to a random pitch. And, while using randomising tools is great for general music production, if you've ever worked on game soundtracks, then you'll know it gets less useful when it comes to looping tracks. Thinking of everything, Bitwig solve this possible issue by allowing users to set a seed-parameter per event, so that the 'randomness' can be matched at the start and end of the loop for seamless transitions between repeats.

Other Highlights

The interface can be run in various different languages and the package is compatible with Apple Silicon and M1 processors. Export options have also been expanded, so you can now select formats including WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP3, and OPUS, and if you also use FL Studio and Ableton Live, then Bitwig will be able to read the project files. There's actually a lot to cover with this package, so we'll list some more of its stand-out features: MPE support for the new MIDI standard where 16 polyphonic notes are automatically divided so that parameters like pitch-bend and modulation can be tweaked per note. Bitwig Studio 4 also comes with an immense library of virtual instruments and effects, including 'The Grid' - a modular system in which users can essentially design their own custom instruments and effects. If you've got a Microsoft Surface then you'll be glad to hear that Bitwig supports Multi-Touch. Does your VST have a habit of crashing? Then you'll also be glad to hear that Bitwig manages them in a separate thread so that your song data (kept in a different thread) doesn't go under. The fourth edition of Bitwig Studio drops a host of fresh and tasty features, all wrapped up in a comfy and familiar interface, and all fit for advanced producers as well as complete beginners.