Bitwig Studio 2 Now Available. Here's A DAW You Should Know About

Berlin, Germany | February 28, 2017 - Released in 2014, Bitwig Studio 1 was the first music production software to combine linear and non-linear sequencing on Windows, macOS and Linux. It combined cutting-edge technologies like plug-in crash protection and a highly flexible user interface, alongside a lightning-fast workflow experience for keyboard, mouse and touch screens.

Today we are proud to announce the launch of Bitwig Studio 2.

Availability

As of today Bitwig Studio 2 is available from selected retailers worldwide and in the Bitwig webshop. A free demo version is ready for download on www.bitwig.com .

Pricing

Upgrade from Bitwig Studio 1 to Bitwig Studio 2 MAP: 159 EUR / 169 USD

Bitwig Studio 2 MAP: 379 EUR / 399 USD

Renewal of upgrade plan after 12 months: 159 EUR / 169 USD 

Bitwig Studio 2 Absolute Beginner's Guide

For the Launch of Bitwig Studio 2, Bitwig and AskVideo.com have teamed up with Bitwig Certified Professional Thavius Beck to create the Bitwig Studio 2 Absolute Beginner’s Guide, which is available in our webshop.

Additional courses will be ready in the near future.

Watch the video on Modulators in Bitwig Studio 2 here:

INTRODUCTION TO BITWIG STUDIO 2

From the start, the idea of modularity has been central to Bitwig Studio. While digital audio workstations (DAWs) aren’t known for taking a modular approach, creating Bitwig Studio from the ground up allowed us to rethink previous assumptions. This led us to focus not just on individual devices but on strengthening the ways they interact with and support one another. Within the Bitwig Studio 1 cycle the concepts of Nested Device Chains as well as Modulator Devices made it already one of the most flexible DAWs in the industry. In Bitwig Studio 2 the modularity concept has been developed further. The entire modulation system has been reworked and the idea of modulators has been reimagined. Today we’re proudly presenting this next step on our journey toward a fully modular device architecture. Beside our focus on modularity, we also refined all other areas of the Bitwig Studio workflow.

Learn about layered clip editing in Bitwig Studio 2:

KEY FEATURES OF BITWIG STUDIO 2

Modulators

Bitwig Studio 2 comes with 25 new modulators, from standard modulators like envelopes and LFOs to more unique modulator types, like Random, Select-4 and Math.

Each device in Bitwig Studio 2 (internal devices and external plug-ins) has individual modulation slots where an unlimited number of modulators can be added and assigned to any number of parameters. Furthermore, the Modulators can also be interconnected for truly dynamic and expressive sound design possibilities. When using internal Bitwig instruments, many modulators can be set to polyphonic mode, enabling per-voice modulation—something  previously seen only in closed systems.

Here is the list of all of them:

• 4-Stage
• ADSR
• AHDSR
• Audio Sidechain
• Beat LFO
• Button
• Buttons
• Classic LFO
• Envelope Follower
• Expressions
• HW CV In
• Keytrack
• LFO   
• Macro-4
• Macro
• Math
• MIDI
• Mix
• Note Sidechain
• Random
• Select-4
• Steps
• Vector-4
• Vector-8
• XY

New Devices

Apart from totally re-conceptualizing the modulation system and introducing anentirely new class of Modulator devices, we're also expanding the standarddevice collection.

Lots of new goodies in Bitwig Studio 2!

Here's a list of the new additions:

Spectrum Analyzer

Pitch Shifter

Phaser

Treemonster

Multi-Note

Note Echo

Note Harmonizer

Note Latch

Note Length

Note Velocity

Better Hardware Integration

We’ve done a lot of work under the hood to revamp MIDI handling in Bitwig Studio, improving sync and note timing. We are also introducing a set of devices that will seamlessly integrate hardware via MIDI and CV/Gate:

• MIDI CC
• MIDI Program Change
• HW Clock out
• HW CV Instrument
• HW CV Out
• MIDI Song Select

Fades and Crossfades

We introduce fades and crossfades for audio clips not only in the arranger timeline but also audio editor, and even for audio events inside clips—for truly fast yet flexible editing. Naturally, the curve slopes of all fades can be adjusted. 

VST3 Support

We’re happy to announce that we now support the VST3 plug-in standard—including per-note expression and sample-accurate automation.

Device Updates

We’ve made many enhancements to our existing devices, improving both sound quality and usability. Several devices now include a spectrum analyzer and dynamic display panels. In many devices, we've re-organized, re-designed and added new features. With Bitwig Studio 2 we’ve also improved visualization of parameters, movement and signal flow.

Polysynth Updates

Since Bitwig Studio first came out, Polysynth has been our go-to synth for musicians and sound designers. With Bitwig Studio 2, we've expanded our Polysynth's feature set further, by adding several oscillator mix and filter waveshaping modes. These new modes open up new possibilities for sound exploration, adding complex overtones and frequency modulation options to your sound palette.  

Smart Tool Switching and improved Editor Workflow

With Bitwig Studio 2, we've improved the efficiency of our tools. You can now achieve many standard tasks without having to swap tools; depending on where you click, you can select multiple objects or time segments, edit fades or zoom and scroll.

Dashboard

The Dashboard handles many tasks that were previously available only in menus and other windows - such as locating and opening projects, configuring settings, installing packages and accessing help resources.

Notifications

We're introducing a new notification system, showing different types of messages in a clear, streamlined and non-intrusive format.

New Menu System

We've reworked the menu system extensively. Bitwig Studio 2 now features a context-aware menu system to keep the focus on the task at hand.

Controller API improvements

We've worked on the open controller API to make it more consistent. A new scripting engine gives better performance, and you now get improved and immediate feedback while scripting. You can now also write scripts in Python.