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Bitwig AHD-On-Release Modulator - Trigger Signals When Notes End

Bitwig Guide | Apr 15, 2022

The AHD-On-Release in Bitwig Studio is a unique modulator that triggers an envelope when a note ends rather than when it begins, allowing effects like delay to fade in after the sound stops. It supports polyphonic use, meaning each note played can have its own envelope and modulation, which is especially useful for applying effects individually to multiple voices. Bitwig manages voices by stopping both the audio and modulation when a voice becomes silent, so maintaining some sound in the release phase is necessary to keep effects active.

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Short Overview

In Bitwig Studio, I use the AHD-On-Release modulator to trigger effects when a note ends rather than when it begins. This allows me to blend in effects like delay only after the actual sound stops, which is perfect for keeping my synth or sample dry while playing and then adding some character afterward. With the polyphonic mode, I can apply this to each individual note, giving a nuanced control over how each voice behaves. It's a useful way to introduce effects smoothly and keep my mixes clean and dynamic.

Introduction to the AHD-On-Release Modulator

In this section, I introduce the AHD-On-Release modulator in Bitwig Studio. The AHD (Attack-Hold-Decay) envelope is a special modulator that operates differently compared to typical note envelope modulators. Normally, standard note envelopes trigger as soon as the note starts, on "note on." However, the AHD-On-Release is triggered only when the note actually ends, on "note off." This unique behavior is the reason it is named "on release."

How the AHD-On-Release Works

When the note ends, the AHD-On-Release envelope activates. This can be particularly useful when you want to apply modulation, such as blending in an effect, only after the note has finished playing. For example, by modulating the mix knob of a delay effect with this envelope, the delay is only blended in once the note is released. Additionally, you can adjust the "hold" time, sometimes extending it for several seconds, which lets the effect linger after the note ends.

Application Example: Creating Dynamic Effects

Using AHD-On-Release provides creative flexibility. For instance, you can maintain a dry signal during note playback and automatically introduce reverb or delay as soon as the note ends. This approach is extremely effective for keeping your synth or sample sound clean while it's playing and then adding interest and atmosphere only upon release.

Polyphonic Modulation and Poly Mode

One of the strengths of Bitwig Studio is its polyphonic modulation capabilities. When you assign the AHD-On-Release envelope to a device such as the Polysynth and activate the "polyphonic" button, the modulator is applied individually to each played voice. This means that each note (voice) can independently trigger the effect when released, leading to highly expressive and dynamic sound design.

Understanding Voice Handling in Bitwig

Bitwig Studio manages multiple voices for polyphonic instruments. For example, the Polysynth instrument allows up to 12 simultaneous voices. When you play several notes at once, each one uses a separate voice. Bitwig automatically decides to "kill" or end a voice, and all its associated modulations, whenever there is no more audio coming from that voice. If your envelope's release time is very short, Bitwig cuts off both the sound and the modulation quickly. Keeping some release time or sustained signal can help the modulation last longer.

Tips for Effective Use

To maximize the creative potential of AHD-On-Release, it is important to ensure that there is audio output from your voice (even just a subtle tail or reverb). This keeps the voice alive in Bitwig, allowing the modulation envelope to finish its cycle. If the audio stops completely before the envelope finishes, Bitwig truncates both the sound and the effect.

Conclusion

The AHD-On-Release modulator in Bitwig Studio is a powerful tool for adding expressive, dynamic transitions to your sounds. Its unique triggering behavior allows you to apply effects precisely when a note is released, rather than during playback. Combined with Bitwig’s polyphonic modulation system, this opens up creative possibilities for advanced sound design and musical expressiveness. Understanding the relationship between voice management and modulation in Bitwig is key to fully utilizing the potential of AHD-On-Release.

Full Video Transcription

This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by Whisper, so it might not be perfect. If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
You can also click on the timestamps to jump to the right part of the video, which should be helpful.

Click to expand Transcription

[00:00:00] The AHD-On-Release is a kind of a special modulator here.
[00:00:05] It looks like this.
[00:00:07] And normally when you have notes envelopes trigger
[00:00:12] when the note starts on note on,
[00:00:15] but this AHD-On-Release triggers when the note actually ends.
[00:00:19] That's why it's called on release.
[00:00:22] So when the note ends, this effect triggers this envelope.
[00:00:26] So we can modulate here, for instance, the mix knob
[00:00:29] and then you can hear when we,
[00:00:33] when this note ends, we blend in the delay.
[00:00:36] Right, and you can choose here to hold this
[00:00:42] a bit longer for five seconds, maybe four seconds.
[00:00:45] So you can use this to have dry signals
[00:00:56] or dry synth sounds, dry samples.
[00:00:58] And then when the sample or the synth zone ends,
[00:01:01] you blend in some kind of effect.
[00:01:03] Very useful sometimes.
[00:01:05] When you use this AHD-On-Release here,
[00:01:10] for instance, on police and then you put the delay two
[00:01:15] inside the police and you can see we can now utilize
[00:01:20] this polyphonic button, which means this AHD-On-Release
[00:01:23] is applied to each voice that you are playing
[00:01:27] with the polysynth, which makes it a bit special.
[00:01:32] So this means when you have this poly on here
[00:01:35] and you modulate, for instance, this effect,
[00:01:37] and then let this play, you can see it
[00:01:41] instantaneously switches off when the note ends.
[00:01:44] Okay.
[00:01:49] I can put in here a bit more release time
[00:01:56] to the amp.
[00:01:58] Which means we can hold the voice a bit longer.
[00:02:09] So in Bitwig Studio, it's kind of,
[00:02:12] when there's no audio coming from one note,
[00:02:16] then Bitwig kills the voice, the current voice.
[00:02:19] You can have multiple voices.
[00:02:21] So when we have here three notes,
[00:02:25] we have three voices playing at the same time.
[00:02:27] And also see this here when you click the polysynth itself,
[00:02:30] you have your voices, we have 12 voices available
[00:02:35] to choose from.
[00:02:36] So when we have now three voices,
[00:02:39] Bitwig decides to kill a voice when there's no audio,
[00:02:42] when there's no audio anymore.
[00:02:46] So when we have this polyphonic mode,
[00:02:48] and there's no audio coming from the voice,
[00:02:51] Bitwig kills the voice and also kills the modulation.
[00:02:55] So when we have the release time, you're pretty short.
[00:02:58] The audio is pretty short,
[00:02:59] and Bitwig then decides pretty early to kill the voice.
[00:03:02] And then you can hear it switch it off here
[00:03:07] pretty instantaneously.
[00:03:09] So you need to have audio from your voice coming
[00:03:13] to Bitwig, keep it alive, and so are then the modulation.
[00:03:18] (gentle music)
[00:03:21] But that's not so much about the modulator itself.
[00:03:29] I just wanted to explain it HD on release.
[00:03:32] I think it's pretty clear what it does.
[00:03:34] [BLANK_AUDIO]