Bitwig Sample & Hold Modulator – Create Stepped and Quantized Modulation Signals
Bitwig Guide | Aug 03, 2022
A sample and hold modulator takes an input signal, samples its value at selectable intervals, and holds that value for a specified duration before outputting it as a stepped signal. This tool allows for precise control over when and how often new values are sampled, making it useful for creating quantized or stepped modulation sources and can operate polyphonically for individual voices. It also offers various restart and time base options, allowing for synchronization with musical timing, manual triggering, or voice-specific modulation.
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Short Overview #
With the sample and hold modulator, I can take an input signal like an LFO or random source, sample its value at specific intervals, and hold that value for a set amount of time. This lets me create a stepped or quantized modulation signal instead of a smooth one, which is useful for making rhythmic or defined changes in parameters like pitch. I can customize when and how often the values are sampled, and even make the modulator polyphonic or synced with my MIDI or DAW transport for complex modulation patterns. The flexibility of the time base and restart modes gives me detailed control over how my modulation behaves in any project.
- The sample and hold modulator samples an input signal at specific intervals and holds the value until the next sample.
- The sample rate and time base can be adjusted to control when and how long values are sampled and held.
- It is useful for turning smooth signals, like those from an LFO, into stepped or quantized signals.
- The output of the sample and hold can be used to modulate parameters like pitch, producing stepped modulation effects.
- It works well with random modulation sources for creating unpredictable, quantized signals.
- The device supports polyphony, allowing each voice to have its own independent stepped modulation when playing multiple keys.
- There are different restart modes: free (no sync), gate (restarts with each key press), and sync (restarts with transport or sequencer).
- The time base can be set to Hertz, Kilohertz (audio rate), bars, and note divisions, allowing for fine sequencing and modulation timing.
- In pitch mode, the sample rate matches the frequency of the played note, enabling pitch-synced sampling.
- The hold mode enables manual sampling, where the current value is only sampled when a key is pressed.
Introduction to the Sample and Hold Modulator #
In this tutorial, I explore the functionality and creative uses of the Sample and Hold (S&H) modulator. This device is used to sample an incoming signal at chosen intervals, hold that sampled value, and then output it to modulate another parameter within a synthesizer or audio effect device.
Basic Operation #
The core workflow of the Sample and Hold modulator is straightforward:
- It receives a modulation source (for instance, an LFO or random modulator).
- At a set interval, defined by the sample rate and time base, it "samples" the incoming value.
- The sampled value is then "held" for the determined amount of time before the next sample is taken.
- The held output can be used to control other parameters via the modulator's output handle.
Customizing Sampling Intervals #
You can adjust when and how often the S&H modulator samples the incoming signal using two parameters:
- Sample Rate: Controls how frequently samples are taken (e.g., every quarter note, every 16th note).
- Time Base Dropdown: Selects whether the timing is based on bars, hertz, note divisions, or related to pitch.
Smoothing and Stepping Signals #
A common use case involves transforming a smooth, continuous signal such as an LFO into a stepped, quantized signal. This is achieved by routing the LFO through the S&H, selecting a sample interval, and outputting the stepped value to modulate a destination (like pitch). This approach creates rhythmic, sequenced modulation rather than a smooth glide between values.
Modulation Routing Example #
Here’s how I set up a simple modulation:
- Assign an LFO as the modulation input.
- Set the LFO speed to taste.
- Use the S&H modulator to sample the LFO’s output at intervals.
- Patch the S&H output to the pitch offset, perhaps swinging it by 12 semitones.
- Now, instead of a continuous pitch glide, you get quantized pitch steps that sync with the chosen sample interval.
Working with Random and Polyphonic Sources #
The S&H modulator is not limited to LFOs. You can use a random modulator as the input, which when sampled produces random stepped values at each interval. When both the random source and the S&H are set to polyphonic mode (via the Par Voice/Par Voice option), each key you press generates independent stepped modulation, perfect for complex, per-voice modulations in polyphonic patches.
Restart Modes #
I covered three restart options for the S&H modulator:
- Free: Runs independently and does not restart; values change strictly at the set sample interval.
- Gate: Restarts the sampling process each time a new note is triggered (key press).
- Sync: Restart aligns with the project’s master clock or transport, ideal for sequencing in the context of a timeline.
Flexible Time Bases #
The modulator allows several time base types:
- Hertz/Kilohertz: For specifying rates at audio precision, making it possible to use S&H for unique sound design tricks at high rates.
- Bar Division: For musically meaningful time divisions (e.g., bar, half note, quarter note, etc.).
- Pitch: The sampling rate follows the note frequency played, allowing creative correlation between MIDI input and modulation speed.
Hold Function and Manual Sampling #
Setting the S&H to "hold" mode means it holds the most recently sampled value until manually retriggered, often via the Gate mode. You can manually sample by pressing a key, which captures the current value and holds it at the modulator’s output until the next manual trigger.
Use Cases and Creative Tips #
The S&H modulator excels whenever a quantized or stepped version of a signal is needed, such as generating stepped pitches, randomly quantized parameter modulations, or clocked automation effects. Its polyphonic functionality means every voice can have independent stepped values, adding immense creative potential for patch design.
Conclusion #
The Sample and Hold modulator is a powerful, versatile utility in any modular or semi-modular setup. Whether you’re aiming for precise rhythmic modulation, stepped random effects, or polyphonic complexity, understanding this utility unlocks richer, more musical modulations throughout your production workflow.
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] So this is the sample and hold modulator or modifier, and it takes in a signal that you
[00:00:06] have to modulate here in the snubbath, and it samples this value in certain intervals.
[00:00:14] And you can change these intervals, of course, here down with the sample rate and with the
[00:00:18] time base drop down.
[00:00:20] So you can decide when you want to sample this input signal and how long you want to
[00:00:26] hold it, and then you can output it also here on this modulator with this modulator handle.
[00:00:33] And I'll show you in a minute how this works.
[00:00:37] It's actually not that hard to get.
[00:00:39] So let's say you have here this sample and hold modulator, and you want to sample for
[00:00:44] instance, an LFO, you take this LFO here, make it a bit slower.
[00:00:52] And you want to modulate, for instance, here, the pitch.
[00:00:58] So what you have now is probably something like this.
[00:01:05] So it's not very useful because you have a steady or smooth transitioning from all the
[00:01:12] different values in here.
[00:01:14] So you use a sample and hold for this.
[00:01:17] So you modulate with the LFO, the input here, and then you see you get already here a stepped
[00:01:25] signal out of this because we sample this value every 16 nodes.
[00:01:30] So we can say we want to sample this every quarter node and also hold this value for
[00:01:36] exactly one quarter node.
[00:01:38] So now you can take the signal out from the sample and hold and modulate here, yeah, the
[00:01:44] pitch offset.
[00:01:46] Maybe let's go here for 12 semitones.
[00:01:50] And then you get something like this.
[00:01:57] So you can create kind of a stepped signal and you can decide how often you want to switch
[00:02:01] to a different value in what kind of time frame.
[00:02:06] So we can use the sample and hold to sample a value from a random modulation source, sample
[00:02:12] this value and hold it for a selected amount of time and then output it here with this,
[00:02:19] yeah with this modulator handle and modulate something else in your device.
[00:02:24] So it's a, yeah, very useful device sometimes if you have like an input signal or something
[00:02:29] like this and you want to have a quantized signal.
[00:02:32] So this modulator itself here is also polyphonic so you can switch this here on the left side
[00:02:38] and the inspector to a parvoise option so you can use maybe instead of an LFO, you can
[00:02:45] use a random modulator and also output here maybe a smooth signal modulators.
[00:02:55] And when this random modulator is also polyphonic and you press multiple keys, you can see we
[00:03:03] have now a stepped, yeah, a step to quantized signal, you're also for each voice differently.
[00:03:10] So it's polyphonic.
[00:03:12] That's what you can do here with the parvoise option.
[00:03:16] And then you have the restart mode, of course, it's the same with the random so free, it
[00:03:20] doesn't care for anything though, it doesn't restart at all, then gate.
[00:03:24] So every time you press a key on the keyboard, this one gets restarted and sync option is
[00:03:30] basically again, that it uses the face signal of your transports, we have to press play.
[00:03:36] And then the first bar is always re-triggering here the sample and hold modulator.
[00:03:43] So you restart basically in the sequence.
[00:03:46] Then you have the time base, it's the same as in the random LFO, you have hertz, kilohertz
[00:03:53] which is audio rate, which is very nice sometimes to create sounds with it.
[00:03:59] And bar, it's nice for sequencing stuff over time, and then you have your divisions of
[00:04:05] one bar, your half note, quarter note, eighth note and so on dotted triplet.
[00:04:10] Pitch is also nice, so you can change the sample rate to the note or the key you are
[00:04:16] pressing.
[00:04:17] So if you are pressing C3, you get the frequency of 262 hertz, I think, of sample rate.
[00:04:26] And if you put this to hold, then of course nothing happens and you have to use here the
[00:04:31] restart mode of gate to actually sample something from the input signal.
[00:04:37] So it's kind of a manual sample and holds, we have to press a key, then you sample the
[00:04:41] current value that's input here with the snob and then you output it to the modulator out.
[00:04:48] So that's the sample and hold.
[00:04:50] I hope this is clear what it does.
[00:04:53] [BLANK_AUDIO]