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Bitwig Test-Tone Device - Testing, Sound Design, and Synth Techniques

Bitwig Guide | Mär 03, 2023

The Bitwig Studio Test Tone device is a versatile tool that generates various sounds like sine, triangle, square, saw, white noise, pink noise, and direct impulses, making it ideal for testing speakers, effect chains, or system setups. Clever use of modulation and containers allows you to transform it into monophonic or polyphonic synthesizers, customize sound shaping with macros and envelopes, and even create impulse responses for convolution effects. Additionally, the Test Tone can be creatively combined with devices like ring modulators for unique sound design possibilities.

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Short Overview

I use the Test Tone device in Bitwig Studio to generate different sounds and tones for testing speakers, effect chains, or even for creative purposes. It offers various waveforms, including sine, triangle, square, saw, direct burst, white noise, and pink noise, each with their own unique characteristics. By combining modulators and macros, I can transform it into a basic synthesizer or use it for more experimental uses like creating impulse responses or pairing it with ring modulation. Its flexibility lets me incorporate it in both technical and creative workflows seamlessly.

Introduction to the Test Tone Device in Bitwig Studio

In this video, I explore the Test Tone device in Bitwig Studio, a simple yet versatile tool for generating basic sounds and tones. While its primary purpose is to test speakers, audio systems, or effect chains, it can be creatively leveraged for sound design and synthesis within Bitwig’s flexible environment.

Overview of Wave Shapes

The device offers multiple waveforms that suit different testing and creative needs:

Core Controls and Functions

The Test Tone device features several essential controls:

Visualizing the Output

Using an oscilloscope, I demonstrate how selecting unipolar mode restricts the output to only positive amplitudes, while bipolar mode outputs both positive and negative values, providing a standard symmetrical waveform such as a sine wave. This is not only useful for visual checks but also for ensuring proper audio signal behavior.

Making the Test Tone Playable

Setting the Frequency with Keytrack Modulator

To turn the device into a playable instrument, I use the Keytrack modulator:

Adding Envelope Modulation for Gain

Without further modulation, the output is static. By inserting an ADSR envelope and mapping it to the gain control, I can shape the amplitude over time for each note played. This introduces the classic synthesizer envelope effect, making the sound dynamic and responsive to note events.

Creative Synthesis Using Containers

Using Instrument Selector for Polyphony

By placing the Test Tone device inside an Instrument Selector container, I can duplicate it to create multiple layers, each acting as a voice for polyphony. Changing the playback mode to "Free Robin" ensures that each pressed key triggers a new layer, facilitating five-note polyphonic playing.

Macro Modulation

Assigning device parameters (such as ADSR stages) to macros on the parent container makes immediate control and sound shaping more intuitive, allowing for hands-on adjustments without menu-diving.

Adding Mod Wheel Controlled Vibrato

I introduce vibrato by applying an LFO to modulate the frequency, controlling the LFO amount with the keyboard’s mod wheel. This expands expressiveness, similar to standard synthesizer vibrato controls.

Building Classic Synth Structures

By processing the Test Tone’s sound with effects like delay and chorus, I create classic subtractive synth textures. This demonstrates the potential to design full instruments using simple building blocks when combined with Bitwig’s modular environment.

Impulse Response Generation Using Direct Mode

Switching to the "Direct" waveform and setting the frequency low produces isolated clicks, each containing every frequency. By running these through effects and recording the output, I produce custom impulse responses for convolution reverbs. Dragging these WAV files into Bitwig’s convolution device allows for custom reverb design based on my unique effect chains.

Integrating Test Tone with Effects for Creative Sound Design

Beyond stand-alone testing or synthesizer use, the Test Tone device can interact with other devices such as ring modulators. By feeding its output into effect chains or modulating parameters, I can create novel textures and enhance sound design possibilities. For example, substituting the built-in oscillator in a ring mod device with the Test Tone output enables nuanced control over the modulation signal, yielding diverse sonic outcomes.

Conclusion

While seemingly simple, Bitwig Studio’s Test Tone device is a robust utility for both functional audio tasks and creative musical applications. Its integration with Bitwig’s modulators, containers, and macro system unleashes surprising potential for custom instrument creation, advanced testing, and unique sound processing chains. The Test Tone thus bridges the gap between utility tool and inspiring sound design component within Bitwig’s modular 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] This is the test tone device of Bitwig Studio.
[00:00:04] It can generate all kinds of sounds and tones just for, you know, testing speakers or testing
[00:00:09] your system or maybe testing effect chains or whatever you want to test.
[00:00:14] So you can use this to just, you know, play out some kind of static tone.
[00:00:20] So we have your multiple wave shapes we can select from, sine, triangle, square, saw up,
[00:00:27] or down, direct, which is nice for creating impulse responses, because it's just a small
[00:00:33] burst of noise with all frequencies in it.
[00:00:36] I think that's the main purpose of that.
[00:00:38] And we have white noise, which is all frequency equally loud.
[00:00:42] You can see equally power per frequency.
[00:00:45] So it's technically every frequency the same loudness.
[00:00:48] And then we have pink noise, which is equal power per octave.
[00:00:52] So it's more, you know, how you perceive sound, it's a more toned down version of noise.
[00:01:00] So this is also nice to have.
[00:01:03] And we can switch this here to sine.
[00:01:04] And we have a frequency knob where you can dial in the frequency of the oscillator here.
[00:01:08] We have a gain knob.
[00:01:17] And again, of course, changes the loudness of the oscillator.
[00:01:21] And we have a bipolar selector here where we can select between only positive values
[00:01:27] of the oscillator and positive and negative values of the oscillator.
[00:01:31] So we can switch between bipolar and unipolar if you want to.
[00:01:35] And we have a mix knob here where we can mix in some signals from before in the chain.
[00:01:42] Maybe you have a synthesizer there and you want to mix the test on here with the synthesizer
[00:01:46] sound.
[00:01:47] You can do this with a mix knob if you, yeah, if you kind of want to do that.
[00:01:52] So a fairly simple device also.
[00:01:57] But because we have Bitwig Studio, we can also use this in creative ways, right?
[00:02:05] So first of all, I want to show you how this looks on our oscilloscope.
[00:02:08] This is a lower sound, the bass sound.
[00:02:11] You can see we have only positive values.
[00:02:14] You can switch to see the bipolar mode and now we have also positive and negative values.
[00:02:19] So this is a, yeah, a correct signal.
[00:02:23] Let's put it that way.
[00:02:24] So this one here is just a sine wave.
[00:02:27] As you can see, and also maybe here of heel, just because it's a deep bass.
[00:02:35] So what we can do with this is we can first up dial in here a frequency of C3 so we can
[00:02:42] type in the number or the note number or the note notifier, note, what's the name?
[00:02:52] The note name C3 so we can type this in and we land on 262 Hertz, which is correct, of
[00:02:59] course.
[00:03:00] And we can bring in here a key track, key track modulator and with the key track modulator
[00:03:07] we start here on C3 also what we just dialed in here, C3, so that's correct.
[00:03:13] And we have a spread or note spread of 64 semitones.
[00:03:17] So we just modulate this here by 64 semitones or maybe just type it in here on the left
[00:03:24] side.
[00:03:25] That's most of the times a lot faster.
[00:03:29] And now when we play something on the keyboard, you can see we change the frequency as we
[00:03:34] change the notes on our keyboard.
[00:03:37] So we can just play this as a synthesizer, monophonic synthesizer.
[00:03:51] The only problem is that we have to change your manuality gain, but you can also change
[00:03:55] this with a modulator.
[00:03:57] So we use an ADSR here and modulate the gain with this maybe by, let's see.
[00:04:10] So now we have an envelope here, we can change how the loudness changes over time.
[00:04:17] You can also change it to square wave.
[00:04:25] So this is also possible.
[00:04:28] So this is now a small monophonic synth, if you want to use it in that kind of way.
[00:04:33] But you can also put this here in a container and maybe we just call up here an instrument
[00:04:39] selector, an instrument selector and put this in there.
[00:04:43] So we have now one layer of this test tone.
[00:04:47] And what we want to do now is probably to add some macros here.
[00:04:53] Let's use a macro and we modulate with this macro here, the attack and also the decay
[00:05:04] and sustain.
[00:05:05] This is how we did instruments before the grid, before we had the grid.
[00:05:11] At least this was my kind of hobby, creating interesting devices with just a modulation
[00:05:16] system.
[00:05:17] So now we have basically mapped here all these macros to the ADSRs.
[00:05:22] We can change this on the parent container on the instrument selector here.
[00:05:28] And what else?
[00:05:33] Maybe we introduce here a vibrato.
[00:05:36] The vibrato is basically just a small LFO that we can dial in with the mod wheel on the keyboard.
[00:05:47] So we can bring in a mod amount here with the mod wheel on the keyboard and we modulate
[00:05:51] here the frequency by maybe 20, let's say on 22, 23 semitones.
[00:06:06] And now when we play this, we have to introduce the sustain and release decay.
[00:06:18] It's maybe a bit too much modulation here, let's bring this back.
[00:06:33] Something like this.
[00:06:34] This is fine.
[00:06:35] So now we can just duplicate this layer here, which is the test tone device, of course.
[00:06:52] Duplicate this multiple times, let's say four times, we have four or five voices now.
[00:06:58] And then select the instrument selector and change the playback mode to free robin.
[00:07:04] So now this device basically selects the next three layer to play on.
[00:07:09] So when you play one note, you play one free layer.
[00:07:15] And then you play another note polyphonically, you just take the next three layer.
[00:07:21] So we have a polyphonic synth now with five voices you can play with.
[00:07:34] So we can create some kind of interesting or simple polyphonic synthesizers with this.
[00:07:42] Maybe add here, let's say, a delay to that delay to maybe a chorus plus a typical, you
[00:07:52] know, typical classic subtractive synthesizer.
[00:08:11] So for that, it's, yeah, it's something you can do so you can create synthesizers with
[00:08:33] the test tone and there's also this, um, this direct thing here, which gives you this kind
[00:08:42] of sound, but when you turn the frequency down, you get this one click sound here.
[00:08:57] And this click sound is basically all frequencies at once in just one single click.
[00:09:06] And you send this through your reverb or effect chain, sample it, and then you can use it
[00:09:12] as an, um, as an impulse response in the convolution reverb of the studio.
[00:09:21] Just drag the wave wave file into this and you can use it as a convolution or impulse
[00:09:26] response if you want to.
[00:09:29] Another way you can use a test tone is in certain places like, for instance, let's use
[00:09:36] here a polysynth and it's just a random sound.
[00:09:42] Okay, so we close this down and there's, for instance, here a ring mod device and it uses
[00:09:51] here also an oscillator in there, um, where you can ring modulate the oscillator with
[00:09:57] this, with the source material, let's pull this up with the loudness, but instead of the
[00:10:13] oscillator here, you can also use a source FX, put the test tone in there and do the
[00:10:19] same thing, but here you can now change the waveform so you can use a square wave and
[00:10:24] then use the test tone and ring modulate the test tone with the, with the source sound.
[00:10:36] So it's, um, maybe a nice effect and certain use cases, so you can combine the test tone
[00:10:52] here with the ring mod and the source sound.
[00:10:54] So, um, this is also possible.