Creating Powerful Basslines with Bitwig Studio: Introducing the Monster Patch
Tutorial | Jun 13, 2019
In this video, I share an update on my recent work with Bitwig Studio presets. I explain that I have been busy creating presets and doing daily work, which is why there hasn't been a video in a while. However, I wanted to give an update today and let everyone know that some of the presets I have created are possibly available in the Bitwig released version or stable version. When you buy or have a running plan and download the stable version, you will have instant access to these presets. I mention that I have already shared a few presets on my social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter, but I will be removing the outdated versions from the GitHub repository. I don't know the exact release date for the final version of Bitwig Studio, but hopefully it will be soon. I also mention that I haven't stopped creating presets and already have new ones in the making. I demonstrate one of the presets I have been working on called "Monster," which is a wavetable synthesizer aimed towards basslines. I explain the interface and features of the preset, including the ability to mix and match wavetables, adjust sub oscillator volume, and frequent modulate the sub oscillator with the wavetable. I also mention the FX section, which includes a reverb, low pass filter, and amp device. I note that the preset is not finished yet, but I plan to release it soon and provide updates on my progress.
You can watch the Video on Youtube - support me on Patreon
Questions & Answers #
Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:
Question 1: What is the update about in this video? #
The update in this video is that the creator has been busy working on creating presets and doing daily work, which is why there haven't been any recent videos. However, they wanted to give an update to their audience and share that they have posted some of the presets on their social media accounts. These presets will be available in the Bitwig Studio when the stable version is released or if someone has a running plan and downloads the stable final version. Some of the older presets shared on YouTube will be removed from the GitHub repository and only the updated versions will be available there.
Question 2: When will the final version of Bitwig Studio be released? #
The creator mentions that they are currently in beta 5 and the final release date is still unknown. It could be weeks away or possibly another month. Everyone is eagerly waiting for the final release.
Question 3: What is the creator working on currently? #
The creator is currently working on creating new presets. They are specifically working on a wave table synthesizer called "Monster" that is aimed towards creating mid-range basslines. The idea behind this synthesizer is to have wave tables that are not as complex as those found in other synthesizers like Serum. By using the wave tables in combination with the other tools in Bitwig Studio, such as the grid, users can have more control and options to shape the sound of their basslines.
Question 4: Can you describe the features of the "Monster" patch? #
The "Monster" patch is a wave table synthesizer for basslines. It consists of a wave table section at the top and a sub oscillator at the bottom that can be mixed and matched. Users can select different wave tables and scan through them using a knob. The wave tables can be shaped and modified using parameters such as wrapping, bending, and formatting. The sub oscillator can also be FM modulated with the wave table, resulting in a sine wave with added harmonies. The patch also includes an effects section with a reverb and a filter for further sound manipulation. The creator is still working on the patch and plans to add macro knobs and more wave tables before releasing it.
Transcription #
This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by AI, 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.
[00:00:00] Hey, there wasn't a video in maybe a week or so, but I had work to do.
[00:00:06] So I was busy all the time creating presets and doing daily work.
[00:00:13] But I wanted to do a video today just to give you all an update.
[00:00:18] And I posted some of the presets on my social media accounts on Instagram and Twitter and
[00:00:24] so on and said a few things about it.
[00:00:30] And yeah, all these presets are possibly available inside the Bitwig released version or the
[00:00:38] stable version.
[00:00:40] So when you buy or have a running plan and you download the stable final version of Bitwig
[00:00:46] Studio, you will have instantly access to all these presets.
[00:00:54] Some of the presets are a few of them.
[00:00:58] I think three or two of them are shared already here on YouTube.
[00:01:04] And I'm going to remove these presets from the GitHub repository because they are outdated
[00:01:12] now.
[00:01:13] I made better versions of it and tweaked a lot of stuff.
[00:01:17] And yeah, I removed these presets basically from the GitHub repository and there will
[00:01:24] be available inside GitHub.
[00:01:26] So you don't have doubled versions or twice of the same presets inside your library.
[00:01:33] So this is basically one information you have to know when you basically look at my GitHub
[00:01:41] repository or watch some of the videos and want to download the preset and it's not in
[00:01:47] the GitHub repository.
[00:01:49] It's inside Bitwig Studio already.
[00:01:53] When the final version is releasing of Bitwig Studio, I don't know.
[00:01:59] Someday in the future, I still don't know it.
[00:02:04] Everyone is waiting for the final release.
[00:02:06] It's maybe weeks away, maybe another month.
[00:02:10] I don't know really.
[00:02:11] We are in beta five at the moment.
[00:02:15] So I hopefully soon.
[00:02:18] Yeah, and I also doesn't stop creating presets.
[00:02:25] I already have new presets in the making and I already showed some of it yesterday here.
[00:02:32] It's called Monster where I created some kind of wave table synthesizer, but more aimed
[00:02:41] towards and baseline synthesizer.
[00:02:44] So when you have like a serum and you want to make mid-range baselines, you probably
[00:02:52] go to the net and search for a scroll wave tables and you download these wave tables
[00:03:00] and you have basically a complete baseline in one wave table, a very complex oscillator
[00:03:08] shape and you scan through the wave table with this VT knob and your baseline is basically
[00:03:17] ready.
[00:03:18] But the problem with that is that these wave tables are already so complex that you can't
[00:03:27] do much change to it.
[00:03:28] You can add filtering maybe or something like that.
[00:03:32] But if you want to completely change the sound, it's not possible because it's already so
[00:03:37] complex.
[00:03:38] So my idea was let's create some kind of wave table synthesizer for baselines that not have
[00:03:47] so much the wave tables are not so complex like the ones you know from serum more like
[00:03:54] basic wave tables.
[00:03:57] And when you combine it with the rest of the trick and the grid, you end up with a lot
[00:04:02] of overtones or complex shapes.
[00:04:06] But the benefit is you can shape it for yourself.
[00:04:09] So you have more options and you can get more out of one or two wave tables.
[00:04:16] So this is how it sounds.
[00:04:20] I first at first I created an patch here.
[00:04:24] It looks like this.
[00:04:26] And then I try to separate the interface from the actual preset logic.
[00:04:34] I never done this before, but I tried it here because I think sometimes the interface have
[00:04:42] to look different than the actual preset logic.
[00:04:49] And I tried this here and I used a lot of these wireless modulators as you can see.
[00:04:55] And I mapped them to the knobs here at the logic section.
[00:05:01] And yeah, this is how I want to look at.
[00:05:06] You have basically a wave table section at the top and you have a sub oscillator at the
[00:05:10] bottom and you can mix and match these two.
[00:05:15] And for instance, I can turn down the sub volume and the wave table volume and you hear
[00:05:25] nothing when I press some keys on my keyboard.
[00:05:27] You have basically nothing and then you can bring in the sub and you have a base on typical
[00:05:34] sub sine wave.
[00:05:43] So pretty simple.
[00:05:45] And then you have at the top already a selected wave table.
[00:05:49] You can change the selection here.
[00:05:51] I have maybe, I don't know how much wave tables, some kind of wave tables here, 20 or 30, I
[00:05:59] don't know.
[00:06:01] And yeah, you can select them with the snob here and you can bring them in.
[00:06:07] I'll just remove the sub entirely and just hear the wave tables.
[00:06:17] So some wave tables and you can scan through the wave tables with the snob here.
[00:06:35] And you probably can just use the wave table to create a base.
[00:06:46] You probably can get away with that.
[00:06:50] But yeah, let's remove the wrap.
[00:06:54] The wrap actually it's a gain and knob.
[00:06:58] I didn't know how to call it right, but it's basically the amount you mix into the wrap
[00:07:04] function of Bitwig, which basically converts an audio signal to a face signal.
[00:07:13] And then you can apply certain face modules from the grid and basically transform the
[00:07:20] sound.
[00:07:21] And after you transform the sound, you get it back to a sine wave.
[00:07:27] And this is basically, the wrap knob here is basically the gain, how much you drive the
[00:07:33] signal into this wrap function.
[00:07:39] As you can hear, it already gives you some nice modulations or overtones.
[00:07:48] And when you start to bend the wave or use the format knob, you get a lot of interesting
[00:07:59] harmonies out of this wave table already.
[00:08:04] And then you have when you bring in the sub again.
[00:08:08] So now we have basically a wave table and a sub oscillator just mixed together.
[00:08:15] And when we use this FM knob here, you can basically frequent modulate the sub oscillator
[00:08:20] with the wave table.
[00:08:33] So you end up basically with a sine wave and a lot of harmonies created by the wave table.
[00:08:59] And you can imagine when you start to apply some modulations with the LFO or with automation,
[00:09:06] you can create pretty interesting baselines that develop over time.
[00:09:14] And yeah, I added basically a lot of wave tables.
[00:09:18] You can bend and shape these wave tables.
[00:09:21] You can add a sub oscillator and then you can you can frequent modulate the sub oscillator
[00:09:28] with the wave table.
[00:09:29] So this alone gives you a lot of overtones and baselines you can create with this single
[00:09:36] patch here.
[00:09:38] And after this patch or preset, I also created an FX section.
[00:09:57] And in this FX section, you have basically a reverb to add some stereo effects or some
[00:10:10] kind of a roomy or stereo effect.
[00:10:12] I don't know how to call it.
[00:10:14] It sounds a little bit metallic, but I think that's pretty great for baselines.
[00:10:21] And I have inside here already a filter and low pass filter and you can start to use it
[00:10:31] with the snobs here at the bottom.
[00:10:39] So basic LFO modulated cutoff.
[00:10:47] And I kept the speed of the modulation free, so it's basically not bound to the grid to
[00:10:54] the beat grid.
[00:10:56] And I think that's a benefit because a lot of times when you create baselines, it's better
[00:11:04] that you have a free running LFO.
[00:11:07] That's my experience, at least, because you can create those in between rhythmic patterns.
[00:11:17] So it's not always the best to have modulation straight on the grid.
[00:11:22] So that's why I kept this free running.
[00:11:39] So, it's probably also nice to automate the rate knob here down below.
[00:12:04] I didn't stop there.
[00:12:05] I added also an amp device here to create more harmonies and rich overtones.
[00:12:13] And you can turn it just a snob here.
[00:12:19] Or actually, if you turn this amp knob up, you create an EQ curve here and you can change
[00:12:32] the rate, how it's modulated also free running.
[00:12:38] And if you have the right settings for the rate for the LP cutoff and the amp section,
[00:12:45] you can create interesting patterns in between different LFO values because the cutoff and
[00:12:54] the amp working against each other and creating those interesting rhythms.
[00:13:19] And you can, of course, turn up the drive to completely distort the signal.
[00:13:25] So this is basically the monster patch.
[00:13:30] It's not finished yet.
[00:13:32] That's why I'm not sharing it at the moment.
[00:13:34] I'm still tweaking some knobs.
[00:13:36] I will add some macro knobs for the reverb here in front.
[00:13:42] And maybe I add some more wave tables.
[00:13:46] But that is the current state of this patch.
[00:13:49] And I think I'm going to release it pretty soon, maybe this week or at the weekend.
[00:13:56] I don't know.
[00:13:59] But just to give you an update what's happening inside my laboratory.
[00:14:07] Thanks for watching and I see you in the next video.
[00:14:09] Bye.