Tags: posts polarity-music Bitwig Audio-FX Drum-and-Bass Modulators Sampling Tutorial

Bitwig Studio 3.2's New Drum Machine Scent and Return Channels

Tutorial | Apr 22, 2020

In this video, I discuss the new features of Bitwig Studio 3.2 beta version, particularly the Tram Machine and the new Scent and Return channels. With the Scent and Returns, you can add dynamic effects to simple drum loops, and save your presets with all your return channels and effects, which can be helpful in the future. I briefly touch on how I prefer to work with drum sounds on different channels instead of using the drum machine. Overall, I think the Scent and Return channels are a nice touch to the drum machine and can benefit those who use it heavily. Don't forget to use my code "polarity" in the shop to save 10% on the price and support my channel. Thanks for watching!

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In this video, I focus on the new Send and Return channels in the Drum Machine feature of Bitwig Studio 3.2. Here's a concise overview:

Introduction

Drum Machine Setup

Dynamic Effects with Send and Return Channels

Benefits of Send and Return Channels

Practical Application

Personal Preference

Conclusion

That's a quick look at the new Send and Return channels for the Drum Machine in Bitwig Studio 3.2. Thanks for watching, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe! See you next time!

Questions & Answers

Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:

What are the Scent and Returns on the Tram Machine good for?

The Scent and Returns on the Tram Machine are good for adding dynamic effects to drum loops. Before the addition of these features, users would typically have to use a drum machine and insert effects using the mix knob or add send and return channels, but this method made it difficult to save the effects with the preset of the drum machine. With the addition of the Scent and Returns feature, users can now save the effects with the preset of the drum machine, making it possible to load the preset in a different project and still have all the effects in place.

How do the Scent and Return channels work?

The Scent and Return channels work by allowing users to dial in effects on some parts of their sequence or pattern. Users can create return channels and map them to the drum machine, then dial in the effect at some point on their pattern. They can also save these effects with the preset of the drum machine, making it possible to load the preset in a different project and still have all the effects in place. Users can also use the Modulation handle to dial in some effects.

How does saving presets with drum machines affect the return channels?

When drum machine presets are saved, the effects or the send and return channels used are saved with them, allowing users to load the preset in a different project and still have all the effects in place. This feature is particularly useful for making drum kits that have unique effects or for producers who use drum machines heavily.

Why is using the Scent and Returns on the drum machine beneficial for producers?

Using the Scent and Returns on the drum machine is beneficial for producers because it allows them to create dynamic drum loops by adding effects here and there. It also makes it possible for them to save their drum machine presets together with the effects, making it easier to load these presets in a different project and still have all the effects in place. This feature makes the drum machine more versatile and easier to work with.

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.

[00:00.000] In my last Bitvic Studio 3.2 beta version overview video, I left out some of the new features.
[00:07.140] So, I want to dedicate this video to the Tram Machine and the new Scent and Return channels.
[00:19.280] Use my code polarity in the shop to save 10% on the price and support my channel.
[00:25.120] So, what are the Scent and Returns on the Tram Machine good for?
[00:31.600] In this case, I have a Tram Machine loaded up on a track, a simple pattern,
[00:38.800] and the Tram Machine itself has some samples. The kick sound is in fact an e-kick
[00:46.240] synthesizer by Bitvic Studio.
[00:48.560] Some rim shots, hi-hats, and another rim shot. So, this is how the pattern sounds like.
[01:02.640] So, pretty simple. And normally, when you do a drum loop, you can bring in a lot of dynamic to
[01:19.440] the drum loop when you insert here and there some effects. So, before we had the Scent and Returns,
[01:28.320] I usually would use a drum machine here and then maybe I use a reverb and then I go with the mix
[01:35.520] here to zero and then I draw in on the track itself some automation. So, I would go here,
[01:43.920] maybe go for the mix and draw in some parts here that have some effects on it.
[01:52.320] And something like this, right? You can bring in some nice artifacts this way,
[02:02.160] maybe add some more, add here some delays, something like this.
[02:08.720] Oh, for short reverb time, also with the mix to zero and then again start to draw in some
[02:16.560] areas where we fade in the effect. You know, something like this.
[02:30.000] So, you can make this pretty boring drum loop or drum sequence more interesting and dynamic by
[02:48.000] bringing in some bits of effects here and there, make some room, some space, fill in the gaps,
[02:53.520] something like this, right? And as you saw, I used just the mix knob of the reverb and delay.
[03:02.640] And when you use the mix knob, it's basically the same as you create some effect return
[03:10.160] channels like this one here and then you go to the drum machine here and then dial in the effect
[03:15.680] at some point in your pattern. But the problem with this is when you save the drum machine
[03:23.920] to as a preset and you load it up in a different project, in this new project,
[03:32.880] yeah, the surrounding or all the effect send and return channels could look completely different.
[03:39.840] So, this would be gone, right? And therefore, we have now in the drum machine some send and return
[03:46.320] channels so you can save some of this with the preset of the drum machine. So, when you save,
[03:54.960] basically your drum machine pattern or sounds, you can also save your effects with it or your
[04:01.760] send the return channels where you can dial in all the same effects on some parts in your sequence.
[04:07.760] So, when you click on this small icon here, you can bring up the effects of the return channels.
[04:16.000] And you can see I already created some of them here. So, I have a reverb here in the first
[04:23.120] layer, then I have a delay ring mode, also a reverb inside the ring mode, then I have a pit
[04:30.160] shifter here and delay and again, a pit shifter with a different setting and also in delay, right?
[04:36.240] And then I used in front of the drum machine some modulators. In fact, I used the steps
[04:44.240] modulator and I dial in some amounts here at some point in the pattern. And sometimes I have 32
[04:52.800] steps, I have also 64 steps here. So, I can basically dial in some amounts of modulation and then I
[05:04.880] use basically the modulation handle here and go do some of the cells. I can click on it.
[05:13.120] And then you can see on the left side here in the info pane, I have all the return channels listed
[05:19.680] in the info pane and then I can start to dial in some effects. As you can see, I dial in the
[05:28.240] pit shifter lane layer and yeah, this can sound much more interesting this way. So, let's
[05:37.280] remove the new button here and listen to it.
[06:05.840] So, the big benefit of this is basically that you can save this now and load it up in a different
[06:10.560] project and you have all your return channels ready to go. They are mapped and you can also save
[06:17.440] with the steps here, for instance, also some of the automations within the preset. You don't need
[06:24.480] to step into the arranger here and draw in some automation. I mean, you can still do this,
[06:31.120] but you don't need to, you can basically save everything inside the preset with the steps,
[06:36.640] modulating send amounts to send the sound from the cells to the return channels and back.
[06:45.040] So, this is a nice touch to the drum machine, I think. It makes it much more versatile and
[06:52.320] yeah, you can basically save your nice sounding drum kits this way. So, this is a new feature in
[07:03.200] Bitwig Studio 3.2. To be honest, for myself, I don't use the drum machine that much because I
[07:11.760] do everything on the tracks itself. So, basically, when I have a drum sound here, I drag it into the
[07:17.920] arranger and have one drum sound on one channel or on one track, basically, because I like the
[07:28.400] overview, have an overview of everything, I can bounce everything separately if I want to.
[07:34.480] And it's much better for me. In the case of the drum machine, I have to click the track,
[07:41.760] then I have to click the cell, I have to go into the cell and then I have to add effects there.
[07:49.200] So, it's too convoluted for me. Maybe some hip hop producers are more familiar with this way,
[07:57.200] where they have some kind of NPC style layout here with the cells, but for I for myself, I
[08:03.520] done all my life making music using drum sounds on different channels because it's much faster
[08:12.960] this way for me. And also, doing a lot of drum bass, I have to do a lot of layering stacking multiple
[08:19.600] sounds on top of each other. So, I'm probably something like this where I've grouped this and then I
[08:27.520] used the naming here and used for higher, then I have multiple sounds for just one sound, basically.
[08:35.280] So, snare sounds are usually in my tracks, multiple sounds. So, this is basically more like
[08:43.840] something for people that are using drum machine heavily. I'm for myself, I don't use it that much,
[08:52.240] just for info. So, what I think it's a nice touch nonetheless to have something like this inside
[08:58.640] the drum machine because you can save it as a preset and maybe in the future I do some presets for
[09:05.600] the drum machine itself to make some nice drum kits together with nice drum sequences.
[09:15.200] Okay, so this was my quick look at the new send and return channels for the drum machine in Bitvic Studio
[09:22.480] 3.2. That's it for this video. Thanks for watching, leave a comment, subscribe to the channel,
[09:28.240] and thanks for watching until the next time. See you and bye.