Creating a Self-Generating Patch in Bitwig Studio with Feedback
Tutorial | Apr 14, 2022
In this video, I show how to create the smallest self-generating patch in Bitwig Studio using filters, triggers and a long delay. I explain how the feedback loop works, and how the resonance changes the sound. I also suggest ways to further improve the patch, such as using a quantizer, reverb, and distortion. With some experimentation, this patch can be used to create interesting and unique sounds.
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Questions & Answers #
Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:
How do you set up a self-generating patch in Bitwig Studio? #
To set up a self-generating patch in Bitwig Studio, begin by adding a low pass filter to the project grid. Then, increase the resonance of the filter and hook it up to the output. Switch the project grid to monomode and add a trigger or gate signal that outputs a 0, 1, 1, 0 pattern. Use this signal to excite the filter and adjust the resonance to get the desired sound. Finally, add a long delay unit with 16 notes and use feedback to change the frequency. To add more complexity, use a sample and hold module to sample the noise coming back and add a quantizer to produce a scale.
What is the benefit of using a self-generating patch in Bitwig Studio? #
Using a self-generating patch in Bitwig Studio can be beneficial for producing unique and interesting sounds. It creates a feedback loop where everything changes as you adjust the resonance, which can lead to some interesting results. Furthermore, you can add more complexity to the patch by adding modules such as a sample and hold module and quantizer.
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] Hey folks, welcome back to another video and today I want to show you probably
[00:05.280] Or that I know of the smallest
[00:07.920] Self-generating patch in bit with studio in the grid. It's pretty easy to set up the only filter
[00:15.680] Going here for bad pass of course double click on it. So we are at C3
[00:20.240] We increase here the resonance a bit
[00:22.880] So we can excite the filter hook it up to the output of course and don't forget click on the grid itself
[00:29.240] Here switch it to monomodes. We have a self-running pitch or actually at least one voice active
[00:34.880] So now we need something to excite the filter here and we going for a trigger
[00:41.280] Or triggers which just outputs in our gate signals
[00:49.400] That look like this
[00:51.400] Just on and off writes which is between 0, 1, 1, 0 and so on. You can
[00:59.080] Use this as an audio input. It's not made for audio, right? So what you can use this to excite the filter here
[01:08.680] And when you increase the resonance you get the owner sound exactly at
[01:15.240] 262 hertz which is C3 and bit with studio
[01:18.600] So now we need something to change the notes here or the
[01:24.360] The frequency right so we can do this by
[01:27.760] Using feedback and feedback is only possible in bitwix studio by using a long delay
[01:34.080] And I'm using it here at
[01:36.280] Delay unit of 16 notes and 4 or 16 notes and we can go back into the filter itself
[01:43.600] We dial down here the pre-cord for the key input because we don't need that and also we don't want to influence the patch with maybe the keyboard
[01:53.080] accidentally
[01:54.600] so I'm using this
[01:57.040] feedback loop here and then we can increase here of course
[02:02.000] The modulation so we modulate the filter position here with the input and you can hear this
[02:07.440] kind of wet sound because we have a lot of noise coming back in here and
[02:14.360] All we need to do now is to sample and hold this noise coming back
[02:20.320] We do this by using of course sample note
[02:25.320] And we sample the noise coming back with the signal going in
[02:29.480] Now we if we increase this now we have kind of this sound we have
[02:45.320] So you can hear all sounds kind of doubled that's because we have this long gate signal which is just between zero and one
[03:04.440] Which is a trigger and one and zero is also a trigger
[03:07.520] So we can do this by using it the gate length maybe here make the gate pretty short maybe one millisecond
[03:20.320] But as you can hear it generates notes and
[03:25.520] For me, this is the smallest self-running patch that you can use in the big studio and
[03:31.560] And not only that because everything you change now in this patch influences all the other parts
[03:39.960] so
[03:41.160] When you increase the resonance you make longer sounds which means you change the noise and the noise changes with kind of
[03:47.640] Which kind of notes you play in the beginning these notes then decide what noise goes out and then it changes basically back
[03:55.560] What kind of notes you play? So it's a feedback loop and everything in this loop changes everything so also how many notes you play
[04:07.880] Can hear when I create high resonance I get really weird weird high pitch noises
[04:19.400] So here's the kind of a sweet spot one hundred percent
[04:23.160] So to make this a bit more audible or a bit more useful of course, but I want to show you this
[04:29.640] This is basically a self-running patch in itself and it's pretty easy to set up and fun to use
[04:36.840] What you can make this even better, right? So it's not it's not the end
[04:42.520] So what we can do is at first we can shape the gate signal here again
[04:46.840] So we have like these pretty short gate signals
[04:54.440] Which we can use a slope
[04:58.440] And can almost create some kind of
[05:01.960] In the loop here the tag and decay phase just by using the slope here
[05:07.880] So it's a bit more smoothed out
[05:18.760] So this is something we can do
[05:21.240] Um then we can use of course a quantizer here or we go into
[05:30.680] Or maybe we use the quantizer here after the sample note
[05:33.320] So we can see what kind of notes we play
[05:42.120] So now we have a scale basically
[05:52.120] Then we can use the output of the sample and hold here with the modulator output
[05:56.680] And we can modulate here how many triggers we send in
[06:11.080] But always remember when you change basically the notes how many triggers you send in
[06:17.320] You also send out what kind of noise goes out and then the noise decides which notes to play and then the notes
[06:24.120] You know so everything is dependent on each other that's the important part so everything you change everywhere
[06:31.960] Changes everything
[06:33.960] Related to it
[06:40.440] But now we have like kind of this sound and it's probably in a scale
[06:44.520] So if you're 100% we maybe can also use this here to slightly change the resonance here also with it
[07:05.160] Maybe we use here some reverb
[07:07.160] So everything here that Xbox is not
[07:17.160] It doesn't influence the feedback loop of course
[07:19.800] Maybe delay
[07:50.600] Oh so we have here triggers maybe we can use also clock one ties
[08:04.840] We don't need modulation here
[08:06.600] So it's not that much bigger but it's more useful because now we have some kind of scale
[08:36.680] And it sounds beautiful kind of
[08:55.240] Okay so yeah that's something I want to show you a small little self-riding patch you can
[09:01.480] Utilize and maybe experiment with it
[09:06.040] Create some interesting things here maybe you can hook up something after the SPF before you go into the long delay
[09:12.680] So we can influence the sound even more maybe distortion or you know some delay effects
[09:19.960] Create a longer feedback loop and much more complexity
[09:25.480] So it's something nice to experiment with
[09:28.440] Okay thanks for watching please leave a like if you liked the video subscribe to the channel and I'll see you in the next video
[09:34.760] Thanks for watching and bye