How to Get Multiple Audio Outputs from Bitwig Grid - A Guide to Mixing Generative Presets

Tutorial | May 08, 2023

In this video, I explain how to get different sound sources from within the Bitwig Studio grid onto separate channels for mixing. I start with a generative patch with multiple sound sources mixed together, and demonstrate how to separate the percussion and funky bass onto separate channels. To do this, I use a hack that involves cutting off the percussion audio output, creating an FX layer for the rest of the sum, using a stereo split, and then utilizing modulation to transfer audio signals to separate channels. By creating separate audio tracks for each sound source, I can mix and manipulate them individually. I provide step-by-step instructions and a downloadable audio output preset for ease of use.

You can watch the Video on Youtube - support me on Patreon

Questions & Answers #

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

What is the main problem addressed in this video? #

The main problem addressed in this video is how to get different sound sources from within the grid onto separate channels into InbitVix Studio. Despite having multiple sound sources mixed together in the grid, users want to have percussion on a different channel, maybe bass on a different track, and so on. The video offers a solution to this issue, providing a quick guide to achieve this goal.

Is there a native way to get different audio outputs from the grid? #

No, there is not really a native way to get different audio outputs from within the grid. Although version 4 added the note output, it still lacks a real audio output that can be used separately. However, there is a hack around for getting different audio outputs.

What are the steps to get different audio outputs from the grid? #

To get different audio outputs from the grid, the user needs to follow a few steps. First, the audio from the device output must be cut off. Then, the user needs to create an FX layer where everything that is used for processing the whole sum goes into it. After that, an audio split is needed to split the sound into left, right, middle, and side channels. The next step is to use a modulator output to transfer audio signals and duplicate the same steps for all sound sources, including percussion, bass, and melody. Finally, the user needs to grab these devices from the input by going to the track drop-down menu, selecting generative, going to generative devices, chains, FX layer chains where the user can see all the sound sources, selecting the pre-fader and adjusting the volume as needed.

Where can the users download the preset used in this video? #

The users can download the preset used in this video from the description below the video. The audio output preset is a simple FX layer with a DC offset, panned to the left, right, and middle channels. Although it is not complicated, it can be useful to have it ready to use.

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.
[00:02.720] Yes, one question I get all the time when I show some of my generative presets on the
[00:09.920] YouTube channel.
[00:11.560] And the question is basically, how do I get all these different sound sources from within
[00:15.920] the grid onto separate channels into InbitVix Studio?
[00:19.920] How can I mix these into different channels?
[00:23.240] So I want to give you basically a hint or a guide how to do this because I get this
[00:29.680] question all the time and now I have basically a video up to show people how to do it.
[00:35.880] So first up you need of course some kind of generative patch.
[00:39.520] So I go here for the last one, Cosmic Drift.
[00:44.000] So let's hit play.
[00:49.200] So in here we have multiple sound sources.
[00:52.080] We have percussion, we have melody, we have funky bass and everything is mixed together
[00:57.800] in the grid and it comes out of the device just as one single audio output.
[01:05.320] So what people want now is they want to have percussion on a different channel, maybe
[01:10.160] you on a different track, right?
[01:12.640] And also the funky bass maybe.
[01:14.200] So let's go here for funky bass and let's go here for percussion.
[01:22.680] So how do you do this?
[01:25.400] So there's not really a native way of doing this but there's a hack around for since the
[01:32.240] beginning of the grid.
[01:34.240] So in version 4 I think we got here the note output which is pretty fine but there's
[01:38.400] no audio output, no real audio output.
[01:41.840] I mean there is some stuff on here, some I own stuff, let me see, it's up here.
[01:50.240] So I have audio sidechain input, that's the hardware output here but nothing really gives
[01:55.760] you a separate audio output that you can use on different channels.
[02:00.480] So what you do basically is to start you with the percussion, you can see it's going
[02:05.240] here out of the grid.
[02:07.080] So what we do now is we just cut this off because we don't want to have percussion coming
[02:13.080] out as the sum or mix together with the rest.
[02:16.520] So we cut this off.
[02:17.920] So now when we hit play the percussion is missing.
[02:21.920] Alright so we cut this off.
[02:29.360] So what we do now is we go into the FX box here and we say everything that we use here
[02:33.680] for processing the whole sum goes into an FX layer with control and G and rename this
[02:39.720] here to sum.
[02:41.480] So here is basically everything now in there that's not percussion because the percussion
[02:45.400] is you know cut off here from the output.
[02:49.520] And then we use an audio split or it's called stereo split, they are stereo split.
[02:56.280] So we go with the audio output instead of the output, we go into the stereo split and
[03:00.240] we split this here left, right, middle and side channel.
[03:03.840] And then we use a modulator output because modulation is audio rate at audio rate in
[03:09.440] Bitwig so we can just utilize basically the modulation here for transferring audio
[03:15.720] signals.
[03:17.720] So now we have the left channel here and the right channel here, we can also rename this
[03:20.960] of course.
[03:21.960] So let's use left here, let's use right here.
[03:28.600] And then in here we create another track with the tool device and you can see we already
[03:33.720] here now audio output which is not what we want, we want to cut this off because there's
[03:38.720] still audio coming out here, right, and going into the FX layer onto all of these channels.
[03:44.800] But here we want to mute this just, yeah, make this smaller and let's call this here percussion.
[03:53.320] So now after the tool device, after we muted this, we insert here in grid audio output preset
[04:00.960] and this preset you can download in the description below.
[04:04.840] And it's basically also an FX layer with a DC offset, pen to the left and pen to the
[04:10.000] right and pen to the middle here.
[04:13.040] So nothing complicated but you can download it in the description below.
[04:16.320] So now we have the script audio out here and you can see we have some remote here left
[04:20.120] right mono and we just connected the left to the left, 100%, right, 100%.
[04:30.480] So now we have the audio output of the percussion generator here on the second track or on this
[04:37.240] layer.
[04:38.240] Okay, so this is exactly what we want.
[04:40.960] So we duplicate this, we name this now funky bass and we have to remove here the modulation
[04:50.360] and then we duplicate this and do the same here for the funky bass.
[04:56.280] So here we cut the funky bass off of the sum, put this here into the split and now we
[05:01.360] modulate the left, 100%, right, 100%, okay.
[05:09.760] So now we can hit play, we have the sum or it's actually only the melody left now, it's
[05:17.160] only the melody.
[05:19.000] You can call this melody now.
[05:26.160] I'm the percussion here on a different channel and the funky bass and you can start to mix
[05:33.000] here basically with this FX layer now the different sources if you want to.
[05:37.480] But usually what you want to do is you want to have this on different tracks.
[05:42.040] So at the moment funky bass melody and percussion is on this first track still because we
[05:47.960] have to see a still in this FX layer.
[05:50.320] So what we have to do now is we mute this, I mean mute these two channels percussion and
[05:56.240] funky bass and we leave the melody here untouched because we want to have it still on the
[06:02.440] first track and then we can go here to the percussion channel.
[06:10.680] Use input in a set of my microphone or audio inputs I'm selecting here down from the
[06:15.600] tracks submenu as you can see tracks right go to generative, generative devices, chains,
[06:22.480] FX layer chains and then you can see we have here percussion, melody, funky bass and you
[06:27.640] want to grab basically the pre-fader because the fader pulls down the audio right because
[06:34.000] we want to mute it on the first channel so we grab the pre-fader so you can see here
[06:39.680] also it's disabled here right here's audio here's disabled so grab the pre here or
[06:45.120] it's percussion right or we need to grab percussion.
[06:49.560] So now we have percussion here on this channel and here we grab generative chains, FX, FX
[06:59.800] layers funky bass pre it's pretty loud actually don't know why but it is so
[07:15.040] important so now we have to basically already in the track here right we have separate mixing
[07:23.120] channels maybe we have to pull down here the volume on the first track let me see it's
[07:36.680] modulators last year maybe the 60% or two sorry but let's leave it on 100% I think it's
[07:48.520] better to have this on 100% and go into the patch itself and use here an amplifier let's
[08:06.120] pull this down a bit so we can go back here to normal it's probably because you have
[08:22.720] some kind of distortion device I've on there okay so back to arrange so we can start now
[08:37.480] to record all of this stuff so let's yeah this is armed actually start this at the
[08:47.640] same time so right so we have now here percussions as an audio track and the funky bass separately
[09:08.720] and you can start to mix this with the mixer or maybe record stuff or whatever you want to do
[09:15.080] so this is the easiest and quickest solution I know to get different audio outputs from the grid so
[09:22.440] all you have to do is not off the audio from the device output use then a split use two modulators
[09:30.840] create an FX layer and FX layer you use basically the grid audio output to device to mute the
[09:38.280] pass through here from the grid output and then modulate left right or just mono if you want to have
[09:44.360] if you have a mono source then you just need one modulator of course and then you can mute the
[09:50.280] channels in here and then you create multiple outputs a multiple audio channels and then you grab
[09:56.280] basically on here on the input these devices from the track drop down right FX change here and then
[10:05.880] you have everything laid out you can grab this and this is the best way I know and then you can
[10:12.680] basically have just one grid creating all these sound sources all this stuff but you still have
[10:20.040] everything on separate channels where you can mix it and record it and use it for whatever you
[10:25.160] want to use it so in here we just can use probably some kind of kick drum maybe use your my
[10:33.320] Rob as it kick drum maybe on the mouse side yeah my
[11:04.280] fancy auto leveler
[11:18.760] yeah and then you can put effects here on the precautions and on the base maybe you can play around with
[11:24.680] this so it's a neat way of doing this and I want to have a video online basically where I can link
[11:30.840] people this video and explain how it's done because I get this question all the time
[11:38.040] so yeah that's it basically so if you liked the video or if you found it interesting then please
[11:43.800] if like hit me with the comments with the questions and thanks for watching see you in the next video bye