Tags: posts polarity-music Audio-Effects Bitwig Bitwig-5.2b8 Filters FX-Grid Tutorial

AU5's UltraComp in Bitwig Studio Spectral Filtering

Tutorial | Jun 25, 2024

In this video, I show how to recreate AU5's Ultra Comp filter in Bitwig Studio for the Bitwig Reddit community. Using a combination of All-Pass filters and signal blending, I demonstrate how to achieve the spectral filtering sound and moiré pattern seen in AU5's video. Additionally, I provide an alternative method using Bitwig Studio's frequency split feature, which offers a more straightforward and CPU-friendly approach to creating different types of filters.

You can watch the Video on Youtube - support me on Patreon - Download Ultracomb - AU5 Video

In AU5's recent video, he introduces the Ultra Comp, a filter combination in Ableton Live using devices like a flanger, phaser, and frequency shifter. This summary will show how to recreate this in Bitwig Studio. The Ultra Comp creates a spectral filtering sound and a moiré pattern in the spectrum analyzer.

Overview

Key Points

The video includes detailed steps and analysis for recreating and understanding the Ultra Comp effect in Bitwig Studio.

Questions & Answers

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

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to recreate AU5's Ultra Comp filter inside of Bitwig Studio and demonstrate how it sounds. Additionally, it aims to assist members of the Bitwig Reddit community who are interested in learning how the filter works.

How does the filter work?

The filter is created using a combination of devices, including a flanger, phaser, and frequency shifter. By using All-Pass modules in the FX grid, the phase relationship in higher frequencies is manipulated, creating notches and spectral filtering effects. The filter can be further adjusted by changing parameters such as frequency and spread.

How is the filter recreated in Bitwig Studio?

To recreate the filter in Bitwig Studio, multiple All-Pass modules are used in combination with delays to create a flanger effect. The signal is then blended with the dry signal and processed with a frequency shifter. The filter can be further customized by adjusting parameters like delay time, shift frequency, and spread.

What alternative method can be used to achieve a similar effect?

Instead of manually creating the filter in the FX grid, the Frequency Split device in Bitwig Studio can be utilized. This device splits the audio signal into multiple bands, allowing for precise control over frequency ranges. Additional effects like flangers, phase shifters, and frequency shifters can be applied to each band, providing a range of filter options.

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] So a few days ago, AU5 created the video, what he called the Ultra Comp and he created some
[00:00:07] type of filter inside of Able Live for the combination of devices like a flanger, a phaser
[00:00:13] and a frequency shifter.
[00:00:16] And I want to recreate this in this video inside of Bitwig Studio because some people
[00:00:21] in the Bitwig Reddit community want to know how it works.
[00:00:25] So I want to show you this and also how it sounds because this is here how it sounds.
[00:00:41] So it has this kind of spectral filtering sound to it and it creates this moiré pattern
[00:00:48] inside of the spectrum analyzer here.
[00:00:52] So you can see he tried to come up with a nice combination of different devices.
[00:00:59] So he starts by creating a flanger here by using two delays.
[00:01:04] Then he goes into a set of phase of flangers here that are combined phase inverted to extract
[00:01:12] basically the All-Pass behavior.
[00:01:14] And then at the end he uses a phase, a frequency shifter to create on top of that some kind
[00:01:21] of shepherd tone effect.
[00:01:24] So that's basically it.
[00:01:27] This part here in the middle with the phase flipped phasers we don't need to do because
[00:01:33] we have All-Pass modules inside of the grid.
[00:01:37] So I want to show you this here how it looks like inside of Bitwig Studio.
[00:01:41] And the best way to explain this is probably to use the EQ curve analyzer here using two
[00:01:49] of them so we can analyze what's going on inside of the FX grid.
[00:01:57] So you can see I've already here preset for this.
[00:02:01] Okay so here we just pass through the audio unprocessed and we want to use here an All-Pass
[00:02:09] device or All-Pass module.
[00:02:13] And then we show the phase here and you can see the frequency spectrum is basically untouched
[00:02:20] so nothing happens to the frequency here.
[00:02:23] It's completely flat.
[00:02:24] That's why it's called All-Pass.
[00:02:27] It passes through all the frequencies.
[00:02:30] What changes here the phase relationship in the higher frequencies.
[00:02:34] And you can change where it changes the phase or delays the phase with this frequency knob
[00:02:41] here.
[00:02:43] So it basically delays here the phase by let's say the wavelength of this frequency and on
[00:02:50] different frequencies by different amounts.
[00:02:53] And when you combine this now with a dry signal when we bring down here the mix knob to let's
[00:02:58] say 50 percent.
[00:03:01] You can see we change now also here the frequency distribution.
[00:03:04] We kind of create a low pass filter.
[00:03:07] So All-Pass mixed with the dry signal gives you more or less like a low pass filter.
[00:03:13] So that's it.
[00:03:15] This is basically how filters are created.
[00:03:19] So when we increase now here the poles to two poles you can see we create now a notch.
[00:03:25] Maybe suggest here another.
[00:03:28] And you can see at the phases basically inverted at this position at this frequency here.
[00:03:35] So we can create notches with this right.
[00:03:38] If we combine this here with another module we create another notch and another one and
[00:03:47] another one right.
[00:03:49] So we can create with these combinations of All-Pass filters here some kind of notch filter.
[00:03:57] And when we try and listen to this here maybe with a test tone.
[00:04:04] Let's use here a saw.
[00:04:11] You can also hear it.
[00:04:13] Or maybe with white noise.
[00:04:25] So this is kind of how it works.
[00:04:28] And yeah to recreate basically now this device in the FX grid I want to call up here my preset.
[00:04:38] You can see here I'm using a lot of All-Pass modules actually 50.
[00:04:44] Yeah 50 devices you can use more if you want to.
[00:04:48] But the more you add the more CPU you use right.
[00:04:52] But I think the effect doesn't get stronger if you use more.
[00:04:58] So here what I do is basically I recreate the flanger by using two delays.
[00:05:03] They have at least some kind of minimal delay because the delay the minimum delay is limited
[00:05:09] by the sample size or the sample buffer.
[00:05:15] You're in the audio settings if you go to settings and audio right we have here at least
[00:05:20] 10 milliseconds delay for every delay.
[00:05:25] So I think you need to combine two to actually recreate this behavior.
[00:05:31] I don't think this goes down to zero milliseconds.
[00:05:34] I'm not sure maybe it is.
[00:05:37] So I recreate basically a flanger here by just splitting the signal into two signals
[00:05:41] and then you can delay one signal and you create basically a flanger with this.
[00:05:47] Then one signal goes into this battery of All-Pass filters here creating additional notches.
[00:05:53] And then we just blend everything together here basically the dry signal and the delay
[00:05:58] signal and the dispersal signal blended together.
[00:06:02] Then we increase here a bit of the volume and then we go out into the post fx box where
[00:06:07] we have here a frequency shifter and this one shifts the frequency by let's say let's
[00:06:15] go for 10 hertz.
[00:06:16] I think this is the perfect range 10 hertz and then we can shift it up or down.
[00:06:23] So this is how it sounds.
[00:06:24] Now we start with the saw.
[00:06:29] So we can change it to shift.
[00:06:33] So we create this shepherd tone effect.
[00:06:44] We can also change the frequency of the dispersals.
[00:06:57] Or we can also change the flanger which is the delay here.
[00:07:06] Maybe that's not enough here.
[00:07:07] The delay is a bit longer like this and maybe we do a second macro button here to delay
[00:07:15] here this signal.
[00:07:18] Let's delay is actually by the same amount 0.5.
[00:07:22] This one also 0.5.
[00:07:24] Okay, let's see how this sounds.
[00:07:40] Here the frequency shifter of Bitwig does also feature this left thing which means basically
[00:07:45] if you turn this to the right we shift the frequencies on the right side on the right
[00:07:50] channel a bit different or in the positive range and on the left side in the negative
[00:07:55] range so we can create some kind of stereo effect with this.
[00:08:01] So this is here the spread knob which kind of spreads the notches a bit apart to get
[00:08:18] you also a different effect.
[00:08:21] So then you can modulate everything if you want to.
[00:08:24] Let's call this here flange2 and bring this in there.
[00:08:29] So you can modulate everything if you want to.
[00:08:31] We can bring in some random modulators here and just I don't know modulate here the frequency.
[00:08:42] Maybe here the shift and bring this here and then maybe modulate here the flange.
[00:08:54] I don't know how this sounds.
[00:09:03] Maybe it's too fast.
[00:09:33] But you get the idea right so this creates these type of filters here maybe let's use
[00:09:37] your white noise.
[00:09:51] So kind of interesting for color bass producers for some reason but that's how it is right.
[00:09:59] If you want to increase the effect you can just duplicate here this whole thing multiple
[00:10:03] times and yeah it's amplified more or less.
[00:10:08] Let's actually move this here and double it but you can also see here the CPU goes weird
[00:10:16] alright at some certain points.
[00:10:36] So this is basically the Ultracomb for you here inside of Bitwig Studio but there's another
[00:10:42] thing I want to show you.
[00:10:43] Instead of using this device here you can also use the frequency split of Bitwig Studio
[00:10:50] which basically does the same thing.
[00:10:53] We get here multiple bands and we can increase the splits right something like this and then
[00:11:03] say we want to notch out certain things.
[00:11:27] This gives you basically the benefit that it's spectral based it's not like it doesn't
[00:11:39] shift the phase around it's straight forward it doesn't use your CPU too much and it's
[00:11:47] exactly what the Ultracomb does as a native device.
[00:11:51] So you can just use the frequency split and on top of that you can put here in these FX
[00:11:55] boxes maybe flangers or phase shifters or frequency shifters or whatever you want to
[00:12:02] do you can put in these little boxes here and create another type of filter right so
[00:12:08] you don't need to do this here basically the manual way inside of the grid.
[00:12:14] What I have to admit here using this All-Pass kind of method you get some type of different
[00:12:21] sound.
[00:12:22] You get a different sound of course so if you change the process you get a different
[00:12:26] type of sound.
[00:12:27] Maybe you like this type of sound more than this one but this kind of device does more
[00:12:33] or less like the same thing.
[00:12:35] Also want to show you here how it looks like in the EQ curve analyzer.
[00:12:42] Let's put this on let's turn this off and then maybe use here the frequency shifter
[00:12:49] to suggest.
[00:12:50] You can see here basically these All-Pass modules here create a lot of different notches across
[00:12:56] the frequency spectrum and we can shift this around and also the spread looks like this.
[00:13:04] It's kind of changes how certain frequencies are how far apart they are right so this is
[00:13:12] how it works.
[00:13:13] Okay so I put this device in the description below you can try it out.
[00:13:18] I also put the link to the AO5 video in the description below so you can check it out.
[00:13:24] Thanks for watching leave a like and subscribe to the channel.
[00:13:26] See you next time and bye.