Tags: posts polarity-music Audio-Effects Bitwig Bitwig-5.2 Tutorial

Delta Signal Effects in Bitwig

Tutorial | Jul 26, 2024

In the video, I explain how to use a Phase cancellation technique to create a delta signal in Bitwig Studio. By using a chain device with an EQ Plus and tool device, I'm able to cancel out certain frequencies and create a bandpass filter effect. Additionally, I demonstrate how to use Phase flipping and subtracting techniques to manipulate panning in the stereo field.

You can watch the Video on Youtube

The video explains how to use phase cancellation to create delta signals and filter specific frequencies in Bitwig Studio, inspired by a powerful Ableton rack. Here's a brief summary and key points:

Overview:

In the video, the creator demonstrates how to use phase cancellation to isolate or pass certain frequencies in a drum loop within Bitwig Studio. This method involves creating a delta signal by mixing dry and wet signals and using phase inversion to cancel out specific frequencies. The technique allows for precise control over which parts of the signal are affected by effects such as reverb or pitch shifting.

Key Points:

The video provides presets for download, demonstrating the discussed techniques.

Questions & Answers

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

How does Phase cancellation work in Bitwig Studio?

Phase cancellation in Bitwig Studio involves using a chain device with an EQ plus and a tool device to flip the polarity and create a signal that is completely Phase inverted compared to the dry signal. By mixing the dry signal with the wet signal, the cycles cancel out and we are left with a whiteness devoid of waveforms. Introducing a change in the chain allows certain frequencies to pass through and creates a delta signal.

How can this technique be used with convolution reverb in Bitwig Studio?

By creating a wet layer in Bitwig Studio with a convolution reverb mix at 100%, a dry signal can be mixed with a wet signal to achieve a reverb effect. Using an EQ plus and audio receiver, the wet signal can be Phase inverted and subtracted from the dry and wet signal, effectively removing the reverb from the overall signal. This allows for more control over the reverb effect and the ability to introduce changes at specific positions in the frequency spectrum.

Can this technique be used with other effects besides convolution reverb in Bitwig Studio?

Yes, this technique can be used with various other effects in Bitwig Studio. For example, a pitch shifter can be added in the wet layer and mixed in with an EQ, allowing for pitch shifting only at specific frequencies. The possibilities are endless with the ability to blend different effects and manipulate the wet signal using various tools and devices.

Should this technique be used on the master channel in Bitwig Studio?

While this technique can produce interesting sound design effects, it may not be advisable to use it on the master channel due to the extensive use of Phase flipping. However, for sound design purposes or on individual tracks, this technique can be a creative way to manipulate and shape the sound in Bitwig Studio.

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 yesterday someone on my Patreon sent me a link to this video here.
[00:00:04] It's called "this tiny Ableton Rack is absurdly powerful".
[00:00:08] It's about Phase cancellation and using Phase cancellation to create delta signals or let
[00:00:14] certain signals pass based on frequency.
[00:00:18] And it's very well explained in this video.
[00:00:21] So I put you a link to this here in the description below so you can watch it if you want to.
[00:00:25] There's also a link here to this gum road if you want to buy actually or download these
[00:00:30] racks.
[00:00:32] So I want to explain how this works inside of Bitwig Studio.
[00:00:36] So here we have just a normal drum loop.
[00:00:42] Nothing special and we use a chain device.
[00:00:47] This chain device we use an EQ plus and we use at the end here a tool device and we flip
[00:00:54] to polarity on the left and the right channel.
[00:00:57] So here in there we have a signal that's completely Phase inverted compared to the dry signal.
[00:01:04] So we bring in the dry signal here 50%.
[00:01:07] So 50% dry signal, 50% wet signal, which means this signal, this wet signal in here cancels
[00:01:15] out all the cycles.
[00:01:18] So up and down in polarity, right?
[00:01:21] cancels out all the waveforms and we are left with whiteness.
[00:01:28] Can barely hear something in the background because the EQ plus more or less call us the
[00:01:33] signals already without doing anything here.
[00:01:36] So now we can bring in a change and you get a band pass filter because we cancel all the
[00:01:49] frequencies here and all the frequencies here completely out and remove it from the signal.
[00:01:57] But only here where we introduce a change, the signal is passed through the whole chain
[00:02:03] because here it's different.
[00:02:07] So this is called I think delta signal because it's the difference or yeah, the difference
[00:02:21] between the dry signal and the wet signal.
[00:02:25] That's what's changed inside of the chain.
[00:02:29] And we already have this in kind of a native form with the new over clipper here where
[00:02:35] we have this delta signal.
[00:02:39] So we clip the signal and everything that's clipped here above the threshold, you can
[00:02:46] hear with the delta signal, right?
[00:02:48] It's the wet signal subtracted from the dry signal.
[00:02:52] That's what's clipped away from the signal.
[00:03:01] So my beloved DSEQ3 device here, which is a spectral balancer has something like this.
[00:03:08] There's here the delta monitor mode.
[00:03:11] So you can remove certain or reduce certain frequencies like these ones here and then
[00:03:19] switch on the delta signal.
[00:03:22] Then you can hear all the frequencies that are ducked down by this device here.
[00:03:29] It's a delta signal or you have to do is more or less subtract the wet signal from the dry
[00:03:37] signal.
[00:03:39] And then you get this.
[00:03:41] Okay, so we can put this here to rest and maybe add here a tool device and put this tool
[00:03:51] device into an FX layer.
[00:03:54] And maybe let's call this here and try to duplicate this and call this wet.
[00:04:00] So in this wet layer here, we use a convolution reverb mix 100%.
[00:04:09] So we mix wet signal or wet reverb here with a dry signal, dry signal, wet signal, it's
[00:04:18] basically convolution reverb and a tool device, nothing more.
[00:04:21] So we only mix a wet signal with a dry signal.
[00:04:25] So it's nothing, nothing special actually.
[00:04:28] Then we go into an EQ here, EQ plus.
[00:04:31] And then at the end, we don't invert here this we use instead an audio receiver.
[00:04:39] Put the audio receiver to 50%, put the tool device into the source box and then we Phase
[00:04:45] in bird only the audio source here.
[00:04:48] The audio source is the wet signal.
[00:04:50] Yeah, this channel, right?
[00:04:52] We grab this chain chain wet.
[00:04:58] Okay.
[00:05:00] So we grab inside of this layer here, this device, right?
[00:05:06] Which means we mix the dry signal with the wet signal, go into this EQ plus, then we
[00:05:12] mix here this output of this EQ plus with the audio source, which is the wet signal and
[00:05:18] the wet signal is Phase inverted.
[00:05:21] Which means we completely remove the wet signal from this signal in general.
[00:05:25] So without the audio receiver, it sounds like this.
[00:05:32] You can clearly hear the reverb.
[00:05:40] And when you switch this on here, we remove or subtract the reverb, the wet signal from
[00:05:46] this dry and wet signal.
[00:05:48] So we are only left with the dry signal.
[00:05:51] I hope this makes sense.
[00:05:55] Let's call this flip here.
[00:05:57] First, we mix the dry and the wet signal and then we remove the wet signal from the dry
[00:06:03] and the wet signal.
[00:06:05] And then with the EQ plus, we can introduce some changes at certain positions here in
[00:06:08] the frequency spectrum.
[00:06:19] Exactly at this frequency position here, we let the wet signal pass.
[00:06:26] So we can mix in the wet signal based on this EQ setting here.
[00:06:34] If you want to express it simply, it's a very complicated way of using a convolution reverb
[00:06:42] with the bandpass filter inside of the wet of Xbox here.
[00:06:45] It's actually the same.
[00:06:47] It's probably more complicated to do in Ableton Live.
[00:06:50] I don't know why he did this actually, but it's more or less just a bandpass filter inside
[00:06:56] of the wet signal of the convolution reverb.
[00:06:58] But you can do this here in this very complicated way.
[00:07:02] We mix the wet and the dry and then go through this EQ and then subtract the wet signal.
[00:07:07] Because now we can also use all kinds of different effects in here.
[00:07:12] You cannot only use convolution, you can also use, let's say, a pitch shifter here.
[00:07:20] Touch this up or maybe two semitones, I don't know.
[00:07:38] And then you have pitch shifting only at this position here in the frequency spectrum.
[00:07:43] You can mix or blend in these devices with an EQ.
[00:07:49] Then this would be the same as using just a pitch shifter here with a mix 50% and then
[00:07:54] after or maybe put this in the chain and then a bandpass filter after this.
[00:07:59] But maybe you want to use the EQ with multiple EQ points here.
[00:08:02] So it's probably something you can't do with a bandpass filter.
[00:08:07] But the effect is more or less the same.
[00:08:09] Okay, so now we can do this.
[00:08:13] There's also another trick he showed in this video and this is basically panning.
[00:08:19] And he used the wet channel to go for the left channel and then Phase flip the left channel.
[00:08:26] Dry signal is pan to the right and then we go with the wet signal to minus 60B.
[00:08:36] And then we grab here.
[00:08:39] I think this should be good.
[00:08:41] Let's see how this sounds.
[00:08:50] We can pan the signal to the left and the right side with this.
[00:08:56] We have the wet signal here, which is the left channel and then Phase unburnt.
[00:09:01] And then we have only the right channel here and we mix the right and the left channel
[00:09:05] Phase flip together, go into this EQ.
[00:09:08] And then we subtract here the left channel or Phase flip the left channel again and then
[00:09:16] mix it with the dry signal.
[00:09:18] And yeah, you don't need to actually do this here, but you can.
[00:09:24] But it's only at the left channel in here.
[00:09:26] I can see it's only the left channel.
[00:09:29] And then we Phase flip and subtract this again from this channel.
[00:09:32] And then you introduce here a change and you can pan to the left and the right side.
[00:09:38] I actually wouldn't advise to do this on the master because he do a lot of Phase, you know,
[00:09:53] flippery.
[00:09:55] So I'm not sure if you want to do this on the master, but maybe just for sound design
[00:10:03] purposes.
[00:10:04] This can be interesting.
[00:10:06] As I showed you before, you put your all kinds of effects in this wet channel.
[00:10:10] You maybe get some interesting sounds out of it.
[00:10:14] So I want to show you how this works in Bitwig.
[00:10:17] I also create two presets.
[00:10:20] You can download in the description below completely for free.
[00:10:23] So you don't need to pay anything.
[00:10:27] The one is the difference thing I showed you before with the reverb and with the pitch shifter.
[00:10:35] And the second one is this panning idea here, right?
[00:10:38] So you can pan on certain frequencies to the left and the right channel.
[00:10:42] So you can try it out for yourself.
[00:10:43] Okay.
[00:10:44] I think that's it for this video.
[00:10:46] I hope you learned something new.
[00:10:47] Leave a like.
[00:10:48] Also watch the other video.
[00:10:50] Give it a like.
[00:10:51] And thanks for watching and I see you in the next video.
[00:10:54] Bye.