Bitwig Delay+ Reverb Chains: Create Custom Shimmer & Ambient FX
Tutorial | Mär 20, 2026
Learn how to create unique ambient shimmer reverbs in Bitwig Studio 6 using Delay+ and Blur devices, combining modulation, feedback, and creative chains.
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Quick Summary #
In Bitwig Studio 6, creative sound design often means working beyond stock effects to achieve unique results. The Delay+ device, combined with modulators like Curve and classic LFOs, can be repurposed to create complex, artifact-free pitch-shifting reverbs and ambient effects. By manipulating delay buffer sizes, mix levels, and incorporating additional tools such as Blur, Chorus, and EQ, it’s possible to construct custom shimmer and hybrid reverbs unavailable in default presets. This approach not only expands Bitwig’s sonic palette but also demonstrates the fundamentals behind many advanced reverb plugins, layering delay, modulation, and filtering in novel configurations. The result is a suite of personalized reverb textures that can transform basic sound sources into lush, ambient soundscapes.
Key Takeaways #
- Use Bitwig’s Delay+ device with repitch mode and modulation to create pitched reverb tails, mimicking shimmer or complex reverb effects beyond the stock reverb.
- Employ modulation (e.g., Curve modulator) to automate delay buffer length, producing smooth pitch-shifting while handling artifacts by riding the mix parameter to suppress clicks when the buffer resets.
- Stack multiple Blur devices (all-pass filters) with incremental or randomized delay times to create dense, diffused, and customizable algorithmic reverbs within Bitwig.
- Insert Chorus (classic or Chorus+) before or between Blur devices to add additional diffusion and pitch modulation, preventing metallic resonances in long reverbs.
- Carefully manage mix levels for each stage/device, using macros for macro-level control and ensuring the output loudness matches the input with the Gain Level Match feature.
- Combine different effects containers (Chains) to keep complex multi-device reverb chains organized and enable further parallel or serial processing.
- Use EQ and filtering after reverb effects to sculpt the frequency response, typically reducing low end and high end to shape the final ambient wash.
- Experiment with layering and duplicating effect chains using different pitch directions (up/down) and feedback settings to build unique shimmer, halftime, or endless gravity-like ambient textures.
Crafting Advanced Ambient Reverbs in Bitwig Studio Without Third-party Plugins #
Bitwig Studio includes a range of stock devices, but its native reverb unit is simple and may not deliver the lush, cinematic ambiences found in premium effects. However, Bitwig's modular environment and flexible devices allow you to design innovative reverb sounds by combining and scripting built-in components. This guide outlines a strategy to create complex ambient and shimmer reverbs using only Bitwig’s stock tools, primarily Delay+ and Blur, along with clever modulation and signal routing.
What It Does #
This approach combines delay-based pitch shifting, time-based modulations, and cascaded all-pass filtering to simulate dense, evolving reverbs. Through creative device chains and modulation curves, it is possible to craft shimmer effects, pitch-shifted tails, and long, textured ambience, far beyond Bitwig's standard reverb.
How It Works #
Pitch-shifted Reverb with Delay+ #
- Delay+ Setup: Delay+ is configured to create a repeating buffer whose length is modulated rhythmically (e.g., every two or four bars), using a ramping modulation source (such as Curve or LFO).
- Pitch Manipulation: As the buffer size increases, the playback pitch drops by an octave; shrinking the buffer pitches up. By automating this smoothly, pitch-shifted tails are created.
- Artifact Removal: When the buffer resets (e.g., jumps from max back to min ramp), digital clicks or artifacts can occur. A second modulation curve is used to automate the wet/dry mix of Delay+, fading out the effect during that brief reset period to suppress the artifact.
- Repitch Setting: Enabling the “Repitch” mode in Delay+ ensures authentic pitch movement as buffer time changes, rather than merely stretching or chopping audio.
Building the Reverb Structure #
- Chain Devices: All processing is wrapped in Chain devices for organization, allowing easy duplication, layering, or order changes.
- Initial Reverb or Diffusion: A traditional Reverb or a Chorus can be placed before Delay+ to blur the attack and diffuse the input for a less metallic result.
- Blur Units as All-pass Chains: Multiple Blur devices are cascaded, each with unique delay times and mix amounts. The delay times are deliberately not evenly spaced, creating a more natural, dense, and “smearing” reverb.
- Chorus for Additional Diffusion: Placed after certain Blur devices, a Chorus with modest modulation spreads the reverb further and adds pitch variance, reducing metallic ringing.
- EQ and Output Control: Applying an EQ to cut excessive lows and highs can focus the space and remove mud. Bitwig’s “Gain Learn” or manual gain staging matches wet and dry levels to prevent volume jumps.
- Limiting & Leveling: Insert a peak limiter as needed to prevent output clipping, especially with feedback and dense tails.
Shimmer & Halftime Variations #
- Shimmer Reverb: By introducing feedback in Delay+ when pitch-shifting up, each echo recursively rises in pitch, a classic shimmer effect.
- Halftime/Lower Pitch Variations: Setting Delay+ to pitch down, signals are recycled at lower octaves and slower rates, producing deep, evolving tails.
- Hybrid Reverbs: Add a Convolution device anywhere in the chain for hybrid algorithmic-convolution reverbs, reminiscent of many commercial hybrid units.
Workflow Summary #
- Select or record an input sound (e.g., a simple piano patch).
- Insert Delay+ and automate delay time with a ramping modulator synced to the timeline.
- Offset a second curve to automate the mix and mute artifacts at buffer resets.
- Stack Blur devices with varied delay times and mixes, interspersed with Chorus units for density and spread.
- Shape the output with EQ, level matching, and limiting.
- Duplicate and diverge chains for multi-layered or parallel pitch effects (e.g., shimmer up, pitch-down tails).
- Test different routings, modulation shapes, and parameter settings for new reverb flavors.
Practical Uses #
- Ambient and cinematic music: Create vast, evolving spaces from minimal sources.
- Creative sound design: Unique reverbs and textures unavailable in off-the-shelf plugins.
- Shimmer, pitch, and hybrid effects: Ranging from classic shimmer to spectral and granular-style tails.
- Workflow learning: Understanding how commercial reverbs are constructed from basic DSP blocks.
Limits #
- CPU Usage: Cascading Blur and Delay+ instances can be resource-intensive.
- Complexity: Modulation and routing become intricate; adjustment requires understanding device interactions.
- Artifacts: While fadeout curves suppress most buffer reset clicks, extreme settings may still create glitches.
- Not a True Algorithmic or Convolution Reverb: While flexible, these techniques are still “DIY” approximations of more advanced algorithms.
Conclusion #
Bitwig Studio’s stock devices, when combined creatively, allow users to build their own high-quality, highly customized reverbs, rivaling many commercial products. By blending delay modulation, all-pass diffusion, pitch shifting, and careful gain/EQ control, producers can develop unique ambient spaces tailored to any project, no third-party plugins required.
Transcript #
This is the transcript of the video. The text was generated automatically and may contain small mistakes. The timestamps jump to the matching part of the video.
Click to expand transcript
[00:00:00] Let's imagine the following crazy situation. You are in Bitwig studio 6 and you have no idea what to do
[00:00:06] Okay, so here we have a sound source piano tech 9
[00:00:09] It's a very basic piano
[00:00:12] Perfect and you want to add a crazy reverb on that the problem is a bitwig studio. We have just one reverb
[00:00:23] this one here
[00:00:27] And it's not too fancy, right? It doesn't sound too great
[00:00:30] It does it does its job, but you want to have something more fancy. So what do you do?
[00:00:36] So of course you go for the delay plus
[00:00:39] Like this and we can use here 16 notes eight note
[00:00:45] Quarter notes. So four quarter notes are actually one bar
[00:00:48] Eight quarter notes are two bars and then we can just modulate
[00:00:54] With let's use a curve modulator yeah curves
[00:00:57] Let's go for
[00:01:00] Synchronized so it's synchronized to the timeline here of Bitwig
[00:01:03] Actually, don't need this
[00:01:06] Then we go here to bar so we have eight quarter notes, which are two bars
[00:01:11] We don't need the smoothing and we want to create maybe something like a ramp
[00:01:18] We actually don't need to use the curve modulator for that
[00:01:21] You can use anything you can also use the classic LFO if you want to but I'm choosing this year to explain it
[00:01:27] So we have here this straight line going up from zero to one
[00:01:31] So we can modulate here the delay unit scaler. That's the name of it. But all we do is we constantly
[00:01:38] Make the buffer size change over time over two bars actually
[00:01:47] So then we need here all the frequencies we don't need feedback. We don't need ducking
[00:01:53] We don't need here the blur algorithm. All we need is here the delay
[00:01:57] With the buffer changing over time
[00:02:00] So we're going to 50% here and then let's play it back
[00:02:15] Okay, so it sounds like it's pitching the piano down exactly by one octave
[00:02:20] But there are some artifacts, right?
[00:02:23] This kind of thing here when it switches back to zero
[00:02:26] So first thing we can do is we select delay plus go to the left side and inspector repitch is correct
[00:02:33] That's what we need. We want to repitch the sound by changing the delay time
[00:02:37] But the update rate is maybe too slow. So let's go higher here. Let's go to here. Let's see how this sounds
[00:02:46] Yeah, it sounds like it's pitching it's pitching down exactly one octave, but there's still one
[00:02:56] Click here, right when it switches back to zero, which is expected because we reset more or less the buffer here
[00:03:04] So what we can do with this is we can use actually a second curve modulator
[00:03:10] Yeah, I think to synchronize this we have to hit play on the play it so the dot is at the exact same position
[00:03:17] Then we can offset this by 180 degrees so the middle point here is actually the endpoint here
[00:03:27] It's just offset by 180 degrees and we can do the following we can do here this kind of triangle
[00:03:34] Make it a bit more steep like this and
[00:03:38] We use this to
[00:03:40] fade out the mix
[00:03:43] So we don't hear this artifact every time we switch here from one back to from one to back to zero
[00:03:49] You get this artifact, but at this position we actually fade out the mix. So we don't hear it. That's that's idea
[00:04:04] Okay, nice a pitch down effect without having any artifacts just with the delay plus you can save this as preset can use it
[00:04:12] Till the end of time
[00:04:14] What we can do now is we can make the buffer size a bit bigger. We have your two
[00:04:19] Eight quarter notes, which is two bars, but we can also just move this to the left here
[00:04:24] Just make this 100% and now we have four bars. We need to compensate here, of course
[00:04:31] to four bars
[00:04:35] And let's see how this sounds
[00:04:37] Takes a bit until the buffer fills up its sound buffers now four bars long
[00:04:49] So we have a pitch down effect so when we have a pitch down effect, which is kind of cool
[00:04:56] We can also say I want to pitch up effect. So we do this
[00:05:00] Now it sounds like this
[00:05:04] And
[00:05:06] Then we can say, oh, let's use actually the space algorithm for some reason
[00:05:29] And we don't need the upper harmonics here and we also want to fill that this out
[00:05:34] We can also use feedback but feedback is interesting because it feeds back what you just pitched up
[00:05:43] So it pitches up and up and up and up always one octave. So it sounds like this
[00:05:47] Takes a bit of time
[00:06:00] So if you like the sound you can keep it just so you know what's what's happening there
[00:06:06] So we can combine pluring and feedback so we have this constant pitching up effect or we can dial down
[00:06:16] We can remove certain frequencies and we also dialed here or dealt with the
[00:06:22] artifact of
[00:06:25] resetting the buffer
[00:06:27] We can also go here. Maybe two one milliseconds. So this
[00:06:31] Changes the delay time by two milliseconds on the right side
[00:06:35] Then on the left side. So it gives you a stereo effect
[00:06:39] So now that we have this we can put this maybe into a chain
[00:06:43] Like this we have a nice compact
[00:06:48] container here
[00:06:50] And then we can maybe in front of that use a normal reverb
[00:06:56] For whatever reason
[00:06:58] Maybe also 50
[00:07:00] There's also a filter in there
[00:07:03] Just to stretch out or diffuse the signal before it goes into this one here
[00:07:27] So
[00:07:29] You're on the wet we can also use maybe a chorus it's it's always good
[00:07:37] Small speed not too much feedback. Maybe 50 we have a bit of dry signal in there
[00:07:42] And it diffuses the signal even more
[00:07:45] You can hear it slightly in the background
[00:07:56] Okay
[00:07:58] Okay, so now there's a problem here the input signal is probably louder
[00:08:20] And the output reverb what we have here this gain learn thing so it compares the output gain to the input gain
[00:08:27] And that's almost the same
[00:08:36] Again bring this to 50 percent here
[00:08:51] Nice
[00:08:53] So this is more like
[00:08:56] shimmer effect
[00:08:58] We can also bring this down to maybe
[00:09:01] 34 percent
[00:09:06] And you can use this here
[00:09:09] just duplicate this
[00:09:11] And we do the same thing but we
[00:09:14] Pitch it down like the the first iteration we had here and we don't need feedback
[00:09:18] So it pitches stuff down and plays it back in the halftime
[00:09:22] um
[00:09:24] So this is a shimmer reverb
[00:09:26] Then we use here another chain
[00:09:28] And just disable this for a moment and we want to create here a reverb in that so
[00:09:34] At the moment it's just a dry signal
[00:09:44] So we want to create a reverb here. We're just using the blur devices which are just a bunch of um
[00:09:50] All pass filters were for all pass filters here
[00:09:54] And we want to use a macro
[00:09:57] For the mix
[00:10:00] Like this
[00:10:02] It was all macro for
[00:10:04] um delay time
[00:10:06] We maybe go down to I don't know one millisecond. This is two
[00:10:12] three
[00:10:14] Four, I don't know something like this. So we call this time
[00:10:18] All the way up. So when we have this all the way up and we modulate here
[00:10:23] You can see then here down in the info bar where we end up. So this ends up on 1.17 milliseconds
[00:10:31] So it's maybe not that much. Maybe we end up on two here. Maybe we end up on four here
[00:10:36] Here we end up on I don't know 10
[00:10:40] Here we end up on
[00:10:42] 13. Okay. So first plot device then we use the second one and we do this a bit more
[00:10:46] We have now
[00:10:50] 12
[00:10:52] this is
[00:10:54] 15
[00:10:56] 20 30
[00:10:58] So always a bit more and you don't want to go for these exact values like 10 milliseconds than 15 20 25 and so on
[00:11:08] This is usually not sounding good. Just go for random
[00:11:11] uh
[00:11:13] Slightly spread out values. We can dial it in here at will. Don't need to have
[00:11:18] Calculator stuff. These are now 29
[00:11:22] Up on 42 here 49
[00:11:27] 60 three, okay
[00:11:30] Yeah, that's okay
[00:11:33] Again more
[00:11:38] You do this until you end up on I don't know it depends on what kind of reverb you're going for I'm going here for
[00:11:47] a long ambient reverb
[00:11:50] 70
[00:11:54] Let's see how this sounds for now
[00:12:07] Okay
[00:12:09] To prevent this actually from having a two metallic sound you want to bring in
[00:12:14] Let's say chorus and you don't need to use the new chorus plus you can also use just the old chorus
[00:12:21] Which is just here delay time so it delays the sound and then it modulates the delay time which gives you just a pitch
[00:12:28] I can show you this here on the dry signal how it sounds like
[00:12:34] Delay time and then modulation
[00:12:37] Right gives you this pitch and up and down pitch wobble
[00:12:45] We want to do this slightly
[00:12:48] Want to have slight variants in pitch over time
[00:12:52] Maybe make it wider and then we put this I don't know here and then also use mix for that
[00:13:01] So the mix is also very important for me because you have here now the dry signal and the wet signal from the first blur
[00:13:09] And then the second blur gets
[00:13:11] Yeah, the mix from the first but also here you mix then the mix from the mix right so it adds up
[00:13:18] So mix is very important to have this here on every device in my opinion. It's just my taste
[00:13:32] And then we can just continue and add more blur devices here
[00:13:38] Makes us a bit longer
[00:13:41] We end up here on 100
[00:13:44] This is
[00:13:47] 124
[00:13:49] 36
[00:13:51] Let's do this
[00:13:55] Again
[00:14:02] And again and the more you do it the more dense the signal becomes
[00:14:09] Called dense. Yeah, probably
[00:14:16] So instead of using all paths filters or delays in the grid we can just use the blur device sometimes
[00:14:24] Just quicker
[00:14:30] We end up here maybe on 200 milliseconds
[00:14:33] A bit smaller
[00:14:39] Yeah, so I feel like this
[00:14:45] It's already a long reverb
[00:14:50] You can also make it short
[00:15:01] Maybe we duplicate the chorus in front of the last two with a different modulation time or modulation speed
[00:15:12] Okay, and then we can
[00:15:30] Add an EQ get rid of all the low end
[00:15:33] And maybe some of the the top end
[00:15:40] Just to leave here this space. That's very airy an airy reverb
[00:15:48] And again, we need to match your probably the output loudness
[00:16:01] So
[00:16:03] Oh, it's okay
[00:16:08] Yeah, and then again bring back any of the shimmer in front of that
[00:16:14] Maybe we should add here some kind of peak limiter
[00:16:31] You
[00:16:33] And if you use
[00:16:36] Let's say a convolution reverb in between that or in front or after that
[00:16:41] You have already
[00:16:43] An hybrid reverb and some companies want to have a lot of money just for a hybrid reverb where you combine
[00:16:49] all paths filters or an algorithmic
[00:16:52] reverb with an
[00:16:54] convolution reverb and gives you additional options for how the sound sounds
[00:17:01] Then we can bring in here the halftime, I don't know how to call it halftime half octave
[00:17:24] So
[00:17:26] And it starts to become something on its own
[00:17:54] So
[00:17:56] Well, maybe you put this here into a chain two
[00:18:08] And we go for 100 percent
[00:18:13] This is that
[00:18:25] Yeah, it needs a bit of amplification here
[00:18:31] Oh, let's put this here in between
[00:18:55] And
[00:18:57] We can put all of that into another chain device
[00:19:07] And we can then just measure the output here again
[00:19:24] So
[00:19:26] You have your own kind of small little mega reverb, um
[00:19:43] We remove here this one, it's probably better
[00:19:55] Is it different sound
[00:20:24] It's not at the right position, yeah
[00:20:26] It's better you always you have to restart sometimes when you move these devices and these modulators around they get out of sync
[00:20:35] So you need to hit play
[00:20:37] Um, so they can synchronize basically with the position
[00:20:54] So
[00:20:56] Yeah, so this is how you can create these nice little ambient reverbs without using
[00:21:14] Any external stuff
[00:21:22] What's the name rolling sampler? Why can't find it? Oh, it's constantly misspell it
[00:21:28] Um, okay, so we can
[00:21:31] What what do I play see?
[00:21:34] I only play see
[00:21:52] Oh
[00:21:54] And take this this into a sampler
[00:22:03] And then I use that
[00:22:07] Maybe textures
[00:22:22] Like I said endless possibilities and just with a few devices here and I haven't even even touched the grid
[00:22:39] so it's just a blur device delay plus device and
[00:22:44] Yeah, just combining them
[00:22:48] And that's how you do it in my opinion. So if you do this multiple times with different configurations
[00:22:54] Use different combinations of these devices different settings different chorus devices with different settings
[00:23:00] You always end up in different places with the reverb
[00:23:04] You can create so many unique reverbs
[00:23:07] No one else has only you because you know how you combine them and this is also usually how these
[00:23:13] Reverb plug-ins work
[00:23:16] um
[00:23:18] They sound different because
[00:23:20] They use different combinations of chorus pitch modulation
[00:23:24] all pass filtering filtering
[00:23:27] convolution
[00:23:29] uh compressing
[00:23:31] EQing stuff like this very basic stuff
[00:23:34] Just combined in multiple ways multiple different ways and you end up in different places and then you sell it to someone else
[00:23:41] Who has no idea how the internal works. So this is this is how this is when you hear a great sounding reverb on the market
[00:23:49] It's usually just a very
[00:23:51] good combination of these techniques
[00:23:55] um and
[00:23:57] Yeah, this takes time to learn this and to have auto game experience. So you need to
[00:24:03] build a lot of these devices and chains
[00:24:07] Um over the years and then you learn what sounds good to you and how you end up in places
[00:24:13] where you want to end up
[00:24:15] Okay, so this is this is my video for today. It's not much but
[00:24:20] I think it's a good lesson and um
[00:24:24] There are some tips and tricks in there for you to start and maybe I put this here also in my dispenser
[00:24:29] So you can download this thing if you want to
[00:24:33] Uh, anyway, thanks for watching leave a like leave a subscription. Let me know what you think and also, um
[00:24:38] Yeah, we see
[00:24:41] Each other in the next video, I guess. Yeah, that's how it is. See ya. Bye
