Sample / Hold

An edge-triggered memory that captures the current input value and holds it until the next trigger.

What it does #

Sample / Hold watches its trigger input for a new event. At that event it copies the current signal into internal memory; between events the output remains unchanged even while the input continues moving.

Controls and ports #

Control	Label	Official description
logic_in	Logic In	Trigger captures the current signal value and outputs it

Practical uses #

• Turn noise, an LFO, or a continuously scanned sequence into clocked step values.
• Capture pitch only on accepted note events so it remains stable for the complete note.
• Separate a fast probability or scanning stage from a slower musical update rhythm.

Things to know #

• The module reacts to trigger events rather than continuously tracking a high gate.
• The common Grid convention is a rising crossing near 0.5, but the exact visible trigger detector still needs direct confirmation.
• The held state is per voice in a polyphonic Grid unless the signal is flattened elsewhere.
• The recovered distortion/sample_and_hold helper proves a sample-memory core but uses an event trigger and does not expose the visible audio-rate threshold wrapper.

Technical details #

A low-confidence Nitro implementation candidate supports the technical summary, but the visible-module mapping remains inferred.

The component candidate distortion/sample_and_hold stores a stereo sample, replaces it with In when an event flag is set, clears that flag, and outputs the stored sample otherwise. This exactly describes the memory core but not the visible Grid trigger conversion. Shift Register independently shows Bitwig's 0.5 rising-edge convention, yet that is supporting context rather than proof that Sample / Hold uses the same comparison on every boundary.

Nitro port	Type
in	InputAudioPortType
out	OutputAudioPortType
trigger	InputEventPortType

Open questions #

• Measure trigger threshold, equality ownership, pulse width requirements, multiple edges inside one 4x frame, and stereo trigger behavior.
• Test initial output, reset, startup with a high trigger, voice scope, retrigger timing, and non-finite inputs.
• Confirm or reject the component candidate and locate the visible audio-trigger wrapper.

Version and sources #

Checked against Bitwig Studio 6.0.6. This page combines Bitwig's module metadata, the existing Grid course and guides, and Nitro analysis where the mapping is strong enough to support a technical statement.

Related material #

• Grid Modules course reference
• Triggers, Sample and Hold, and Clock Quantizer Explained
• Build a Pitch and Harmony Engine

Return to Bitwig Grid Modules or the Grid Modules course lesson.