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Sampler

Bitwig Platform

Sampler module panel in Bitwig Grid
Sampler in Bitwig Grid 6.0.6.

The Grid version of Bitwig's Sampler, with multisample selection and Repitch, Cycles, and Textures playback engines.

What it does

Sampler loads a sample or multisample and turns note, gate, velocity, and selection signals into audio playback. Repitch links speed and pitch like a conventional sampler; Cycles resynthesizes short periodic content with independent formant control; Textures uses grains with adjustable grain length and motion.

Controls and ports

Control Label Official description
gate_in Gate In Trigger/retrigger playback of the selected sample(s)
Pre-cord connects device's note gate signals
pitch_in Pitch In Control input added to the pitch buss (and for sample selection in multisample mode)
Pre-cord connects device's note gate signals
velocity_in Velocity In [Multisample mode] Velocity signal for sample selection
Pre-cord connects device's note velocity signals

Note: All in ports on this module are mono, using only the incoming left channel.
zparams Zone Parameters 1, 2, and 3 [Multisample mode] Parameter values for the currently triggered zone(s)
select Select [Multisample mode] Determines what zone(s) are triggered based on their Select range
pitch Pitch Playback frequency control (does not affect sample selection)
play_mode Play Mode Method of audio playback/control:
speed Speed Controls playback speed. (In Repitch mode, this also affects pitch.)
formant Formant [Cycles mode] Formant shift as a timbre control
grain Grain [Textures mode] Length of each audio grain
motion Motion [Textures mode] Amount of animation added to the playhead
freeze Freeze Holds the playhead in place, requiring you to control it via Position modulation
ram Load In RAM [toggle] Allows playhead/loop modulations
playhead Playhead Offsets the playhead's current position
position Position Scaled between the sample's start and end markers
loop_start Loop Start Relatively offsets the position of the loop
loop_length Loop Length Scales the loop end time
zone_area Zone Controls Controls specific to the loaded sample(s)

Practical uses

  • Use Repitch for conventional one-shots and pitched sample playback where speed should follow pitch.
  • Use Cycles for tonal material when pitch and formant need more independent control.
  • Use Textures, Freeze, Position, and Motion for granular pads, scrubbing, and animated sample clouds.

Things to know

  • Gate triggers or retriggers playback; its pre-cord follows device note gates by default.
  • The module's input ports are mono and use the incoming left channel, including multisample selection signals.
  • Pitch controls playback frequency but multisample zone selection also depends on the note-pitch bus and dedicated Select, Velocity, and zone parameters.
  • Load In RAM is required for playhead and loop modulation that cannot be served by ordinary streaming.
  • No dedicated Sampler engine Nitro mapping is confirmed; automatic matches to upsampler and envelope helpers are unrelated.

Technical details

No Nitro implementation has been confirmed for this visible module. The behavior is described conservatively from module metadata and editorial research.

At a high level, Repitch advances a sample read position by a pitch- and Speed-dependent increment and interpolates stored audio. Cycles and Textures require separate resynthesis paths: the former tracks periodic cycles and formant, while the latter schedules overlapping grains controlled by Grain and Motion. Multisample mode chooses one or more zones from note, velocity, Select, and three zone parameters, including crossfades where ranges overlap. Exact interpolation, stretching, grain windows, zone precedence, and voice-stealing behavior live outside the currently mapped Nitro corpus.

Open questions

  • Map the Sampler engine or use controlled renders to document every play mode, interpolation quality, latency, looping, and voice-stealing rule.
  • Verify the Pitch pre-cord wording in the installed description, zone-selection precedence, mono input reduction, RAM requirements, and project-state persistence.

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.

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

Also matches: Bitwig Sampler module, Bitwig Grid Sampler, Sampler Grid module

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