Scale Steps

Moves a pitch by scale degrees in Bitwig's current global key signature.

What it does #

The current editorial summary is: Moves a pitch by scale degrees in Bitwig's current global key signature.

Scale Steps first constrains the incoming pitch to the active global scale and then transposes it by the selected number of scale positions. This keeps diatonic relationships intact when the project's root or mode changes.

Controls and ports #

Control	Label	Official description
amount	Amount	Scale degree shift added to incoming signal

Practical uses #

• Add a scale third, fifth, or other diatonic harmony that follows the global key signature.
• Transpose a melody by musical scale degrees instead of fixed semitones.
• Modulate Amount to step through scale-aware chord or arpeggio intervals.

Things to know #

• Amount is measured in scale degrees, so its semitone distance depends on the current scale and starting pitch.
• Constrain Mode determines whether an out-of-scale input is moved Up, Down, or resolved with Smart quantization before transposition.
• The mapped implementation rounds the incoming pitch to semitones before applying key-signature logic.
• Stereo-ness can process both channels or preserve one channel unchanged.

Technical details #

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

The mapped Nitro module converts the input from pitch units to semitones and rounds it. For every signal lane it quantizes the starting key with the selected Up, Smart, or Down constraint, calls the key signature's scale-step transposition with steps = Amount, converts the result back with fromSemitones, and then applies the selected Stereo-ness routing.

Nitro port	Type
ksig_hash	InputValuePortType
in	InputAudioPortType
steps	InputValuePortType
stereoness	InputValuePortType
constrain_mode	InputValuePortType
out	OutputAudioPortType

Open questions #

• Document Smart mode's exact tie-breaking once the imported key-signature helper is available for inspection.

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 #

• Bitwig Studio 6 Scale Highlighting Feature Explained
• Bitwig 6 Preset for Global Scale and Root Note Transposition

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