Topics / Bitwig Studio / Bitwig Grid / Bitwig Grid Modules / Grid Phase Modules / Step Access

Step Access

Bitwig Platform

Step Access module panel in Bitwig Grid
Step Access in Bitwig Grid 6.0.6.

Generates transport-aligned phase for scanning a selected step span inside a larger Data sequence.

What it does

The current editorial summary is: Generates transport-aligned phase for scanning a selected step span inside a larger Data sequence.

Step Access converts Bitwig's transport position into a wrapped phase signal for addressing sequencer data. Length selects how many steps are traversed before wrapping, Range describes the complete data length, and Offset moves the starting position without changing playback speed.

Controls and ports

Control Label Official description
length Length Maximum step that will be reached (this does not affect the playback rate)
range Range Length of data being accessed

Note: It makes sense to match the size of your Data sequencer, etc.
offset Offset Step offset, to adjust the starting point at bar 1, beat 1

Practical uses

  • Address only the first 12 steps of a 16-step data table while keeping the transport clock unchanged.
  • Use Offset to rotate a sequence so bar 1 beat 1 begins on a different stored step.
  • Feed the output into Steps, Gates, Pitches, or another phase-addressed Data module for transport-locked playback.

Things to know

  • Length changes the point at which the access phase wraps; it does not change the underlying transport rate.
  • Range should match the length of the Data module being addressed so step boundaries line up as intended.
  • The Nitro implementation can follow shuffled or unshuffled transport beats and can continue from stored state when its Free Run path is active.
  • The final output is wrapped into the normalized phase interval.

Technical details

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

The mapped Nitro module selects shuffled or straight transport beats, applies the chosen timebase scale, and normalizes by the full Range. If N is Range, L is Length, O is Offset, and b is the selected transport position, its core is equivalent to c = b * timebase_scale / N, followed by phase = fract((c mod (L/N)) + O/N). A stored 64-bit position supports its stopped/free-running behavior.

Nitro port Type
isPlaying InputValuePortType
shuffle InputValuePortType
beats InputAudioPortType
beatsWithShuffle InputAudioPortType
beatsPerFrame InputAudioPortType
length InputValuePortType
offset InputValuePortType
unit InputValuePortType
freeRun InputValuePortType
barLength InputAudioPortType
max_count InputValuePortType
out OutputAudioPortType

Open questions

  • Confirm the visible Free Run and stopped-transport behavior for each timebase in Bitwig Studio 6.0.6.
  • Confirm how project shuffle changes exact step boundaries.

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 Step Access module, Bitwig Grid Step Access, Step Access Grid module