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Wavefolder

Bitwig Platform

Wavefolder module panel in Bitwig Grid
Wavefolder in Bitwig Grid 6.0.6.

A periodic triangular wavefolder that reflects driven values back and forth inside a fixed bipolar output range.

What it does

Wavefolder multiplies the input by Amount, then reflects every excursion that crosses a boundary back toward the opposite direction. More Drive creates additional folds and a denser harmonic spectrum instead of simply flattening the peaks.

Controls and ports

Control Label Official description
amount Amount Gain applied before the signal is folded back

Practical uses

  • Drive a sine wave into it to add harmonics while retaining a continuous folded waveform.
  • Modulate Amount for animated timbre without changing oscillator pitch.
  • Place a filter after the folder when high fold counts become too bright.

Things to know

  • Unlike clipping, values beyond the boundary return toward and through the center.
  • Every new fold changes polarity over part of the input range, so level and phase can change non-monotonically.
  • High fold counts create many high harmonics and can alias.
  • The output is bounded near -1 to +1 even while pre-fold Drive grows.

Technical details

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

The exact direct path sets u = drive*x and evaluates abs(2 - ((u+3) - 4*floor((u+3)/4))) - 1, a period-4 triangular folding function with output in [-1,1]. HQ applies the corresponding ADAA wavefolder transfer. Four Grid sub-samples are processed per cycle and the antialias state resets on module start.

Nitro port Type
x InputAudioPortType
drive InputAudioPortType
HQ InputValuePortType
out OutputAudioPortType

Open questions

  • Measure exact fold boundaries, polarity, Amount mapping, and equality behavior on each boundary.
  • Quantify HQ alias suppression, phase/latency, overshoot, CPU cost, and automated Drive behavior.
  • Confirm stereo independence and response outside the normal Grid signal range.

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 Wavefolder module, Bitwig Grid Wavefolder, Wavefolder Grid module