Get to Know the Spectral Suite Devices

The four devices included in Bitwig's Spectral Suite (out now with Bitwig Studio 4.4) think about audio differently than most processors. They break down incoming signals into individual frequency bands, divide the bands into categories, and then regroup them into channels, where you can treat them with chains of FX of your choosing. Take a tour of each device (Loud Split, Transient Split, Harmonic Split and Freq Split) to learn the basic controls and how to use these powerful audio FX to unlock your audio.

Loud Split

What is Loud Split? What does it do? And how do you use it? Mastering this advanced Bitwig Studio Spectral Suite device is easy, thanks to its simple mixing controls and overall structure. Create a reverb without adding a single plug-in or device to the signal chain, just by tweaking the Rise, Fall and Knee parameters. Or quickly make a custom distortion that targets just the loudest parts of a sound.

• 0:11 What is spectral analysis?
• 1:00 How Loud Split is different from a compressor
• 2:11 Loud Split controls overview: Thresholds
• 3:29 Knee setting
• 4:05 Rise and Fall time parameters
• 5:25 Relative Loudness Mode
• 6:08 Example: Make a thin band ring out with a delay
• 7:26 Tilt parameter

Transient Split

In a way, Transient Split is the simplest of the bunch, because it breaks sound into two channels: One for the percussive portion of the sound, and another for the tonal aspects. In this tutorial video, you'll learn how Transient Split works and how to use it, whether you want to apply different FX to specific parts of a sound or remove reverb from a loop. We also give you a few examples of how Transient Split can transform audio, no matter if it's a drum loop or a synth arpeggio.

• 0:00 How spectral devices think differently
• 1:08 Transient Split overview — what does it do?
• 2:22 Adding different audio FX to the transients and tones of a drum loop
• 3:49 Blend and Bias parameters
• 4:59 Sonogram view
• 5:16 Decay parameter in Sonogram view
• 5:53 Smoothing parameter for tones
• 6:18 Sonogram Tilt control
• 7:30 Percussive versus Noise algorithms
• 8:35 Example 1: Using Transient Split on a synth arp
• 11:40 Example 2: Adding FX to a drum loop

Harmonic Split

Harmonic Split finds the fundamental frequency of a sound and breaks the signal into two channels of harmonics, plus a non-harmonic channel. This walkthrough will show you how to use this spectral device as a creative mixing tool or to apply targeted FX. We go over Harmonic Split's basic functions and analysis parameters, how it works, what it does...and we demonstrate a few ideas for how to apply it in a musical context, too.

• 00:00 What are spectral devices?
• 01:02 Harmonic Split vs. Treemonster
• 02:59 Example 1: The simplest processing trick ever
• 03:33 Setting the fundamental tracking
• 05:30 Tilt parameter
• 07:11 Example 2: Adding different FX to different harmonics
• 09:22 Adding Delay+ to Non-Harmonics with automated Freeze
• 11:13 Example 3: Driving a thick reverb on part of the signal

Freq Split

Freq Split gives each band a color and sends it to that channel. It's a simple idea with simple controls that allow you to change the number of bands and determine how those bands move around the spectrum. As you'll hear in this walkthrough, that makes it great for building spectral delays, a new phaser, a filter bank or...lazerbass?!

• 00:00 How is Freq Split different from Multiband FX?
• 03:11 Freq Split's layout
• 04:28 Spectrum Display toggle
• 07:33 Nudge and Spin parameters
• 08:39 Bend and Pinch parameters
• 10:01 The spectral Limiter
• 11:01 Modulating the parameters
• 11:46 Making a flexible filter bank (Or, making a neurobass laser out of a test tone!)