Audio Event Functions
Various operations are available for audio events, either from the Event menu (when one or more audio events are selected) or the context menu when right-clicking on an audio event.
Make Legato adjusts the length of each selected event so that it ends immediately before the next event begins, creating a continuous series of events.
The following images demonstrate a group of selected events both before and after the Legato function is applied:
Slide Waveform to Previous Onset moves the selected event so that it begins at the previous onset marker, effectively shifting this area to play earlier material. This affects only the content of the selected event.
The following images demonstrate a selected event both before and after the Slide Waveform to Previous Onset function is applied:
Slide Waveform to Next Onset moves the selected event so that it begins at the next onset marker, effectively shifting this area to play later material. This affects only the content of the selected event.
The following images demonstrate a selected event both before and after the Slide Waveform to Next Onset function is applied:
Reverse flips the selected event around, causing it to play backwards. This also flips any event expression curves.
Reverse Pattern flips the order of a group of selected events. This does not cause each event and its expressions to play backwards, but rather causes the last event to be played first, etc.
Note This function will work only when multiple events are selected.
The following images demonstrate a group of selected events both before and after the Reverse Pattern function is applied:
Content Scaling > Scale… requires a set Amount of scaling to be typed in, along with an option to Scale each (keep position), which preserves the start time of each selected audio event.
Content Scaling > Scale 50% halves the length of the selected event, effectively causing it to play back twice as fast. All onset and beat markers are also proportionally shifted.
The following images demonstrate a selected event both before and after the Scale 50% function is applied:
Content Scaling > Scale Each 50% is similar to Scale 50%, except the start time of each selected audio event is preserved.
Content Scaling > Scale 200% doubles the length of the selected event, effectively causing it to play back half as fast. All onset and beat markers are also proportionally shifted.
The following images demonstrate a selected event both before and after the Scale 200% function is applied:
Content Scaling > Scale Each 200% is similar to Scale 200%, except the start time of each selected audio event is preserved.
Quantize > Quantize… moves the start and/or end times of selected events in relation to a beat grid.
Grid Mode: Determines whether to adopt the grid settings from the current
Editor
or to allowCustom
grid settings.Custom Grid: Exclusive beat grid resolution and beat grid subdivision settings (see Beat Grid Settings) for the quantize function.
Note This is available only when Grid Mode is set to Custom.
Shuffle: Amount of swing/groove (see Transport Section) applied to the beat grid for the quantization function.
Humanize: Amount of randomness added to the quantize function, with the intention of mimicking human imperfection.
Start Amount: Amount of quantization applied to each selected event's start position.
For example, a setting of
50.0%
would move a selected event's start position halfway to the closest grid point. A setting of100%
places the event exactly on the closest grid point.End Amount: Amount of quantization applied to each selected event's end position.
Note Humanize is the last factor applied in the quantize function. So even Start Amount of
100%
might not place events directly on the grid if Humanize is enabled.Quantize > Quantize is identical to the following Quantize… function except that the most recently set parameters are used for the function.
Quantize > Quantize Audio… is a high-level variation on the Quantize… function. The basic Quantize… function shifts the start/end times of discrete audio events toward the beat grid. Quantize Audio… goes inside of whole events, creating beat markers from certain onsets and then shifting those closer to the beat grid, effectively quantizing the audio. The dialog has three sections.
The dialog's left section sets the beat grid interval to aim for. The options here are identical to other quantization functions, choosing between the current
Editor
grid interval or definableCustom
grid settings.The dialog's central section focuses on the Onset Threshold parameter, which limits the process to only use the strongest onsets. If an Onset Intensity Threshold for set for this event (see Stretch Section), then that value will be used. A setting of
0 %
will use all onsets.If the Detail Editor Panel is onscreen, it will stay bright even when the dialog is open to visualize which onsets will be used. If the dialog's Onset Threshold is changed — by adjusting the numeric control or dragging the vertical slider within the histogram representation — the shown/dimmed onsets in the Detail Editor Panel will update.
And the option to Keep Existing Beat Markers partially overrides the quantize process, preserving any present beat markers in their current place.
The dialog's right section offers similar Humanize, Shuffle, and Amount controls as other quantize functions.
Once the function is committed via the OK button, an onscreen Detail Editor Panel will switch to the Stretch expression view, showing the beat markers that now exist.
Quantize > Quantize Audio is identical to the following Quantize Audio… function except that the most recently set parameters are used for the function.
Transpose > Transpose a Semitone Up shifts the pitch up by one half step by adjusting the pitch expression of each selected audio event.
Transpose > Transpose a Semitone Down shifts the pitch down by one half step by adjusting the pitch expression of each selected audio event.
Transpose > Transpose an Octave Up shifts the pitch up by twelve semitones by adjusting the pitch expression of each selected audio event.
Transpose > Transpose an Octave Down shifts the pitch down by twelve semitones by adjusting the pitch expression of each selected audio event.
Slice / Fold > Slice In Place… divides the selected event into multiple events. A dialog allows slicing either at Onsets (the detected transients), at Beat Markers (defined stretch points that you may have changed), or at a regular note interval (on Beat Grid). This can be an extremely efficient way to do audio edits, especially by splitting at onsets and then working with the returned audio events.
If Onsets is selected, an optional Onset Threshold parameter is provided, which will default to the event's current playback setting. And like the Quantize Audio… dialog, an open Detail Editor Panel will remain bright to preview which onsets will used.
Note When an audio event is split (either by this function with the Knife tool), fade ins and outs will be added to split points if the option Automatically create fades on audio clip/event edits is enabled. This preference can be found in the Dashboard, under the Settings tab, on the Behavior page, in the Fades section.
Slice / Fold > Slice At Repeats splits any selected audio event using the Repeats Operator into individual events (see Slice At Repeats). When a selected event does not have Repeats enabled, no change is made.
Tempo > Detect Event Tempo… runs the tempo- and beat-detection analysis on selected audio clips, with additional parameters.
Note For additional information on this function, see Clip Functions.
Tempo > Set Event Tempo… sets a fixed tempo for the contained audio events, which is one way to "unstretch" audio you have worked with.
Note For additional information on this function, see Clip Functions.
Normalize makes non-destructive level adjustments to each selected audio event by inserting a gain expression point (see Gain Expressions) to bring it as close to
0 dB
as possible.Reset Fades removes any applied fades from the selected audio events.
Auto-Fade applies a quick, relative fade in and fade out to all selected audio events.
Auto-Crossfade applies a quick, relative pre-fade and fade out to all selected audio events, creating crossfades between adjacent events.
Loop Selected Region both enables the parent clip's Loop setting and sets its time range to match that of the currently selection.
- 0. Welcome to Bitwig Studio
- 1. Bitwig Studio Concepts
- 2. Anatomy of the Bitwig Studio Window
- 3. The Arrange View and Tracks
- 4. Browsers in Bitwig Studio
- 5. Arranger Clips
- 6. The Clip Launcher
- 7. The Mix View
- 8. Introduction to Devices
- 9. Automation
- 10. Working with Audio Events
- 11. Working with Note Events
- 12. Operators, for Animating Musical Sequences
- 13. Going Between Notes and Audio
- 14. Working with Projects and Exporting
- 15. MIDI Controllers
- 16. Modulators, Device Nesting, and More
- 17. Welcome to The Grid
- 18. Working on a Tablet Computer
- 19. Device Descriptions
- 19. Credits