Bitwig Studio User Guide
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Kick

Kick drum element instruments that use incoming note signals to synthesize audio.

v0 Kick

A hybrid kick drum instrument. With the following controls:

  • Tune, for adjusting the sound by ±1 octave, plus:

    • A numeric control for tuning, so you can adjust by whole semitones (by dragging the integer portion)

    • A readout of the device's central pitch, using Bitwig's standard sharpness/flatness indication (see Parameter Information)

    • Micro-pitch expressions will be used relatively, so bending notes will still work (in Drum Machine devices or anywhere else)

    • Or enable Keytracking Mode, which will fully follow the pitch of notes played (good for instrument tracks/layers)

  • Decay, for sound length

  • Punch, controlling the pitch envelope

  • Click, for initial chaos

  • Shape, for oscillator sharpness

  • Body, to add emphasis to the drum's shell

  • Noise, for noise level, along with a Stereo Noise toggle

  • Velocity Sensitivity, scaling the dynamic range (when a full range of note velocities are used)

  • FX chain, for post-processing from Bitwig devices or plug-ins

  • Output level, applied after the FX chain

v0 Zap Kick

A psy-inspired kick drum instrument whose pitch swoops downward. With the following controls:

  • A Tune setting defines the target pitch. But if the Tuned toggle is disabled, the value is ignored and the target pitch is zero Hertz.

  • A Gated toggle (the button with the pulse icon) makes this a sustaining drum instrument. When on, the Release / Decay timing parameter sets the release time. When Gated is off, Release / Decay timing parameter sets the decay time.

  • Zap Depth (labeled Zap on the device) defines how far the pitch swoops. And Zap Decay sets its timing.

  • The gear icon exposes three direct modulation targets, allowing you to create your own modulation of the exponential Pitch (when Tuned is on), linear Frequency, and Phase of the device.

    • Controlling Pitch Mod with a Segments (Envelope) modulator would let you shape your own zap.

    • Any of the controls, particularly Freq Mod and Phase Mod, can be used as synthesis targets with audio-rate modulation.

  • Velocity Sensitivity scales the dynamic range (when a full range of note velocities are used).

  • An FX chain is available, for post-processing from Bitwig devices or plug-ins.

  • An Output level, which is applied after the FX chain.

v1 Kick

Previously named E-Kick, an electronic kick drum instrument with optional pitch modulation.

The GEN section contains parameters for controlling and processing the instrument's slightly rectified sine oscillator. The frequency of this oscillator is set by the Tune knob, and its level is controlled by an AD envelope that has a short, fixed attack time and an exponential, adjustable Decay time. The Click option adds impact to the sound by doubling portions of it, and the Tone control sets the cutoff frequency of a gentle low-pass filter.

The P. MOD section concerns a separate AD envelope generator that controls pitch modulation applied to the oscillator. You can adjust the Amount of modulation in semitones, the Decay time, and the shape of that decay segment with the contour control.

The final section offers a control for the instrument's Vel Sens.(itivity) and a level control for its Output.

Nested Device Chains:

  • FX - A chain for processing the device's entire audio output.

v8 Kick

An instrument inspired by the Bass Drum (BD) of the Roland TR-808. With the following controls:

  • Tune, for adjusting the sound by ±1 octave, plus:

    • A numeric control for tuning, so you can adjust by whole semitones (by dragging the integer portion)

    • A readout of the device's central pitch, using Bitwig's standard sharpness/flatness indication (see Parameter Information)

    • Micro-pitch expressions will be used relatively, so bending notes will still work (in Drum Machine devices or anywhere else)

    • Or enable Keytracking Mode, which will fully follow the pitch of notes played (good for instrument tracks/layers)

  • Decay, for sound length

  • Punch, controlling the pitch envelope

  • Shape, for oscillator sharpness

  • Drive, for pushing toward a pulse wave

  • Click, for initial chaos

  • Consistent Sound toggle, to remove variations and make the sound completely reproducible

  • Velocity Sensitivity, scaling the dynamic range (when a full range of note velocities are used)

  • FX chain, for post-processing from Bitwig devices or plug-ins

  • Output level, applied after the FX chain

v9 Kick

An instrument inspired by the Bass Drum (BD) of the Roland TR-909. With the following controls:

  • Tune, for adjusting the sound by ±1 octave, plus:

    • A numeric control for tuning, so you can adjust by whole semitones (by dragging the integer portion)

    • A readout of the device's central pitch, using Bitwig's standard sharpness/flatness indication (see Parameter Information)

    • Micro-pitch expressions will be used relatively, so bending notes will still work (in Drum Machine devices or anywhere else)

    • Or enable Keytracking Mode, which will fully follow the pitch of notes played (good for instrument tracks/layers)

  • Decay, for sound length

  • Punch, controlling the pitch envelope

  • Shape, for oscillator sharpness

  • Buzz, for noise level

  • Click, for initial chaos

  • Comp., to flatten the attack and extend the length of each note

  • Consistent Sound toggle, to remove variations and make the sound completely reproducible

  • Velocity Sensitivity, scaling the dynamic range (when a full range of note velocities are used)

  • FX chain, for post-processing from Bitwig devices or plug-ins

  • Output level, applied after the FX chain

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