Bitwig Studio User Guide
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The Inspector Panel on Arranger Clips

While the Arranger Timeline is a convenient, graphical view for working with the length and loop settings of a clip, all of those mouse movements are really just triggering parameter changes in the Inspector Panel. By investigating these parameters (along with the associated functions available in the Clip menu), we will get a clearer understanding of what is possible in Bitwig Studio in general and the Arranger in particular.

We will start by focusing the Inspector Panel on the same clip looping example we just finished.

For the time being, we are just paying attention to the parameters in the ARRANGER CLIP portion of the Inspector Panel. We have already seen the name (see Track Names) and color options (see Track Colors and Color Palettes) for tracks. The remaining sections offer additional parameters.

Signature Section

Signature sets the time signature of the selected clip. Along with an optional tick setting (see Display Section), this reflects how the clip is displayed for editing.

Time (Position) Section

These settings relate to the musical time or position of the selected clip:

  • Time sets the start of the clip in the Arranger Timeline. Adjusting this position will simply move the clip exactly as it exists, the same as clicking and dragging the entire clip in the Arranger.

  • Length sets the duration of the clip in the Arranger Timeline. Adjusting this duration will simply lengthen or shorten the clip, the same as using the bracket cursor to adjust the right edge of the clip.

  • Offset preserves the position and length of the clip, but shifts its internal content by the set amount. This is the same as using the bracket cursor to move the left edge of the clip forward in time.

    Taking the previous image as an example, I could increase the Time from 2.1.1.00 to 2.2.1.00. The entire clip is now happening a quarter note later.

    But if I wanted the clip to stay in time and simply skip the first beat it was playing, I would increase the Offset from 1.1.1.00 (no offset) to 1.2.1.00.

    Note that the first beat is included in subsequent loops.

Loop Section

These settings relate to the looping of the selected clip:

  • Loop toggles whether or not the clip loops with the Arranger. When disabled, the clip will play only once. If the size of the clip is longer than its contents, the later portion of the clip will be empty.

    If Loop is off, the other settings here are ignored.

  • Start is the looping equivalent of the Offset parameter, keeping the clip contents in their place but delaying the point at which each loop repetition starts.

    Taking the same example from above, I could increase the Start from 1.1.1.00 (no loop offset) to 1.2.1.00, causing each one-bar loop to end in the same place but start a quarter note late.

  • Length sets the duration of the clip that is being repeated. This is the same as using the I-beam cursor with a looping oval to graphically adjust the loop length.

Fade Section

As stated earlier, fade actions and parameters apply only to audio clips. So these twin sets of parameters represent controls for any Fade In and Fade Out applied to the selected audio clip. Taken from top to bottom:

  • The musical time value represents the length of the fade. If it is set to zero (0.0.0.00), then no fade is applied regardless of the other settings.

  • The buttons allow toggling the fade's curvature type between a standard linear curve and an S-curve, respectively.

  • The level value sets the amplitude at the fade's midpoint, effectively shaping the fade's curve.

As shown earlier in the Arranger, crossfades are really comprised of two separate fades (a fade out from the first clip, and a fade in on the second). As such, their settings can be coordinated or handled completely independently.

Mute Section

Mute toggles whether or not the selected clip is disabled on playback. This is in contrast to the track mute button, which disables all contents of the track.

Shuffle Section

These settings relate to the groove of the selected clip:

  • Shuffle toggles whether or not the Global Groove parameters are applied to the clip. If Shuffle is off, the other setting here is ignored.

  • Accent sets the percent of the Global Groove's accent Amount that should be applied to this clip.

    For example, if the Global Groove's accent Amount is set to 100% (the default setting) and the clip's Accent setting is at 30%, then the clip will apply an accent at 30% strength (30% of 100%).

    Or if the Global Groove's accent Amount is set to 50% (the default setting) and the clip's Accent setting is at 50%, then the clip will apply an accent at 25% strength (50% of 50%).

    Since this is a scaling function, either parameter being set to zero (0%) results in no accent.

Seed Section

The clip Seed setting relates to randomized parameters in Bitwig Studio. This includes any expression Spread values (see Expression Spread) and Chance Operators (see Chance).

When "random" numbers are being generated, the seed shapes the sequence that follows. When that seed is randomly selected, so are the values produced. This is the default behavior for clips in Bitwig.

The die on the left is selected, reading out as Random because a new seed is picked each time the clip begins playing. But if the same seed value is used each time, then playing the clip will produce the same series of numbers — and sounds .

To generate a Seed value for a clip: click on the right side of the Seed field (where Random showed in the picture above).

The die is deselected, and a visualization of the current Seed value is shown. You can now play the clip and hear the pattern that this seed produces for any randomized elements. If you like the results, keep it; the same result will be produced when you trigger the clip again.

[Note]Note

Alternatively, you could print these randomized elements by using the Consolidate function (see Consolidate). Or to choose what is made permanent and generate a new, longer clip, you could use the Launcher's Expand function (see Expand, from the Clip Launcher).

To generate a new Seed value for a clip: click on the right side of the Seed field again (where the current value is visualized in the last picture).

Different seed, different pattern on playback. You can also right-click on the right side of the field to copy the current seed value or paste in one from another clip.

And to return to randomized playback, simply click the die icon.

[Note]Note

One technical detail. A defined Seed value makes the full sequence repeatable, including all additional loop cycles that follow. So the results are not identical for every loop, but rather the values picked for each loop are reproducible.

To borrow the idea of a die, if the clip's set Seed produces a 5 on the first cycle, a 6 on the second loop, and a 2 on the third pass, retriggering the clip will produce 5, then 6, then 2, and so on, again. And again. And…

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