When thinking about Bitwig Studio's two distinct sequencers, it helps to consider the following concepts:

The takeaway is that you can act like Bitwig Studio has just one sequencer, by using only the Arranger Timeline (to create a completely composed song, for example) or only the Clip Launcher (to take elements you have made and freely improvise a structure). You could also keep most tracks playing what you programmed in the Arranger, and occasionally shift some tracks to the Launcher for the sake of improvisation.

Once the two sequencers make sense to you, there is no "right way" to use them. Only options.

To trigger a Launcher clip normally: click the play button in its top left corner. Or press a controller pad that is mapped to this clip. This will trigger the clip using its Main launch behaviors (see Launch Section).

To trigger a Launcher clip with its alternate (ALT) behavior: hold ALT and then click the play button in its top left corner. Or hold the controller's SHIFT button (see your controller's documentation for support information) and then press the pad that is mapped to this clip. This will trigger the clip using its ALT launch behaviors (again, see Launch Section).

If the transport was stopped, triggering a clip immediately activates the transport. (Otherwise, no clip could play.)

Once a clip is triggered, a black box appears around the play button to mark this as an active clip. A clip remains active until either a different clip on that track is triggered, the track's (or the Global) Stop All Clips button is triggered, or the track's (or the Global) Switch Playback to Arranger button is pressed. When the transport is activated, all active clips resume playing.

In the image above, you may also notice a vertical line going thru the active clip. Each active clip has its own clip playhead that indicates the play position within the clip while the transport is active.

To release a Launcher clip normally: simply let go of the mouse button (or controller pad) that you pressed to trigger the clip. Whenever you let go, the Main Release Action will be executed immediately.

To release a Launcher clip with its alternate (ALT) behavior: hold down the ALT key, and then let go of the mouse button that you pressed to trigger the clip. Or if using a controller, hold the controller's SHIFT button (etc.), and then release the pad that triggered the clip. Whenever you let go, the ALT Release Action will be executed immediately.

Note

Triggering a clip is distinct from releasing it; these are two separate actions. So you can actually mix and match a normal Main trigger with an ALT release (by adding ALT or the controller's SHIFT button while holding the pad). Or use an ALT trigger, then release the computer keyboard's ALT key (or controller's SHIFT button) first, and finally let go of the clip to make a Main release. It may sound complicated, but your fingers will get used to these new gestures quickly.

To trigger a scene: click the play button in its top left corner. This will trigger all clips that exist within the scene and Stop All Clips for tracks that contain no clip for the scene.

Identical to clips, a normal click/press will execute a Main trigger of the scene; holding ALT will make an alt trigger; and so on with releases, etc. etc.

	Note
	If the Record on scene launch setting is enabled, empty slots on record-enabled tracks will also begin recording (see Clip Launcher Layout). And if the scene's Override Launch Settings option is enabled, all clips will launch with the scene's defined Main or ALT trigger behaviors. This can be especially useful to align the Launch Q(uantization) timing for all of a scene's clips, etc.

To stop all clips on a track: click either the track's Stop All Clips button or a stop button within an empty slot.

This stops Arranger clips as well since the Launcher is given control of the track. Each Stop All Clips button will take effect at the default launch quantize interval.

To stop all clips: click the Global Stop All Clips button.

While this will stop all clips after the default launch quantize interval, the transport remains active.

To return control of a track to the Arranger: click the track's Switch Playback to Arranger button.

This will take effect immediately, regardless of the default launch quantize setting.

To return control of all tracks to the Arranger: click the Global Switch Playback to Arranger button.

This will take effect immediately, regardless of the default launch quantize setting.

Just as you can insert time signature changes in the Arranger Timeline (see Time Signature Changes), you can also trigger time signature changes from the Clip Launcher. This method of automation can be achieved by placing a Launcher clip with a set Signature parameter (see Signature Section) on the master track. Whenever a clip like this is triggered, the transport's time signature will be overridden.