Bitwig Studio 4 Beta

DAW

Bitwig

Christof Baer

last updated this article on

January 21, 2022

and first floated it on

May 29, 2021

Clarity Commitment

Tell me more

Have not yet used this product

Contains affiliate links (marked *)

A new bit is coming

Berlin based Bitwig released the beta version of Studio 4, due out at the end of July to August 2021. The DAW created by the 20 strong team in Germany's capital brings comping, new operators and modulations, as well as compatibility with Apple Silicon for MacOS.

New features include:

Comping: This new function brings easier ways to slice together takes into one performance. Comping is included in audio slices and will work in both the Arranger and Clip Launcher.
New Operators: Studio 4 will add modulation to notes and audio, in addition to parameters Operators have always been able to manipulate. Functions include Chance, Repeats, Occurance and Reoccurance.
Expression Spread: Better control modulation of expression, such as pan, velocity or audio gain, with a visualised spread parameter.
Apple Silicon Native: Bitwig Studio 4 will run natively on the M1 Apple Silicon chip.
Localisation: German, Chinese and Japanese local languages will be options.
Improved Import/Export: Import of Ableton Live files (ALS format) and FL Studio (FLP format). Export include WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP3 and OPUS.

Our View

This is the year of comping. A few months after comping was the main feature added to Ableton Live 11, now Bitwig catches up with other DAWs.

The expansion of new Operators and Expression Spread Bitwig's historical strength in flexible modulation in a DAW. The ability to import files from the popular Ableton Live and FL Studio DAWs sounds interesting, but I will wait to test how well this works, with MIDI, audio, and VST settings all having to be transferred.

Love plugins? You'll love the musicmanta newsletter, giving you exclusive competitions, top deals, latest news and reviews, and much more.

Pricing

Pricing has not yet been announced, but we expect Bitwig Studio 4 to remain priced at $399 or €379 or £329* to buy.

Upgrade will be free for those who bought in the last 12 months, and those on the Upgrade Plan. Owners of prior versions can log in to their account for a personalised upgrade price.