Following their recent public beta, Bitwig have announced that the latest full release version of their popular DAW software is now available. Bitwig Studio 5.2 introduces a powerful new multi-band compressor, a trio of hardware-inspired EQs, a new clipper plug-in, enhanced audio editing capabilities and much more.
New Plug-ins
Bitwig Studio 5.2 includes a powerful built-in multi-band compressor plug-in.
The first major addition to the DAW’s collection of built-in plug-ins is Compressor+, a multi-band processor that provides independent dynamics control over four bands. Alongside its Standard mode, the tool is also equipped with a Dual setting that allows for upward compression and a selection of VCA Colors options that emulate a range of analogue designs and also offer some subtle saturation effects in addition to their dynamics manipulation.
The new compressor is joined by three EQs: Sculpt, Focus and Tilt. The first two have been influenced by the legendary Pultec EQP-1 and MEQ-5, respectively, and combine the classic dual boost/attenuation control set with selectable Tube and Transistor modes that add some pleasing harmonic distortion. If you’d prefer to keep things transparent, then there’s also a Clean mode. Tilt then offers a simple tilt EQ with an adjustable centre frequency and slope value that make quick work of rebalancing any sound’s high- and low-frequency content.
Bitwig Studio's new Over plug-inBitwig haven’t stopped at dynamics and EQ, though — the latest update also introduces Over, a new clipper plug-in that combines multi-band distortion processing with oversampling and includes a ‘wet only’ effects slot.
Some existing plug-ins have been enhanced as well, with Chain gaining a new Learn Wet Gain option, while Crossover-2 and Crossover-3 modules now appear in The Grid’s Mix category. A Chord Learn function has also been added to Multi-Note, and FX Selector now features crossfade timing for fine-tuning transitions.
Audio Editing
The company have also concentrated on improving mouseless navigation in Bitwig Studio 5.2. Using the default key commands, it’s now possible to navigate between points of interest on clips in the Arranger Timeline or between different tracks in a project. Users are able to move in increments such as beat divisions, automation points, clip boundaries and more, as well as making selections across multiple tracks without leaving the keyboard.
Those who like to use their mouse haven’t been left out: the cursor will now snap to fade points and other convenient locations, and it’s possible to carry out a Set Clip Start command with a right-click.
Other Improvements
Bitwig have rewritten their graphics engine for the new release, which now benefits from native GPU hardware acceleration on all platforms, meaning that the GUI is more responsive and efficient. Another benefit is that the CPU resources freed up by the new engine can now be utilised for audio-related tasks, allowing the DAW to perform better in general.
As always, the update also tackles a number of known bugs and offers a variety of general improvements, all of which are detailed in the full changelog, which can be found here.
Compatibility
Bitwig Studio 5.2 has updated system requirements, and is now supported on PCs running Windows 10 and above, Macs running macOS 10.15 and higher, and Linux systems running Ubuntu 20.04 or later, or any modern distribution with Flatpak installed. Graphics-wise, Windows users will need DirectX 11 or higher, and Linux users require DX11-level Vulcan.
Pricing & Availability
Bitwig Studio 5.2 is available now, and is a free upgrade for anyone with a Bitwig Studio licence and active Upgrade Plan. For those wishing to purchase a new license, Bitwig are currently running their Summer Sale, with the following prices available until 12 August 2024:
- Bitwig Studio Essentials: $€79 (usually $€99)
- Bitwig Studio Producer: $€149 (usually $€199)
- Bitwig Studio: $€299 (usually $€399)
