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Bitwig Studio 6 is here! Bitwig Studio gives you the freedom to create without limits.

After launching Bitwig Studio 6 in beta last year, Bitwig has officially released the next major update to its flagship DAW, delivering an array of improvements to the software’s interface and workflow, along with an overhaul of automation editing, a new Clip Alias feature, project-wide key signature support, and much more.

The headline here is the Bitwig Studio 6’s fresh approach to automation editing, which completely reworks the way that automation is handled within the DAW.

Bitwig Studio 6 introduces a dedicated Automation Mode that overlays every track on the timeline with a dedicated automation lane for the most recently-tweaked parameter. The Detail Editor Panel now provides access to all of the automation on any given track, replacing the standalone Automation Editor Panel.

A trio of improved gestures make editing quicker and more intuitive, while new automation behaviors open up additional creative possibilities. The Spread feature applies a randomized value within a chosen range to individual automation points on each pass, while the Hold option tells a point to remain at a flat value until the next one is reached.

These are complemented by an upgraded algorithm that translates automation drawn with the Pencil tool into smooth and easily editable curves.

Bitwig Studio 6 also introduces Automation Clips, which store automation data in a self-contained format. This makes it possible to access the same clip features as Audio and Note Clips – such as stretching, looping and setting independent start times – and Automation Clips can even be saved to Bitwig’s library to be used in other projects.

Bitwig Studio’s latest update also brings with it a long-requested feature that streamlines the arrangement process and addresses one of the software’s most common workflow gripes: Clip Aliases.

These are specialized duplicates of a Clip that share the same content, or Pattern – when one clip is edited, all clips sharing that Pattern across the Project are updated accordingly. Clip Aliases can be deployed in both the Clip Launcher and Arranger, and can be created for Audio, Note and Automation Clips.

Another useful new feature in Bitwig Studio 6 is project-wide key signature awareness, which opens up a variety of creative avenues for working within scales and keys.

A project’s key signature can now be selected alongside tempo and time signature in the Transport section. Users are able to choose between 23 scales for any root note, including modes and blues scales, along with traditional major and minor scales. Key signature can also be automated or even modulated using Project Modulators, offering tons of potential for tonal experimentation.

Scales are now visible when editing notes in the Piano Roll, and existing notes can be quantized to sit within the relevant scale or snapped to a chosen scale when drawn in. Six Note FX devices have been updated to work in tandem with Bitwig’s new scale awareness, including the Key Filter device, a note transposition device that filters incoming notes to match a particular scale or key, alongside Arpeggiator, Randomize and more.

Bitwig’s visual interface has also received a refresh, with the aim of making it more customizable and efficient to use. Editing tools are now accessible from a slim window on the right-hand side, including three new tools: Audition, Spray Can and Step Input.

Audition does what it says on the tin, enabling you to preview any track or clip individually with a single click. Spray Can sprays a row of notes or automation points at the currently selected beat interval, while Step Input lets you enter notes in the Piano Roll via MIDI input without hitting record.

Bitwig Studio 6 is a comprehensive update that makes this already capable DAW even more powerful, bringing users a bundle of long-requested features that promise to enhance workflows by making composition and arrangement faster and more intuitive.

Though Bitwig has a reputation as a forward-thinking DAW geared towards electronic music-makers, this update should broaden its appeal for a more conventional audience, focusing primarily on core DAW functionality rather than flashy new devices and modules, and making Bitwig Studio an even stronger rival to more established players like Ableton Live and Logic Pro.

Choose your own path with powerful tools that are fun to use and a flexible modern architecture for Linux, Windows & Mac.

Major changes include:

• An extensive upgrade to automation editing, touching everything from smoother editing gestures to new behaviors such as spread and hold.
• Automation clips, which open up new possibilities in a familiar format.
• Clip Aliases – a new way to handle repetition and structure
• Project-wide key signatures.
• Bitwig Studio’s visual interface has been improved, making it easier to adjust to specific workflow needs.
• New and improved tools, such as the Spray Can and Audition tool, join enhanced editors for both expression editing and layered editing of audio and notes.

Bitwig Studio 6 is available now for Bitwig Studio, Producer, Essentials, and 8-Track users. It’s a free upgrade for all customers with an active Upgrade Plan as of August 27, 2025.

Find out more on Bitwig website.

Grainferno is granular synthesis redefined – a firestorm of granular power for Mac & Windows.

Baby Audio has launched its ‘most advanced synthesizer to date’, Grainferno, which promises to create playable synth tones from any sampled sound.

As with other granular plugins, Grainferno works by breaking recorded audio down into very small sections, known as grains, and shaping its sound through the manner in which it plays these back. What sets Grainferno apart from other granular synths, according to its developer, is the ability to generate grains at speeds that cross into the audible range.

According to Baby Audio, “at these rates, grains stop behaving like texture and start acting like oscillators, turning any audio file into a playable synth voice with the sonic fingerprint of the original audio.”

Users can drag and drop samples into Grainferno’s sample visualiser in WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3 or Ogg Vorbis file formats, or draw on a varied pool of 378 audio files. The synth uses a dual sample engine that can load two source files simultaneously and allows users to freely morph between them.

The granular engine features a variety of controls for manipulating and modulating grain playback. There’s also a multimode filter, compressor and ‘blur’ effect for further refining the granular output.

This, according to the developer, makes Grainferno capable of creating “entirely new textures, enabling synth-like tonal instruments, lush evolving atmospheres and volatile digital noise.”

Along with the granular engine itself, Grainferno features a drag-and-drop modulation system, with available sources including envelopes, LFOs, randomisation tools and various expression inputs. The synth also allows for cross modulation between these modulators.

Grainferno features an extensive effects section with six modules that can apply a variety of processes, from filtering and compression to reverb and delay, analogue-style modulation effects, multimode saturation and more.

For users that don’t want to get into the nitty gritty of granular synthesis, Grainferno has a Play View UI option that strips back the controls to just sample selection and a group of four macros. The synth also has 300+ presets for users to get stuck into.

Here’s a look at getting started with Grainferno:

Grainferno is out now, priced at $139.32, but currently available at an introductory price of $85.32. Visit Baby Audio site for more information.

Synthesist Starsky Carr – in his latest video – offers a head-to-head comparison between the classic Roland Jupiter-8 and the new UDO Super 8.

“Is the UDO Super 8 a modern-day take on the Roland Jupiter-8?” asks Carr.

Watch the video and share your thoughts in the comments!