Bitwig Studio 5.2 is out now!

A professional compressor and three hardware-inspired EQs have landed in Bitwig  Studio 5.2, along with workflow improvements, dynamic beat detection, and graphics hardware acceleration.

Compressor+ is an all-in-one compressor for any use case. Coupling familiar controls with unusual ones and a superior approach to analyzing audio make it ready for any task, from adding color and tone to mastering.

A Character menu provides a range of compression styles in one device. Six total options include the gentle Smooth, a mix buss-friendly Glue, and a harmonic-producing Smash. And an Auto Timing parameter tunes your chosen Character to best match the incoming signal.

Compressor+ analyzes incoming audio across four frequency bands, which are shown on the device's colorful display and in the expanded view. Fold it out to access each band's Intensity and Timing offsets in order to fine-tune which parts of the signal cause compression. So if you want the bass to trigger less, just decrease its band's Intensity. Or if your settings are a little tight on the vocals, try increasing the Timing offset for the hi-mids.

All of this works with the Standard compressor mode, one of three choices that determines the compressor’s behavior. Go Beyond to find under- and over-compression ratios, or choose the special Dual mode for upwards compression that lifts quieter signals too. Even the output section is stocked with different VCA Colors, including analog options that are stable (transistor-style) or moving (like tape saturation), as well as a more digital flavor that mixes in true multiband at the output. Good for familiar directions and finding new ones.

A new trio of EQs inspired by classic hardware – Focus, Sculpt, and Tilt — bring a natural musicality to the task of shaping sound.

Mouseless navigation is a breeze in Bitwig Studio 5.2. With Bitwig’s default key commands, your arrow keys can now send you between relevant points of interest in clips or on the Arranger Timeline, or even between different tracks in your project. Cruise the Arranger Timeline via small increments like beat divisions, automation points, clip starts and ends and more. Jump from the beginning to the end of notes within their clips, or from transient to transient in audio clips. Make a selection — of notes, clips, events, etc. — across one or more tracks. All without leaving the keyboard.

We also rewrote our graphics engine to be more responsive and efficient. Painting our interface on your computer's GPU gives us native hardware acceleration, and more CPU is now available for your audio. Also, knobs pop more and scopes have a fresh look.