nektar P1 Panorama P-Series Using Panorama with Bitwig Studio User Manual
- June 15, 2024
- nektar
Table of Contents
- P1 Panorama P-Series Using Panorama with Bigwig Studio
- Bigwig Studio Integration Setup and Configuration
- Navigation & Transport
- Modes & Display
- Bitwig Studio Mixer Control
- Bitwig Studio Instrument (Device) Mode
- Bitwig Studio Drum Machine Container Device
- Bitwig Studio Instrument Layer Container Device
- Transport Mode
- Transport Mode Launcher
- Launching Clips Using Transport Buttons
- Step Sequencer
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
P1 Panorama P-Series Using
Panorama with Bigwig Studio
User Manual
P1 Panorama P-Series Using Panorama with Bigwig Studio
Using Panorama
with Bigwig Studio
**Panorama P1, P4 & P6
**
Bigwig Studio Integration Setup and Configuration
The Panorama Bitwig Studio Integration is compatible with Bitwig Studio and
Bitwig Studio 8-Track. The instructions assume you have one of these programs
installed running on either Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.
Installing Panorama P-series Driver (Windows only)
Installing the Panorama driver is required to get Panorama up and running with
Reason. If you have previously completed this part, jump straight to Firmware
Update. To install the driver:
- Run the Panorama_P_1.2.3.5 installer (part of the zip file you downloaded with this guide) and follow the on screen instructions until complete. This installs the Panorama driver.
Panorama P-series Firmware Update – Windows
- Connect Panorama P-series to your computer via USB.
- With Panorama P-series switched off, press and hold [Toggle/View]+[Mixer] while switching the unit on (P1 needs to be plugged in while holding the buttons). The display will be white when the unit is on.
- Locate the downloaded package that this guide came with and make sure it’s unzipped. The nkupdate app is in the “Firmware” folder.
- Launch the nkupdate application. Once launched, it should look like the left image.
- Follow the nkupdate on-screen instructions to load and update Panorama P-series firmware. The firmware file should be selectable after clicking the [Load File] button.* Close nkupdate app when complete
- Reset Panorama to it’s default settings (note this will erase any internal preset or map settings**) by switching the unit off and press [patch-]+[Patch+] while powering on again. Keep holding the buttons until you see the fader display. On P1, press the [Cycle]+[Record] buttons and then press the [Patch-] + [Patch+] buttons within the 2 seconds countdown.
*Note:* If the Load button is not active, close nkupdate and open it
again.
Note: Firmware update can only be done on a Windows or Mac system.
** Reset Panorama to default settings: If you want to keep your user
memory banks; please do a backup, and restore after resetting.
Nektar Bitwig Integration Setup – Windows**
- Make sure Bitwig is already installed on your computer.
- Locate the Panorama_Bitwig_Support installer included with this package and run it.
- With your Panorama’s firmware updated and the unit switched on, launch Bitwig. Panorama should be automatically detected and ready for use.
Troubleshooting
If Panorama is not detected, check and complete step 6 from page 2 of this
guide—’Reset
Panorama to Default Settings’ as this may be the reason. Next check that the
Panorama control surface is available in the Bitwig Settings/Controllers menu,
when you click Add and select Nektar. If all is OK and Panorama is still not
detected, restart your computer.
Panorama P-series Firmware Update – MacOS
Updating Panorama’s firmware, is required to get Panorama up and running with
Bitwig.
Previous versions of the firmware will not work with OS X 10.11 or higher.
- Connect Panorama P-series to your computer via USB.
- 2. With Panorama P-series switched off, press and hold (Toggle/View]+[Mixer] while switching the unit on (P1 needs to be plugged in while holding the buttons). The display is white when the unit is in firmware update mode.
- Locate the dmg file named “Firmware P1-P4-P6 MacOS 10_11 or higher” in the downloaded package this guide came with, and double-click to open.
- Launch the nkupdate application. Once launched, it should look like the image. If the “Load File” button is grayed out, close nkupdate and launch it again.
- Follow the nkupdate on-screen instructions to load and update Panorama P-series firmware. The firmware location can be selected after clicking the [Load File] button.
- On the left side of the file browser window, select Location ‘P1-P4-P6 Firmware MacOS’. Next select the file for your device, and click ‘Open’.
- Click [Program] and finally close the nkupdate app when complete.
- IMPORTANT: Reset Panorama to it’s default settings (note this will erase any internal preset or map settings *) by switching the unit off and press [patch-]+[Patch+] while powering on again. Keep holding the buttons until you see the fader display. On P1, press the (Cycle]+[Record] buttons and then press the [Patch-] + [Patch+] buttons within the 2 seconds countdown.
- Backup your settings: If you want to keep your user memory banks; please do a backup, and restore after resetting.
Panorama Installation and Setup in Bitwig – MacOS - First make sure Bitwig Studio is installed and launched at least once.
- In the zip file you downloaded with this guide, locate the “Panorama_Bitwig_Support’ installer and run it.
- With installation complete, make sure your Panorama is connected to your computer and switched on.
- Launch Bitwig and click on the Bitwig logo top center.
- Select the menu Settings/Controllers.
- Click “Detect available controllers”. Your Panorama should now appear in the list.
- Click “OK” and exit Device Setup.
That’s it, setup is now complete and you can move on to the fun part, learning how it all works.
Panorama P-series Firmware Update – Linux
Firmware update can only be done on a Windows or Mac system. Please follow
the firmware instructions on earlier pages of this guide
Nektar Bitwig Integration Setup – Linux
- First make sure Bitwig Studio is installed and launched at least once.
- In the zip file you downloaded with this guide, locate the “Nektar” folder and move the ‘Nektar’ folder from the .zip file to the following directory: //home/Bitwig Studio/Controller Scripts/
- With installation complete, make sure your Panorama is connected to your computer and switched on.
- Launch Bitwig and click on the Bitwig logo top center.
- Select the menu Settings/Controllers.
- Confirm that the Panorama appears as shown in the image below. If not, add it manually as described.
If Panorama is not identified and configured automatically, you can configure it manually.
- Click the ‘Add controller’ button
- Select ‘Nektar’ for manufacturer
- Select ‘Panorama P6’
Configure the ports as follows
- Input1: Panorama P6 Instrument
- Input2: Panorama P6 Internal
- Output1: Panorama P6 Instrument
- Output2: Panorama P6 Internal
Troubleshooting
If Panorama is not detected, check and complete step 6 from page 2 of this
guide—’Reset Panorama to Default Settings’ as this may be the reason. Next
check that the Panorama control surface is available in the Bitwig
Settings/Controllers menu, when you click Add and select Nektar. If all is OK
and Panorama is still not detected, restart your computer.
Navigation & Transport
The following pages focus on how Bitwig Studio and Panorama work together. The
aim is to provide a fundamental understanding of how Panorama interface with
Bitwig Studio. From time to time, you may need to consult the Bitwig Studio
documentation for additional information. Let’s start by taking a look at the
main panel buttons and then go deeper in to the Panorama menus from there.
Navigation
The six buttons pictured above allow you to
navigate important parts of Bitwig Studio at any time. Here is what they do:
Track -/ +: Navigates to the next or previous track in Bitwig Studio’s
sequencer. This is the same as using the arrow up/down keys on your computer
keyboard
Patch -/ +: Changes the patch of the currently selected instrument or
effect device
Bank <>: Shifts the current selection of eight mixer channels in Mixer
mode so the fader group assignments are changed from channels 1-8 to channels
9-16, for example. Hold [Shift] and press one of the [Track -/+] buttons to
view an adjacent bank of channels.
Zoom <>: Controls the magnification of the arranger area in Bitwig Studio
when its sequencer window is in focus. Hold [Shift] and press one of the
[Patch -/+] buttons to zoom in and out on the sequencer window.
View: Changes the display view on your computer display to open or close
the Mixer window in Mixer mode and the device window in Instrument mode. Hold
[Shift] and press [View] from Mixer Mode to switch between Arranger and Mixer
View. Hold [Shift] and press [View] from Instrument Mode to open third-party
plug-in window.
Data Control: Scroll through the device chain in Mixer and Instrument
mode. Note that in transport Mode the data encoder moves the song position in
Beat increments. In addition it’s used for selection options in pages with a
[Menu].
Transport Buttons
The transport buttons allows you to activate or deactivate important transport functions as listed in the table below. As with the navigation buttons, these are available in any mode, at any time.
Combination | Description |
---|---|
[F-Keys] | Press and hold this button to use the transport buttons as F-keys. |
F-keys can be used to trigger QWERTY macro’s to for example create tracks and
trigger Bitwig Studio functions. Note that QWERTY Macros are only supported in
Windows. F-Keys can be used to transmit standard MIDI messages.
[ ]| Go to the Left Locator
[ ]| Go to the Right Locator
[Undo]| Same as Undo in Bitwig Studio
[Click]| Switch the metronome/click on or off
[Mode]| Toggles the arranger Overdub function on or off
[Cycle]| Switch the loop/cycle between the Left and Right locators on/off
[Rewind]| Moves the Play Start Position backwards by 1 bar for each press
[Forward]| Moves the Play Start Position forward by 1 bar for each press
[Stop]| Stop playback and resume from Play Start Position. Press Stop again to
go to Zero.
[Play]| Activate play from the Play Start Position. Press again to pause.
[Record]| Activate record. Press again to deactivate record but continue play.
Transport Buttons
In addition to the primary functions described on the previous page, there are
several very useful secondary functions access by holding [Shift] while
pressing a transport or navigation button. The secondary functions are
outlined in the below chart.
Combination | Description |
---|---|
[Shift]+ [ ] | Sets the left loop point to current Play Start Position |
[Shift]+ [ ] | Sets the right loop point to current Play Start Position |
[Shift]+[Undo] | Redo |
[Shift]+[Click] | Switch Metronome play ticks on/off |
[Shift]+[Mode] | Toggles the arranger automation write on/off |
[Shift]+[Cycle] | Stop all launcher clips from playing on the selected track |
and switch the track to arrangement playback mode
[Shift]+[Rewind]| Select previous launcher scene
[Shift]+[Forward]| Select next launcher scene
[Shift]+[Stop]| Stop playback of current clip
[Shift]+[Play]| Activate playback or record of current clip. If Clip is
already running, this will restart the clip according to Launch Quantize
setting.
[Shift]+[Record]| Activate clip overdub and Clip automation write
Learning the shortcuts is the real key to a fluent workflow. Once learned, you’ll find yourself reaching much less for the computer mouse and keyboard when you are creating. We therefore recommend that you revisit this page once you are more familiar with how Panorama integrate with Bitwig Studio. You’ll most likely rediscover some of the features in a new light.
Modes & Display
Each of the Mode navigation buttons will configure Panorama to control different aspects of Bitwig Studio. It’s like havincontrol surfaces in one:
Mixer: Assigns controls to Bitwig Studio’s Mixer and Device parameters
Instrument: Assigns controls to the currently selected instrument or
effect device
Transport: = Assigns controls to Bitwig Studio’s Transport functions
including tempo, shuffle and loop points
Internal: Uses Panorama’s Internal MIDI controller functions so you can
jump out of our dedicated Bitwig Studio protocol and use Panorama as a
traditional MIDI controller Wherever you are in Panorama’s menu structure,
pressing one of the Mode buttons will jump to that mode. The last page you
accessed In each mode is remembered, So pressing the Mode button once from any
other mode will take you back to the active page for that mode; pressing It
twice will take you to that mode’s home page.
What the Display Tells You
The display Info-Bar is the top Red/Gray/Red area and provides the following
status information for each of the three Bitwig Studio mode home pages:
Display Buttons
The five display buttons are used to navigate menus or activate functions. On
most pages there will be labels above one or more of these buttons in the
display.
The first display image you will see after launching Bitwig Studio is the
Mixer Home Page. The “Macros” label is red. The red color indicate that this
menu Is active and that the 2×4 encoders are currently controlling the macro
parameters. If you press the display button labeled ‘Sends’, that button label
will be highlighted red. The red color indicates that this page Is active and
the 2×4 encoders are currently controlling send levels for the selected
track.
Press the Mixer button again and note that the ‘Sends’ label Is still lit red,
which indicates that the 2×4 encoders are still assigned to Send levels.
Whenever you see a display button in red, It means that menu is active.
If a button is used to control a parameter you will see a line above that’s
either white or red to indicate the current status of the button. The image on
the right shows you an example where a parameters status Is “On”.
To exit any page, press a Mode button and navigate to whatever page you would
like to edit next. If you navigated to the Macros page, therefore press the
[Mixer] button to go back to the mixer mode home page.
Bitwig Studio Mixer Control
Mixer Mode Home Page
Start by creating a new project in Bitwig Studio and make sure [Mixer] mode is
selected on Panorama.
The default Bitwig Studio project contains one audio track and one instrument
track. Notice that the window in Panorama shows 9 faders corresponding to the
9 physical 45mm faders.
The info bar’s first red field shows the track name. Try changing the track
name in Bitwig Studio and you will see it update on Panorama as well.
The first fader (of the group of 9) on Panorama now controls the mixer channel
volume of the first track.
Panorama displays the fader channel graphic and a square fader cap graphic
shows the current volume setting in Bitwig Studio. The red line graphic shows
the position of the physical fader .
Moving the fader may not change the volume immediately because the fader
position needs to first match the position in Bitwig Studio, to allow for
smooth change to the volume setting. Move the physical fader towards the
position of the virtual fader and notice once the two match, the fader cap
graphic will follow the fader movement and in Bitwig Studio you are now
changing the volume setting for the mixer channel.
Since the instrument track is empty, the right info-bar field is blank. Now
insert a Bitwig Polysynth by dragging it from the Bitwig Studio browser and on
to the track. You can now see clearly in the display info-bar center field,
that the Polysynth device is selected on the current track.
Next press the [Track+] button to navigate to the second track.
Notice now that the background of track 1 has turned black and that the second
track is now inverted with white background plus the track name has changed.
The white background clearly shows you which track is currently selected.
Next create an additional 6 tracks (audio or instrument) so you have a
complete bank of 8 channels to control with the faders.
Encoders & LED Buttons
The encoders above the faders are by default assigned to Pan. Try adjusting
the Pan setting for a few of the tracks in the Panorama Window. To the right
of the 8 encoders you’ll find a button labeled [Toggle/View].
Pressing this button will change the assignment of the 8 encoders to Send 1.
Pressing it again will change the assignment to Send 2 etc until after Send 8
they are finally assigned to Pan again.
A faster option is to press and hold [Toggle/View] and move the Data Control
to scroll through Pan and send options.
So this allows you to control send or pan across multiple channels.
The 8 LED buttons below the faders are by default assigned to Select. Try
pressing first LED button 1 and then LED button 8. Notice this is a quick way
to jump from one track to another.
Pressing the [Toggle/Mute] button will change the assignment of the LED
buttons to Mute. Additional presses will assign them to Solo, Record Arm and
then back to Select. As with the encoders, press and hold [Toggle/Mute] and
move the Data Control to quickly scroll through the options.
The display image shows you the location of the labels that tell you what the
8 encoders and 8 LED buttons are assigned to control.
Navigating Tracks & Channels
Now create an additional 8 tracks in the Bitwig Studio song so we have a total
of 16 channels to navigate. Use the [Track+] button to navigate to channel 14.
That’s a lot of button presses but thankfully there is a quicker way. Press
and hold the [Shift] button on Panorama, then press the [Track-] button. This
button combination activates the second layer on Panorama (in this case
[<Bank]) so we now view channels 1-8 again. Make sure the LED buttons are
assigned to Select, and press the LED button that corresponds to track 6.
You have now learned how to navigate Bitwig Studio tracks from Panorama using
3 different methods:
- [Track-] and [Track+] buttons go to previous or next track in the Bitwig Studio sequencer
- [Shift]+[<Bank] or [Bank>] bank over the 8 channels you operate in Bitwig Studio but doesn’t change the track selection
- Pressing the [LED buttons] when assigned to “Select” enables quick channel selection within the bank of 8 channels you are currently controlling from Panorama
[+]
The first display button is labeled with a [+]. Press the button to bring show
Bitwig Studio’s popup browser. Navigating the browser will be covered in more
detail in the section which covers Instrument Mode starting on Page 14.
[Sends]
Earlier we covered how the encoders above the faders can control 1 send at a
time for up to 8 channels. Pressing the [Sends] button in Mixer mode in
addition allows control over up to 8 sends for the currently selected channel.
To create active sends in the Bitwig Studio Mixer, first create effect tracks
from the Add menu.
Once a send is active you will see the current send value above the graphical
encoder in the Panorama display.
[User]
The Panorama [User] page allow you to learn up to 8 global controls across a
Bitwig Studio project.
Right-click any parameter you want access and select “Map to controller or
key” in the popup menu.
In the Panorama [User] page, now turn one of the 2×4 encoders and the
parameter will be assigned. All learned settings are saved with your Bitwig
Studio project.
[Devices]
The Devices menu allows you to control devices from within Mixer mode. The
functionality is largely the same as Instrument mode which is described
starting on page 14. But there are two important workflow options due to the
fact that Panorama has 2 devices menus.
- The Devices menu only utilizes the 2×4 encoders. This means that you can still control the mixer while for example tweaking effects on the selected track.
- Selection of a device is independent of Instrument mode device selection. You can therefore control one device in instrument mode, press [Mixer] (assuming the Devices menu was previously selected) and immediately control a different device on the same track.
Motorized Fader (applicable to P4/P6 only)
If your Panorama is equipped with a Motorized fader, you may already have
noticed that the fader follows the currently selected track. When you make
track changes, the fader will jump to the volume position of the track in
Bitwig Studio and you can simply change it at any time by just moving the
fader. Try setting the volume of a few tracks to different settings and notice
how the fader will jump to the position of the selected track’s volume every
time you select a new track.
You also have Mute and Solo buttons with LED indicators that show if they are
active for the current track. Try pressing the mute button for a track and
notice now that when you change track, not only does the motorized fader
update but also the status of the mute (and solo) button.
The [Fader] button turns the Write Arranger Automation function on and off.
When this option is on, the ‘Write’ LED below the button will be lit.
Bitwig Studio Instrument (Device) Mode
Press the [Instrument] button to select Instrument mode. Instrument mode
allows you to control all devices in a chain.
In Instrument mode, the 16 encoders, 9 faders and 8 LED buttons are all
dedicated to controlling the selected device. The Devices menu in Mixer mode
by comparison is limited to the 2×4 encoders and 4 display buttons.
In the following we will cover how Instrument mode works with devices in
general.
Controlling the Bitwig Studio Browser
Hold [Shift] and press [Instrument] to create a new Instrument Track. Bigwig’s
pop-up browser will appear and the following button labels will appear on
Panorama’s display:
Button Label | Description |
---|---|
Browser | Press this button to open/close the Bitwig Studio Browser. |
< | With the Browser open, press the arrow left button to tab left through the |
panes.
| With the Browser open, press the arrow right button to tab right through the panes.
OK| Press OK to create a device or load a preset.
Data Control| Scroll through options in the currently selected pane.
Pressing [Browser] at this point will close Bigwig’s browser again without
making a selection. Press the [+] button to open the browser again. With the
Devices Browser in focus, you can now use the <> buttons to jump between the
two open panels. Move the [Data Control] to scroll through devices. Select a
device and click [OK] to insert on the instrument track.
Next press [Browser] again and move the [Data Control] to scroll through
available presets for the selected device. Press [OK] when you have found the
preset you want to load.
To narrow the options you can set filters by using the arrow buttons to step
to panes and then select the filter using the [Data Control].
With the browser open, you can also use the [Patch-] and [Patch+] buttons to
audition patches before pressing OK. But note when the browser window is
closed, the patch buttons on Panorama follow the preset filters as set on
Panorama.
Note: Bitwig and the browser have to be in focus to allow Panorama to
control them.
Device Preset Selection from Panorama
With a device created and selected on a track, you also have the option to
select [Preset] in addition to [Browser]. [Preset] opens the popup menu that
allows you to scroll through the list of presets for the selected device.
Press [Enter] to load a preset.
To narrow down your search for patches you can also select a Category and/or
Creator filter. Press [Category] and move the [Data Control] to select and
then press [Preset] to scroll through the filtered preset selection using the
[Data Control]. The process is of course the same to select a specific
Creator.
Changing Presets using the Patch Buttons
You can step through device presets within the current Bitwig Studio directory
from Panorama, by pressing [Patch+] to go to the next patch or [-Patch] to go
to the previous patch. To scroll through quickly, press and hold one of the
patch buttons and move the Data Control.
The first window you see on the Panorama display, after selecting Instrument
mode, is the Instrument home page. The page is designed to provide the visual
feedback and tactile experience of a hardware workstation. If a track is
selected without a device present, there are no parameters to control and the
large character area will read “No Device”.
Navigating Devices
The device you are currently controlling in Instrument mode, is called the
Primary Device. If you have multiple devices on a track, you can navigate them
from Panorama by moving the [Data Control].
Default, Panel and Nektar Mapping
Device mapping can originate from 3 different sources:
Default map The parameters a device/plugin sends when no other mapping is
present.
Nektar map Nektar advanced device/plugin mapping that preamps all device
parameters ate from 3 different sources
Bitwig Remote Controls : The parameters a device/plugin sends when no
other mapping is present.
Nektar Mapped Devices
Bitwig Studio’s instrument devices are all Nektar mapped devices as well as
many common and popular Visit plugins. Selecting a track hosting Polysynth for
example is a good place to start experiencing the power of Nektar mapping.
When a Nektar map is present, the label of the 5th display button reads
“menu”. Press this button and use the [Data Control] to scroll through the
controller pages, each labeled clearly so you can find the section you want to
control really quick. Press [Enter] to load the page or [Esc] to exit without
loading. A controller page can show assignments for one of 3 sections: 2×4
encoders, faders + 1×8 encoders or faders + LED buttons.
Each of these controller sections are of course active at any time so you get
the full benefit of all Panorama’s controls. Pressing the toggle buttons
toggle the view so you can see what each of the sections control.
- [Toggle/View]: Toggle between faders + 1×8 encoders and the 2×4 encoder views. again, to return to the previous page.
- [Toggle/Mute]: Toggle between faders + LED buttons and the 2×4 encoder views. again, to return to the previous page.
- Finally you can press [Instrument] at any time to return to the device home page.
Nektar maps typically assign envelopes to the faders and since many instruments feature 4 stage ADSR type envelopes, the below table show typical assignments. Polysynth is no exception so even without looking at the display, you can with confidence move the faders and know what they control.
Fader 1 | Amp Attack | Fader 5 | Filter Attack |
---|---|---|---|
Fader 2 | Amp Decay | Fader 6 | Filter Decay |
Fader 3 | Amp Sustain | Fader 7 | Alter Sustain |
Fader 4 | Amp Release | Fader 8 | Alter Release |
Fader 9 | Instrument Volume |
Remote
Bigwig’s Remote Controls Pages allows complete customization of your own
mapping for any device, using the 8 encoders.
With Instrument mode active, press the display button labeled [Remote].
Panorama now controls the parameters mapped using Bigwig’s Remote Controls
Pages which means you can customize mapping and create new pages.
On Panorama, press the display button labeled [Pages] to view available map
pages and use the [Data Control] to scroll the list. Press [Enter] to select.
You can create as many pages as you can manage as well as name pages and
parameters.
To assign a control, click on an empty control slot. It will start to blink.
Then click on the parameter you want to assigned.
If you want to change a controls assignment, first delete the current
assignment and then assign a new parameter.
For more information about the Remote Controls Pages, check the Bitwig
documentation.![nektar P1 Panorama P Series Using Panorama with Bitwig Studio
- Bitwig Studio](https://manuals.plus/wp- content/uploads/2023/12/nektar-P1-Panorama-P-Series-Using-Panorama-with- Bitwig-Studio-Bitwig-Studio.png)
Bitwig Studio Drum Machine Container Device
Drum Machine Device
Panorama controls the Bitwig Drum Machine container device similar to how a
traditional drum machine would work but with lots of flexibility and some nice
extra’s. To get started, make sure to load a Drum Machine preset or drag some
devices to the Drum Machine slots.
The device home page shows the name of the preset loaded in the currently
selected pad slot. The 2×4 encoders are mapped to the Device Home Page
parameters. Here is how it all works in more detail:
Select: When this button Is active, hitting a pad will assign the 2×4
encoders to the Device Home Page parameters of the device populating the slot.
If the [Select] button is left active, switching between slots in real-
time and controlling parameters while building up parts can be really
powerful. However the purpose of the function Is to simply select the drum
slot and we recommend that you deactivate this function when playing faster
repeating notes. Otherwise some dropout may occur.
Pads: Pressing the display button labeled [Pads] provides an overview of
the preset loaded in the pad slots. Some additional functionality is available
in this menu including:
Row D: Switches Panorama’s top row of pads from C to D.
D = Drum Machine slots 13-16.
Mute: When enabled, Mute can be activated/deactivated for each of the
Drum Machine slots, using either the pads or LED buttons.
Solo: When enabled, Solo can be activated/deactivated for each of the
Drum Machine slots, using either the pads or LED buttons.
Clear M/S: — Clears all Mute and Solo settings when pressed Preset:
Opens the popup menu that allows you to scroll through the list of presets
available for Drum Machine.
Move the [Data Control] and press [Enter] to load a preset.
Remote: Assigns Drum Machine Remote Controls Pages to the 2×4 encoders.
Menu: Select mapping pages for the currently selected device.
Faders: Faders 1-8 control volume for Drum Machine slots 1-8 by default.
Fader 9 controls Drum Machine Output.
Encoders 1×8: Control pan for Drum Machine slots 1-8 by default.
LED buttons: Control Mute for Drum Machine slots 1-8 by default.
Toggle/View: View current status of slot volume and pan. Change slot
assignments by pressing [9-16] and [1-8].
1-8: When active, assigns faders, 1×8 encoders and LED buttons to control
Volume, Pan and Mute for slots 1-8.
9-16: When active, assigns faders, 1×8 encoders and LED buttons to
control Volume, Pan and Mute for slots 9-16.
Clear M/S: — Clears all Mute and Solo settings when pressed.
Changing Preset for Individual Slots
(tis possible to select presets for a device within a Drum Machine slot,
however this does mean you no longer control the Drum Machine container
Itself. The device needs to be the “Primary Device”:
In Bitwig Studio, right-click on the device panel, just below the device name.
Select “Set as Primary Device”
You can now control that device directly from Panorama including changing it’s
presets.
Bitwig Studio Instrument Layer Container Device
Panorama can control up to 12 device layers within the Bitwig Instrument Layer
container device. The functionality is similar to the Drum Machine container
but with some important differences.
The device home page shows the name of the preset loaded in the currently
selected pad slot. The 2×4 encoders are mapped to the Device Home Page
parameters. Here is how it all works in more detail:
Mix: When [Mix] is active (default), faders 1-8 control volume, the 1×8
encoders control pan and the 8 LED buttons control Mute for each of the
layers. If you switch [Mix] to it’s off position, the faders will be mapped
according to the mapping of the currently selected layer device.
Layers: Pressing the display button labeled [Pads] provides an overview
of the preset loaded in the pad slots. Some additional functionality is
available in this menu including:
Mute: When enabled, Mute can be activated/deactivated for each of the
Drum Machine slots, using either the pads or LED buttons.
Solo: When enabled, Solo can be activated/deactivated for each of the
Drum Machine slots, using either the pads or LED buttons.
Clear M/S: Clears all Mute and Solo settings when pressed.
Presets: Opens the popup menu that allows you to scroll through the list
of presets available for Instrument Layer. Move the [Data Control] and press
[Enter] to load a preset.
Remote: Assigns Layer Remote Controls Pages to the 2×4 encoders.
Menu: Select mapping pages for the currently selected device.
Toggle/View : View current status of slot volume and pan. Change slot
assignments by pressing [9-16] and [1-8].
1-8: When active, assigns faders, 1×8 encoders and LED buttons to control
Volume, Pan and Mute for layers 1-8.
9-16: When active, assigns faders, 1×8 encoders and LED buttons to
control Volume, Pan and Mute for layers 9-12.
Clear M/S: Clears all Mute and Solo settings when pressed.
Changing Preset for Individual Layers
It is possible to select presets for a device within a Drum Machine slot,
however this does mean you no longer control the Drum Machine container
itself. The device needs to be the “Primary Device” :
- In Bitwig Studio, right-click on the device panel, Just below the device name.
- Select “Set as Primary Device”
You can now control that device directly from Panorama Including changing It’s presets.
Transport Mode
Transport mode helps you to navigate and build up your song composition from
Panorama. As explained earlier, the transport buttons are available In any
mode but the dedicated Transport Mode provides access to extra tools that will
make capturing Ideas, beat creation and overdubbing easier.
Transport Home Page
Press the [Transport] button to enter Transport mode. Transport mode provides
the visual feedback you need to know where you are in your project. Below the
Info-bar the large font readout shows the current Play Position which updates
as you play the project. Below the Play Position readout, you see the position
of the Left and Right locators. Here is how you set these location points:
- Move the Play Start Position to the location you want using the [Forward] or [Rewind] transport buttons.
- Press [Shift]+[Go to L] to set the left location point or [Shift]+[Go to R] to set the right location point.
The 8 boxes show what each of 2×4 rows of encoders are assigned to
control: The display buttons in
addition control the following:
Write: Switch write automation on/off
Tap Tempo: Press this button repeatedly in a steady beat to set Bitwig
Studio’s tempo
Punch: Activate Punch in and punch out
Groove: Activate the Groove parameters
Launcher: Activates the launcher menu (check next page for detail).
You can combine Transport Mode with the global navigation, transport and
F-keys functions to great effect. Use the F-keys to open Bitwig windows and
menus for example, is an effective way to customize your setup and navigate
Bitwig.
Familiarity with the transport buttons and their secondary operations in
addition will help you create a faster workflow. The transport buttons
functionality is covered on page 3 but here is a summary of the less obvious
functions:
Key Combination | Description |
---|---|
[F-Keys] | Press and hold this button to use the transport buttons as F-keys. |
F-keys can be used to trigger QWERTY macro’s to for example create tracks and
trigger Bitwig Studio functions. Note that QWERTY Macros are only supported in
Windows. F-Keys can be used to transmit standard MIDI messages.
[ ]| Go to the Left Locator
[ ]| Go to the Right Locator
Shift+ [ ]| Sets the left loop point to current Play Start Position
Shift+[ ]| Sets the right loop point to current Play Start Position
[Mode]| Toggles the arranger Overdub function on or off
Transport Mode Launcher
Pressing the [Launcher] button in Transport mode assigns the pads to trigger
and record clips and opens the “Launcher” menu.
The display page illustrates the 12 pads and provides you with information
about the status of the first 12 clips on the currently selected track. If you
use a lot of clips, moving the [Data Control] scroll through clips
Pages up to 60.
Recording and Playing Launcher Clips Using Pads
To record a clip using the pads, simply identify a pad that corresponds to an
empty (gray) clip slot and do the following:
- Hit the pad. This will activate record (red)
- Hit the pad again. This will deactivate record and play the clip (green)
Created clips that are not currently selected are marked yellow. If you hit the corresponding pad, the clip will turn green to indicate that it’s selected.
Color | Description |
---|---|
Gray | The clip slot is empty |
Red | Recording is active for this clips slot |
Green | Playback is active for this clip slot |
Yellow | The clip slot contains a recorded clip and can be launched |
Creating Clips With Fixed Length
You can also create empty clips from Panorama at a pre-determined length.
- Press the [New Clip] button.
- Move the [Data Control] to set your clip length while the [New Clip] button is active.
- Press the target pad to create the clip at the desired length and exit “New Clip”.
You can also create clips at any time (even if [New Clip] is not active) by
pressing (Shift]+[Hit a pad]. The length will correspond to current New Clip
length.
And finally, you can create a clip by pressing [New Clip] and [Enter]. Then
Move the [Data Control] to select your destination slot and press [Enter]
again.
Overdub Existing Clips
Activating the Overdub menu enables you to immediately start recording on a
created empty clip or overwrite and existing performance.
- Press the [Overdub] button.
- Select the clip you want to record on by hitting the corresponding pad.
- Hit another pad to immediately start overdub recording another clip.
When you are done, deactivate the “Overdub” menu.
Deleting Clips
You can also delete an already created clip. Press [Shift]+[Hit a pad] and use
the same button combination again, to create a new empty clip.
Another option is to activate [New Clip] and hit the pad corresponding to the
clip you want deleted.
This method allows for multiple clips to be deleted.
Naming Clips
If you name your clips in Bitwig Studio’s Clip Launcher Inspector Panel,
Panorama will display the name in the [Clips] page. The max length is between
7-9 characters depending on which characters you choose.
Read more about the Inspector panel in the Bitwig Studio User Guide.
Scenes
You can trigger Scenes from Panorama using the pads.
With the [Launcher] menu active, press [Scenes]. This immediately assigns the
pads to trigger scenes.
As with clips, the display graphic shows which scenes are assigned to each
pad. Hit a pad to trigger a scene.
Naming Scenes
If you name your scenes in Bitwig Studio, Panorama will display the name in
the [Scenes] page. The max length is between 7-9 characters depending on which
characters you choose.
Accessing up to 144 Scenes
You can navigate up to 144 Scenes from Panorama. To access more Scenes, turn
the [Data Control] while the [Scenes] menu is active.
As you move the Data Control you can scroll through pages each containing 12
scenes with the virtual pad display updating to show scene number and name (if
applicable).
Launching Clips Using Transport Buttons
You can record and playback clips using Panorama’s transport buttons or pads
(P4 & P6 only).
Using the pads is the most transparent and intuitive approach however the
transport clip options do have the benefit of being available at any time, in
any menu.
Recording Launcher Clips Using Transport Buttons
Clips can be launched, navigated and recorded using the transport buttons
secondary functions.
First start by pressing [Shift]+[View] on Panorama to bring the Bitwig Studio
Mix window in to view.
In our example we have set up 3 instrument tracks using the instruments
E-Kick, E-Snare and E-Hat but of course any combination of tracks will work.
You have already learned how to navigate the tracks using either the Track
buttons or the LED buttons when assigned to Select.
Let’s start by first recording a Kick part by selecting that track.
- On Panorama, press [Shift]+[Record] to activate recording and play the Kick drum part on your keyboard or pads.
- Press [Shift]+[Stop] to stop record.
- If you want to record another kick drum clip, press [Shift]+[Forward] to go to the next scene and repeat the process.
Next navigate to the E-Snare and E-Hat track and record clips by repeating the
process described above.
[Shift]+[Play] will activate record on the target clip if no clip is present
and activate playback if a clip is present.
Below is a chart showing the shortcut commands relevant to the clip launcher.
Key Combination | Description |
---|---|
[shift] | The LED buttons corresponding to tracks with clips armed for playback |
in the target scene, will flash
[Shift] + [View]| Toggles between Mix and Arrange view in Bitwig Studio
[Shift] + [Mode]| Toggles the launchers automation write on/off
[Shift] + [Cycle]| Stop all launcher clips from playing and switch all tracks
back to arrangement playback mode
[Shift] + [Rewind]| Select previous Bitwig Studio target Scene
[Shift] + [Forward]| Select next Bitwig Studio target Scene
[Shift] + [Stop]| Stop playback of current clip
[Shift] + [Play]| Activate playback or record of current clip. If clip is
already playing, this will activate stop at end of clip.
[Shift] + [Record]| Activate clip overdub
Step Sequencer
Step Sequencer
In Transport Mode, press the display button labeled ‘Step Seq’ to access the
Step Sequencer.
This page allows you to enter notes into a currently selected Note clip by
setting a note value (use the keyboard or data encoder to select a note for
all steps, use the encoders above the faders to select notes for specific
steps), setting a velocity value (velocity is set, per step, by the faders)
and then create a note by pressing one of the LED buttons below the faders.
You will see the LED button light up to indicate that there is an active note
on that step.
Getting started with the Step Sequencer:
Here is what each of the controls on Panorama do when you activate the step
sequencer:
- LED Buttons – Activate/Deactivate steps
- Faders – Set step Velocity
- Encoders above faders – Set step Note
- Data encoder – Sets Note for all steps
- Keyboard – Sets Note for all steps
Creating Notes in the sequencer, step by step:
- First create a Note clip in Bitwig Studio’s clip launcher.
- While on Panorama’s Step Sequencer page, press the LED button below Fader 1.
- Observe that a note is created at the start of the Note clip and the LED for the button lights up. The note is C1 with velocity of 100.
- Press the LED button below Fader 1 again to remove the note and observe that the LED turns off.
Setting Note values:
- Press a key on Panorama’s keyboard
- Observe that the value displayed above the encoder graphics changes as you press different keys. By default the Note value is set to 36 (which corresponds to MIDI note C1)
- Press the LED button below Fader 1
- Observe that a note is created with the value of the last key you pressed on the keyboard
You can also change the note value for all steps by turning the data encoder.
If you want to change the note value for one step, turn the encoder that
corresponds to the step you want to change.
Note: Changing the note value with the keyboard or the encoders will set
the note for the next step you create. It will not change the note value for
active notes. The same is true for velocity. It’s also important to note that
each step of the sequence/Note clip can have more than one active note, so you
can actually create polyphonic sequences directly from Panorama.
Setting Velocity values:
- Move Fader 2 down to a value of 64. By default the Velocity value is set to 100
- Press the LED button below Fader 2
- Observe that a new note is created with the same note value as the first step but with Velocity set to 64 rather than 100
Sequence length and Step size:
- Click play on the Note clip in Bitwig Studio (you can also trigger the clip using Panorama’s clip launcher, in Mixer Mode)
- Observe that the LED buttons below the faders light up one by one to indicate which step is being played. If you created a 1 bar clip, there should be 16 steps in the sequence (as the step sequencer defaults to a step size of 1/16 notes, more about this later) but you can only access 8 steps at a time. To access the other steps you can either press the buttons below the display (labeled 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, and 25-32). You can also quickly access steps 9-16 by holding the Toggle/Mute button.
- The length of a sequence is always determined by the length of the clip but the maximum length of any sequence is 32 steps.
- Press the display button labeled ‘Step Size’ to set the length of notes.
Observe that the labels for the display buttons change, you can now select a step length of 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32.
If you select 1/32, all 32 steps will fit in a 1 bar clip. If you select 1/16,
you will need a 2 bar clip to fit all 32 steps. 1/8 will require a 4 bar clip.
1/4 will require an 8 bar clip.
Selecting Clips to sequence:
To select a clip for step sequencing, simply click on a Note Clip in the Clip
Launcher or the Arranger.
You can also select clips by tapping the pads when Panorama’s Clip page is
active in Mixer Mode.