Bitwig’s Poly Grid is a very flexible modular synthesizer where you can create sounds by connecting various kinds modules to each other and while there is at least one modules for almost every common type of oscillator or audio effect, reverb is completely missing from the list of grid modules at the time of writing. It is therefore not trivial to add a reverb effect to one part of of a Poly Grid patch, but not the others.
I can imagine three ways to solve this problem:
- A reverb module coud be added to the list of grid modules.
- The ability to use regular FX plugins (including third-party VST plugins) as modules in Poly Grid could be introduced. This way, users could use Bitwig’s regular reverb effect or their favorite reverb VST plugin in Poly Grid patches.
- The ability to use FX Grid presets as modules in Poly Grid could be introduced. This would also solve the lack of a way to use reverb in Poly Grid because users could then use Bitwig’s preinstalled reverb presets for the FX Grid inside Poly Grid as well as download new ones from the internet. It would additionally enable them to create entirely new effects using the FX Grid and use them in Poly Grid patches. Technically this could work by letting an instance of the FX Grid live inside of the Poly Grid as module. Placing and double-clicking this module in the Poly Grid would open up the corresponding FX Grid instance and allow you to load presets as well as place and modify modules as you normally would inside the FX Grid.
What problem would this feature resolve?
Not being able to quickly add a reverb effect in Poly Grid
How does this feature fit in Bitwig as a product?
It would be introduced as a new module for the Poly Grid and the FX Grid
Is there already an alternative way to achieve this in Bitwig?
Yes, you could open one of the preinstalled FX Grid reverb presets, such as the one called “Grid Reverb”, select its entire node graph except for the “Audio In” and “Audio Out” nodes, copy it to your clipboard, paste it into your Poly Grid patch and connect it accordingly. However, this is rather cumbersome as it requires multiple steps, not very intuitive and clutters your Poly Grid patch with lots of extra nodes.
Could it be implemented using Bitwig components or APIs, without Bitwig team’s support?
No.
Could it be provided by a VST or something else reasonably integrated with Bitwig?
No.
Are there other products that offer this feature?
Yes, all three feature suggestions are already implemented in other products:
- Most other modular synthesizer plugins come with one or more reverb modules. Examples include Phase Plant, MSoundFactory and Cardinal.
- FL Studio’s Patcher plugin allows you to load regular plugins, including third-party VST instruments and effects, into a 2D canvas and chain them together in a non-linear way, similar to how modules are chained together in Bitwig’s Poly Grid or FX Grid.
- FL Studio’s Patcher plugin allows you to add nodes to patches that are just another instance of Patcher. This works recursively, so you can have a Patcher patch inside of another Patcher patch, which itself is part of yet another Patcher patch and so on and so forth. The grid-based modular synthesizer MSoundFactory also has this feature in the form of its “Modular” module, which itself contains another grid where you can place and route more modules separate from the main grid (including yet another “Modular” module, if you so choose).