Bitwig Studio 6 beta revamps automation editing and introduces automation clips

Bitwig Studio 6 enters beta with a major update to its cross-platform DAW. The headline change is a full overhaul of automation editing, offering more precise control over parameters like volume, filters, and effects. Automation can now be accessed through Automation Mode (toggled with “A”) to overlay curves directly on tracks, or via the redesigned Detail Editor Panel for track-level control.

New behaviors include “spread” to randomize point values within a range and “hold” to maintain flat values between points. The Pencil tool converts freehand gestures into editable curves, while the Spray Can tool places held points at grid intervals. Automation Clips enable block-based workflows where automation can be looped, stretched, moved, copy/pasted, and aliased to mirror changes across linked clips.

The update also brings a refreshed interface with a right-hand tools palette, dynamic track header resizing, and Auto Zoom for large projects. Other improvements include an Audition tool, Step Input for notes, new backgrounds in the Piano Roll, support for 23 scales with project-wide key signatures, and a renewed Drum Editor. Existing customers can test the beta, which creates automatic backups of older projects.