What’s on the Bitwig Syllabus? An Interview With Kukje University of Arts
What does a Bitwig syllabus look like? This semester, students at Kukje University of Arts are finding out. The first Bitwig Certified Center in South Korea offers comprehensive musical training with Bitwig Studio and Bitwig Connect, from composition and production to sound design and live performance.
How do you teach Bitwig Studio at Kukje University of Arts?
Our Bitwig program goes far beyond "learning how to use software." It’s about combining Bitwig with analog gear and applying it directly to performance. We approach it in three main ways: using Bitwig as a sequencer for composition and production; using Bitwig for sound design through its strong modulation and devices; and using Bitwig for live performance.
From the very beginning, we approach Bitwig as an instrument. Thanks to the Grid and Clip Launcher, students can design sounds as if they were working with real analog gear. They learn to play the system intentionally rather than just operate it. So we start by giving them a deep understanding of the Grid.
How is Bitwig Connect used as part of the course?
When students try Connect with Bitwig – especially linking it with modular hardware – their response is incredibly positive. I see this hybrid experience as something that could reshape the music industry. Connect isn’t just another controller – it’s the most complete I’ve seen for any DAW. The jog wheel, for instance, responds almost exactly like a real analog synth knob. That’s a big difference compared to other controllers out there.
The real game-changer is its modular connectivity. Bitwig can send CV directly to modular gear, so students actually see the waveform on screen translate into physical sound. They can record and reproduce CV signals, which wasn’t possible before. For education and creativity, that opens entirely new possibilities.
What’s your advice for a beginner getting started with Bitwig?
Don’t just see Bitwig as software. Treat the Grid as a way to build your own instrument. By modifying it with Connect or other controllers, you can experience the process of developing an instrument and making it your own.
From a sound design perspective, Bitwig is the only DAW where you can build multiple variations of instruments and effect chains around a single idea. That makes it the most effective way for students to directly apply their creativity to sound.
Where do you see music education going in future?
For me, one of the most important aspects of music education is unconscious creation – trusting intuition and the ear. The problem with computer-based sequencers is that everything is predictable. Students end up trusting the numbers on screen instead of their ears.
Bitwig is different. It has unpredictability built in. You can improvise, step-sequence, or experiment with the Grid, and discover unexpected results. In an age of AI, where anyone can generate predictable music, true creativity will come from embracing the unexpected. In that sense, I believe Bitwig is the most innovative DAW for fostering originality and possibilities that have never existed before.
You also use Bitwig Studio in your own music-making. How does it fit with your creative process?
I come from the days of analog step sequencers and tape machines. My writing process has always been hardware-centered, and I was skeptical of MIDI and DAWs because I never felt they could fully capture the nuance of human performance or acoustic sound. But Bitwig changed that for me. It’s the first DAW that, in my experience, truly captures the unpredictability and organic feel of analog instruments and effects.
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