Atlas Audio: Bitwig Preset Extractor

The Bitwig Preset extractor reads metadata from Bitwig Studio preset files. These files contain authorship, description, and categorization data embedded in a structured binary format with plaintext metadata fields. It’s part of the Atlas Audio extractor pack.

Extension: .bwpreset

Format Overview

Bitwig preset files use a proprietary binary container with a BtWg magic number. The file header encodes version and size information in ASCII hex, followed by a structured metadata section with length-prefixed string key-value pairs.

Binary Structure

Offset  Content
0x00    "BtWg" magic (4 bytes)
0x04    Version/size in ASCII hex (26 bytes)
0x1E    Padding (2 bytes)
0x20    Section count (4 bytes BE)
0x24    Section header size (4 bytes BE)
0x28    "meta" section marker (4 bytes)
0x2C    Key-value pairs begin

Metadata Encoding

Each metadata entry is a length-prefixed key-value pair:

[4 bytes: entry count] [4 bytes: key length] [key string]
[4 bytes: type (0x08 = string)] [4 bytes: value length] [value string]

Keys are plain ASCII strings. Values are UTF-8 strings prefixed with a type byte (0x08 for string type).

What It Extracts

The extractor produces traits only (no edges). Bitwig presets describe device configurations — they don’t reference external audio files.

Trait	Source	Example
`preset_creator`	`creator` field	`Bitwig`
`preset_comment`	`comment` field	`A drum kit for the tech house genre`
`preset_category`	`device_category` field	`Container`
`preset_device_name`	`device_name` field	`Drum Machine`
`preset_tags`	`tags` field	`Drums, Electronic`

Comment Field

The comment field contains a human-written description of the preset. This is the richest metadata — it describes the preset’s purpose, suggested use, and character. Examples:

“Indian percussion kit. Use Remote Controls to swap the instruments on some pads.”
“A drum kit made primarily of Bitwig E-drum instruments. Tweaking possibilities lurk in every drum pad.”

Device Category

The device_category classifies the preset’s device type within Bitwig’s architecture (e.g., “Container” for drum machines and layered instruments, “Generator” for synthesizers).

Performance Notes

All metadata is in the first ~300 bytes of the file header. The remaining file content is the serialized device state (parameter values, modulation routings, sample references internal to Bitwig). The extractor reads only the meta section.

Example Usage

# Scan Bitwig presets
atlas scan ~/Documents/Bitwig\ Studio/Library/Presets/

# Find presets by creator
atlas search --trait preset_creator "Bitwig"

Use Cases

Preset inventory — Catalog all Bitwig presets with their descriptions and categories
Creator tracking — See which presets are factory vs. third-party by creator field
Category browsing — Search presets by device category or tags
Preset documentation — Surface preset descriptions that are otherwise only visible in Bitwig’s browser