Renoise Changelog

What's new in Renoise 3.1.0

Jul 12, 2016

First of all, Renoise 3.1 contains numerous improvements to the sound engine - a completely new, rewritten filter section as well as optional oversampling and bandlimiting on sample playback.
Sound improvements at a glance:
All new digital and analog styled zero delay filters with saturation and optional oversampling - everywhere. digital = bread and butter - clean. Analog = warm, with character. The new filters are offered as two new standalone DSP devices - “Digital Filter” and “Analog Filter”, as polyphonic modulation filters, and are used internally in many existing and updated DSP devices (e.g. the Chorus device).
New filters types include a 3 pole K35 filter, Biquad, classic Moog and Diode 4 or 2 pole filters, a Vowel filter, a Chebyshev 4 and 8n filter with customizable ripple and Butterworth 4 and 8n filters.
New, optional bandlimited/oversampled sample playback to reduce aliasing, which is especially useful when using small looped samples. If you prefer to draw your waveforms by hand, or are a heavy user of single-cycle sounds, this feature can make quite a difference.
New Note frequency tuned Comb DSP device, oversampling option for the Distortion device, new bandlimited oscillators in the RingMod and AM modulation filters in instruments.
New Chorus, Flanger and Phaser with resettable phase and new filters.
Improved, now zero-latency Convolver device, which will sound more “dense” with small IRs (e.g. cabinet IRs) and should create less CPU peaks, XRUNS with very large IRs (e.g. Reverbs).
New “Apply Post Track Volume” option for the Send and MultiSend devices - this makes it possible to use the post-gain level to control any send device, anywhere in the DSP chain.
Support for sample rates up to 192000 Hz (if the sound card/driver supports it - always available when offline rendering).
Refinements to phrases:
Phrases in Renoise 3.1 has become a lot more powerful and streamlined too - when working within the phrase editor, you could describe it as “feeling more like the pattern editor”. And when working in the pattern editor, you have more options for controlling phrases:
Phrases can now be triggered in two different ways. First mode is called KEYMAP, and will allow you to assign a phrase to a particular range on the keyboard. This is basically how Renoise 3.0 works. The second mode is called PROGRAM and will allow you to select any phrase and play it over the entire range of the keyboard, without the need to create a key-mapping first.
To make switching between phrases in PROGRAM mode easy, a new pattern command has been introduced: Zxx (xx = program between 0 and 127) which allows triggering a specific phrase for specific notes. The global phrase program can also be changed/automated with an “Instrument Macro” device, or by sending standard MIDI program change events to the instrument
New sample playback column in phrases, to bypass sample keymaps and trigger samples directly by specifying their index within the instrument. This is useful when working with drum-kits, or to use waveforms in creative ways.
Custom shuffle groove and loop point settings for phrases
Ability to create and use an additional effect column for each note column, in addition to the “global” effects column which apply to all note columns.
Ability to assign names to phrase columns and rearrange them via drag-and-drop
Refinements to instruments:
A number of other additions makes the instrument - as it was introduced in
Renoise 3.0 - feel more integrated into the core tracker workflow too:
Individual instrument DSP chains can now be routed to tracks in Renoise - making sample based instruments behave much like a multi-channel plugin.
Better handling of sample DSP FX playback when triggering instruments with sample FX across multiple tracks. Unless you are routing individual DSP chains of instrument to specific tracks, playback still is limited to one track at a time - but this will no longer result in “silent” notes and thus now behaves exactly the same as when using plugin instruments.
MIDI macros - sample-based instruments can now make use of standard mod-wheel, pitch-bend and channel pressure MIDI messages, with the same flexibility as normal macros offer (a single input can control any number of independently weighted parameters).
New “Stepper” modulation device, which allows you to step through a predefined set of values. Can e.g. be used for automatic stereo panning, program a specific movement into a filter for each triggered note, or to exercise more control over a pool of random values.
Macro-assignable base value for each modulation domain: Vol, Pan, Pitch, Filter - no more need to insert an “Operand” device just to control these basic properties.
New Mono/Glide trigger option - allowing real-time glide between notes as they are played. When recording, Gxx commands are inserted into the pattern as you are playing.
Sustain pedal support. To use it, connect a pedal, or send a MIDI CC#64 message.
“Hold” mode has been removed in favor of sustain pedal support.
Choose MSB/LSB order for MIDI program changes - in case your gear is picky about the order in which these message arrive.
Presets everywhere. And now, libraries too:
Renoise 3.1 includes a more powerful preset system. You can now store/recall samples and keyzones as presets too, and the whole preset browsing experience has been improved.
Instrument:
Phrase
Waveform
Effect Preset
Keyzone (SFZ):
Modulation Set
DSP Chain
Content Library
Enhancements to Presets:
Create a waveform preset to take a snapshot of the sample you are working on.
Multi-sample presets make it easy to save/recall complex keyzone layouts. Imported files will populate the instrument keyzone, while export is using an extended .sfz syntax to support all sample properties - even ones that are unique to Renoise.
Instrument browser for quick access to, management of Renoise instruments.
FX presets can be drag-dropped from the file browser onto a DSP chain.
Bundled and user Doofer presets are now displayed as separate categories.
Another new feature is the Content Library. This is a new type of file format (.xrnl) which acts as a container for other presets - easily installed via drag and drop, and accessed via preset menus - including the new instrument browser (located in the instruments Sampler tab).
The instrument browser: bundled content at top, then content packs (if any…) and user presets
Once installed, a content pack will immediately make its presets available throughout Renoise. As these presets can be many different “things”, the installer tries to be helpful, and will tell you what it installed - whether that content pack was a bunch of new instruments, some multi-sample presets, or perhaps a collection of DSP chains.
f you choose to save one of your own presets, it is stored in a special place - the User Library. This is essentially the same location as where content packs goes, and this location is shared between Renoise and Redux - any file saved to the Renoise user library, or any installed content pack will also be available to Redux, and vice versa.
Note: registered users (those eligible for the beta test of Renoise 3.1) have access to a number of exclusive content packs from our backstage.
Support for VST and AU MIDI generators (Arpeggiators):
Another big feature for 3.1 is support for plugins that generate MIDI, or a combination of MIDI and audio. This means that you can use specialized tools such as harmonizers, note matrices or arpeggiators - things that can “drive” other instruments in Renoise.
The implementation allows you to route the MIDI output of the plugin into another instrument further down in the list of instruments. This target instrument can be another plugin with its own MIDI output (allowing you to chain MIDI-generating plugins together), a “normal” plugin (one that just generates sound) or even the built-in sampler in Renoise. The only real limitation is that you can’t trigger instrument phrases via a MIDI plugin.
Other workflow refinements:
Left: granular selections (using the mouse), right: flexible mark (block range and above/below cursor)
Granular selections in the Pattern & Phrase Editor: you can now create more precise selections by holding ALT while dragging with the mouse, or SHIFT-selection with the keyboard. In both cases, you can now create a selection with sub-column precision - making it possible to e.g. cut the volume from a series of notes without touching the rest.
The “Begin/End selection” keyboard shortcuts also benefit from granular selections.
Flexible Mark: a new type of block-selection shortcut which will expand in range, each time it is triggered. First time, the subcolumn range is selected. Next time the column, etc... It will continue like this until it reaches the maximum size, after which the process starts over.
Sample Editor: When applying DSP effects to a sample, choose between using track or instrument effects as the source.
Pattern Editor: re-ordering and naming of note columns in the pattern editor.
Song Options dialog, merging the formerly separate “Playback Options” and “Highlighting & Defaults” into a single dialog.
MIDI import: notes are now appended to your song, instead of replacing it.
A new song option: “Automation follow”, will bypass the automatic lookup of automated parameters while navigating the song. Useful if you are jamming in a single looped pattern and want to avoid “value jumps” each time the loop starts over.
But as the saying goes, everything comes with a price. We had to say goodbye to this old friend:
The much-detested accordion component in the 3.0 sampler didn't survive the trip...
Under the hood:
General performance tweaks, especially in 64bit builds - improved multi CPU core scheduler
Lua API: OSC messages are now expected to be SLIP’d when sent over the TCP protocol
Lua API: raised API version from 4 to 5 - read the full list of changes
Extended default OSC message set: there are a bunch of new instrument related OSC messages that Renoise now responds to (by default - you can still create your own custom ones in Lua too).

New in Renoise 3.0.0 (Oct 27, 2014)

Supercharged instruments:
With Renoise 3.0, a lot of what makes Renoise special in the first place - the tracker interface, the flexible effects and routing - has now been integrated into its built-in sampler. This feature-set should make it interesting to sampling-library aficionados and synthesizer freaks alike.
Per-sample envelopes and effects:
It is now possible to define unlimited envelopes (modulations) and create internal effect chains within instruments. And each sample can be freely assigned to any (one) modulation set or effect chain, as shown in this illustration.
Modulation Sets:
As mentioned, you now have the potential to add envelopes on a per-sample basis. In fact, there’s a whole section dedicated to working with just modulation envelopes, using an approach similar to how DSP effects are processed: combining basic building blocks together to form more complex envelopes…LFO, ADHSR, Key/Velocity tracker, Fader etc.
In the modulation screen, you will always see a real-time preview of the resulting modulation envelope. For example, the screenshot above displays the volume being controlled by the combination of two LFO devices with a gradual fade-out
Modulation chains are processed polyphonically (i.e. each voice is processed independently), and can be defined for each of the fundamental instrument aspects: Volume, Pitch, Panning and Cutoff/Resonance. Together, such a collection of fundamental aspects is called a “Modulation Set”, it forms the basic character of a sound and can be loaded and saved as a preset.
Effect Chains:
The number of built-in effects in Renoise has grown over the years - everything from workhorse effects such as chorus, delays, EQ, etc., to the more specialized “meta devices”, which enable parameter routing between devices, and across tracks. Essentially, these effects are great for sound design and can transform any sound into something completely different.
This is why it’s such good news that any sample-based instrument will now be capable of harnessing that power too. You can create (any number of) internal effect chains, and assign a sample to any chain - including the ability to route between effect chains, exactly as you would do with tracks in Renoise.
Apart from applying sparkle to the sound, Effect Chains double as a routing matrix. If your sound-card supports it, the audio signal within each chain can be routed to a different physical output.
Keyzones and overlapping layers:
A common feature in many samplers will allow you to define groups of sounds that should be played randomly, or in a sequential order, each time a key is struck at a certain pitch and/or velocity. For example, an single acoustic snare might actually be made from four different recorded hits, each one sounding slightly different from the rest.
In Renoise, this is now easily achieved, simply by stacking your layers on top of each other, and then selecting among the playback modes: Random / Round-robin, Cycle or Play all (“Play All” being the default choice, and identical to how sample playback works in the previous version). This is great news for people who have a desire to create acoustic instruments with a more convincing, natural character.
New real-time performance options
Input Quantize: When recording notes into Renoise, you have always had the ability to quantize the time to a certain amount of lines. With Renoise 3.0, you can now also define the time resolution when playing instruments. This is obviously a huge improvement if you like to play a sound live, with crystalline timing precision. Possible quantizations include line, beat and bar.
MIDI Note Range: Also, the MIDI input for an instrument can now define a lower and upper note-range. This, along with the ability to link a certain OSC/MIDI port to your instrument, means that you can now achieve keyboard splits within Renoise itself (no more need to fiddle around with MIDI loopback devices).
Harmonic Scales: Furthermore, the instrument will also allow you to make use of harmonic scales. Common scales such as Harmonic Minor, as well as more exotic scales are available from a list, and applies to both the Sampler, Plugin and MIDI parts of an instrument. When you are recording notes, the currently selected scale is applied to those notes before they are written into the pattern.
Mute Groups is a well-known feature from MPC-style samplers. One of the most obvious uses for such a feature is when recording a drum kit with open and closed hihats - if you are aiming for a realistic sound, you would never want the open and closed hihat to play at the same time. In Renoise, this is now easily achieved by assigning the open and closed sample to the same mute group. The Mute Group feature will work with live playback of notes, but also as notes are manually entered into a pattern/phrase
The new Mono option replaces the global Chord Mode, and is defined per instrument. Otherwise, it’s essentially the same feature: it determines how the instrument will respond when you press multiple keys while recording. So, having Mono enabled for an instrument is not to be confused with how the mono feature might work on a soft-synth, you can still write chords into the pattern editor and all notes will play simultaneously. However, when playing and recording the instrument, the mono option is applied to the input.
Instrument phrases:
Some people have dreamed of the day when you could attach a note-sequence to an instrument, and have the instrument play this melody in any pitch and tempo by a simple key press. The dream has now become reality, and we have chosen to call these note sequences “phrases” - created and edited using a scaled-down version of the pattern editor, located inside the instrument itself.
Staying true to the tracker tradition, you can combine these phrases with effect commands - play the rhythm backwards? Use the backwards command. From halfway in? No problem, use the slice command and target the exact line you want to play from. Throughout development, and perhaps just to make this powerful concept easier to grasp, a phrase has been thought of as if it was a sample - just full of notes instead of, well, samples.
Instrument automation & macros:
Perhaps the best thing about all of these new instrument features is, that you can control most parameters via automation, or map them directly to an external controller. In itself, the flexible solution for automating instrument parameters is done via so-called ‘macros’, of which you can define up to 8 per instrument.
But a macro is more than a simple rotary dial - it is powerful enough to control an unlimited number of independently weighted parameters. For example, a single macro could easily provide access to a filter in a synth preset, and - at the same time - change specific points of an amplitude envelope. For some inspiration on how to use macros, check out the all-new instrument pack which accompanies the Renoise download.
Reorganized GUI:
Entirely redesigned - and detachable - Instrument Editor
Disk Browser now using full available height, can share space with Instrument List
Instrument list pimped with visual feedback of playing instruments + additional icons
Automation Editor + Track Scopes are vertically resizable
Reorganized transport bar and generally speaking, simplified tabs + layout
Instrument MIDI monitor can display/filter all incoming/outgoing messages
Improved performance on Unix based platforms (esp. UI related stuff should feel much more responsive)
Perhaps most significantly, the instrument section is now completely self-contained, which allows it to be detached from the main window and put on a separate monitor or brought on top of the Renoise application - just like you would want with a plugin.
Also, the concept of a keyzone and a sample have now been merged together - creating multi-sounds (taking advantage of the keyzones) always felt a bit fiddly, as you would have to switch between pages in order to map the samples and control their properties. All samples/keyzones are now placed in a list on the left side, with quick access to the dedicated sub-sections (Keyzones, Waveform/Sample Editor, Modulation and FX) on the right.
In the main interface, the Automation Editor and Track Scopes have both become vertically resizable - this should be especially useful when needing to perform precise automation envelope edits.
On the right side, the Disk Browser has been expanded to take up the entire height of the application. The added space should make it easier to browse vast quantities of samples or songs. The instrument list can be attached to the (upper part of the) Disk Browser, to allow more items to be displayed at once.
Some extra visual feedback has been added to the instrument list too - you can see which instrument(s) that might be playing at any time, as indicated by a small flashing square. And in the right side of the list, you’ll see a set of small icons - is it a plugin, a sample, or both? Clicking the icon will bring you right to the relevant part of the Instrument Editor.
New effect devices:
We are happy to introduce a few new effect devices for this version, too.
The Doofer device is a new type of device that you can insert into any effect chain. It will effectively act as a wrapper for other devices, enabling you to bundle complex DSP chains within a reusable “shell”. Saving any combination of devices as a preset will make it turn up as a native effect device, which you can then insert anywhere, in any project you are working on. Renoise includes a number of pre-made Doofer™ devices to get you started.
The Convolver is a brand new, convolution-based effect which will allow you to load your own impulse response (IR) files. This can lead to many interesting results, such as treating your owns sounds to the crunchy digital character of a C64 snaredrum or the realistic recreation of an actual, physical space (such as a cathedral or a bathroom).
The Instr. Macro device is a simple meta-device, acting as a link between a track and any new-style instrument containing macros. It allows you to record automation data.
The Pattern Editor:
A new effect command is the MaYbe command (0Yxx). It can be put into a note column or an effect column, and will allow you to trigger a note/line with a certain probability, or to define multiple notes and trigger just one of them with an independent probability factor (this is known as the “mutually exclusive mode”). For a great example of this command being put to use, listen to dblue’s tutorial/demo-song “Maybe Melodies”.
To make the control of note-pitch a little more powerful, the Glide (Gx) and Slide Pitch Up/Down (Ux and Dx) are now possible to enter into volume or panning columns, as well as effect columns. Also, the Glide command has received a little change in the way it works: entering the maximum possible value (0GFF for effect column or GF for volume/pan columns) will now cause the pitch slide to become instant.
Other tweaks and touches:
Scanning for changed/added MIDI devices on Windows without restarting the application
DSP and modulation can be toggled on/off via graphical automation, via MIDI and via other Meta Devices
Mixer: meta-device routings are visualized “in reverse” (selecting a device which is being controlled by another device will highlight the controlling device)
Realtime Sinc interpolation: when re-pitched, each sample can now use one of four interpolation options: None/Linear/Cubic/Sinc

New in Renoise 2.8.1 (Aug 20, 2012)

New in Renoise 2.8.0 (Mar 15, 2012)

Full 64-bit Support:
64-bit versions for all platforms: Windows, OSX and Linux
Plug-in bridge allows 32-bit plug-ins to be used within 64-bit Renoise
Full Rewire 64-bit support
Reworked Pattern Matrix with Slot Aliases:
Alias individual pattern slots in the matrix, i.e. treat them like clips
Edit one slot and have changes propagate to all other aliases
Quickly clone or alias slots by dragging their edges
Use section headers to group parts of the song together
Track Groups & Collapsing:
Group tracks into logical units, collapse them for better overview
Flexible routing of group tracks
Collapsed tracks use minimal space, while still providing a quick overview
Pattern effects in groups will affect all member tracks simultaneously
Automatically collapse all tracks except the one you are focussing on
Color code tracks with adjustable background colors
DSP Effects and Meta Devices:
New DSP Multitap delay for spaced out filtered echo madness
New DSP Repeater for st-st-st-stuttery goodness
New DSP Exciter to make your mixes sparkle
New Meta Mixer allowing blending of modulation signals into one output
Improved EQs with bigger graphs and all values can be automated
Improved Send devices, which can now be individually panned
New and improved crossover filters for the Multi Send device
Sample Editor:
Left & right channels can be edited separately
Zoom level & current selection are remembered per sample
Significantly faster sample loading
Destructively render slices to individual samples
Improved keyboard and mouse selection handling
Improved marker and waveform display visibility
New and improved processing tools (mute selection, insert silence, invert phase, swap stereo channels and cross-fading loop creator)
Improved Spectrum View:
New Phase Correlation Meter in Phase Scope
Side-by-side comparison of two tracks in the spectrum view
New drawing modes: Filled Curve, Bar and Spectrogram
Configurable frequency scaling, precision, peak fall rate, and slope
Pattern Effects:
Pattern effects in the master or group tracks will affect all member tracks
Up to 34 DSP devices can be addressed via pattern commands 1xyy-Yxyy
New pattern effects: Tremolo, Auto Pan, Set Envelope Position
Logical mnemonics for pattern effects from A to Z instead of cryptic numbers
Performance Improvements:
Hyper-threading support for new Intel i5 and i7 CPUs and others
Various audio engine speed optimizations for all platforms
Other Workflow Improvements:
Graphical BPM/LPB/TPL automation in the Master track
New Favorites system for plug-ins and native DSP devices
Expandable and detachable Envelope Editor
Memorize last used bank/preset paths per plug-in
Automatically name rendered songs/patterns
Right-side modifier keys are no longer hard-coded
Finer control over note distribution when dragging samples into keyzones
Improved color picker with saveable swatches
Context menus overhauled and made more consistent
Under the Hood:
Quicktime is no longer needed to import MP3 files on Windows
Plug-ins are woken up from auto-suspend when clicking on their windows
Support for mono capture devices on OSX
New Jack implementation on Linux
Trimmed overall memory footprint
Lua Changes:
Renoise Update Checker and Tools Auto Updater are now part of the default installation
Various new Lua API bindings

New in Renoise 2.8.0 RC 2 (Mar 10, 2012)

New in Renoise 2.7.0 (May 13, 2011)

Some new Instrument & Sampler features at a glance:
Sample Keyzones GUI editor per instrument
Map different samples to different velocity ranges
Map samples to key release as well as key press
Stack samples and create overlapping sections
Toggle envelope on/off per keyzone
New Release sample loop option for exiting the loop on key release
MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks
Extended drumkit and keyboard layout generation options
Sample envelopes now have Points mode in addition to Linear and Curve
Autofade setting per sample for quickly fading beginning and end of samples
Select multiple samples and batch edit properties
Overhauled instrument properties GUI, now in lower tab
Sample Slice Markers:
New Slice Markers push Renoise's breakbeat insanity one step further. With the click of a button, your break is sliced and keymapped. Amens away! More than just a beatslicer, creatives will soon discover custom offsets and the power of aliases for controlling longer recordings like vocals and soundscapes.
Slice marker features include:
Automatically detect transients in sample and place markers on them
Manually place and edit slice positions in sample editor
Trigger slices from keyboard as if they were regular samples
Trigger slices from pattern 09 commands
Trigger either only slice or remainder of sample from that point
Edit sample properties like loop, volume etc per slice
Automation Improvements:
The revamped Automation Editor now provides a zoomable overview of the entire song, as well as vastly improved envelope resolution. Mouse handling has also been simplified, with fewer modifiers and more easily accessible draw mode, selections and context menu.
Automation precision increased to 256 steps per pattern line
Zoom level can be locked to multiples or fractions of whole envelopes
Values can be snapped to grid, lines or beats
Turn off Follow mode to detach edit position from playback position
Left-click and drag to select, drag a selected point to move/scale
New Track DSPs:
Internal FX get an injection of winning with a new Comb Filter and a Multiband Send that lets you surgically redirect a single sound source to 3 send tracks. New draggable gain and frequency handles in the native EQs add flavour and finesse to the tools.
New Multiband Send device letting you send different frequency bands to different destinations
New Comb Filter device:
Draggable handles for Frequency, Gain and Q for the EQ devices
Devices can now be renamed
Load and Save DSP chains from the device chain and device context menu
DSSI plugins now handle MIDI note events coming from the GUI
DSSI plugin windows always stay on top of Renoise window
Recording & MIDI:
MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks
Pre-count metronome option for recording
Live recording MIDI notes / events will no longer create lots of Undo/Redo steps
More simultaneous Master / MIDI In devices supported:
Store pattern quantize settings globally and not per song
Audio Rendering
Real-time rendering mode: render MIDI instruments and line-in devices, or hybrid VSTs
Mono / Stereo / Auto option added for the plugin grabber
Render Selection To Sample no longer renders DSPs on master channel
Other Tweaks and Fixes:
Remember previous track mute states when soloing/unsoloing
New phase meter in Master Spectrum view
Track and master scopes synced to zero crossings for better readability
Audio headroom per track is now configurable (was -6dB)
Pattern Matrix no longer steals Pattern Editor focus when clicked
Navigating folders with many XRNX/XRNI files in Disk Browser considerably sped up
Trigger Autoseek samples also when triggering individual lines (with Return key)
Double click on scrollbars to zoom out fully in zoomable views
Updated Lua API bindings

New in Renoise 2.6.1 (Dec 21, 2010)

New in Renoise 2.5.1 (Apr 1, 2010)

New in Renoise 2.5.0 (Mar 9, 2010)

Just in time for a new decade, Renoise gets an upgrade from executive suite to penthouse with a panoramic view. The Renoise Pattern Matrix, both a bird's eye view and a song editor, is the missing link that pushes Renoise's unique approach to music composition to the next level. It's the perfect companion to the "eyes on the details" appearance and capabilities of the Pattern Editor.
Renoise meta-devices (FX units that receive and transform parameters and other non-audio data) are now interconnectable across tracks. This opens the door to more modular approaches, like linking LFOs or key/audio signals all throughout your mix. Two new meta-devices round-up this "do anything" experience, giving the sound artist the freedom to connect and modulate all parameters with all others.
That's just the beginning. Vastly improved MIDI mapping, automated rendering of plugin instruments to samples, a native guitar & bass amp simulator FX, performance optimizations, GUI improvements and much more...
Main Features
Pattern Matrix
In Renoise you build your song from the bottom up. The workflow is based on patterns, lines, and the details in between. Something that gives an overview from the top down, a birds eye of view of the song, has always been missing so far.
The new Pattern Matrix ingeniously solves this problem the Renoise way: without radically changing the nature of Renoise, the tracker.
Patterns and Tracks are divided into Blocks that can be moved around, providing the ability to manage the flow of the music instantly and easily. It's a natural evolution to the product, and quite frankly is just damn cool.
Here are some Pattern Matrix features at a glance:
Overview of all notes in the song over multiple patterns (see what's happening in your song)
Ability to select, drag & drop, copy, paste, clone and insert blocks into multiple tracks or pattern selections.
Fully keyboard driven. It can be just like the pattern editor, if thats what you are into.
Extension to the pattern sequencer, thus visible next to and with the Pattern Editor or Mixer
Fully optional (no need to use it, when you don't need it)
Ability to mute parts of your song, without the need to create new patterns, also useful when playing livesets to develop patterns in real time (create full arrangements or "drafts" from a single pattern with just a few clicks)
User definable colors for tracks, which are also visible in other parts of Renoise (like the pattern editor) for better overview, grouping
Resizable columns and rows lets you see more at once, or visualize more detailed content previews
Easily see repeating content (automatically spot variations over multiple patterns)
Cross Track Routing For All "Meta Devices"
Renoise's Meta Devices, effects that modulate/control other parameters like the "LFO Device" or "Hydra", can now be chained to parameters in other tracks.
This way you can control multiple devices on multiple tracks at the same time with a single slider (using our "Hydra Device" for instance). Or use a "Key Tracking" device to modulate parameters from key input in another track.
In essence, you can now connect & modulate all parameter with all others, making your tracks interact more deeply.
Vastly Improved MIDI Mapping
Nearly everything in Renoise can now be mapped to a MIDI controller. Start/stop buttons, patterns, tracks, sequence navigation or track muting/soloing... Anything you need in a live session, or simply want mapped, is easier than ever to achieve.
Besides being able to map more MIDI, there are also plenty of other improvements:
Notes can now be mapped to parameters (e.g. switch a Cutoff value between two settings)
A MIDI Note or Controller can be mapped to multiple parameters / actions in Renoise now (e.g. for cross fading - or mute/un-mute several tracks at once with one click)
Context sensitive, intelligent mappings: You can set up mappings to do things with the currently selected device or track. This way you can use your MIDI controller hand-in-hand with the mouse or keyboard, and don't have to map every single parameter for every existing FX manually...
New overview of already set up mappings with the ability to clear and remap/adjust existing mappings
Instrument Grabber
Just like Renoise's versatile "Render Selection To Sample" feature, the Instrument Grabber allows you to create sample based instruments from any VSTi or AU plugin instrument.
Extremely useful to free up your songs from plugin dependencies, or just to extend your sample library with sounds from your favorite plugin instruments.
The instrument grabber features:
replace or create multiple instruments with custom batch settings
replace/unload the plugin instrument in the whole song, or create new instruments
create single or multi-sample instruments from a range of notes with specified sampling step (specify how many samples to capture)
smooth auto looping via crossfading, or a customizable note, tail duration with auto cropping and/or fading
A Bunch of New Internal Effects
Cabinet Simulator Audio FX :
A truly excellent, yet simple to use Guitar & Bass Amp simulator with 18 different cabinet models, a nasty tube, and an EQ. Highly recommended, not just for guitar or bass sounds.
*Signal Follower Meta Device :
The Signal Follower listens to incoming audio from a track and transfers this signal to any automation parameter. This allows you to create sidechain like effects for !any! FX parameters, not just Compressors. Easily add Auto Wah-Wah effects and much much more.
*XY-Pad Meta Device :
This device lets you link two parameters onto a sweet looking X/Y pad. In combination with "*Hydra" devices, this thing is extremely useful for preparing and performing Live sets.
And More...
Some Audio Engine Motor Oil
We've finished the transition from our legacy tracker tick base timing. These final transitionary optimizations have resulted in better overall performance of Renoise's Audio Engine (up to a 10% boost, maybe even 20% on some old machines like a G4). These changes also result in better standards compliance for VST/AU compatibility: The "static buffer" compatibility option for VSTs, AUs will less often be needed now.
Improved Plugin delay compensation
Renoise will now more accurately respond to real time playback, notes that you're playing/recording with your keyboard, while the song is running. This makes it much easier to record & improvise, even when using loads of delay causing plugins.
Audio Plugin Crash Guards for OSX
Just like on Windows, when a plugin does something bad, Renoise on OSX will try to recover from such disasters and show an error instead of letting the plugin crash the system. This way you can know which plugin caused a crash. You also get the chance to remove the buggy plugin and back up your song. Of course, this could also save your ass in a live gig...
MIDI Chord Mode Recording
Recording notes into patterns with the MIDI keyboard will now create chords, automatically. Just like when holding down the Shift key in the Pattern Editor to "enforce" chords.
MP3 Loading Support on Linux
On Linux you can now import MP3 files in Renoise with libmpg123. OGG, Flac and other formats don't need any external components installed. On OSX and Windows MP3 files have always been supported with Quicktime installed.
Loads of User Interface Cosmetics and Small Workflow Improvements
Renoise got a small face lift. It gives veterans a better overview and new users more consistent UI experience.
The most noticeable changes are the cleaned up transport panels. Additionally, Pattern related options & settings are now in a new bar next to the pattern. Rarely used functions are now in a new menu named "Options" at the top.
Some other GUI & Workflow related changes are:
FX devices can now be minimized in the DSP chains
Meta device routing (also for the new cross track routing) are now visualized in the mixer for the currently selected FX
The sample recording dialog can now also be shown outside the sample editor
Automation envelopes will now properly snap & show bipolar parameters
All context menus got cleaned up, and you can also set/change the keyboard focus this way
Double clicking on parameters name will reset the parameter to its default value
Added "Save Sample" & "Save Instrument" shortcuts to the context menus (so you don't have to use the Disk Browser)
Added Delete "Unused Tracks" and "Delete Unused Samples in Instruments" actions to the edit menu
The keyboard preferences pane now has an "All" entry, which simply shows all mapped keys, independent from the focus
You can now create up to 8 effects columns in the pattern editor

New in Renoise 2.1.0 (Jul 6, 2009)

New in Renoise 1.9.1 (Aug 7, 2008)

Added a �Draw Mode� and to the Sample Editor to draw new tiny waves by hand, or to retouch existing waveforms. A simple �Create Sample� option was added as well, so that you can create new hand-drawn samples.
Added �Clear Muted Tracks/Columns� actions (shortcuts context menu entries) to the Pattern Editor and Sequencer. This can be especially useful as an �arranging� aid in the Sequencer.
Added a �Record Dry� switch to the Sample Editors recorder, which allows you to preview the to be recorded signal wet (depending on the selected Track FX), but enforces to record the dry signal (without FX).
Added an info button to VST / LADSPA FX, which will show you some details about the loaded plugin
Solved CPU detection with some newer AMD multicore processors. Renoise could sometimes recognize those as single core CPUs with some energy saving settings enabled
The 2nd Pattern Editor �Delete� keyboard shortcut has not removed FX values, but just Notes
VST FX On/Off automation could cause unwanted delays when rendering songs to disk
Very high pitched backwards or ping-pong sample loops sometimes didn�t played back correctly
The Mac �Jack-insert� VST should now work properly in Renoise
OSX Leopard: Hitting/releasing the Command or Control key while Caps-Lock was on could produce unwanted Note-Off events
VST plugins which are listed as FX but are VST instruments, will now automatically be �fixed� (listed correctly) after you�ve instantiated them and restarted Renoise
Import of Impulse Tracker songs skipped IT Note-off/Note-cut pattern events
Import of Fasttracker XM songs could lead to invalid sequencer loop ranges
Instrument envelopes in Fasttracker XM and Impulse Tracker IT songs are now correctly imported
Easier Drag and Drop in the Pattern Editor: You no longer have to hold the mouse button down a bit, before you can drag a selection in the Pattern Editor to move or copy it.
Rescanning the folder & file contents in the Disk Browser should be a bit faster now
Zoombar in sample editor has been moved underneath the sample-view frame to fit to the current view.