Various irks with renoise

I’ve been trying to get into renoise for years, but it never gells with me. I keep running into things that make me want to scream all too often. Hopefully I’m just being stupid and most of these things can be customized already, but I haven’t been able to find the answers anywhere so I figured I’d try and list the things here. Hopefully I could get some help either figuring out how to sort this stuff out, or have it implemented in future builds. I really do want to love this software.

  • I’d love an option for “ModPlug”-style keyboard layout, where the keys are arranged chromatically and not mapped out as a piano.

  • Is there a way to turn off how notes repeat when button is held, on note entry? It works fine when not in “rec mode”, but for whatever reason it retriggers when in rec mode.

  • One can turn on “single click to set cursor in edit mode”, but why only in edit mode? Preferrably I’d like to have the option to permanently link “edit” and “playback” cursors - the fact that they are separate only ever gets in the way of my workflow.

  • I’d like to be able to make a selection only of the volume column. I know it’s possible to select what’s copied and what not, but it’d be a whole lot easier if I could just make a selection of that and hit ctrl+c and then ctrl+v and it would work - like in any other tracker.

  • How come you can’t select something and hit “delete” to erase it? I’ve gotten used to pressing ctrl+x, but it’s not an easier option.

  • I prefer FT2 space record/stop mode, but selecting that makes it so playback automatically takes you out of “record mode”. Can I set space to toggle rec mode, and not have playback affect that?

  • Horizonally oriented pattern sequencer would be great.

- I wish ctrl+A would select the whole channel, then pressing it again would select all channels. It functions like this in famitracker and it’s very handy. (alt+t works)

For what it’s worth I otherwise mainly use ModPlug tracker, Famitracker and LSDJ as far as trackers go.

Thanks!

“- Is there a way to turn off how notes repeat when button is held, on note entry? It works fine when not in “rec mode”, but for whatever reason it retriggers when in rec mode.”

This is so that, with step edit, you can quickly lay down a ton of 16th notes(or whatever depending on LPB). Can be nice if you want that kind of a hi hat pattern…

Not that it wouldn’t be nice to be able to toggle it though

"- I’d like to be able to make a selection only of the volume column. I know it’s possible to select what’s copied and what not, but it’d be a whole lot easier if I could just make a selection of that and hit ctrl+c and then ctrl+v and it would work - like in any other tracker.

  • How come you can’t select something and hit “delete” to erase it? I’ve gotten used to pressing ctrl+x, but it’s not an easier option."

Agreed on these, it hasn’t stopped me from using Renoise like you but it’s kind of surprising given how much more advanced and actively developed Renoise is than other trackers, and yet some basic things like being able to directly interact with the volume column or measure highlight are just missing. Though the delete behavior on selections isn’t totally unusual, seems to be split about 50:50 with the trackers I have installed…

“- Horizonally oriented pattern sequencer would be great.”

I think this really just takes getting used to, time within the pattern is also displayed vertically…I also used ModPlug prior to Renoise and that threw off the feel of it for me at first but now I feel like it makes more sense this way. Only reason I think a horizontal editor would be a good idea is if the automation envelopes were also moved to that window, since that’s the other element of the sequencer that uses horizontal time and it’s a familiar workflow for a lot of DAWs these days

“- I wish ctrl+A would select the whole channel, then pressing it again would select all channels. It functions like this in famitracker and it’s very handy.”

You can cut, copy, and paste the track using the shift+F3/F4/F5 shortcuts. Shift is a modifier for track operations and ctrl for pattern operations. Also Alt T will select the whole track and there is an unassigned keybinding for selecting the current column under pattern editor > selection.

Thanks! That helps a little :slight_smile:

bump

Agreed on a “Delete Section” function.

  • I’d love an option for “ModPlug”-style keyboard layout, where the keys are arranged chromatically and not mapped out as a piano.

  • I’d like to be able to make a selection only of the volume column. I know it’s possible to select what’s copied and what not, but it’d be a whole lot easier if I could just make a selection of that and hit ctrl+c and then ctrl+v and it would work - like in any other tracker.

  • How come you can’t select something and hit “delete” to erase it? I’ve gotten used to pressing ctrl+x, but it’s not an easier option.

Did you completely check the key binding settings? I am always too lazy for that since it’s quite complicated to find the right binding (maybe just to stupid here, too :slight_smile: ).

  • I prefer FT2 space record/stop mode, but selecting that makes it so playback automatically takes you out of “record mode”. Can I set space to toggle rec mode, and not have playback affect that?

Hm keybindings?

  • I’d love an option for “ModPlug”-style keyboard layout, where the keys are arranged chromatically and not mapped out as a piano.

  • Horizonally oriented pattern sequencer would be great.

Well since it scrolls vertically, for me a vertical scrolling playlist is ok and logical. Cool would be indeed some more sequence info in the automation or a combination of sequence + automation horizontally. But the last will never come in our lives anymore.

Thats an interstign idea

yeah those two are really annoying, even after all these years with renoise

It’s weird that such obvious usability improvements never seem to appear. This is an old request. I just want tracker access to every column as a) it’s obvious and b)advanced edit is slow.

Well I upgraded to R3, hoping to get this before R4.