Is it possible to automate certain knobs from plugins? I mean it should be possible, but I have no idea how to do so.
Like here in this picture I opened a cheapo synth and I would like to, lets say create an automation for the detune amount or the cutoff (okay no filter is selected in the pic, but you should get the point)
cheers 
This question comes up so much I’m starting to wonder if people even try and read the manual or search the forum…
http://tutorials.renoise.com/wiki/Meta_Devices#Automation_Devices
uhm… sorry, thank you for the reply and I will do that the next time 
No need to apologize, it’s your right to ask. The fact it is asked so many times simply means it isn’t obvious enough to find it easily in the manual which means that we have to do something about it.
@kazakore:this is still the beginners forum 
I know and I did provide the link… But that doesn’t change the fact there is another, identical thread on the first page of this sub-forum also so a very quick bit of looking before posting, not even perusing the manual, would of come up with the answer shortly.
I agree that it does confuse a lot of people to start, reason being most DAWs people may of migrated from have Instruments tied to a Track, so it is obvious which Track is going to contain the Automation. This isn’t the case in Renoise, thus you haven’t to add a Meta Device for control, placing it in the track you want to use. Would be perfectly possible to have your Automation in a Track which doesn’t even contain sound from the Instrument (or the Master even.)
Maybe a section near the top of the main Graphical Automation page describing the differences between DSPs and Virtual Instrument plug-ins would help. First thing people will search is Automation and the main Automation section does not actually mention VSTi and the ilk.
http://tutorials.renoise.com/wiki/Graphical_Automation
I would say a bold section, or maybe coloured, in the early Creating Automation section at the top with a link to the Meta Device page may help lower the number of cases.
EDIT: OK so there is a little mention just above it but I can see how that is very easy to miss.
well, i think you will never be able to stop beginning users to ask question that have been answered either in the manual or in another forum thread, simply because the diversity of people. some will read the manual back to back, and others scan over some parts, and then go on to ask their question on the forum (without doing a search or looking around first). it could help to make it a bit more obvious, but if you get a person that just did not read that particular section of the manual, the ‘problem’ persists.
because you cannot prevent this from happening, i think kazakore’s initial approach is a proper one: first tell the user he should search a bit more before asking a question, and then provide him with either a direct link, or the link to the other forum thread with the same question. that way (hopefully - and as is the case here) the user will say ‘oops, sorry!’ and will search harder next time.
… for me it looks like one reason could be that the automation system in renoise (esp. the “instrument” automation device handling) is a bit antiquated.
quick idea: add a “learn” button to bind the selected/touched vst parameter to renoise internal 16 automation slots.
or give us tracks for nothing but automation. independend automation tracks that we can see in patternview.
(the hex limitation argument doesnt count here)
I think it is alright once you know how to find/use it… It is rather counter intuitive to find.