This is part of a multi-page image which has been in the works for quite some time…
Terminology:
Instrument - a collection of generators and effects, connected by connections, which has one stereo output (well, for now, it is stereo). You invoke this in the pattern editor as usual. - Keyboard Mapping - the answer to “I have hit some key in some way: which generators will I play, and how?” - Generator - sound comes from these.
Effect - sound is changed by these.
Sub-instrument - a sub-instrument is a type of generator: an instrument within an instrument. Mainly used to simplify keyboard mapping and help with high-level instrument editing.
Clip - a song within an instrument. - Referenced generator - such a generator appears with a little shortcut overlay, and symbolises it being used by several instruments. You can Alt-drag a generator among instruments to share it around. It’s a lot like having a sample pool.
Automation - truly it has become automation. A list of all generator and effect parameters driven by envelopes, MIDI inputs, or anything else (like other envelopes) will appear in the Automation window. Clip Song within an instrument.
Implied parent - A clip without an explicit parent instrument has an implied parent instrument, whose only content is a generator for that clip. These are allowed so that the versatility of having clips within an instrument doesn’t impede speedy composition.
Contains patterns - lets long clips be more manageable. Also lets clips contain whole songs.
Contains instruments - a clip can contain its own instruments, or reference existing ones. Expanding the clip in the “Song Resources” area at the top-right will reveal all such dependencies.
A whole song may be used as a clip by drag-dropping it from Disk Browser to the Song Resources area, allowing for songs to be mixed like never before.
Drag a clip to the disk browser to dump it as a song. Generator
A generator can be:
A sample - A waveform - A soundcard input - A VSTi - A clip.
If the generator has a content area, double-clicking it (e.g. the waveform in the picture above) will take you to an editor (e.g. sample editor / pattern editor).
Generator lights are colour coded to match their respective “Song Resource” entry at the top-right of the screen. Effects Track DSPs have all become includable into instruments. All parameters are automatable.
Connections
A link from an “in” to an “out”. This can be effect-to-effect, generator-to-generator, effect-to-generator, or generator-to-effect. There must be at least one connection to an instrument’s Output node for any sound to happen.
Connections have gain and pan. - Connections glow as they are used to play sound. - When a generator is added to an instrument, it is automatically connected to the Output node. - Drag from a hole marked “out” to another hole marked “in”, or vice versa, to make a connection. - If you connect two “outs” to one “in”, they will mix automatically. - Feedback loops are permitted, but a delay (buffer length) must be set. Make Sub-instrument Ctrl-click multiple generators and effects, then click this. They will be condensed into a Sub-instrument with internal and external connections all preserved. A sub-instrument can readily be expanded back into generators and effects by right-clicking it and choosing “Break Apart”.
I suggest an additional view next to “pattern, mixer…” tabs named “modular”, where the routing is displayed just as in Buzz or SunVox.
Modular routings could somehow rebuilded internally by using send devices.
As long as the dsp connections are linear serial, a new send track is automatically created. If a parallel routing is created, Renoise will ask if create a new send track should created…
The track borders are visualized as boxes around the track dsps. Editing of parameters still happens in the lower track dsp bar then.
So maybe nothing of the existing Renoise concept would have to be changed…?
All this combined with a new sidechaining possibility could 1:1 represent a real modular structure in Renoise…
I like the initial idea posted by martyfmelb, but it is IMHO too bloated to show the necessity for having clips. Therefore you don’t see a lot of activity about the topic anymore, while it is so important.
IMHO the clips feature should only deal with the sequencing and grouping of pattern data (excluding all the fancy stuff like instrumentisation, multi layering, etc. (for now at least ))
Clips are essential if Renoise want to strengthen its sequence/arrange powers. At the moment it is very cumbersome to edit a multi-pattern (MIDI recorded) song element (be it notes, or a long sample).
So let’s sit down and discuss the details of clips being a combinable pattern: A set of arbitrary amount of tracks, with an arbitrary length, filled with note-data.
Furthermore, the clips idea should go hand in hand with zoomable arranger where the borders of the arranger are not defined by pattern lengths, like in the matrix now, but in lines. You can freely align the clips in there. The zoom feature could simply deal with keeping the overview.
I’m still hoping for this one!
