I recently downloaded the demo for Renoise after seeing the latest update video, it looked interesting. I’ve never used a tracker before, and have come to find myself actually enjoying it more so than the standard means in a DAW. I’ve managed to figure out quite a few things just from reading the manual and the forum, but I have come to a question I wouldn’t even know how to search the answer for.
Since I’m use to a sequencer where you can visually see where a sample will play in the timeline, as well as the wave form, it was easy to place a reverse crash/hat to end right where I needed it(usually at the end of a measure, or right before a snare hit). Now, what’s the easiest means of doing this in Renoise? Right now the only way I could figure was by trial and error of placing the sample note message earlier and earlier before the next beat until it finally lined up correctly. It’s tedious, and with a DAW that seems so much about quick workflow, I have to wonder if there’s an easier way.
Go to the Instrument Settings tab. At the bottom right theres a “Sync” check-box, and a number next to it – this allows you to transpose and tune a sample so that note C-4 takes the specified number of lines to play; as you want to keep the pitch of the cymbal pretty much where it is, change the numeric value to keep the tune/transpose values as close to 0 as you can (hover over the number to see what they would be), then click the T button. Now place your reverse cymbal that many lines before you want it to climax and bob’s your uncle (if keyboard octave is set to 4, C-4 is Z). (There’s probably a cleverer way of doing it, and my explanation is lousy, but it’s nearly 4am so I have an excuse!)
Basically, this, right now in Renoise. There have been requests in the ideas/request forum through setting up a special marker in the sample editor for example to address this, but don’t expect a native solution soon, rather try to get a scripter excited in finding a easy solution.
You could try and relate the amount of beats in the sample editors ruler of the particular sample, to the corresponding length of the amount of beats in the pattern editor and count back, maybe … at least enable autoseek in the instrument settings so you don’t have to trigger the samples starting note event with every trial and error attempt. Or simply don’t use reversed cymbals since that was already played out in mid 90’s .
That confused me thoroughly when I first read it, but trying it out I figured out what you were saying. It’s probably not as fast as I would want it, but if there’s no other way I suppose it is only a minor set back.
You can always pad out the sample a bit so that it at least takes an easily counted number of lines (8, 16, whatever), but agreed, it’s not a great solution and some sort of “play this so it ends on the note in the pattern” option in the instrument editor would be nice. Maybe for 2.9?
Easier workarounds for reversed cymbals or not , the hit point request is still valid, for example if you want to align a certain word in a vocal sample to a note event in the pattern editor. I rather place a special marker that deals with this then rendering and counting.
In the sample editor, there is a ruler. The ruler shows beats and fractions of beats. You can trim your sample to match the exact number of beats. That’s what I do for all of my reversed drum hits
… at least enable autoseek in the instrument settings so you don’t have to trigger the samples starting note event with every trial and error attempt. Or simply don’t use reversed cymbals since that was already played out in mid 90’s 
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