This is my first post here. I am a long time user of the DAW Reaper which I have grown tired of using. I have recently purchased some synthesizer modules which I love to use, but it is a pain to sequence with Reaper’s piano roll. Many of my favorite artists have used trackers, particularly Renoise, and as I have looked into it, it has intrigued me. Great price to boot.
I will do my best to explain my workflow and hopefully you experienced Renoise/tracker users can tell me if Renoise would be a good choice for my needs.
I have synthesizers and drum machines with internal sequencers (which I sequence them with)
I record them one at a time on separate tracks
I record vocals and vocal harmonies on separate tracks one at a time
I want to then sequence my synthesizer modules with my DAW
arrange the recorded audio. Move audio around, volume automations, fade things in and out, panning, etc
mix the individual tracks with FX, EQ, compression, etc. Including the ability to EQ and compress my reverb send channels themselves which I find can really un-muddy things
Renoise is not very good when it comes to working with audio tracks. You can of course record your audio into the sampler, cut up things and fire up samples, but Reaper is by far superior for such a workflow.
Just watch some videos and try the Renoise demo version (it can do everything except of rendering and Rewire).
Renoise has other capabilities that Reaper doesn’t offer. It’s very hard to compare these two.
I have synthesizers and drum machines with internal sequencers (which I sequence them with) Renoise and Reaper can do this
I record them one at a time on separate tracksReaper is superior
I record vocals and vocal harmonies on separate tracks one at a timeReaper is superior
I want to then sequence my synthesizer modules with my DAWRenoise and Reaper can do this
arrange the recorded audio. Move audio around, volume automations, fade things in and out, panning, etcReaper is superior
mix the individual tracks with FX, EQ, compression, etc. Including the ability to EQ and compress my reverb send channels themselves which I find can really un-muddy thingsRenoise and Reaper can do this, but Reaper is superior
I know Reaper, I suggest you play with Renoise to not miss something. It’s very strong when it comes to manipulating sounds with modulators, making your own instruments, etc.
Reaper can do this too basically, but it’s more straightforward in Renoise.
Yeah it doesn’t sound like the best fit for what you want to do. You can certainly use it for playing long audio tracks together, I’ve done it with vocals before but it’s a bit annoying and fiddly. You would be missing out on some of the best things about renoise, but that said it could suit you. One thing I will mention is you will have to learn where the autoseek button is.
I use both Reaper and Renoise. Reaper I use mainly for mastering, and live-take recording and comping.
For example, I’ll assemble some backing stuff in Renoise, export a wav, load that into Reaper, and then do numerous takes with bass or guitar. I’ll then use Reaper to slice up those recordings for samples to loop. And those go back to Renoise.
Likewise with vocals. Record many takes (the looping with auto-new-track is awesome), comp the best ones, export as wav, bring those into Renoise.
I now tend to think of Renoise as more of an instrument in its own right - something akin to an MPC. It has a sampler that is very integrated into the sequencer (the tracker) and that pairing is incredibly powerful and quick once you get going. Want to reverse a hit whilst pitching it down? Use a command. In Reaper or other samplers you’d prob create a reversed sample and key map it, or an audio region and reverse it; basically in a fraction of the time Renoise will achieve that sort of thing. Then there is the modulation. It sounds awesome and tight too.
Knowing the limitations helps me to choose the right tool for the job, rather than getting het up about why I struggle to get mixes how I want, or arranging in more of a overall way. If I need that (which nowadays I do prefer to) I rewire or bounce everything into Reaper, which is excellent for the global arranging, takes, automation, housekeeping, recording and sometimes composing depending what I’m working on or the material.
Basically, don’t rule out one tool because it doesn’t tick a box, use the strengths together.
Hello all, wanted to check in and say I’m absolutely loving renoise as I’ve been playing with the demo. There is certainly a bit of a learning curve when coming over from something as basic and straightforward as reaper, but I think I’m going to take the plunge and become a full time renoise user. There is just something refreshing about it. For me at least.
One concern/question:
I have a few external synths/drum machines with internal sequencers slaved to renoise. When I press play in renoise, about 50 percent of the time, the first few notes stutter, and are sort of jumbled up and out of time, but then the rest of the playback is perfectly in sync. I’m certain this is not a delay compensation issue as the rest of the playback is perfectly in sync.
Any ideas as to why this happens? It seems almost as if MIDI isn’t quite “ready” for playback all the time, or requires a certain condition I’m not aware of. Or maybe it’s an issue with my audio/MIDI interface? I would hate for recording quality to be based on the luck of the draw.
Again, thanks a lot everyone. Some very decent and helpful people here! Best forum I’ve been on.
