I'm Not Really A New User. But....

[Emmanuel]

Hi, Renoisers !

Since I discovered Renoise, some days I use it, some others, not. In fact, I use it in a really basic way, because I’m still walking on eggs (french expression, I don’t know if I can actually translate it in english but you get the picture) with this awesome software.

It’s like :

“Yeah, I use Renoise for this track because I want to know how to use Renoise better.”

And after an hour :

“I need this, this and this, let’s open Live 6 to have it, and after I’ll need that, let’s open Numerology 3, I know how to shape it, and huh, I’ll need this too, let’s open my sound editor to record it”.

I’m… diffracted. I could have no problem with using 3 daw, I have 3 licenses, but because of my habits, Renoise is the software I know the less. That said, here are the things I’d like to discuss :

• I’m using Numerology because it’s a huge modular midi sequencer. I can blast my Akai with retriggers and have some nice retrigged FM-like sounds, or granular-like textures. I can do rule-sequencing, half random with a lot of handsome controls. I can have a long grid of non-repeating chords in minutes.

• I’m still using Live 6 because of its easy routing, and mostly because it’s the first daw I used in deep, since Live 4, back in 2006 or something.

But hell… I still waste my time by sequencing with my MOUSE. The tracker thing is wayyy faster ! And fun.

So I’d like to know some tricks I didn’t find. Yet.

• If I want to do kinda progressive retrigger thing (you know, not a R3334444555566667777 trick, which will sound robotic, but a sweet, natural retrigger sequence, autechre-like)… Do I have to switch to a 16 LPB workflow and do this manually, or is there a sweet tool for it ? Or for other natural progressive purpose ?

• I’d like to know how you use Renoise for sound design. Here how I do it : I just open my wave editor, and record a long take (5-20 min.) with synths, samplers, different routings, different gear. Then, I slice it manually, throw away some crap, keep the interesting sounds, often more than fifty. Then I can use it. If I use Renoise to record, is the sample offset command precise enough for long wave files ? OR is there a way to slice not by 1/16th, 1/8th, but by automatically detect waveforms and make a simple, sweet renoise instrument with all this stuff ?

And I eventually have more questions, but I’m at work and it’s lunch time.

If I see a post like this in any board I’d say RTFM or GFUTTAS (Get Fucking Used To This Awesome Software) ; like I said, I’m at work, I have time but not Renoise, and not much time till september. So, I’d like to have a few leads to try with a precise aim and not lose the little time I have.

[vvoois (vV)]

GFUTTAS is not an expression that can be used for Renoise. You can go several experimental ways with this software and people keep exploring and discovering new ways of achieving specific results including the veteran users. (that is an extra hidden gem that keeps Renoise exciting)
If you need fast results because you currently have the inspiration, there is nothing wrong with grabbing what you need now.
You might perhaps be able to link renoise with ReWire to any or more of the other daws and combine all the workflow that makes each tool worth their while.

For progressive retriggers, you don’t necessarily raise the LPB, you can also use multiple notecolumns and then raise the delay values to set a specific logarithmic retrigger.
But raising the LPB does offer you more visual control and a faster workflow regarding that.
I’m not aware if there is an existing tool that does algorithmic retriggering, but it is not impossible to write such tool for Renoise.
Perhaps someone around here who can point out such tool or feels inspired by the idea to start one.

[Emmanuel]

Nice. Thanks ;

You can go several experimental ways with this software and people keep exploring and discovering new ways of achieving specific results including the veteran users.

This I can see ; everybody constantly seem to write down new tools, to shape Renoise to their way of music producing… The ridiculous point is that it has the best of traditional daw, plus tons of other cool features including the ability of making our own cool feature, for half the half price of Ableton Live.

In fact I doesn’t really have the inspiration these times, I’m stucked by work and other things that has to be done. What I keep telling myself is that the perfect moment to improve my Renoise skills. Like I did with Live years go. Paradoxically, it’s when I’m really short in time that I have the time to do things in deep and focus on 'em.

About Rewire, I did it, and it’s funny to manage 2 or 3 apps in the same time. But not that funny with my 13" macbook, and finally, it’s like you have a huge new modular analog synth at home, you spent three hours to build and patch it, “Yeaah it’s done ! Let’s play with it. … … …OR, I could check my mails and just look at this beautiful thing from there”. Because it’s complicated to set things when you’re juggling with apps. It’s why I want to… focalize my workflow a bit.

Could you explain the “multiple note columns” thing ? I know how to create it but I don’t see how it helps me to do algorithmic retrigging. I raised up the LPB, it’s better, I’ll work on it

[vvoois (vV)]

@Emmanuel

This I can see ; everybody constantly seem to write down new tools, to shape Renoise to their way of music producing… The ridiculous point is that it has the best of traditional daw, plus tons of other cool features including the ability of making our own cool feature, for half the half price of Ableton Live.

Speaking of Live or one facet of it: Have tried the cells tool?

@Emmanuel

OR, I could check my mails and just look at this beautiful thing from there". Because it’s complicated to set things when you’re juggling with apps. It’s why I want to… focalize my workflow a bit.

I think this problem counts for a lot of folks. It probably works best if you force yourself to disconnect yourself from the net when you need to do stuff. I unplug the RJ45 patch everytime i seriously need to do something and if i then open my mail or browsers i know i have to bend behind my machine to patch everything in so i’m usually more lazy for doing that than continue on the project i’m then into.

@Emmanuel

Could you explain the “multiple note columns” thing ? I know how to create it but I don’t see how it helps me to do algorithmic retrigging. I raised up the LPB, it’s better, I’ll work on it

Well the multiple notecolumns is simpply that you lay out the same note on the same row in each column and then simply raise the delay value each next note-column so that the next note is instantiated later than the note in the previous notecolumn.
But for that you need to be keen in translating hexadecimal values to relative timing so that kind of trick is best to have that automated by a tool rather than trying to manually accomplish that. If you know what you want to achieve in the pattern editor, to write a note-stepper where posting positions and delay values increase per note instance can then be fairly easy because the API functions in Lua are reasonably straight forward. It is only more work if you don’t have experiences with programming languages thus yet also need to learn the syntax and semantics.

[Emmanuel]

Speaking of Live or one facet of it: Have tried the cells tool?

Yeah, it seems nice. I had this in mind when saying “the best of traditional daws”.

I think this problem counts for a lot of folks. It probably works best if you force yourself to disconnect yourself from the net when you need to do stuff. I unplug the RJ45 patch everytime i seriously need to do something and if i then open my mail or browsers i know i have to bend behind my machine to patch everything in so i’m usually more lazy for doing that than continue on the project i’m then into.

Yeah, I did have issues with that. At home I turned down the wifi on the internet box so I have to move downstairs with the laptop. I did this a few times because I turned on the wifi when I felt lazy but it’s work in progress.

Well the multiple notecolumns is simpply that you lay out the same note on the same row in each column and then simply raise the delay value each next note-column so that the next note is instantiated later than the note in the previous notecolumn.
But for that you need to be keen in translating hexadecimal values to relative timing so that kind of trick is best to have that automated by a tool rather than trying to manually accomplish that. If you know what you want to achieve in the pattern editor, to write a note-stepper where posting positions and delay values increase per note instance can then be fairly easy because the API functions in Lua are reasonably straight forward. It is only more work if you don’t have experiences with programming languages thus yet also need to learn the syntax and semantics.

I think I understand, I’ll try this by hand. I have a very little experience with xhtml and C+ programming, as well as easy scripts for some midi controller homebrew… Maybe I’ll put an eye on it, but I’ll stay music side first.

[2_daze_j (Jonathan)]

Three years into Renoise, I’m still learning the Pattern Matrix. Its endless. New thing every day. But what Renoise has taught me about sound design, can almost be summed in one word! Resample… Don’t just sample, Resample… That’s the way.

[Emmanuel]

Thanks for the advice !

I use to resample a lot, because there’s how I get interesting, plain and rich sounds. Synthesis, sampling, resynthesis, effects, resampling, not necessarily in that order… It’s endless.

The point is, it’s easier and faster with Renoise, both in the box and out the box ; you can have more sounds than you can deal to within minutes and keep track of it easily !