I am trying to create a template instrument for drums, where each drum sound is routed to its own FX chain. I created 16 empty FX chains, but they are not saved in the instrument, meaning when I load the saved instrument, the FX tab is empty!
This was done on purpose to avoid the limitations that even empty FX chains add (play an instrument on one track only). This was also done for and in combination with Redux: Redux will add an empty FX chain if the instrument originally had none, cause it’s more consistent in Redux. Renoise will remove such empty FX chains again, cause it’s making the instrument more flexible.
We could skip this when more than one empty chain is present in the instrument. This would make such templates work while still trying to being “helpful” in other cases.
I don’t understand how in Renoise (3.1) an empty FX chain set to current track is different and less flexible than having no FX chain. Could you elaborate on this? In my understanding, with the output routing fixed in 3.1, there should be no difference at all.
But yes, not removing FX chains would be preferred.
For this template I now just added a bypassed bit crusher to each chain, preventing Renoise from deleting the output routings.
Ah wait, I just understood what you mean. An empty FX chain will already put an arbitrary constraint on the playback of the instrument, such that it can only be played on one track. I would suggest to remove this constraint. If there is no FX in the FX chain(s), then there is also no technical need to restrict the playback already at this point.
Nope, just tested it, in beta5, when FX chains are set to current track, and even when there actually are FX in the chains, the instrument can still be played on multiple tracks, just as if it had no FX at all (that is pretty cool actually!).
So I am back to not understanding your point 
Ah wait, I just understood what you mean. An empty FX chain will already put an arbitrary constraint on the playback of the instrument, such that it can only be played on one track. I would suggest to remove this constraint. If there is no FX in the FX chain(s), then there is also no technical need to restrict the playback already at this point.
Nope, just tested it, in beta5, when FX chains are set to current track, and even when there actually are FX in the chains, the instrument can still be played on multiple tracks, just as if it had no FX at all (that is pretty cool actually!).
You can play it on multiple tracks, but you won’t hear it on multiple tracks. Same as with plugin based instruments.
I’d love to remove this constraint too, but it’s - well - complicated, up to impossible, not worth the downsides, or should be done completely different.
Seehttps://forum.renoise.com/t/done-3-1-instruments-with-fx-are-tied-to-one-track/40268(Old 3.0 beta discussion about this)What we have now in 3.1 actually is the result of the last beta’s discussion.
You can play it on multiple tracks, but you won’t hear it on multiple tracks. Same as with plugin based instruments.
I’d love to remove this constraint too, but it’s - well - complicated, up to impossible, not worth the downsides, or should be done completely different.
Seehttps://forum.renoise.com/t/done-3-1-instruments-with-fx-are-tied-to-one-track/40268(Old 3.0 beta discussion about this)What we have now in 3.1 actually is the result of the last beta’s discussion.
Not sure what you mean, I put three notes on three different tracks, and played it. All track VU meters showed activity. Also, when adding an external FX (e.g. filter), on the third track, only the note played on the third track was affected by that effect. The instrument behaved exactly like an instrument that does not have any internal FX at all.
When I did the same in 3.0, then only one VU meter showed activity, as the audio was routed to one track only. But in the current beta I do not see this behaviour.
So either I just discovered a very obscure bug, or I am totally missing the point of what you are trying to explain 
EDIT: Check the attached example. Three notes are played on Track 1, Track 2 and Track 3, respectively. All three notes are routed to FX chains that include a LofiMat and are routed to ‘current track’. I added a gainer with -18dB to Track 2. Play it and watch the mixer to observe that (1) all VU meters are active and (2) the gainer only affects Track 2.
I think I now understand why this works in my example: The audio is not overlapping. I just tested this with longer samples, and then it seems that the audio jumps from channel to channel…very confusing behaviour!
Anyway, it would be great if in the 3.1 final, empty FX chains would not be processed this way (since they are empty there is no necessity for this, is it?), such that a template like I created can be used properly, even without routing everything to a dedicated channel.
If you assign a sample to the “None” FX chain, (no FX chain), you will get the desired behavior too. I don’t think it’s a good idea to add yet another level of complexity here and apply such a “no FX” behavior also when the assigned FX chain is empty. When it’s empty, you don’t need one, so you should simply not create or assign one.
Also, empty FX chains still do something when making use of the “Current Track” routing.
Okay, I guess routing everything to “empty” by default, but still having other channels prepared in a template might be a satisfying solution indeed. Thanks for the discussion.