my computer is very bad for the newer renoise versions, but the older ones run better, and I think there should be an option to convert songs made on newer renoise versions to be able to be played on older versions, because they’re pretty much the same.
Except the instruments are very, VERY different.
You can always try telling the file it was made with an older version but I don;t know how far you’ll get with loading. Song Data might work and then maybe you’ll have to rebuild the instruments/load the samples…
Maybe it’s not a matter older versions of Renoise running better, but that your new songs use more CPU intensive instruments, effects, and meta devices?
Try using deprecated devices, and less of them, for example. You can also try converting XRNS to XM but you will lose a lot in the process.
If they were the same, they would play the same… You’re doing something different IMHO.
Seems to me like a matter of disciplining yourself to write low CPU songs?
The audio engine was given an overhaul in one of the recent changes (either 2.5 or 2.6 if my memory serves.) At the same time internal calculations for many areas was changed from single precision to double precision floating point arithmetic, which should add little in the way of CPU but require more memory on most modern processors.
It is possbile that a combination of certain CPUs (and those in netbooks being more likely to suffer from it) and a small amount of RAM you may notice some adverse effects.
Disposal: Have you opened the same 2.0 song in 2.7, updated to latest, saved as different name and then compared how the same song pre/post converting performs when playing back on the netbook? This might give an idea if you machine does actually find 2.7 really more resource-hungry. Personally I have found it uses the same or less on not-too-complex songs (well the version when the changes were first made and I tested anyway.)
Also any scripts you have installed that may be running in the background could of course also be tying up precious CPU cycles. Have you got any Tools installed on the system?