I’m currently trying out the Renoise 3.0 beta, and while I really like the new layout and features, there are a few things I’d like to see in the final (or subsequent) releases:
1 - Track-based instruments: I always assign a particular instrument to a specific track, and for me the instrument column in a track is redundant, and there are no quick and easy ways that I am aware of to paste notes from one track to another without the instrument data being attached. What I would like to be able to do is assign an instrument to a track instead of individual notes (and hide instrument columns in tracks), and have the option to enter notes without instrument values being specified. This will make it easy to copy melodies to other tracks with different instruments without having to manually change the instrument values. At the very least an option to paste from one track to another without copying instrument data would be desirable (Paste Special perhaps?).
Edit: the way VST instruments can be routed to specific tracks could be applied to XRNI instruments. It would be good if XRNI could also support multiple track outputs by mapping groups of samples in the instrument and routing the output to a specific track. For example, routing the kick in an XRNI drum kit to one track, the snare to another and so on.
2 - Mute/Choke Groups: I know this has been raised before, but the the lack of support for mute/choke groups for instruments is an impediment to building realistic and playable drum kits. Most samplers will allow instruments (e.g. hi-hats) to be assigned to a group so that the closed hi-hat cuts off the open hi-hat (as an example).
3 - Better support for large multi-sample instrument creation. I’d like to be able to build large and detailed multi-sampled instruments, but the limitations on the number of samples per instrument and the above mentioned lack of mute groups limits the potential of Renoise. Sure, I could just use a VST plugin like Superior Drummer, but I’d prefer to be able to work on projects without having to rely on DRM encumbered VST plugins. Support for round-robin to improve realism of sampled instruments and native support for importing .sfz multi-sampled instruments would be nice. It would also be nice to be able to copy samples from one instrument to another.
4 - Ability to distribute samples in an instrument to velocity layers (in ascending and descending order based on the file name of the samples). This would take some of the chore out of assigning samples to velocity layers. It would also be good if the distribution of samples to pitches could be aware of the file names, to make it easier to build complex instruments from large sample sets.
5 - Additional native effects, such as models of guitar stomp boxes (I’d really like to see a Boss HM-2) and more guitar amp and cabinet simulations.
6 - I know this one gets asked for a lot and the focus of Renoise is on samples, but the addition of a native synth or three would really round out Renoise’s capabilities. At the very least some basic wave-form sample generators in the sample editor would help.
7 - A better pattern sequencer that allows for linear DAW like recording of parts spanning multiple patters, similar to the way Blocks work in Propellerhead Reason. I’d like to see a tab in between “edit” and “mix” called “sequence”, where more deep and graphical linear arrangement of patterns and mixing with tracks not bound to patterns is possible. The way Blocks are implemented in Reason is awesome, as it lets you take the best parts of pattern-based and linear sequencing and combine them. If Reason had a tracker interface for entering note data, I might have a hard time sticking with Renoise.
8 - Better metronome and line highlighting in pattern editor to support odd and compound time signatures (eg 7/8). If I want a metronome pre-count to record something in 5/8 etc, the current metronome does not really work too well.
That is all for now, thanks for your consideration.
Awesome.
