A tool that allows a snapshot to be taken of dsp device parameters and the automation written to the current line in the automation tracks. Useful for glitch style effects as well as creating a snapshot of all current device values at a given time point.
Example:
Set up your DSP devices and make sure you are on the pattern, track and line where you want the automation recorded.
Run the tool and parameters will be recorded to the current line position in the currently selected track and pattern.
Move to a new line position and tweak as many parameters as you want, then run the tool again to record the new parameters to this position (move to the previous line position to recall the previously captured values).
Repeat and rinse
Usage:
The tool can be run via assigned keyboard shortcuts or via the dsp device context menu. There are 4 options provided to capture a snapshot:
Snapshot edited - Takes a snapshot of only parameters that have been changed since moving to a new line in the pattern
Snapshot all - Takes a snapshot of every parameter of every device in the current track
Snapshot device - Takes a snapshot of all parameters of the currently selected device (all devices will be snapshot if none are selected)
Snapshot params - Takes a snapshot of only parameters that are already automated anywhere in the song. Works on currently selected device (or all if none selected)
By default snapshots will be written to the currently selected line in the pattern. You can override this by making a selection in the pattern that is more than two lines, now when a snapshot is taken it will be written to the first line of the selected range.
If you want a device to be skipped so that itās parameters are not recorded just insert a ~ as the first letter of the deviceās name.
Parameters that are being controlled by a meta device (Hydra, Signal Follower etcā¦) will not be recorded.
There are two additional options that can be run after snapshots have been taken:
Clean Up Automation - This will clear any parameter automation that has no variation in the current pattern.
Cycle Env Mode - This will cycle through the different envelope modes (points, lines, curve) of all parameters of the selected device (or all if none selected).
This tool is running quite a lot of notifiers in the background and may (or may not) affect Renoise performance, if you notice a performance hit or lack of GUI responsiveness try disabling the tool in the tool browser. If that improves performance then let me know on this thread and I will look into how the tool can be improved.
If you try this tool but donāt end up using it that much, its probably a good idea to uninstall it.
thank you, this is a great tool, I will put this to good use, seems working as expected so far.
suggestionā¦ apply some type of marker in the track, im sure if this tool is in a future release of Renoise it will have its its own pattern FX command tho. If i think of any other ays of improving i will post back here.
Edit: after having a few snapshots automated, i wanted to unarm EQ 5, i tried this by changing the gui name to ~EQ 5 and just ~ , but this didnt work, perhaps im misunderstanding the instructions? thanks
Oh goodie!!! this w[ill be incredibly useful. Imagine that you have some magic spot in a song, and you want to repeat that moment somewhere else.
Right now, if some parameter was automated between those two locations and you just copy the pattern it might sound differentā¦so, really something I have missed.
If you want a device to be skipped so that itās parameters are not recorded just insert a ~ as the first letter of the deviceās name.
It would be great if we could have a way of choosing to snapshot only automated parameters?
This way, you could still reach out and tweak the āfreeā ones.
Thanks! Yes Iām thinking of some kind of marker ability or being able to recall previously recorded snapshots, I think maybe it will need some kind of GUI for that.
As for inserting the ~ it wonāt unarm any recorded automation it will just prevent further automations being recorded by that device. So if you delete some automations then new ones wonāt appear the next time you run the tool. Is it working like that for you?
Cool I hadnāt of using like that, its given me an idea for a feature to get the device values from another part of the song.
Yeah, I canāt think of the best way to do this, when it is first used on a pattern it needs to capture everything but then on subsequent use it only needs to capture those parameters that have changed and delete the automation for those that havenāt. Seems a bit complicated to code that though, I suspect there may be a simpler way to do it. At the moment Iām working on a clean up command that just clears automation that is static.
Clean Up Automation - This will clear any automation lanes that have no variation in the current pattern, when you create a snapshot it writes to every parameter even if it isnāt being changed. Use this command to clear the automation on these parameters and reduce the automation to only what is needed.
Cycle Env Mode - This will cycle through the different envelope modes of all parameters of a device. The default mode is points so run this command to cycle through lines, curves and back to points again. This will work either on the currently selected device or all devices if none are selected or the master volume is selected.
All commands can now be run from the DSP device context menu as well as a keyboard shortcut.
Yeah like a high % of Renoise tools need a GUI for all the extra functions.
yes it is working that way as i tested it last night, I can see the logic behind having the tool work this way, and it is much easier to just switch a dsp fx off or unload it if it isnt required I will update to your latest version and see how i get on thanks
Hm, this is one simple approach: take a snapshot of device parameters at a given point in time (using the currently set values), but checking first if the āis_automatedā flag was set.
Thanks for the feedback folks, itās appreciated and Iām glad you like
I see what you mean (I think), so this way the user would have to select which parameters are to be recorded by enabling the automation before running the tool. Then when the tool is run it will only record to those parameters. Yes it could work like that actually, only thing is it seems a slower workflow because you have to setup the automation first. Currently you donāt have to do that, you can just record any parameter and the use the āclean upā command to manually free up parameters that arenāt automated. Hmm I suppose I could include both ways of doing it and let users decide.
Now you can write the current DSP automation values from the current line to any other line in the pattern. Simply draw a range that is 2 lines or more in the track you are working on and make sure the first line of the range is where you want the automation recorded to. Now move the cursor to another line and then run the tool. The current DSP parameter values will be written to the first line of the range. If no range is selected or if it is only a one line range then the automation is written to the current line. This is useful if you have already recorded a nice sounding setting that you want to copy to another line in the patternā¦ Umm I could probably explain that better, but have a play and you will figure it out
Thanks, I missed that one. It is fixed in v0.4 which I have just uploaded.
Updated to v0.4
Added new menu/key options.
You can now take a snapshot in 1 of 3 ways.
Snapshot all - This will take a snapshot of all parameters like it has done in earlier versions of the tool.
Snapshot device - This will only take a snapshot of the currently selected device. If no device or the master device is selected it will take a snapshot of everything like the āSnapshot allā option.
Snapshot params - This will only write the automation for parameters that have already had their automation activated, in effect this lets you decide in advance which parameters you want to be recorded. (Thanks to danoise for the suggestion) The rest of the tool behaves like the āSnapshot deviceā option.
Snapshot params - This will only write the automation for parameters that have already had their automation activated, in effect this lets you decide in advance which parameters you want to be recorded. (Thanks to danoise for the suggestion)
Hey, thank you afta8. I really like this addition Although I found one strange thing about it - no automation points are added when you are in a pattern that does not contain automation.
If you are in a pattern that already contain some automation, it works fine.
No thatās not deliberate, itās actually a quirk in Renoise that when you initialise the automation on send destinations of meta devices it defaults to the mixer panning. I disabled the capture of send destinations on the other meta devices but missed the ones on the hydra.This is fixed in the next update where the send destinations are not captured.
Thatās by design, you need to activate the automation on the specific parameter first in the automations tab, if you havenāt enabled it then no automation will be recorded for that parameter.
Is that what you mean? not sure if I have understood you correctly.
I hadnāt of using like that, its given me an idea for a feature to get the device values from another part of the song.
)
, amazed someone hasnāt scripted it sooner, I know Iāve been requesting it a lot of times 
Although I found one strange thing about it - no automation points are added when you are in a pattern that does not contain automation.