launch_lanes 
Schedule launching different patterns in the Pattern Matrix for an Live-inspired jamming workflow.
Works by creating and managing two patterns at the top of your song (your launch lanes). You can schedule different track patterns to be aliased and played inside these. Contrary to similar pre-exising (and often outdated) tools, this one aims to avoid reimplementing a clip-matrix style interface for launching and instead relies on the built-in pattern matrix to select pattern.
Disclaimer: This is a beta version without extensive testing, rough edges remain, not recommended to use in a live-performance setting yet
actions
Playwill play the selected pattern nextStopwill stop any pattern playing on the selected trackSolowill play the selected pattern next while scheduling everything else to stopStepwill step to the next pattern in the song
usage
enable lanes
- Open the control panel from Tools/launch_lanes
- Toggle lanes by ticking the checkbox in the top-left corner
- You also have keybindings such as
- LL - Toggle Lanes
- LL - Open Controls
- Keep the Pattern Matrix visible to see what you are doing
built-in keys
If you keep your focus on the control panel you can use the built-in keymaps
- Navigate the pattern matrix with the arrow keys
- Launch the pattern under your cursor using
Space - Stop them with
Backspace - Solo a pattern using
Enter - Alternatively, hold down modifier keys to use different actions with
Space - See the
Keymaptab on the panel for details
The tool also provides shortcuts for these actions to work without having to open or focus the dialog (search for LL - in Edit / Preferences / Keys to see all available keybindings)
swap
By default, each action will be scheduled to execute when the current pattern finished playing, but you can use the Swap mode to apply any action immediately.
- While focusing the dialog, hold
Alt(Controlon Mac) when pressing an action - For the assignable keybindings each action has an
Armand aSwapvariant
rows
Each action can be applied to the entire row of tracks (keybindings are called Row Arm Play and so on)
key-grid
When focusing the dialog you can use your keyboard as a grid controller to launch patterns relative to your cursor without having to navigate. The modifier keys will work the same way. You can see and setup your key characters on the Keymap tab.
By default the keys correspond to a US keyboard and have 4 rows of 9 tracks, each row having a key at the end that will launch the entire row. You can offset the âwindowâ these keys map to by navigating with the arrow keys, your cursor in the matrix will correspond to 1 from below
tracks rows
s | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 0
e | Q W E R T Y U I O | P
q | A S D F G H J K L | ;
| Z X C V B N M , . | /
play controls
This tab allows you to configure how to play patterns
Lengthallows you to pick aFixedlength for your lanes or let it be setAutomatically based on any pattern you launch. Patterns that are longer than the current length will be cut while shorter patterns will play in the beginning (the tool uses the built-in pattern aliasing to compose patterns).Modesets how to launch new patternsOncewill stop after a pattern has been playedLoopwill run continuouslyStepwill go to the next pattern in the song after it has played the current one
On Gaplets you customize what theStepvariant does when it reaches a gap in the matrixIgnorewill continue playing regardless of whatâs the next patternJumpwill skip gaps and play patterns after the gapsStopwill stop playing once it reaches a gapWrapwill go back until the first gap above and play from there, this is useful to play pattern chains that are longer than your cycle length, all you have to do is surround an island of patterns with gaps
Gapsdetermine what will count as a gap for a stepping playheadEmpty- patterns without any notesMuted- pattern slots that have been muted (they haveXsymbol over them in the matrix)Section- sections in your song will be used as gapsAutomation- when ticked, patterns that only contain automation will count as gaps
settings
This tab has general settings for how the tool behaves
Aftersets what your cursor will do after you executed some actionKeepwill do nothing, your cursor stays where it wasRightwill move your cursor to the next track, this is useful to quickly act on multiple pattern in a rowLastwill move your cursor to whichever direction you stepped last, similar toRight, just a bit more quirky
Wrapmodes affect your matrix navigation while using the dialogNonewill behave as the built-in navigation, edges of the matrix will stop your cursorTrackwill wrap around the matrix horizontallyPatternwill do the same verticallyBothwraps both tracks and patterns
Highlightlets you pick your preferred pattern highlight modeNonewill not make any visible changesSlot Colorswill apply a white slot color to playing patterns, and a flashing one for armed ones, the downside is that setting slot colors create undo actions in your project, so if you want to launch things while you work on other stuff, your undo will be rather messed up.Selectionwill use the pattern slot selection feature in Renoise to highlight armed and playing tracks, this is a bit hard to see (especially on certain themes) and it will make selecting patterns in the matrix impossible, but it will leave your undo stack alone.
future plans
- Make selecting play modes more accessible through keybindings
- Track monitor panel that shows the currently playing pattern for each track and their playmodes, allows selecting different modes on each pattern while playing
- Recorded history for each scheduled change
- Reduced slot color highlight mode without the flashing and customizable color for highlight
- Different playmodes like backwards, random, N-repeat and so on.
download
see the source on gitlab
direct link to all my tools as a zip
get a single xrnx from my new manual page
if you enjoy what I do, consider donating 
Safe travels!
This means all your live tinkering with the tool will be recorded inside automatically newly created patterns? mind assplodes