Phrases would be more powerful if they could be used as arps/patterns with a ‘chord recognition’ system. It would be possible to build an arp/instrument library and use Renoise almost as an arranger, similar to the Yamaha motif XS for example.
I’m not sure how it should be implemented/edited, but here is a suggestion:
Anytime three or more notes are played on the same line in a track in the pattern editor, the first notes in the phrases’ corresponding subtracks get remapped to the note entered in the pattern editor. (everything below line 0 in the phrase editor is interpreted relative the first note in the phrase subtrack). So basically a subtrack in the phrase would be a voice.
This is not real chord recognition, but would bring almost the same result. Today you would have to make separate instruments for every chord type AND inversion. This make phrases a lot less interesting to me.
I would personally like to see something happen along those lines… with the following possibilities:
Enter expanded phrase mode - select a(ny) phrase in real-time from MIDI keyboard (this expanded mode would make the selected phrase cover the entire keyboard)
Go back to standard phrase mapping mode (each phrase being mapped to a specific key-range)
Have the ability to record this action into the pattern editor == “full automation”.
(I know that this has nothing to do with chord recognition, but it would make phrases more flexible to work with).
Maybe add a new column “index” for each note inside phrases. So when i press 3 notes, each one have an index from 1 to 3 and the corresponding note of each index will be used inside the phrase on notes where the specific index was set. Notes without an index will be played like before. In the normal pattern editor, when 3 notes are triggered at the same time, the first one get the lowest index and the last one the highest.
Excellent idea. But the note letter would need to be replaced by a number. Maybe that’s difficult to implement in an understandable and editable fashion.
I just got the Yamaha Motif XS, and I’m about to start learning its chord recognition and phrase system.
Implementing similar intelligence in Renoise phrases shouldn’t be that difficult, and would interface wise probably only require one tickbox in the phrase editor - labeled “Chord aware” or something. It would require the following procedure afaik:
Recognize the chord in the phrase.
Recognize the chord played in the pattern editor (There are already tools that does chord recognition, so the algorithm should be quite simple)
Adjust all thirds, fifths and sevenths in the original phrase accordingly.
This goes a far way. With pattern synced phrases you could then even use Renoise as a realtime backing track machine via MIDI.
I believe a feature like this would be the bomb when it comes to third party content… e.g. make your guitar strum library that is PLAYABLE and usable directly.