Welcome a new Renoise release.
Registered users can download the new Renoise 2.0 beta version on the backstage:
http://backstage.renoise.com
Free demo versions will be available in several weeks after the beta cycle is over AKA 2.0 beta versions are for registered users only. (and if you’re not registered, now is as good a time as any 
)
IMPORTANT: This is a BETA release, which means it may contain bugs! We need your help to to find&fix them, so please report any problems you can find in the newly created forums:
Please post bug Renoise 2.0 related bugs & problems here:
http://www.renoise.com/board/index.php?showforum=37
Let us discuss features and fine-tuning for Renoise 2.0 here:
http://www.renoise.com/board/index.php?showforum=38
Public and final releases will not be released before all problems have been solved, so we can not give you a final release date (yet).
This release is free for every registered Renoise user. Renoise licenses are valid for a full version number, so even if you bought Renoise at version 1.0, Renoise 2.0 is the last version you get without having to update your license…
What is this release about?
As noted before in these forums, Renoise 2.0 is a “roundup” release (0.1 update), so you wont be confronted with a totally new program (remember that the last release was Renoise 1.9).
Nevertheless, there are a bunch of substantial changes, which simply had to be done before we can take care of features like the PianoRoll, Arranger or ReWire. Also, as promised, the Feature Polling (registered users decide/poll which upcoming features should have high priorities for the next releases) will start as soon as we are done with the 2.0 release (when it goes gold). We’ll notify you about this and give you more details in a newsletter then…
Beside of tons of small improvements, Renoise 2.0 features Precision, Timing and Plugin improvements. Thats in detail:
Biggies:
+ Full, automatic, sample precise Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) for
Track FX (native and Plugin) and Instruments (aka everything).
You simply don't have to care if a VST Plugin or instrument introduces
unwanted latency. Renoise will compensate it for you under the hood.
+ Custom track delays to easily offset MIDI/Audio tracks. For example,
laying back a snare can now be done in real time in the mixer. Same
goes for "MIDI tracks" (tracks with MIDI notes).
+ Mac OSX: Added support for Audio Unit (AU) Plugins (finally)
+ "Ticks" no longer limited by the engine's note resolution / "Speed" is dead:
- "Speed" (this tracker compatibility thing which no one understood, but
somehow made the pattern scroll faster) is finally gone. Better said, it got
replaced by more powerful and easier to use LPB settings (Lines Per Beat -
how many lines in the pattern make up a musical beat).
- You can now offset notes and note commands with a gradient of 1/256 line
precision (thats a PPQ of 4096 at LPB=16!) via a new "delay column" in the
pattern editor. This might be the first time you record something in a tracker
and it actually sounds exactly as groovy (or bad) as you played it!
- revised Sample FX commands: Pitch/Volume slides, glides now work
independently of the sampler's "tick" rate. For example, 0110 will
pitch notes a half-note up, 0101 a sixteenth half-note, etc. Volume/panning
slides on volume/panning column now work as if their value was the first digit
of the corresponding command column command (f.e.: 0720 = A2) See the tutorials
pages for more info about these and other effects.
- ready for the future: NoteDelays and LPB are the most important and necessary
steps for upcoming big features like Zoomable Patterns, Piano Roll, more accuracy
(timing wise) with FX automations, and so on.
IMPORTANT: Not all of the changes are backwards compatible, thus only new songs
can make use of all the new features. Old songs can be manually upgraded
in the "Song settings" pane, but will probably need manual adjustments...
+ Vastly improved MIDI recording precision by compensating event latencies
(and of course also thanks to the new note delays / LPB settings)
+ Added support (recording and playback) for channel and polyphonic
aftertouch for MIDI and VSTi instruments.
Polyphonic aftertouch is sent when specifying a volume value (velocity) after
a note on (but before a note off is present). Channel aftertouch can be send via:
"--- 01 .. C3 00 20" (This will send an aftertouch value of 20h to the instr. 01)
+ Added note quantize options for realtime recording and Note nudge options in
the Advanced Edit pane. There are also new shortcuts for realtime note
quantization to quickly quantize after recording.
+ Improved audio latency when recording: The Line-In device now lets you
specify the source of the recorded audio and will apply/fix latencies,
as needed.
+ Multi output VSTis (AUs) are now fully supported. Samplers or Synths
with multiple channels can now be routed to individual tracks.
+ Sending notes to VST (AU) FX is now supported. Simply create a FX alias
in the VST Instruments pane to do so (link an instrument to an existing
FX).
+ Improved audio performance (lower latencies are possible) especially for OSX &
Linux, when running Renoise on multi-CPU machines.
Note: On Linux, you have to configure your system to allow Renoise to
create realtime threads. Usually this is done via PAM. Please see the
Linux FAQ for more details on how to configure your system to make use
of the improvements & fixes.
And more:
+ Interface / OS integration:
- Windows + OSX: Drag & Drop of external files
- Windows + OSX: Better support for Japanese and other input modes
- Renoise GUI widget cosmetics
- Tooltips now show if a shortcut is "local"
- Hitting escape while drag & dropping cancels dragging
+ Linux ALSA:
- the ALSA configuration now allows changing the Periods/Buffer
+ Mixer
- New helpful short names for LFO, Automate, Send and Velocity Devices
(showing what they control, etc...)
+ Automations:
- Added a "Show only used Automations" option to the automation list
+ Pattern Editor
- easier and more accurate mouse click/selection/navigation:
- single clicks jump to the pointed position (optional)
- middle click mutes / unmutes the track
- added key bindings for "delete previous line [in columns/track/pattern]"
which behaves like a "backspace" in a text editor
- Rendering selections will no longer reduce the rendered volume. If you've
set the master volume to 0 dB you can still lower the master volume
manually to avoid clipping...
- Added separator bars for note columns
- More contrast between empty and non-empty data
- Removed the "Show Framework" option
+ Pattern Sequencer
- Added a "Add new unique Pattern" function
Default shortcut is "Control + Alt + Insert" from the pattern editor
+ Sample Editor:
- OS Sample-Clipboard support (Windows only): Exchange (Copy/paste) samples
with your favorite sample editor
- Added mono mix modes to the "Adjust Sample" dialog
- Added "Copy into New Sample/Instrument" actions
- Added a "Mix-Paste" (modulate/add) action
- Better (unique) names for newly created or rendered samples
- Added a "markers" Snapping option which currently only snaps to the loop
- Added an option to auto-select the currently played back "sample split"
+ VST/Plugin related:
- Better performance and compatibility with VST instruments (less audio
latency related crackles on Songs which use lots of VSTis)
- Pimped Plugin Browsers:
-- The browsers for Plugin FX and Instruments can be made bigger by
clicking on the "more" button.
-- Plugins can be hidden, moved, and renamed (right click on the entries)
-- Plugins are now by default (this can be changed, right click) organized by
manufacturer
- Added an option to skip searching for new Plugins on startup (to speed up
startup on computers with huge Plugin collections)
- Added an Info button ("?") for VST Instruments as well (works just
like the old ones for FX)
- Plugin compatibility options (such as multiprocessor behavior) can
be changed by clicking on the info ("?") buttons
- Added a preset rename button for Plugin instruments
- Window positions of external interfaces are now memorized/restored with the song
(external editors will open on the last used position on screen)
+ Internal FX:
- the "*LFO Device" "Reset" parameter can now be automated by other
"*LFO Device"s or "*Velocity Device"s. This way you can automate/(re)trigger
the LFOs phase.
- added a new Filter device: Filter 3, which replaces the old "Filter 2" device.
The new filter has four models. All come with LowPass, HighShelf, BandPass,
BandReject, LowShelf and HighPass) modes:
-- a standard, precise and fast 24dB Biquad filter
-- an experimental, fast and "fruity" 24dB Moog filter emulation
-- a 4 stage Butterworth filter, for precise and ultra sharp cutoffs
-- a 8 stage Butterworth filter, for ultra precise and ultra sharp cutoffs
- the Stereo Expander now has a "Mono Mix" switch
+ Misc:
- Added "Show Log file" and "Show Preferences folder" in the help menu
so that you can easily find Log/Preferences files on your computer
- Replaced the old "recent files" menu with "recently loaded" and
"recently saved" file menu
- Autobackups now also save for "Untitled" (newly started) songs.
The backups are saved in the Preferences folder.
- The clock is back;) (in fullscreen mode)
+ And more. Lots of small stuff/details which hopefully make composing even more fun...
Before you go and download this thing, have a look at the FAQs at http://www.renoise.com/board/index.php?showforum=38 please, until we have updated our tutorial section. Especially the LPB, NoteDelay stuff is something which even the oldest hardcore tracker users might not have heard / used before, so please take the time and read this first.
Something which might not be obvious to everyone: Please note that as soon as you start a song with Renoise 2.0 or save/overwrite an old (with Renoise 1.X made) song in Renoise 2.0, you can no longer open this song in Renoise 1.X! Songs are fully backwards compatible, but never forward compatible!
Please also note that many changes / new features (like the LPB stuff) are only available if you either manually “upgrade” your song in the Song Properties tab, or if you have started the Song with Renoise 2.0. We had to do this to guarantee full backwards compatibility with old songs. So even when the new features are not “compatible” to Renoise 2.0, Renoise 2.0 will emulate them in such cases.
And finally a personal message from me to the whole Alpha Testing team, which made Renoise 2.0 to what it is now: Thanks for all the hard work! Guess we all need some holiday after this
Have fun with the new release!
On behalf of the whole Renoise team
Taktik
Plugin delay compensation! Large filebrowser! Send MIDI to VST-effects! Filter3! Gonna play around with it tonight!