Took a while this time, but its also quite a huge update this time.
Download
The first Beta build can be downloaded at the Renoise backstage:
http://backstage.renoise.com
Demo versions will not be available until we reach the Release Candidate
state, aka its available for registered users only right now.
Newsletters & official news will be sent over the weekend.
Beta Testing Forums
We would like to ask everyone for help, not just to help us making this
release as stable as possible, but also to give us feedback about the
new features: What you like what not, what could be made better and so
on. Well, as usual, lets finetune & pollish this thing all together to
make it perfect!
To do so, there are two new forums while Renoise 2.5 is in beta:
Bug reporting: Report any bugs you found in the beta there please. We
will alos announce new beta builds there
2.5 Discussion: Please post anything related to 2.5 there which is not
a bug report. Questions, ideas, feedback, what ever else.
Whats New in Renoise 2.5?
+ Pattern Matrix:
In Renoise you build your song from the bottom up. The workflow is
based on patterns, lines, and the details in between. Something that
gives an overview from the top down, a birds eye of view of the song,
has been missing so far.
The new Pattern Matrix ingeniously solves this problem the Renoise
way: without radically changing the nature of Renoise, the tracker.
Patterns and Tracks are divided into Blocks that can be moved around,
providing the ability to manage the flow of the music instantly and
easily. It's a natural evolution to the product, and quite frankly it
just damn cool.
Here are some Pattern Matrix features at a glance:
- Overview of all notes in the song over multiple patterns (see
what's happening in your song, when and where)
- Ability to select, drag & drop, copy, paste, clone and insert
blocks into multiple tracks or pattern selections.
- Fully keyboard driven. It can be just like the pattern editor,
if that’s what you are into.
- Extension to the pattern sequencer, thus visible next to and with
the Pattern Editor or Mixer
- Fully optional (no need to use it, when you don't need it)
- Ability to mute parts of your song, without the need to create new
patterns. Useful when playing livesets or to develop patterns in
real time (create full arrangements or "drafts" from a single pattern
with just a few clicks)
- User definable colors for tracks, which are also visible in other
parts of Renoise (like the pattern editor) for better overview,
grouping
- Resizable columns and rows lets you see more at once, or visualize
more detailed content previews
- Easily see repeating content (spot variations over multiple patterns)
- Single track mode, focus your attention on a particular column
+ Cross Track Routing For All "Meta Devices"
Renoise’s Meta Devices, effects that modulate/control other parameters
like the "LFO Device" or "Hydra", can now be chained to parameters in
other tracks.
This way you can control multiple devices on multiple tracks at the
same time with a single slider (using our "Hydra Device" for
instance). Or use a "Key Tracking" device to modulate parameters from
key input in another track.
In essence, you can now connect & modulate all parameters with all
others, making your tracks interact where ever you want them to.
+ Vastly Improved MIDI Mapping
Nearly everything in Renoise can now be mapped to a MIDI controller.
Start/stop buttons, patterns, tracks, sequence navigation or track
muting/soloing... Anything you need in a live session, or simply want
mapped, is easier than ever to achieve.
Besides being able to map more MIDI, there are also plenty of other
improvements:
- Notes can now be mapped to parameters (e.g. switch a Cutoff
value between two settings)
- A MIDI Note or Controller can be mapped to multiple parameters /
actions in Renoise now (e.g. for cross fading - or mute/un-mute
several tracks at once with one click)
- Context sensitive, intelligent mappings: You can set up mappings
to do things with the currently selected device or track. This way
you can use your MIDI controller hand-in-hand with the mouse or
keyboard, and don't have to map every single parameter for every
existing FX manually...
- New overview of already set up mappings with the ability to clear
and remap/adjust existing mappings
+ Instrument Grabber
Just like Renoise's versatile "Render Selection To Sample" feature,
the Instrument Grabber allows you to create sample based instruments
from any VSTi or AU plugin instrument.
Extremely useful to free up your songs from plugin dependencies, or
just to extend your sample library with sounds from your favorite
plugin instruments.
The instrument grabber features:
- replace or create multiple instruments with custom batch settings
- replace/unload the plugin instrument in the whole song, or create
new instruments
- create single or multi-sample instruments from a range of notes
with specified sampling step (specify how many samples to capture)
- smooth auto looping via crossfading, or a customizable note, tail
duration with auto cropping or fading
+ A Bunch of New Internal Effects
- Cabinet Simulator Audio FX
A truly excellent, yet simple to use Guitar & Bass Amp simulator
with 18 different cabinet models, a nasty tube, and an EQ.
Highly recommended, not just for guitar or bass sounds.
- *Signal Follower Meta Device
The Signal Follower listens to incoming audio from a track, and
transfers this signal to any automation parameter. This allows you
to create sidechain like effects for !any! FX parameters, not just
Compressors. Or add Auto Wah-Wah effects and much much more.
- *XY-Pad Meta Device
This device lets you link two parameters onto a sweet looking X/Y
pad. In combination with "*Hydra" devices, this thing is extremely
useful for preparing and performing Live sets.
+ Some Audio Engine Motor Oil
We've finished the transition from our legacy tracker tick base
timing. These final transitionary optimizations have resulted in
better overall performance of Renoise's Audio Engine (up to a 10%
boost, maybe even 20% on some old machines like a G4).
These changes also result in better standards compliance for VST/AU
compatibility: The "static buffer" compatibility option for VSTs, AUs
will less often be needed now.
+ Improved Plugin delay compensation
Renoise will now more accurately respond to real time playback with
PDC enabled: notes that you're playing/recording with your keyboard,
while the song is running. This makes it much easier to record &
improvise, even when using loads of delay causing plugins.
+ Audio Plugin Crash Guards for OSX
Just like on Windows, when a plugin does something bad, Renoise on
OSX will try to "recover" from such disasters, and show an error
instead of letting the plugin crash the system.
This way you can know which plugin caused a crash and also get the
chance to remove the buggy plugin, backup your song. Of course, this
could also save your ass in a live gig...
+ MIDI Chord Mode Recording
Recording notes into patterns with the MIDI keyboard, will now create
chords, automatically. Just like when holding down the Shift key in
the Pattern Editor to "enforce" chords.
+ MP3 Loading Support on Linux
On Linux you can now import MP3 files in Renoise with libmpg123.
OGG, Flac and other formats don't need any external components
installed. On OSX and Windows MP3 files have always been supported
with Quicktime installed.
+ Loads of User Interface Cosmetics, Tons of Small Workflow Improvements
Renoise got a small face lift. It gives veterans a better overview
and new users more consistent UI experience.
The most noticeable changes are the cleaned up transport panels.
Additionally, Pattern related options & settings are now in a new bar
next to the pattern. Rarely used functions are now in a new menu
named "Options" at the top.
Some examples for other GUI & Workflow related changes are:
- FX devices can now be minimized in the DSP chains
- Meta device routing (also for the new cross track routing) are
now visualized in the mixer for the currently selected FX
- The sample recording dialog can now also be shown outside the
sample editor
- Automation envelopes will now properly snap & show bipolar parameters
- All context menus got cleaned up, and you can also set/change the
keyboard focus this way
- Double clicking on parameters name will reset the parameter to its
default value
- Added "Save Sample" & "Save Instrument" shortcuts to the context
menus (so you don't have to use the Disk Browser)
- Added Delete "Unused Tracks" and "Delete Unused Samples in
Instruments" actions to the edit menu
- The keyboard preferences pane now have an "All" entry, which simply
shows all mapped keys, independent from the focus
- You can now create up to 8 effects columns in the pattern editor
- ...a plethora of small tweaks, here and there...
For those who can’t wait till Renoise.com got updated with screenshots or until the download finished, heres a small sneak preview with some of the features in a screen shot.
Pricing and Availability
As noted above, beta versions are exclusive to registered users. The
first public 2.5 versions will be release candidates. The final version
is expected to be released at the beginning of next year.
The price of Renoise will change from 49 Euro to 59 Euro when the
final version is released. Everyone that buys Renoise 2.5 before the
final version will get Renoise for the old price of 49 Euro. This covers
upgrades up until and including version 3.5.
Those who registered Renoise before version 1.5, can update their
license in the backstage. The price for a full versions upgrade is 39 EUR.
New Renoise Dev on board
As visible in the forums here: Kraken/Gore has joined the Renoise team
as developer and already done lots of features for this release. Some
of you might know him from Jucetice. He was the guy who made it possible
to use VST plugins on Linux at all.
And even though he mainly uses Linux, this does not mean that he will
concentrate on Linux only related features but in “general” ones…
So once again, welcome Kraken!
Whats planned for next updates?
We usually can not promise exact release dates and plans, but this time
its “very likely” that we’ll throw in a Renoise 2.6 release right after
this release. Well, soon, as soon as 2.5 went final. This mainly will be
a “Renoise nerds” release - in a positive way.
For this release we already are working on integrating a scripting
language into Renoise, actually already some of the new features in
Renoise 2.5 are built with it, which will allow you to (and more):
- OSC support, create interactive MIDI controller scripts.
For example: control Renoise with a Monome, Mackie Control and so on,
without having to manually “map” the controller. Just plug in the
controller and you’re ready to go.
- Extend Renoise with the features you always wanted:
Just like Extensions in for example Firefox, you will be able to extend
Renoise with the features you want, like beatslicing, note shuffling,
auto composing algorthms, whatever. Thoise scripts allow bidirectional
comminication with Renoise, but not just with the song, as we have
it now for the XRNS tools.
You will also have the ability to write custom Renoise GUIs for your
scripts, assign keyboard shorcuts and so on, to perfectly integrate
them to Renoise.
More details about this will follow later, after the Renoise 2.5 release
was done.
Kudos to the Alpha Team
We had some really exciting and troubling time during the last weeks,
fintuning, discussing, testing and fintuning, discussing & fintuning
again all the new features. So what we have now as feature set was
built thanks to the whole Alpha Testing team. So thanks for that once
again! I think all the trouble was definitely worth it.
Taktik - On behalf of the whole team
Enjoy the new release…
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