not on my renoise, are you on apple ios?
What is your version of renoise?
Grouping in only for 3.3 (maybe 3.2)
grouping is working, i have 3.2.
i understand how to add vstfx to a group, but i don;t understand you’re comment:
I’ve just realized now that you can send a plugin directly in a subgroup with " : "
Group:subgroup
I think a will made a text file containing the structure
then i will copy - paste
I must go to bed😴
We will see it later
see? i’ve got things grouped… only hate the fact that i have to keep a .txt file containing my groups:
VSTi:
SYNTHS1
SYNTHS2
CLASSICSYNTHS
DRUMMACHINES
MIDISHIT
ROMPLERSYNTHS
TOOLS
SAMPLERS
FXSYNTHS
VSTfx:
COMPRESSORS
LIMITERS
STEREOTOOLS
FX
VOCODERS
VOCALFX
TUNETOOLS
FILTERS
EQUALIZERS
REVERBS
DELAYS
MASTERTOOLS
PITCHERS
SIDECHAIN
TOOLS
VARIOUS
now everytime, i want to add something to a group, I’ll will have to copy the text, and put it in a group:
very frustrating.
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Creating a window tool that acts similarly is possible. A photo album that allows you to select a VSTi to upload. I actually built one and the code is pretty straightforward to do.
However, the problem is not building the tool, but collecting hundreds of images with the same format (image size) so that they can appear in the window. Basically the tool would read the installed VSTi, map an image and display it in a grid with upload options. It could show its name, if it is 32 or 64bit …
As I say, the bulk of the task would not be the code, but the creation of the collection of images (well done screenshots of each VSTi to be visually identified).
That is, it is necessary to have a photo album of all the most used VSTi. How do you do that? For example, 350x350 pixel 24 bit PNG images.
An important thing. For it to work, you need to know the exact name of the VSTi that Renoise uses for each plugin. The linked image must have the same name. If it does not exist, its corresponding image will not appear.
There are thousands of VSTi!!!
FL Studio displays an image panel because it controls the number of VSTi included. It is doable.
By default, FL only shows its own plugins in the picker, but it is possible to make a screenshot from the GUI of any other VST/VSTi, then to add a kind of shortcut to a group (existing ones or new ones). All that is possible to manage with Drag&Drop inside FL or with the Windows Explorer if you know what you are doing. Groups are folders. Shortcuts are files. Then I suppose a VST/VSTi can be classify in several groups. Of course, you have to make one screenshot per plugin, and classify them, but then the plugin picker is very powerful, showing your plugins in your groups if needed. And the picker managed itself the size of the thumbnails, respecting the ratio of original image. All that would be cool in Renoise, even if I know it is not a small dev.
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I’m not sure, but I think that the API does not give access to a list of VSTi by groups, but to a general list of all VSTi that can be loaded into an instrument.
I have been able to verify that it is possible to classify VSTi by groups. It can be done through the “name”, which not only returns the modifiable name of the VSTi, but also the modifiable name of the group in this format: “Group: Name”
Related code:
-- Returns a list of tables containing more information about the plugins.
-- Each table has the following fields:
-- {
-- path, -- The plugin's path used by load_plugin()
-- name, -- The plugin's name
-- short_name, -- The plugin's name as displayed in shortened lists
-- favorite_name, -- The plugin's name as displayed in favorites
-- is_favorite, -- true if the plugin is a favorite
-- is_bridged -- true if the plugin is a bridged plugin
-- }
renoise.song().instruments[].plugin_properties.available_plugin_infos[]
-> [read-only, array of plugin info tables]Example:
>>> rprint(renoise.song().selected_instrument.plugin_properties.available_plugin_infos)
[1] => table
[favorite_name] => TAL BassLine
[is_bridged] => false
[is_favorite] => false
[name] => TAL: BassLine <-- here! "Group: Name"
[path] => Audio/Generators/VST/TAL BassLine
[short_name] => TAL BassLineTherefore, it is possible to build a tool almost identical to the one provided by FL Studio (a grid with images classified by groups or all at once). It could show:
- Non-modifiable name of the plugin (to link to the image).
- Modifiable name of the plugin.
- Group to which the plugin belongs.
- If the plugin is bridged or not (that is, if it is 32bit or 64bit).
- If the plugin is in favorites.
What’s more:
- When clicking on the plugin image, it will load the plugin into the selected instrument (overwriting).
- An additional button to remove the plug-in from the instrument without removing the instrument.
The heavy lifting is in getting all the images in the same format, so that the tool makes sense. The tool could have a single folder of images. If any image is missing, the same user could capture the image and convert it to the appropriate size and save it in the appropriate format within that folder (fulfilling some premises). Even if it detects a new file the tool would update itself (reload).
Interested in a tool project?
If anyone is interested in this project, please do the following:
- Gather 5 or 10 interested users.
- Between all these users, collect images of all the VSTi they have. It can be hundreds …
- Image format must be 32-bit PNG.
- The image size must be the original, unmodified.
- If the VSTi has its own GUI scaling, always use 100%.
- The image needs to be sharp. You must have Renoise’s “Auto-scale external editor on HDPI screens” disabled.
- All images must have the original VSTi name.
- Example: [path] => Audio/Generators/VST/TAL BassLine. Then: TAL BassLine.png
- For get it, go to: Scripting Terminal & Editor… → Terminal:
rprint(renoise.song().selected_instrument.plugin_properties.available_plugin_infos)
Each user will be able to send all the images to my email in a ZIP file. If there are enough interested users making images, I commit to building the tool with open source, after receiving a large number of VSTi images.
This will also allow for a huge VSTi listing for the Renoise community 
If anyone is interested, tell them in this thread!!! If the project progresses, I’ll create a new formal thread in the tools section of the Renoise forum.
Tracktion is free and has a plugin browser with pictures too. The images created are stored in the userdata folder and could be reused. Sometimes an image was just black for me, but it was usually solved by opening the VST inside Tracktion and use the screenshot feature again. This would automate a huge part of getting actual usable images. Offloading this onto the tool user seems like a better idea to me instead of supplying a huge library with pictures? If not at least you have the actual creation much simplified.
The images folder should not use the actual capture images, but rather much smaller and optimized images. This must be done manually. The user will not be able to capture an image and automatically appear within a certain folder.
For example, the windows print key (using ALT + print) captures the image of the selected window, including the window frame. To be correct, this frame should be removed.
Nor do I see a user with 100 plugins editing all the images one by one. Better to have a large optimized library. If later some images are missing, few, the user can add them, and send them for a new version if necessary.
a simple right click > move to group (with then the list of created groups visible) would be a much easier tool?
or, even better, drag n drop… just drag the vst name in a group.
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It is not possible from the API. In this case, there should be 2 options in the same drop-down list, new group (to write a new name) and list the already existing group names to select one.
All of this should be built under the hood of Renoise. That is, improve all these things that are more consistent instead of asking for “impossible things” (like certain extreme characteristics).
Drag and drop already has a use: drag and drop within the instrument box. Maybe with CTRL + Click.
It’s exactly that, optimized images used in a real plugin browser already. Maybe you should actually try it before coming to conclusions? If you prefer the convoluted way, sure. Just trying to help.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uq0hAVTqNSCVecixFKK5SWMJy5bnAUxm/view?usp=sharing
Tracktion “simple” plugins management
I think a good coder could make some money creating a low cost “universal” plugin manager,which export a custom plugins tree (and renaming) to DAWS
Concerning plugin management,we live in the past today
Alternative: adding a button in Renoise to feed a plugin picker.
A plugin picker should be too much work for Renoise team…
I just want a simple and easy drag’n drop plugin tree editing😭
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For this to be really useful and elegant, the Screenshot button should return an operating system window with:
- Be able to select a destination path to save the image.
- To be able to select the image format (BMP, PNG or JPG).
- A text box to edit the name.
- A save image button.
The output of the final image should look exactly like this (without the operating system window frame):
(Without the green arrow, obviously)
This would allow creating a visual management LUA tool for the add-ons comfortably, so that the user would have some control of the images they use. I even think that it would be possible to manage the groups as well, simply by editing a “string”.
I think it would be a tool that everyone would use.
However, it does involve asking @taktik to waste time creating that Screenshot button for VST / VSTi with those 4 features.
On the other hand, I don’t know if the API has any way to resize an image by modifying its width and height. I think “.bitmap” always returns the original size, and this would be a problem.
There is plugin thumbnails in tracktion.
I don’t use them
I prefer Strings simply because it display the essential informations in a compact way