Sample editor is one of the key features I’m using renoise, and the main reason I dumped Reason. It was just too much work to constantly save the samples, edit them in separate editor, then load them back, just to find out they’re still not the way I’d like them to be. A big workflow killer. Reason is otherwise great as a sample player and midi sequencer. It’s similiar with not being able to record straight into renoise, although this is a minor problem compared to not having sample editor at all.
I like trackers not just because of vertical representation of note data and easy keyboard operation, the biggest advantage is that they’re sample based. That’s why it’s important for them to have good and especially quick sample editor built in. There are quite a few more advanced trackers than Renoise (Aodix 4 is a good example), but most of them are unusable for me because they’re not sample based anymore, so most of tracker commands are useless and there’s really not much left of the real tracker power in them, except the look and partly keyboard operation. Renoise is the best combination of tracker sequencer and sample editor, that’s why I use it. But it is sooo close to be the best in both areas. IMO suggestions in this thread wouldn’t complicate it a bit if done right, but they would greatly enhance workflow of many people.