It’s not standard to use a Tracker to record tracks with lots of singing, live instruments, etc. but back in the 90s when I started tracking, I used to create EDM (techno), and sometimes it would include choruses and verses with singing and / or rapping. I managed to do it in the 90s in a very elaborate way using a tape recorder - but being able to do it even then with limited tech has convinced me that not only can it be done in a Tracker today, but that the Tracker interface provides several advantages over other types of DAWs, ala ProTools style.
Many people say Trackers, or Renoise specifically, is not quite built for recording, but is built for programming and sequencing - and they say Renoise is especially weak when it comes to comping vocals or instruments. I think at face value, if you’re coming from other DAWs, this might seem to be the case. After searching even these forums, the standard advice is to use something like Reaper to do all your vocal and guitar / live instrument recording takes, comp there, and import the outcome into Renoise. I’ve tried doing that, and it works okay, but I always find myself just coming back to Renoise and recording takes in there instead. I just don’t like having to use two types of software, and I’m convinced it can be done well in Renoise. It’s something of a challenge for me - I want to prove that any type of music can be made in a Tracker, Renoise especially, as I really believe it can. Some of my producer friends shake their head at it because they’re so used to using what they use, but I’m convinced Renoise presents a unique workflow that makes so many elements of producing a breeze.
To help others who also want to record and comp in Renoise, I wanted to post the tools that I believe make comping absolutely doable, so that others out there that want to use Renoise to do this sort of thing don’t have to spend long hours searching and working through thinking about workflow, as I have had to.
After that, I just want to address how I think one has to think about this style of recording and music creation in a Tracker.
Okay, so first up, you record all of your takes into the sample recorder, which is pretty basic. Each take becomes a new instrument.
Then, the tools:
1. SliceMate
New Tool (3.1): SliceMate
This exceptionally powerful tool allows you to slice samples from the Editor view. Simply pause at the spot and slice where the cursor is.
If all of your recordings start at the same place, which would be the best practice for recording in any DAW, you can place your long recorded samples into one track (or multiple tracks) and slice them all at the same place. Just slice, move the cursor to the next one, and slice. Every sample will then be sliced in the same pots. It’s pretty much like slicing in another DAW, except the advantage here is you can fine tune your slices in each specific sample if there are slight alterations.
2. Slice Importer
New Tool (3.1.1): Slice Importer v1.1 (February 2019)
Slice importer is an alternative option, or one that complements the above tool (or that tool complements this one). If all of your recordings start at the same place (which is best practice in any DAW, so it’s not a workaround), you can slice one of your takes / recorded sample and then copy the slice markers and paste them into the other takes (other instruments). Again, you can fine tune as necessary.
Oh also, a bonus tool: TempoTap - https://www.renoise.com/tools/tempo-tap. Does what it says on the tin.
The amazing thing I’ve found is these are two exceptionally simple tools. I was doing all sorts of workarounds before, fiddling with samples and creating phrases from them, so that I could switch between phrases for comping. But then after finding these I realized the solution is actually exceptionally simple - and I’m sure these tools would be super easy to integrate into Renoise natively in a future update (hint, hint).
After using these, all you need to do after is take your best takes and put them in the pattern editor at the appropriate place. In fact, if you simply put all of your takes onto the same track (into different columns) from the beginning, you can just silence those slices you don’t want. SliceMate is especially helpful for this as the slices are already in the pattern editor. Just use the volume column or the velocity column and silence what you don’t want, or use the pattern editor to mute tracks.
Mindset:
You have to think of live instrument / vocal takes as samples - samples which you can manipulate and place just as any other sample. This may seem obvious, but I think many musicians struggle to see it that way. They see samples as ‘loops’ or breakbeats. Samples are these too, of course, but any recording of anything is essentially a sample and an instrument all of its own. When you start thinking of live instrument takes as creating samples - as creating instruments which you can slice up, it also opens up new creative ways of composing a rock or pop song. Again, I know this seems obvious, but I just think musicians see ‘samples’ as different to ‘recording’, and if you just switch your mind in this very simple way and get into this mode of thinking about ALL of your instruments, composing in Renoise suddenly makes sense, and I think the power inherent in the software really begins to stand out and become apparent.
Anyway, this is my process. If any others here use Renoise to record and comp, and use the software to create music with lots of singing, with instruments like guitars or other live instruments, or even rapping, would love to hear your process here too. Who knows - maybe you have an even better workflow? I really searched on the internet for this and didn’t find much - maybe it’ll be cool to have a thread where others can find answers much more easily.
