The .rns File Format

I wonder if the developers are going to release the specifications of the .rns-format to the public. Others could then develop 3rd-part stand-alone software that would load in Renoise (not the software itself, but the .rns-file that the software generated).

I have an idea to code a piece of software that generates a Renoise-file out of user coded parameters (i.e. no sound in that software, just notation and expressions).

What I am after is really to create a script language that let’s you track in Notepad, just by writing tags and commandos and calls for procedures, sequences, other sub-scripts (other files) and then compile everything into a .RNS-file.

the next renoise version could have some good news about this.

tracking on notepad: wouldn’t it be just… errr… useless? :ph34r:

Good one… :D

What I am talking about here is not a substitute for the tracker, but rather a system that is somewhat similar to object-orientated programming languages. The software would act as a compilator that made a .rns-file out of the source code. The .rns-file could then be edited in Renoise.

One may ask: what’s the point? The point is that some people (me for example) really want to automate a large portion of our creative backgrounds in music composition. I compose mostly “space-synth” (think Laserdance and Koto-style music), where most of the hard work is really to produce the melodies. The other stuff (basslines, pads, drums etc) could be made into a “style” or “template”.

What I want to do is this:

Let’s say I have a killer bassline. In Renoise, this particular bassline is made out of 14 different samples, using 4 tracks. In my application/compiler, that bassline would become an object. So my software would extract the notation, effects etc. from the .rns-file and save it as an object. Now let’s say I wanted the bassline to run this sequence (keynotes/pitch): F-G#-D#-A#. Then I would just edit a textfile, write the sequence (or with chords, I would just write “Fm, G#, D#, A#”) and connect the sequence to the objects. The textfile would then be compiled back into a new .rns-file, so when it was loaded in Renoise the pattern content was changed to include the sequences or whatever.

The real deal for me here is to save time. I want to build a large library of basslines, riffs, sequences, patterns etc that could easily be transformed in regard to pitch and other parameters. The compiler would generate all notation, sample-loading, configurations etc and this new .rns-file would act as a creative background for further tweaking, editing and adding of new tracks in Renoise. The actual tracking (of the song and of the “objects”) would still be done in Renoise. I.e., I wouldn’t “track” the notations for each individual track in Notepad – that would like throwing out Dreamweaver and write all HTML in Notepad. Quite the opposite of time-saving.

He has a point.

What i would like is some scripting process that could generate random volume levels to bring in some vivid actions, either for random volumes, but this can also be to play random layers of certain instruments.

It would remove a lot of things that have to be done manually now and it would take out a lot of suggestions that currently only the Renoise Devs could solve by implementing it.

The XML format of the RNS file shall really bring in some new dimensions for third party tool developers in the next edition. (ewps i’ve probably said something too much)

indeed I see the power of such an ability, but what I meant is that I would never make this with Notepad.

The ability to read RNI and RNS files via an XML parser will really open new ways of editing: for example, on FT2 XI envelopes editing was surely not the best, so I made a custom XI envelopes editor (which was initially command-line based, but was then ported to DOS GUI because of some success of the application), which was able to load/save envelopes, and perform simple operations such as amplification, mirroring, keyboard editing, and so on.

Such a tool would be incredibly easy to make once RNI will be XML based, and would be a great tool for whoever complain about envelopes editing not being very flexible in ReNoise (like me :))

all this is giving me a headache… i think i’ll just stick to composing music. that is difficult enough!

:)

.x

omgoose i want that. i see a grayscale .png to .rns renderer :D
oh wait … no .rns to .png sequence … w00t.

Intelligent comments, really. My idea is very good and the actual development of it is even better.

im serious about it man, love your idea.

Saving CPU resources if you only have one cpu?