Here is an easy way to implement a simple beatslicer within renoise. Just add an option to change the keyboard in mode from pitch to sample offset. I was thinking of the following additions to make it useful:
pitch/sample offset switch: switch between the two modes.
root key: the root key would be 0900, like C-4 or E-3.
pitch: choose the pitch that is played with every key pressed, C-4 etc.
range: how to divide the 256 sample position (00-FF), range 16 would mean divide 256 in 16 steps, so you would have the keyboard mapped:
from key 1 at root (C-4 for this example) position giving 0900
to key 16 from root position (D#5 in this example) giving 09F0
Every key pressed on the keyboard now adds a sample played at the pitch configured in the options and at a sample position based on what key was pressed with 09xx.
Well, say for example you have a drumloop with the kick at 900 and the snare at 910, etc.
Which is easier:
C-4 0900
C-4 0900
or simply having C-4 mapped to 900 and C#4 mapped to 910, then doing:
C-4
C#4
?
Either way, I don’t think one could (or should) ever replace the other, but I will agree that the extra option would be nice. But I believe this sample offset mapping issue has been mentioned several times in the past, so I would imagine we’ll see some form of it implemented in the future. Could be a nice time saver at least.
My idea was to just simply have this appear when you add a note:
C-4 0900
C-4 0930
etc…
Instead of having to add the 09xx after you placed a note. You place a note and at the same time have the start of the sample set. This would of course have auditorial feedback; you would actually hear the sample as you are adding it with the sample offset. Afterwards you might finetune the 09xx collumn to your liking.
Just have a root key set and a range for the amount of steps you would like to use. I think it would be a great help for exploring big samples as well. The only thing that changes momentarily is that you have to stick to only one pitch, but you could then cange that in the options.
I didn’t mean any of that mapping business, like when you have several samples loaded in one instrument. Just use the methods that are already available but make a slight improvement and give it an more efficient interface. Just keep it simple!
My allegory is midi. Every message in midi is 7 bit (ignoring pitch bend and other more recent nrpn controllers). So there are 128 different possible note values, and 128 different possible values for each cc.
I often map note values to cc values and vice versa. To me, they’re interchangable.
Now, you’re asking me “what the hell are you on about Laurence? What does this have to do with the Renoise keyboard?”
To me, the Keyboard is an abstraction. You use the keys to enter note data because it is mapped that way. So why not enter notes with different parameters changed (in this case, note offset instead of pitch)? Pitch would have to be preset in this, and this use would be defined in some kind of macro.
Wouldn’t that be nice. O, what a perfect world it would be
To clarify the idea even further, the basic idea is to have more control over percussion. One of the lesser used parameters for percussive samples is pitch. it usually has more to do with dynamics, or in the case of a drumloop the start offset in the sample.
Now, we have a keyboard that is mapped to pitches at all times which leaves us pressing the same old key for every percussive note we enter. Wouldn’t it be great if you could use those keys to enter dynamics or offset instead of pitch?
So my suggestion would be to have a button to switch between pitch mode and percussive mode. Or maybe even add the option in the instrument section so the perussive mode works only on certain instruments where you have percussive mode switched on.
I would really like to see something like this happen. It looks to me that it wouldn’t be that hard to implement.
I always thought it’d be nice to be able to place queue points in a sample and trigger that with a 09XX-type command, say, 0XYY, where yy is the id number of a queue points. This way you could visually place triggers and go to them more precisely than with the percentage based 09XX, and more intuitively. Easier to remember 0X01 0X02 than 0968 0920
In any case i’m not sure how big a fan i am of the percentage method 09xx uses right now anyway, it’s decent for short samples but it drastically loses its convenience over longer stretches. The longer the sample the less precision you get.
To comment on the original idea that sparked this thread, i think it’s a good idea, and one that i would’ve supported not long ago, but it’s really very easy to set up a drumkit map that will do roughly the same thing, barring some pitch changes (though you can use 02XX/01XX to achieve subtle pitch changes).
In any case, i usually have a separate instrument for every hit of a drum, so i’d rather have some kind of instrument-grouping under a native vsti-style instrument that let you set up a mappings similar to a drumkit map only with a larger scope.
I think creating some extra complexity around the 09XX command (which does what it does within its scope just fine) is less relevant than making a new 09xx-style command that performs some other more general task, in this case triggering a sample at more precise and organized offsets.
And to me, identifying a drum by wether it is c#4 or c-4 is just a bizarre thought. I do very extensive drum programming in my tunes, and at least with 0940 i know that’s a snare and 0920 is a hihat. Somehow that just reads easier for me.
i myself like to play the same drum in different pitches (pitches? ) in one song. like playing one snare the way it is throughout the song, but for some fill ins etc. play the same snare a little bit lower, higher, whatever.
i think the 0X00 command would be cool. the other way (c#3, d3, d#3 assigned to differrent offsets in 09xx command) would cut off the ability to play the “slice” in a different pitch.
an option would be cool though.
) in one song. like playing one snare the way it is throughout the song, but for some fill ins etc. play the same snare a little bit lower, higher, whatever.