1 and 3 and 10- Yes, if you only refer to the “Automation Editor”. The “Automation” in general in Renoise is wonderful. But that is very sad that the Automation Editor is as poor as “a editor”, when in a tracker like this is tremendously powerful (you can automate almost anything).
6- With Renoise 3, you can do multitrack recording through the MIDI input. Or using tools such as “Piano Roll Editor” (with OSC and MIDI Input). That is, it is possible to record different instruments in different tracks at the same time, if you know how to configure it. Or even section in several ranges of notes of the same instrument to record on several tracks at the same time.
9- The last minor update was 3.1.1, dated February 6, 2017, although it was released later. That is not 5 years. Although the publication was very badly taken. It was announced late and badly. The pity is that there are no more professional programmers involved in Renoise. There is only Taktik, and apparently he is very busy with other things. Renoise is a minor project, so we can not expect big changes.
12- True! The instrument box could be improved here by grouping instruments, by folders, tree style for example, or even by using colors to group. There are only 255 instrument slots. It’s a shame not to be able to classify them. And also the ability to drag and drop the groups, without this influencing the index of the instrument. I do not know, but it is probably the index of the instrument that causes the instrument box to not classify them in groups.
13- Loops? What do you mean? The phrases are loops. And the samples can be played as a loop.
…
I believe that Renoise only lacks 7 or 8 important features to implement (and the lack of them does not mean “Renoise apeste”):
1- Dramatically improve the automation editor would be one of them.
2- Renoise with vector GUI. I suppose that Taktik will take the easy way and will only update Renoise so that the current GUI (Renoise 3), which is not vectorial, fits several Zooms (125%, 150%, 175%, 200%). I suppose that it will duplicate all the images of icons and textures so that everything is seen correctly (an obsolete technique). But Renoise would be great with a vector GUI. Dreaming is free!
3- Dramatically improve the VSTi treatment graphically. Currently dragging the window of a VSTi blocks the Renoise window (it seems done on purpose). But in a serious program, you expect everything to work fluid graphically. Definitely, Renoise has graphic problems. Small subtle performance drops when changing patterns in playback, when using multiple effects can be seen more, or use tools with various notifiers or timers to track the playback line. They are small things that influence the graphical fluidity that needs to be optimized, probably due to a continued abuse of the use of the CPU “for everything”. Also the textures used (which are BMP images), can graphically influence the tools. And the resizing of some areas of certain panels in Renoise is not fluid. Graphically Renoise needs a good push. It is not possible that, in a powerful PC with a high-end graphic card of last generation and still occurs that graphically there are perceptible jumps “that bother” or that drag a window (VSTi) blocks the Renoise GUI.
4- Another is everything involved with improving the metronome and its control (with 2 effects parameters to change the rhythm throughout the song). As it is now, the metronome can not change rhythm throughout the song, and in a tracker it is very easy to control this with parameters of specific effects. Additionally, a bar of volume in the options of the song and the possibility of changing of sound would be magnificent. All this is easy to implement under the hood. Only lack of will.
5- Timeline in the sequence as an option (visualize or hide). This would be very easy if the current clock was above the sequence (Renoise left column) and larger in size. And you could read the duration of each pattern and the accumulated duration (which is the sum of the durations of each pattern), all this within the sequence (Renoise’s left column). In this way it is very easy to navigate by looking at the duration of each pattern, and then looking at the clock (the clock up) to each line. All professional DAW must have a timeline to control the duration throughout the entire song. Renoise does not have that. And Renoise 3 has a bug in the clock (hours, minutes and seconds, up right), which stops in certain cases (which should never happen).
6- The instrument box to group in the tree, even with the possibility of coloring the groups by colors.
7-Drag and drop the selection between patterns in the pattern editor. Editing between patterns with the mouse is still somewhat complicated.
8-The rest of improvements would go to the API for LUA, which is limited in certain parts that have to do with the control with peripherals, especially the alphanumeric USB keyboard and mouse. But it’s a lot of fun to tell all this.
The rest, I consider it as details here and there, secondary.
But at least here there are 8 important points that could be the basis of a road map. Surely @taktik is aware of all this, but it is good that some users mention it.
For me, points 1, 2 and 3 are very important. But points 4 and 5 are also at the same level. How is it possible that a serious DAW does not allow the rhythm change of the metronome throughout the song? How is it possible that a serious DAW does not have a timeline to control the durations at any point in the sequence? This is basic. Probably point 5 is quite a challenge, more complex than it seems at first glance. Adding this, Renoise could be used to compose original soundtracks, synchronized with videos, for quality documentaries, series, movies or multimedia montages.
