Editing instruments

In the (6) Properties window select Instrument Settings.

Here you can edit almost all sample or instrument parameters. You can play MIDI, sample, and VST all together as one instrument. To play MIDI together with a sample (or just standalone) you have to enable it by clicking on On (left part of the window which shows MIDI options for the instrument). Now choose the MIDI device, MIDI sound patch, etc. Use virtual piano keyboard or MIDI-in keyboard to play and edit notes.



Most important parameters for samples (middle part of the window) are Amplify (determines the volume of the sample) and Fine Tuning (fine tuning of samples that sound out of tune). You can have up to 400% of original sample volume, so no more need to use 2 channels for same bassdrum or such stuff like in FastTracker2. If you still need more volume you should maximize (normalize) sample in the Sample Editor. You can also choose a loop if you have an looped sample. There are 3 basic loops modes - forward, backward and ping-pong (bidirectional). If you use loop sample (drum loop, baseline loop, etc.) you can sync it to appropriate number of pattern lines with BeatSync here. Turn on BeatSync and select number of pattern lines you want the loop to play in. Don't use beatsync on instruments, only loop-type samples. Finally here are also new note actions: they define what will happen if new note is played over an old one. Select a new note action from the menu.

On the right part of the window is a VST instrument editor. If you have installed some VST instruments they will appear on list. If Renoise doesn't find them you have to setup VST path correctly in the Configs menu. Parameters for controlling VST are similar to sample and MIDI parameters.

Assuming that you have loaded a sample and you can hear it by playing piano keyboard, now select Sample Editor from the (6) Properties window.



The middle part of the screen will probably like like this.



Mark a range by holding the left mouse button and dragging it around the sample. After marking the range you can Cut, Copy, Paste or Trim the sample (trimming keeps only the selected part of the sample). And of course you can do all other options that are presented here for editing samples. On the upper part of the window are buttons for easy Zooming In and Out of sample. You can also zoom if you drag slider below sample display by holding its left or right edge (they are in different color than center of slider). If you drag the slider by its middle part you will move through the sample that is displayed. Use the sample editor to set loop points for looped samples and LoopFineEditor for finetuning your loop.

To edit instrument envelopes, select the Instrument Editor from the (6) Properties window.



The Instrument editor is in the middle of the screen.



Basically if you know about FastTracker2 envelopes this is it, just much, much more extended. You draw the envelope with your mouse (left button for lines, right for points), choose from different presets (store it with your right mouse button click on button, recall with left mouse click). There basic envelopes are on the left side; they handle Volume, Panning and Pitch of the instrument. On the right side you have the ability to setup envelopes to filter the instrument sound. There are envelopes for Filter Cutoff and Filter Resonance. All envelope lengths are counted in ticks and are variable, so if you want to set a sustain point (a point of the envelope where it will stop the playback of an envelope until the key is released), turn Sustain to On and move the sustain line to the desired position in the envelope.

There are two ways of interpolation of the envelopes, the Linear and the Hermite one. The Linear interpolation will make the envelope look exactly the way you drew it, but standard and recommended is the Hermite way that "softens" the envelopes so that the sound is softened as well. Usually the Hermite interpolation is what you want, and this one sounds especially good on instruments you want to sound natural.

If you create a loop in the Envelope you might want to fade out after you trigger Note Off in the (4) Pattern editor. To set this fade out value modify FadeOut. This works great for strings, for example.

Additionally there are two LFO's (low frequency oscillators) which you can use for vibrato or similar effects and which have playback independent of envelopes.

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