Renoise 1.9 is uit de beta. Downloads op de Renoise backstage.
Renoise 1.9 is the first of the smaller updates to follow 1.8. One
that focuses on tangible features. Do not be misled to think 'ah, just
a lowly 0.1 update, might as well wait for the next release.'
We counted well over 60 changes, some of which will have a deep impact
on your workflow.
--- A glance at the highlights of Renoise 1.9
+ Multi-core support
Because processor manufacturers were running into the physical
limit of the speed of single processor, they have shifted their
focus to parallel computing, putting more than one processor inside
a single computer, or more popularly, more cores into a single
processor. Hence the term multi-core.
We will spare you the technical details, but when a program is not
specifically written to support multi-core, it will use only one
core. Guess what, Renoise 1.9 takes full advantage of the cores,
dividing tracks, effects, graphics and VSTs quite efficiently over
the available cores. For every pair of cores in your computer you
can expect a factor from 1.2 to 1.6 speed up on Windows, and even
a factor up to 1.8 on Apple OS X.
+ New DSP devices
We have added 6 new DSP devices to your arsenal:
1. Bus Compressor
The Bus Compressor is an intelligent dynamics processor,
designed to be placed at the end of the DSP chain during the
mastering stage. It has been created without any concessions
in regard to quality, but requires quite a bit of processing
power.
2. Maximizer
Finally some new armament for the loudness war. Place the
Maximizer on the master track to boost the volume to new
heights without risking any clipping. This limiter has 2
release stages, the first in case a transient exceeds the
maximum level, the second for a smooth transition.
3. Chorus
Renoise's Chorus device is pretty much a unique incarnation
of the classic chorus effect. Results range from a fuller
spectrum and wider soundstage to '60s psychedelic and '70s
avant-garde.
4. Distortion 2
This beast has 4 modes: razor, shape, fold and shift. All
of which completely rip apart what you feed it.
5. Gate 2
The new Gate 2 device is almost twice as big as its
predecessor. Visual meters for input and output, an input
filter to prevent outstanding frequencies from triggering
the gate too soon, a monitoring switch to hear what you have
filtered and to top it off, a duck mode (aka the MC mode)
to smoothly reduce the volume depending on the input and
the threshold.
6. *Velocity Device
Last but not least, the *Velocity Device opens up a whole
new world of possibilities. Depending on the volume/velocity
of the linked instrument you can manipulate an effect.
For example, a growling bass line. The harder you press
the keys on your MIDI keyboard, the higher the cutoff
frequency. Now that is fun, eh?
+ Improved DSP devices
The existing DSP devices have been supercharged. It would take too
much of your time to go over the complete list of changes, so here
is a small collection:
1. The EQ devices have graphs, so you can see what you are doing.
The frequency bands are adjustable as well.
2. The frequency unit of the *LFO device has changed to the more
intuitive Lines per Cycle.
3. mpReverb2. Need we say more? Thanks to Mindplay for his
contribution.
4. Line Sync, an option in the Delay device to lock the offset
to lines and effectively to the tempo of the song.
+ Preset handling for Renoise's DSP devices
It is finally possible to save and load presets for the built-in
devices. Aside from managing your own settings, the presets can
also be shared with other users. In fact, we have a supplied a
couple of presets in the Factory Presets directory.
Let us briefly skim through the options. The preset interface looks
like this:
( [ A] [ B] [ <] [ >] 'Spooky' )
[ A][ B]: A/B comparison. With a right-click you temporarily store
the settings of the device. By left-clicking you can recall a
previously stored configuration. The purpose of A/B comparison is
to quickly compare two configurations.
[ <][ >]: Browse through the list of presets, one at a time, either
backwards or forwards.
'Spooky': The name of the active preset. You can click the name
to bring up a context menu, which includes a list of all presets
for the device. Note the difference between saving and exporting.
Saving stores the settings inside the song. Exporting writes the
preset to an .XRDP file, so that you can share your favorite
presets with friends.
+ Improved MIDI support
Many people use external MIDI hardware in combination with Renoise,
some use virtual MIDI cables to connect to other sequencers, so we
thought it a good idea to bring MIDI support up-to-date.
1. More stable and snappier MIDI timing with WDM MIDI drivers on
Windows. Note that not all sound-cards have WDM MIDI drivers.
2. Improved the MIDI Clock by reducing jitter. Required for a
more precise synchronization with external sequencers.
3. MIDI devices can be shared on Windows - Renoise will no
longer open (lock) all available MIDI devices on startup.
4. MIDI devices are hot-pluggable on OS X. Allows you to connect
and disconnect MIDI devices while Renoise is running.
+ Adjustable rulers in the Sample Editor
You may be aware of the discussion about whether or not we should
add a beatslicer. Trying to keep both parties happy, the Sample
Editor now has rulers on top and below the waveform. With a
right-click on the ruler you can switch the scale. Enable Snapping
to have selections and loopmarkers snap to the nearest division
and you got yourself a home-brew beatslicer. Well, almost.
+ Per-Sample Interpolation and NNA
The interpolation mode and New Note Action (NNA) have been moved
from instrument level to down to sample level. Check out the new
Interpolate drop-down in Instrument Settings > Sample Properties.
Chiptune artists take notice, it is now possible to disable
interpolation to preserve that authentic crunchy sound.
--- What is in store for the next release?
A small look on the forum is enough for us to know you are having
huge expectations of Renoise 2.0. Some people may go as far as to
assume Renoise 2.0 will be a completely new program. Actually,
when you compare Renoise 1.9 to 1.0, that may not be so far from
the truth. However, it is too much to expect revolutionary changes
between 1.9 and 2.0.
We are planning to continue on the same course. Renoise 2.0 being
another 0.1 update, we will spend most time tying up loose strings
that have been craving attention for so long, paving the way for
major features.