Effect 09xy (set sample offset)

Imagine your sample data, i.e.: the wave of your sample. Now divide it into 256 (00..FF) blocks of equal length. 09xy lets you choose from which of these sample blocks Renoise will start playing the sample.

This command should be used together with a note: i.e. in the same row.

Since the 00..FF range for xy value covers the whole 256 blocks range, there is 1:1 correspondence, and then there is not much to say: if you want to play the sample from the middlee of the sample, use 0980, 940 is a quarter, 9C0 is three quarters, and so on.

Some of you may know how the 9xy command worked in past trackers, such as Fast Tracker: xy value used to refer to the number of 256byte-chunks to offset the playing. 256 was a fixed value and cannot be changed, so, if you wanted to let the sample start from 1024 bytes after the actual beginning of the sample, you needed to use 904 (4*256=1024). This way of behaving can still be used by setting Song Properties => 09/Pitch mode” option to Amiga/FT2′’‘.

Note 1:When using Amiga/FT2 mode, the 9FF position may not nessesarily be the end-position of a sample if the length of the sample is larger than 255 * 256 bytes. Keep this in mind when attempting to use 9ff in combination with backwards play (b0) in the panning/volume column.

Note 2:This will also change the way pitch shifting works.

Suppose you are using a full snare sample, and you want to make it roll.

A single, straight snare hit can be achieved by simply setting the note with no sample offsetting. A rolled note requires instead a softer attack, and this can be emulated by offsetting the sample start a bit.

Try for example to play the snare note with 0904, which will make the sample start at 4/256 = 1/64 of its length from the beginning, and you will clearly hear a reduced attack.

Tutorial songs which are saved in the Song folder of Renoise installation have direct examples of beatslicing, which is the other main use for the sample offset command.