Plugin

Plugin

Plugin Instrument (VST/AU) Properties

VST or Audio Unit plugins are basically MIDI instruments that run within Renoise - like a built in software synthesizer. This means that they behave as described in the External MIDI Properties section below. Besides the common MIDI properties, they also offer a custom GUI, audio routing options and can be rendered down to sample-based instruments.

• Ext. Editor: Opens the editor window. This can either be a Renoise-alike dialog box or a custom GUI provided by the plugin.

• Instrument: The plugin instrument which you would like to use. This will initially display "None". Click to show a list of available plugins.

• Program: When available, select a specific patch in the plugin. Note that some plugins only allow changing and setting up patches in their external editor.

• Channel No.: The MIDI channel that will be used to trigger the plugin. For most plugins any channel will do, but when using multi-timbral plug-ins you can play multiple sounds with one plugin instance.

• Transpose: Transpose note playback in semi-tonal increments.

• Preset (Load/Save/Rename): Load or save the currently active preset to a file for later use.

• Bank (Load/Save): Load or save all currently active presets to a file for later use.

• Volume: The overall playback volume of the instrument.

• ? : Set up compatibility options for the plugin. Hovering the mouse over this button will display some information about the plugin, such as latency, where the file is loaded from etc.

• Auto Suspend: When enabled, Renoise will completely shut off the plugin when it is no longer producing sound. This is mainly done to reduce CPU usage. While plugins are Auto Suspended they will automatically wake up as soon as they are triggered again by playing notes or automation. Additionally, while suspended you will be unable to play the plugin by clicking on the virtual piano keys in its custom GUI.

• Plugin Grabber: Render the plugin (freeze it) to a sample-based instrument. Left-clicking will replace the current plugin, while right-clicking creates a brand new instrument. See Render or Freeze Plugin Instruments to Samples for a detailed description.

• Output panel: Click the button at the top to open the panel. When using Plugin Aliases it may be useful to play the instruments in multiple tracks to keep things better organised. By setting up track routing you can force the plugin's output to be bound to a single track, no matter which track you send the notes from. This can be useful if you wish all of the instruments to use the same effects present in that one track.

Setting Up VST Paths

Plugins (VSTs or Audio Units) are external components that are installed on your computer. Renoise will try locate them automatically, but on occasion may be unable to do so. If you have plugins installed but they don't appear in Renoise, you can specify directories where Renoise will look via the "Edit->Preferences->Plug/Misc" menu. See the Plugins/Misc section of the Preferences for more information.

Selecting a Plugin

Selecting a plugin

Initially, the Instrument box will show "None". Click on it to select, search and organize plug-ins. To select a plugin, double click on its name. To unload it, select "None" from the list.

Quickly searching and selecting a plugin with the keyboard

As soon as the plugin list is opened, you can start typing in the search field. If, for example, you want to load a plugin called "Filter Modulator", then typing "Filter" will list only plugins which have the term "Filter" in their plugin category or name. To select a plugin using the keyboard, hit the "TAB" key to set the focus on the plugin list, then navigate with the arrow keys to the desired plugin and hit "ENTER". Hitting "ESCAPE" will close the list without selecting anything.

Organising/customising the plugin list

Right-clicking on a plugin name will bring up a context menu with the following options:

• Add To Favorites: Adds the selected plugin or vendor to your favorites list.

• Add To Group: Opens a new dialog box, where you enter a name for the group. If it is a new name, then the group will be created and the selected plugin(s) moved under it. If the group already exists, then the plugin(s) will be moved over to the group.

• Ungroup: (Only available when clicking on an existing group or vendor name) Removes the selected group from the effects list.

• Rename: (Unavailable for native effects) Opens a new dialog box, where you can change the plugin or vendor name. Any changes made here will only be saved within Renoise; the actual plugin name remains the same, since it may be used by other applications.

• Hide: Excludes a plugin or a category of plugins from the list. This can be useful if you no longer use a plugin, but don't want to uninstall it because old songs still use it. To make a hidden plugin visible again, enable the "Show Hidden Devices" option, then simply "Unhide" it again.

• Collapse Whole Tree: Collapses the entire effects list, showing only the Favorites (if any exist) Native, VST categories. Handy if you need to show just a few effects.

• Expand Whole Tree: The effects list will expand back to its full size again.

• Show Hidden Devices: Enables hidden plugins to become visible again.

• Show Short Names: Instead of sorting plugins by vendor, you can also display them as a single list. With this option enabled you can still categorise the plugins by renaming them as described above.

Favorites List

To add a plugin to your custom favorites list, click the star icon to the right of it. Your favorites are located at the very top of the instruments list. To remove a plugin from your favorites, simply click the star icon again.

Plugin Aliases (multi-timbral plugins)

Some plugins allow the playback of multiple sounds from a single instance of the instrument. This is achieved by channelling them through different MIDI channels. This is not absolutely necessary, as you can always create a new plugin instrument for a new sound, but it can be helpful to save on CPU consumption. To find out if your plugin supports this, search for the keyword "multi-timbral" or "routing" in the plugin's manual.

To make use of this feature in Renoise, use Plugin Aliases:

First load your chosen plugin in any empty instrument slot that you want to use for it, then select another free instrument slot in the Instrument Selector. In the new instrument slot, click again on the plugin list in the instrument properties panel and notice at the top of the list is the new category, "VST Aliases" (or "AU Aliases" if you've used an Audio Unit). The aliases refer to the previously loaded plugin. Double-click on one of the aliases in the list to create it.

To use the alias, simply change the channel number:

The instrument is shown in the Instrument Selector with its alias name:

Note that any changes made to the options in the Instrument Settings > Plugin panel, except for "Channel No." and "Transpose", will be applied to all of the aliases, as well as the original plugin. Furthermore, deleting the original plugin will also delete all of the aliases.

Plugin FX Aliases (routing MIDI to existing plugin effects)

You can also create and control aliases for existing plugin devices in Track Effect chains.

Most plugin effects do not support notes or other MIDI events. Those that do, use them to control more advanced features, such as vocoders. Other possible uses include preset or parameter switching with notes or sending MIDI CC messages to plugins.

Once you've set up an alias to an effect, you can play and record with it just like a normal instrument. You can also use a *MIDI Control Device to automate it with MIDI.

Plugin Routing

Plugin instruments which have more than one output channel will contain multiple path selectors in the Output panel on the right of the plugin property-panel.

Expanding the panel by clicking on the arrow will display the following options:

• enable/disable output channels for the plugin
• name/rename a bus
• set up track routing in Renoise for the individual plugin channels

The left section allows you to activate any or all available audio buses for the instrument. By default, only the first bus is enabled. With the right section you can lock each bus to a specific Renoise track. When enabled, a drop-down box appears listing the currently available tracks, including the Master Track. When disabled, Renoise will automatically use the currently selected track (where the cursor is located).

Each bus also indicates whether it is Stereo (File:Vvoois renoise multi out stereo symbol.png) or Mono (File:Vvoois renoise multi out mono symbol.png).

Plugin Compatibility Settings

This dialog will appear after clicking on the "?" button in the VST Instrument Properties section after a plugin is loaded.

In most cases these options will already have the correct settings, as Renoise comes with a database which sets the defaults for you. If you are experiencing any of the problems described in the dialog, then you might want to try altering the settings.