Effect commands offer a lot of control over instruments and this series has presented the major uses for each one, hopefully inspiring you to experiment with them in your audio projects. However, there are some non-obvious but useful quirks worth highlighting; either a specific application of techniques, or combos where different effect commands interact.
Equalization or EQ is the process of adjusting the balance of frequencies within an audio signal, enhancing or reducing certain elements to help them sit appropriately within the overall mix. To this end, Renoise provides three such tools to aid in your quest for mixing magic.
The Signal Follower measures the volume level at the location that it’s placed in a track or sampler fx chain and then uses its controls to craft an output signal from that volume input. The output is sent to a destination, which automates the chosen parameter of the chosen effect.
A Gate reduces the volume of the input signal while it is below a specific Threshold, but when it rises above this the Gate ‘opens’ allowing the original audio to be heard at its full volume. For example, this can be used to silence a constant low noise floor, or to reduce the low volume parts of a complex waveform (such as drum loops).
The Stepper device is found within the Modulation section of the Sampler and at first glance performs a pretty simple function: every time a note is played, the cursor moves forward in the envelope, changing the output value. However, there’s actually a lot more control available to you than it initially appears.
The Delay device is a classic audio effect that creates patterns of spatial echoes from its input, which can be used both creatively and for more practical mixing purposes. The Multitap Delay is a more complex version of this, with additional filtering and routing options.
The old AHDSR video has been remade and improved for the recent Renoise update. Found within the sample modulation section of the instrument editor, the AHDSR device crafts an envelope by using its five properties to generate a shape composed of five phases.
Renoise 3.2 has been released, with a whole host of improvements, fixes and new features. This video gives some demonstrations and explanations of the most important ones.
Although the way they work and how they sound is quite different from each other, the Ringmod & Comb Filter effects do share one large similarity in how the Note & Transpose parameters allow the user to ‘tune’ them to precise note values.
If you don’t have an external MIDI controller or would just like a software alternative to one, then the Instrument MIDI Control device can be used to send MIDI messages directly to the Plugin and MIDI components of a Renoise instrument. As an effect device it also has the advantage of being easy to control and automate.
