Disk Browser

Disk Browser

The Disk Browser allows you to load and save files, preview samples or instruments and store your favourite locations for quick access. From left to right, the three sections of the Disk Browser are: "File Types Selector", "Folder Panel", "File Panel".

Overview

File Types Selector

Using this panel you select what file type to load or save. The Save button located in the File Panel will use the selected file type to decide what to export. For example, if you've selected "Song", then Renoise song files will be saved. If "Sample" is selected, WAV files will be saved.

Note that the File Panel will display all of the files that Renoise is capable of reading, regardless of the file type selected. The files which are relevant to the currently selected file type are listed at the top, while the others are shown below them and shaded with a slightly muted colour.

• 1,2,3,4 Buttons - The four numbered buttons above the file types are user-configurable presets that can be assigned to your favourite file locations. Right-clicking a button will store the current File Panel directory as a preset. Left clicking will recall a previously stored location. Each file type (Song, DSP Chain, Instrument, Sample and Theme) has its own set of four customisable presets. Hovering over a preset button with the mouse will show its full directory path.

• Song – Load and save Renoise Song files (XRNS), or load other song formats that Renoise can import (see below for full list)
• Dsp Chain – Load and save complete DSP chains (XRNT files, DSP sets for a track)
• Instrument - Load and save Renoise Instruments (XRNI files)
• Sample - Load (see below for full list) and save common audio sample formats (saving will always save in WAV format)
• Theme – Load and save Renoise Theme presets (XML files) / colour settings for the Renoise interface

Depending on the file type selected, Renoise may also show some additional options & buttons:

Song: a "Render" button will appear, which renders the current Song into a sample format (WAV), allowing you to publish it, burn it, convert to MP3, upload to the internet, share with others etc.

Sample/Instrument: a small slider will appear, which controls the volume that samples are pre-heard with. Clicking the small arrow next to the slider allows selection of whether the sample will be played back on the master channel or on the currently selected track. This allows you to pre-hear the sample file with the current track's DSP effects (selected track) or not (master track).

Supported Formats For Song Importing

• .xrns, .rns, .ptk, .ntk - Renoise Songs
• .xm - FastTracker II
• .it - ImpulseTracker II
• .mod - Amiga Mod
• .mid, .midi - standard MIDI

Supported Formats For Sample Importing

Lossless

• .aif, .aiff - AIF wave (uncompressed only)
• .wav - PCM wave (uncompressed only)
• .fla, .flac - Flac audio
• .aifc - compressed AIF (requires Quicktime)
• .au, .snd - rare Mac formats (requires Quicktime)
• .caf - Core Audio file format used by many Apple apps (requires Quicktime)

Lossy

• .ogg - Ogg Vorbis
• .mp2, .mp3 - standard MP2/3 (requires mpeg123 on Linux)
• .m4a, .mp4 .mp4a, .aac - new MP4, AAC format (requires Quicktime)

Folder Panel

The Folder Panel gives you an overview of the directory structure. In order to see a folder's content, select it by clicking it once with the mouse. To actually enter the folder, double click on it.

• File:Vvoois renoise folder up.png - Go up one level in the directory hierarchy
• File:Vvoois renoise folder root.png - Set current folder as new root folder (only show folders below that folder)
• File:Vvoois renoise folder drive.png - A set of common default locations, i.e. your home folder, a list of all available installed disks and Renoise's default library contents (demo songs, default samples and instruments etc.)

Right clicking on a directory within the Folder Panel will also present you with more options:

File Panel

The contents of the selected directory are displayed in the File Panel. By default, only files that are readable by Renoise are shown.

• File:Vvoois renoise file search.png - Type in a search phrase to filter the file-list
• File:Vvoois renoise file wildcard.png - Toggle the "show all files" option (when enabled, all file types are shown, not just the ones readable by Renoise)
• File:Vvoois renoise sample prehear.png - Toggle the "sample preview" option (when enabled, selecting sample files in the browser will automatically play them)
• File:Vvoois renoise file show folder.png - Show or hide sub-folders present in the File Panel
• File:Vvoois renoise file save.png - Save a file (the file is named using the text box to the right of the save button)

Right clicking on any file will present more options:

File-Context menu

"Load file with options" can be used to specify exactly how a file should be imported. The options available to you change depending on the type of file selected. They are as follows:

WAV Files Import Options

RAW Audio Files Import Options

MIDI Files Import Options

DSP Chain Files Import Options

Expanding the Disk Browser

The Disk Browser area can be enlarged by clicking the "More" button, causing it to expand across the centre frame. The Instrument Selector will also be rescaled to match. While expanded, the "More" button becomes a highlighted "Less" button, which collapses the Disk Browser back to its original size. Pressing "ESC" while expanded also shrinks the Disk Browser.

File:2.7 disk browser expanded.png

Loading Multiple Entries at Once

You can load multiple sample or instrument entries by ctrl-clicking individual files and/or shift-clicking to select a range of them. The selected files can then be loaded using the context menu or dragged into a specific spot. Samples can be dragged into the instrument-list area and have an instrument created for each sample, or dragged into the sample-list area and be loaded into a single instrument.

File:2.7 disk browser loading instruments and samples.gif

Navigating the Disk Browser with the Keyboard

The default keyboard focus of Renoise is set to control the Pattern Editor, but you can also activate other parts of the interface for keyboard navigation. You can achieve this through by any of the following methods:

• Right click on the File Panel or Folder Panel to show the context menu and select "(Set Keyboard Focus here)"
• Navigate the keyboard focus through the various interface areas with the [Control/Command + Tab], [Control/Command + Shift Tab] shortcuts
• Click with the middle mouse button on the File Panel or Folder Panel

Importing Raw Audio Files (Convert Any File to Audio Sample)

Renoise is able to load anything (yes, any file type) as an audio sample file. In order to do this:

• Select the "Sample" category in the File Selector
• Make sure the "Show All Files" option is enabled
• Double click a file which is not normally recognized as a sample file (TXT document, JPEG picture, AVI movie etc.)
• Additionally, right-clicking on the file and selecting "Load File with Options" gives you additional options for importing (sample rate, bit depth etc.)