Introduction To Renoise

Main Screen

Welcome to Renoise. This introduction to the Renoise interface will familiarise you with the main components of the Renoise interface and explain their basic function. You can also find two additional introductions linked below.

Beginners Video Tutorial

If you prefer videos, then you should take a look at the Beginners Tutorial Video. It provides a step by step guide to creating a song and is perfect for those new to Renoise or computer composing in general.

Quickstart Guide

Alternatively, you can check out the Quickstart Tutorial. This PDF guide briefly explains the main concepts of Renoise and is recommended for those who are already familiar with other music applications.

Main Screen Overview

Renoise is significantly different from most other music creation packages and, consequently, it also looks different. When you load Renoise for the first time you will be presented with something similar to this:

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Now we will briefly go through the main areas of the Renoise interface. Note the links in blue, which you can click for more detailed information about the various components.

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Upper Status Bar

Located at the very top of the interface is the Upper Status Bar.

The left section of the status bar offers a variety of menu options. To the right of this is a VU meter showing the current master volume level, the MIDI controls (a MIDI Mapping button, MIDI I/O LEDs), Song Timer and the current CPU usage.

Song Controls

Just below the Upper Status Bar on the left-hand side are the basic Song Controls.

From here you can start/stop the song and access basic editing features such as Edit Mode and the metronome.

Disk Browser / Scopes

To the right of the Song Controls panel are the Disk Browser and Scopes.

Using the Disk Browser you can load or save songs, instruments, samples, DSP chains and skins/themes. Upon first loading Renoise you will see a list of demo songs here. Double click on a song to load it, then press play to see and hear Renoise in action.

The various Scopes help you to visually analyse the song. Switch between the Scopes and Disk Browser using the four tabs located above this area.

Instrument Selector

To the right of the Disk Browser / Scopes, you’ll find the Instrument Selector.

With the Instrument Selector you do select the instrument you currently want to play or record with the computer keyboard or your record what you play on your external MIDI keyboard. Here will also VST/AU or external MIDI instruments show up once they are loaded. Renoise is strongly focused on samples, so below the divider line you will see one or multiple audio samples that the instruments use.

GUI presets/switching

Above the Instrument Selector, you have a set of eight global preset buttons for the whole Renoise GUI.

There is a lot to discover in Renoise, while Renoise avoids cluttering your desktop with windows, so combination of GUI layouts can be stored and recalled with those preset. By default we have set up some presets for you. You can access them by clicking F1 to F8 on your keyboard.

Next to the presets are two buttons to show or hide the upper and lower part of the interface. This way you can make room for whats in the middle. And finally a button to run Renoise in full screen, hiding everything else you have on your desktop to concentrate on composing.

Pattern Sequencer

On the left, you see the Pattern Sequencer.

Renoise uses patterns as the main song structure. The Pattern Sequencer allows you to create / copy and sort your patterns, so you can create a song out of patterns.

Pattern Editor

On the right side of the [Pattern Sequencer, you will find the Pattern Editor. This is Renoises main composing and editing tool.

Here is where you will start writing your songs, adding/recording notes automation, ordering tracks and much more. Basically everything in Renoise is built around this editor. Get customized with it. It will look the more friendlier the more you've used it ;)

Track DSPs

In the lower area of the interface you will find the Track DSPs tab (beside of others):

The Track DSP tab shows and controls all effects that are applied to the current track. The current track is the one which is highlighted in blue in the Pattern Editor. Besides DSP effects and VST/AU or LADSPA effects, you can also assign meta devices (such as LFOs) and routing devices (such as sends) in Renoise. Meta Devices are special effects that do not deal with audio, but with parameters and automation. You can do crazy stuff with this, but lets keep this for later.

Lower Status Bar

Finally, below that, you can find another status bar.

Renoise will print out some info about what its doing here. Clicking on the Renoise logo will bring up the Tip of the Day dialog again.

Guide yourself through the interface: Tooltips

If you prefer exploring things by your own, then watch out for tool tips. Nearly every button in Renoise will provide you a small tip about what its for, what it does. To see those tips, hover a button or a part of the interface and rest the mouse pointer for a short while.

Renoise Workflow: Learning the Keys

While also supporting drag and drop and other mouse based gestures, Renoise is a keyboard based application. There are lots of shortcuts available for everything. Thats what what makes it so fast and at the end so comfortable to use. The more you are getting used to them, the more quickly you will be able to write songs and get in touch with the Renoise workflow.

To get an overview about all shortcuts, you can view and print them by clicking on “Help->List Keyboard Shortcuts...”. If you are interested in specific shortcuts, then try right clicking a component to open up a context menu. There many shortcuts are noted as well. All keyboard shortcuts can of course also be customized in the preferences.

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Happy discovering of Renoise and thanks for reading this manual!