Renoise is a fast, precise tracker loved for surgical control and speed, but common pain points can derail a session: sudden silence, crackle and dropouts, invisible or crashing VST/AU plug‑ins, drifting MIDI timing, and renders that clip effect tails. This practical, beginner‑friendly checklist keeps the structure simple: a clear problem description followed by step‑by‑step fixes.
Audio: no sound, crackle, high latency
Audio vanishes or distorts due to the wrong device mode, driver conflicts in WASAPI exclusive mode, overly aggressive buffer size, mismatched sample rate, or missing real‑time priority on Linux—breaking low latency audio with pops and dropouts.
Steps
- Open Preferences → Audio and test ASIO driver, WASAPI shared, and WASAPI exclusive mode, dialing in the smallest stable buffer size and a consistent sample rate.
- In ASIO4ALL, enable only the inputs/outputs actually in use and close competing apps to prevent device conflicts that lead to silent output.
- Prefer WASAPI shared when parallel playback from other apps is needed. Switch to exclusive only if latency demands it and accept that it locks the device.
- If you hear crackle, bump buffer size by 64–128 samples, disable system resampling, and stop background tasks that spike CPU or I/O.
- On Linux, ensure RT permissions are enabled. If instability persists, try JACK routing for steadier real‑time performance.
Plug‑ins: VST/AU not visible, crashes or instability
Renoise fails to list plug‑ins, or they crash due to incorrect scan paths, stale plugin cache, VST3 folder mistakes, mismatched plugin architecture, or missing environment paths on Linux and some modules land in failed plugins and won’t load until rescanned.
Steps
- In Preferences → Plug‑ins, set correct directories, run a full VST plugin scan, and perform Rescan previously failed to refresh the plugin cache.
- Verify every VST3 is in the standard VST3 folder for your OS. Don’t mix VST3 with VST2/AU locations or the host won’t discover them.
- Match plugin architecture to the host build. Mixing 32‑bit/64‑bit or unsupported formats commonly triggers instability.
- On Linux, define VST_PATH/VST3_PATH and restart the host, so the indexer can see proper VST2/VST3 locations.
- Isolate a crashing module by loading plug‑ins one by one in a blank project, then replace the culprit with a stable alternative.
MIDI: noticeable latency and unstable timing
MIDI latency becomes obvious with large buffers and disabled record compensation. Multi‑app setups without aligned block sizes and transport sync suffer from jitter and unreliable start/stop behavior.
Steps
- Reduce buffer size to the lowest stable value and enable record latency compensation so played notes land on the grid.
- Confirm the correct MIDI inputs/outputs, calibrate latency against a click, and set input monitoring to a sensible, low‑lag path.
- For multi‑app rigs, use a common sample rate and matching block sizes, and enable transport sync with a steady MIDI clock.
Export and render: clipped tails, wrong range, missing stems
Incorrect render settings cause reverb and delay tails to be cut, render length to miss the intended range, or a lack of stems for mixing in a separate DAW—leading to inconsistent deliverables.
Steps
- Go to File → Render Song To Disk, pick the right range (Entire Song/Loop/Selection), then set interpolation, bit depth, and sample rate for the project goal.
- If endings are cut, add one or two empty patterns and increase tail/extend so effect decay renders naturally.
- For hybrid workflows, enable stems export per track to preserve control during downstream mixing and mastering.
- Double‑check normalization/dithering and file naming to avoid accidental overwrites and version confusion.
ReWire: discontinued support and practical alternatives
Classic ReWire is no longer reliable in modern host and system versions. Legacy “live” hookups with Renoise often fail to initialize or behave unpredictably, breaking established workflows.
Steps
- Switch to a ReWire alternative: use a virtual audio cable or JACK routing for audio, and synchronize transport via MIDI clock/transport sync instead of ReWire.
- Align sample rate and buffer size in both applications, and coordinate transport initialization to eliminate tempo drift and start/stop lag.
- For repeatable, production‑safe results, prefer stems export and assemble the session in the target host, minimizing dependency on bridges or deprecated protocols.
Conclusion
Solve problems in a logical order: stabilize the driver, buffer size, and sample rate for low latency audio. Fix discovery and stability with a clean VST plugin scan, correct VST3 folder usage, a consistent plugin architecture, and a refreshed plugin cache, then tighten timing by compensating MIDI latency and enabling transport sync. Finish strong with deliberate render settings—interpolation, bit depth, tail—and predictable stems export. This checklist turns Renoise troubleshooting from guesswork into a reliable routine that protects momentum and keeps focus on finishing music.
Unfortunately, there are no perfect programs, and you need to be prepared to solve a few technical issues, but we will do our best to help you solve them quickly and easily. And if you want to look for other programs for creating audio, visit our Audio Editing section, where you will find something new for yourself.
