Native Instruments Reaktor 5 User Guide

REAKTOR 5
Operation Manual
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Native Instruments Software Synthesis GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments Software Synthesis GmbH. All product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.
And also, if you’re reading this, it means you bought the software rather than stole it. It’s because of people like you that we can continue to create great tools and update them. So, thank you very much.
Users Guide written by: Rick Scott, Marius Wilhelmi, Len Sasso, Stephan Schmitt, Erik Wiegand, James Walker-Hall, Julian Ringel Special thanks to Henri Hagenow, Dan Santucci and Hanna Felski.
© Native Instruments Software Synthesis GmbH, 2005. All rights reserved. First Edition, May 2005
REAKTOR is a trademark of Native Instruments Software Synthesis.
Germany USA
Native Instruments GmbH Native Instruments USA, Inc. Schlesische Str. 28 5631 A Hollywood Boulevard D-10997 Berlin Los Angeles, CA 90028 Germany USA info@native-instruments.de info@native-instruments.com www.native-instruments.de www.native-instruments.com
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ........................................................................................ 15
1.1. What is REAKTOR? ...........................................................15
1.2. New/Changed Features in REAKTOR 5 ...............................15
1.3. Event Initialization ............................................................15
1.4. REAKTOR Core Technology ................................................16
1.6. Changed Primary Modules .................................................18
1.7. New Functions ..................................................................19
1.8. Changed Functions .......................................................... 20
1.9. Discarded and Reassigned Functions ..................................21
1.10. Opening REAKTOR 3 Ensembles ........................................21
2. Product Authorization .........................................................................22
2.1. What is the Product Authorization? .................................... 22
2.2. Conducting the Product Authorization ................................ 23
2.3.
2.4. Method B: Internet Connection on another computer ........... 26
2.5. Method C: No Internet Connection available ........................ 28
2.6. Registration support ......................................................... 30
3. Installation under Windows XP ............................................................31
3.1. System Requirements and Recommendations ......................31
3.2. Software Installation .........................................................31
3.3. VST plug-in Installation .................................................... 32
3.4. DXi 2 plug-in Setup ......................................................... 32
3.5. RTAS plug-in installation .................................................. 33
4. Installation under MacOS X .................................................................33
4.1. System Requirements and Recommendations ..................... 33
4.2. Installing REAKTOR 5 OS X ............................................. 34
4.3. MacOS Audio Unit plug-in Installation ................................ 34
4.4. RTAS plug-in installation .................................................. 34
5. Audio Interfaces ..................................................................................35
5.1. Stand-alone Application .................................................... 35
6. REAKTOR 5 as Standalone ...................................................................39
6.1. Soundcard (Audio Interface) ............................................. 39
6.2. Routing ...........................................................................41
6.3. MIDI .............................................................................. 42
Method A: REAKTOR 5 computer has direct access to the internet ...23
Table of Contents – IIIREAKTOR 5
7. REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in .........................................................................43
7.1. Automation ID editing ...................................................... 44
7.2. Total Recall ..................................................................... 44
7.3. VST 2.0 Plug-In ............................................................... 48
7.3.1. Using the REAKTOR 5 plug-in in Cubase SX 3 .................... 48
7.3.2. Using the REAKTOR 5 plug-in in Nuendo 2.0 ......................49
7.4. Audio Units Plug-ins ........................................................ 50
7.4.1. Use in Logic 7.x .............................................................. 50
7.4.2. Use in Digital Performer 4.5 ............................................. 52
7.4.3. Use in Garage Band ......................................................... 53
7.5. DXi 2 plug-in .................................................................. 54
7.5.1. Use in Sonar 4 ................................................................ 54
7.7. Usi
8. Open Sound Control (OSC) ...................................................................57
8.1. Application areas ............................................................. 57
8.2. OSC System Setup .......................................................... 58
9. First Steps in REAKTOR .......................................................................61
9.1. Opening and Playing Examples ...........................................61
9.2. Your First DIY Synthesizer ..................................................72
9.3. Your First DIY Structure .................................................... 84
10. Basic Operation ...................................................................................90
10.1. Mouse ............................................................................ 90
10.2. Context Menus .................................................................91
10.3. Key Commands ................................................................91
10.4 Ensemble Panel and Structure Windows ..............................91
11. Menus ................................................................................................93
11.1. File Menu ....................................................................... 93
11.2. Edit Menu ....................................................................... 95
11.3. Settings Menu ................................................................. 97
11.4. System Menu .................................................................. 99
11.8. View Menu .....................................................................106
11.5. ? Menu .......................................................................... 114
12. REAKTOR Toolbars ............................................................................. 115
12.1. Main Toolbar ..................................................................115
12.2. Ensemble Panel Toolbar ..................................................117
12.3. Structure Toolbar ............................................................ 119
13. The Browser ...................................................................................... 120
13.1. Accessing Files ..............................................................121
13.2. Auditioning Files .............................................................124
ng REAKTOR RTAS with Pro Tools 6.x (Mac/Windows) ......55
IV – Table of Contents REAKTOR 5
14. Ensemble .......................................................................................... 125
14.1. Ensemble Structure Window ............................................127
14.2. Ensemble Panel Window ..................................................129
14.3. Ensemble Properties Dialog ............................................130
15. Instruments ....................................................................................... 138
15.1. Adding Instruments to an Ensemble ..................................138
15.2. Ports .............................................................................139
15.3. Context Menu .................................................................139
15.4. Instrument Header ..........................................................140
15.5. Instrument Properties .....................................................142
16. Primary Macros ................................................................................155
16.1. What is a Primary Macro? ................................................155
16.2. Adding Macros to a Structure ...........................................156
16.3. Ports .............................................................................157
16.4. Context Menu .................................................................158
16.5. Macro Properties ...........................................................159
17. Primary Structures ............................................................................164
17.1. What is a Primary Structure? ............................................164
17.2. Modules ........................................................................165
17.3. Source Modules ..............................................................170
17.4. Switches ........................................................................ 172
17.5. Terminals ....................................................................... 173
17.6. Wires ............................................................................173
17.7. Signal Processing in REAKTOR ........................................176
17.8. Context Menu .................................................................181
18. Panel Editing ..................................................................................... 182
18.1. What Is a Panel? .............................................................182
18.2. What are Panel Controls? ................................................ 183
18.3. Panel Controls ............................................................... 184
18.4. Panel Control Skins .........................................................191
18.5. Connection Properties of Panel Controls ............................196
18.6. Editing the Panels ...........................................................199
19. Panel Operation ................................................................................200
19.1. Mouse Control ............................................................... 200
19.2. Using Keys to Change Control Settings ............................. 204
19.3. MIDI Control ................................................................. 204
19.4. MIDI Out ...................................................................... 206
19.5. Customized Panels ......................................................... 206
20. Snapshots .........................................................................................212
Table of Contents – VREAKTOR 5
21. Sampling and Resynthesis .................................................................222
21.1. Sample Management ...................................................... 222
21.2. Sample Maps .................................................................225
21.3. Sample Map Editor ........................................................ 228
21.4. Akai Import ................................................................... 238
22. Table Modules ...................................................................................240
22.1. Properties ..................................................................... 240
22.2. Context Menu ................................................................ 248
22.3. Advanced Operation ........................................................252
23. “Classic Modular” Macro Collection ..................................................253
23.1. Display ......................................................................... 254
23.2. MIDI .............................................................................255
23.3. Mixer/Amp .................................................................... 256
23.4. Oscillator .......................................................................259
23.5. Sampler ........................................................................ 260
23.6. Sequencer .....................................................................261
23.7. LFO, Envelope ................................................................267
23.8. Filter .............................................................................269
23.9. Delay .............................................................................271
23.10. Audio Modifier ................................................................272
23.11. Event Processing ............................................................273
VI – Table of Contents REAKTOR 5
Module Reference ...................................................................................275
Panel ......................................................................................................277
Fader .......................................................................................277
Knob ........................................................................................279
Button .................................................................................... 280
List ..........................................................................................281
Switch ..................................................................................... 282
Lamp ...................................................................................... 283
Level Lamp .............................................................................. 284
RGB Lamp .............................................................................. 285
Meter ...................................................................................... 285
LevelMeter ............................................................................... 286
Picture .................................................................................... 286
Multi Picture ............................................................................ 287
Text ........................................................................................ 288
Multi Text ................................................................................ 288
XY .......................................................................................... 289
Scope ..................................................................................... 290
Multi Display and Poly Display ...................................................291
Mouse Area ............................................................................ 293
Stacked Macro ........................................................................ 295
IC Send ................................................................................... 296
IC Receive ............................................................................... 296
MIDI In ....................................................................................................297
Note Pitch ................................................................................297
Pitchbend .................................................................................297
Gate ....................................................................................... 298
Single Trig. Gate ....................................................................... 298
Sel. Note Gate ......................................................................... 298
On Velocity .............................................................................. 299
Off Velocity .............................................................................. 299
Controller ................................................................................ 299
Ch. Aftertouch ......................................................................... 300
Poly Aftertouch ........................................................................ 300
Sel. Poly AT ............................................................................. 300
Program Change ........................................................................301
Start/Stop ................................................................................301
1/96 Clock ................................................................................................. 301
Sync Clock .............................................................................. 302
Song Pos ....................................................................................................302
Channel Message ..................................................................... 302
Table of Contents – VIIREAKTOR 5
MIDI Out ..................................................................................................304
Note Pitch/Gate ....................................................................... 304
Pitchbend ................................................................................ 304
Controller ................................................................................ 304
Ch. Aftertouch ......................................................................... 305
Poly Aftertouch ........................................................................ 305
Sel. Poly AT ............................................................................. 305
Program Change ....................................................................... 306
Start/Stop ............................................................................... 306
1/96 Clock .................................................................................................306
Song Pos ....................................................................................................307
Channel Message .....................................................................307
Math .......................................................................................................309
Constant ................................................................................. 309
Add ........................................................................................ 309
Subtract ................................................................................... 310
Invert, -X ..................................................................................310
Multiply ....................................................................................310
a * b + c ..................................................................................311
Reciprocal 1/x ........................................................................... 311
Divide x/y .................................................................................311
Modulo x % y ............................................................................312
Rectifier ...................................................................................312
Rect./Sign ................................................................................312
Compare ..................................................................................313
Compare/Equal .........................................................................313
Quantize ................................................................................... 314
Expon. (A) ................................................................................ 314
Expon. (F) ................................................................................314
Log (A) ..................................................................................... 315
Log (F) .....................................................................................315
Power x y ..................................................................................315
Square Root ..............................................................................316
1 / Square Root ......................................................................... 316
Sine .........................................................................................316
Sine/Cos ..................................................................................317
Arcsin ...................................................................................... 317
Arccos .....................................................................................317
Arctan ......................................................................................318
VIII – Table of Contents REAKTOR 5
Signal Path ............................................................................................. 319
Selector/Scanner ....................................................................... 319
Relay 1,2 ..................................................................................319
Crossfade ................................................................................ 320
Distributor/Panner .................................................................... 320
Stereo Pan ...............................................................................321
Amp/Mixer ................................................................................321
Stereo Amp/Mixer ..................................................................... 322
Oscillator ................................................................................................323
Sawtooth ................................................................................. 323
Saw FM ................................................................................... 323
Saw Sync .................................................................................324
Saw Pulse ................................................................................325
Bi-Saw .....................................................................................325
Triangle ................................................................................... 326
Tri FM ..................................................................................... 326
Tri Sync ....................................................................................327
Tri/Par Symm ............................................................................327
Parabol ................................................................................... 328
Par FM .................................................................................... 328
Par Sync ................................................................................. 329
Par PWM ................................................................................. 330
Sine ........................................................................................ 330
Sine FM ...................................................................................331
Sine Sync .................................................................................331
Multi-Sine ............................................................................... 332
Pulse ...................................................................................... 333
Pulse FM ................................................................................. 334
Pulse Sync .............................................................................. 334
Pulse 1-ramp ........................................................................... 335
Pulse 2-ramp ........................................................................... 336
Bi-Pulse .................................................................................. 337
Impulse ................................................................................... 337
Impulse FM ............................................................................. 338
Impulse Sync ........................................................................... 338
Multi-Step ............................................................................... 339
4-Step .................................................................................... 339
5-Step .................................................................................... 340
6-Step .................................................................................... 340
8-Step .................................................................................... 340
Table of Contents – IXREAKTOR 5
Multi-Ramp ............................................................................. 340
4-Ramp ................................................................................... 340
5-Ramp ...................................................................................341
6-Ramp ...................................................................................341
8-Ramp ...................................................................................341
Ramp .......................................................................................341
Clock ...................................................................................... 342
Noise ...................................................................................... 342
Random .................................................................................. 343
Geiger ..................................................................................... 343
Samplers ............................................................................................... 344
Sampler .................................................................................. 345
Sampler FM ............................................................................. 346
Sampler Loop ...........................................................................347
Grain Resynth .......................................................................... 349
Grain Pitch Former ................................................................... 353
Grain Cloud ..............................................................................357
Beat Loop ................................................................................359
Sample Lookup .........................................................................361
Sequencer ..............................................................................................362
Sequencer ............................................................................... 362
6-Step .................................................................................... 362
8-Step .................................................................................... 363
12-Step ................................................................................... 363
16-Step ................................................................................... 363
Multiplex 16 ............................................................................ 363
LFO, Envelope ..........................................................................................365
LFO ........................................................................................ 365
Slow Random ........................................................................... 366
H - Env ................................................................................... 366
HR - Env ................................................................................. 367
D - Env ................................................................................... 368
DR - Env ................................................................................. 368
DSR - Env ............................................................................... 369
DBDR - Env ............................................................................. 369
DBDSR-Env ..............................................................................370
AD - Env ..................................................................................371
AR - Env ..................................................................................371
ADR-Env ..................................................................................372
X – Table of Contents REAKTOR 5
ADSR - Env ..............................................................................373
ADBDR - Env ............................................................................373
ADBDSR-Env ............................................................................374
AHDSR - Env ............................................................................375
AHDBDR - Env ..........................................................................376
4-Ramp ....................................................................................377
5-Ramp ...................................................................................378
6-Ramp .................................................................................. 380
Filter .......................................................................................................382
HP/LP 1-Pole ........................................................................... 382
HP/LP 1-Pole FM ..................................................................... 383
Allpass 1-Pole .......................................................................... 383
Multi 2-Pole ............................................................................. 384
Multi 2-Pole FM ....................................................................... 384
Multi/Notch 2-Pole ................................................................... 385
Multi/Notch 2-Pole FM .............................................................. 386
Multi/LP 4-Pole ....................................................................... 387
Multi/LP 4-Pole FM .................................................................. 388
Multi/HP 4-Pole ....................................................................... 389
Multi/HP 4-Pole FM ................................................................. 390
Pro-52 Filter .............................................................................391
Ladder Filter .............................................................................391
Ladder Filter FM ...................................................................... 392
Peak EQ .................................................................................. 393
Peak EQ FM ............................................................................ 393
High Shelf EQ .......................................................................... 394
High Shelf EQ FM .................................................................... 394
Low Shelf EQ ........................................................................... 395
Low Shelf EQ FM ..................................................................... 396
Differentiator ........................................................................... 396
Integrator .................................................................................397
Delay ......................................................................................................398
Single Delay ............................................................................. 398
Multi-Tap Delay ........................................................................ 399
Diffuser Delay .......................................................................... 400
Grain Delay ...............................................................................401
Grain Cloud Delay ..................................................................... 402
Unit Delay ............................................................................... 404
Table of Contents – XIREAKTOR 5
Audio Modifier .........................................................................................405
Saturator ................................................................................. 405
Saturator 2 .............................................................................. 405
Clipper .................................................................................... 406
Mod. Clipper ............................................................................ 407
Mirror 1 Level .......................................................................... 407
Mirror 2 Levels ......................................................................... 407
Chopper .................................................................................. 408
Shaper 1 BP ............................................................................ 409
Shaper 2 BP ............................................................................ 409
Shaper 3 BP ............................................................................. 410
Shaper Parabolic ....................................................................... 411
Shaper Cubic ............................................................................ 411
Slew Limiter .............................................................................412
Peak Detector ........................................................................... 412
Sample & Hold ..........................................................................413
Frequency Divider ...................................................................... 413
Audio Table ............................................................................... 414
Event Processing ..................................................................................... 416
Accumulator .............................................................................416
Counter ....................................................................................416
Randomizer .............................................................................. 417
Frequency Divider ...................................................................... 417
Ctrl. Shaper 1 BP ......................................................................418
Ctrl. Shaper 2 BP ......................................................................418
Ctrl. Shaper 3 BP ...................................................................... 419
Logic AND ................................................................................ 419
Logic OR ................................................................................. 420
Logic EXOR ............................................................................. 420
Logic NOT ............................................................................... 420
Order .......................................................................................421
Iteration ...................................................................................421
Separator ................................................................................ 422
Value ...................................................................................... 422
Merge ..................................................................................... 423
Step Filter ............................................................................... 423
Router M->1 ............................................................................ 423
Router 1,2 ................................................................................424
Router 1->M .............................................................................424
Timer .......................................................................................425
XII – Table of Contents REAKTOR 5
Hold ........................................................................................425
Event Table .............................................................................. 426
Auxiliary .................................................................................................428
Tapedeck 1-Ch ......................................................................... 428
Tapedeck 2-Ch ..........................................................................431
Audio Voice Combiner ................................................................431
Event V.C. All ........................................................................... 432
Event V.C. Max ......................................................................... 432
Event V.C. Min ......................................................................... 433
A to E ..................................................................................... 433
A to E (Trig) ............................................................................. 433
A to E (Perm) ........................................................................... 434
A to Gate ................................................................................. 434
To Voice .................................................................................. 435
From Voice .............................................................................. 435
Voice Shift .............................................................................. 436
Audio Smoother ....................................................................... 437
Event Smoother ........................................................................ 437
Master Tune/Level .................................................................... 438
Tempo Info .............................................................................. 438
Voice Info ................................................................................ 438
Tuning Info .............................................................................. 439
System Info ............................................................................. 439
Note Range Info ....................................................................... 440
MIDI Channel Info .................................................................... 440
Snapshot ..................................................................................441
Set Random ............................................................................. 443
Unison Spread ......................................................................... 443
Snap Value .............................................................................. 444
Snap Value Array ...................................................................... 444
In Port .................................................................................... 446
Out Port .................................................................................. 446
Send ....................................................................................... 446
Receive ................................................................................... 446
IC Send ................................................................................... 448
IC Receive ............................................................................... 448
OSC Send ............................................................................... 449
OSC Receive ............................................................................ 449
Appendix .................................................................................................450
Index ......................................................................................................451
Table of Contents – XIIIREAKTOR 5
14 – Introduction REAKTOR 5

1. Introduction

1.1. What is REAKTOR?

REAKTOR is a powerful and flexible program that turns your computer into a professional-strength synthesis, sampling, and audio-processing system. With REAKTOR’s completely modular structure, you can build virtually any digital audio device that you can imagine. From relatively simple analog synths to large modular systems, from basic sample players to exotic granular (re)samplers, from elementary delay lines to full-featured reverb units, your creativity will have virtually no limits.
If building your own instruments and effects is not your top priority, you’ll still find plenty to do with REAKTOR. It comes packed with hundreds of instruments and effects of all kinds. Want a simple FM synth? It’s there. Want a sample player with independent control of time and pitch shifting? Load it up. Want a multi-effects box to munge your audio files? It’s at your fingertips. And the best part of the REAKTOR library is that it enables you to get right down to the business of making music.
If something in the library doesn’t do exactly what you need, its modular struc­ture and its control elements are accessible for you to modify. Nothing is hidden. And there’s an active user community and online library with new instruments and effects being added all the time. In short, you decide how to use REAKTOR. Fire up a pre-built ensemble (combination of instruments) today, add some snapshots (presets) and make some modifications tomorrow, build your own instrument from the ground up the next day. Just get started!

1.2. New/Changed Features in REAKTOR 5

REAKTOR 5 represents a major advancement in flexibility, power, and sonic potential over REAKTOR 4. The following sections present a short overview of new and changed features in REAKTOR 5.

1.3. Event Initialization

REAKTOR 5 has a new initialization scheme for event inputs that is used if the REAKTOR 4 Legacy Mode option is disabled (in the Ensemble Properties dialog). We strongly recommend that you disable REAKTOR 4 Legacy Mode in your ensembles for the sake of future compatibility!
Introduction – 15REAKTOR 5

1.4. REAKTOR Core Technology

The biggest change to REAKTOR 5 is that it provides two levels of functional­ity: the primary level and the core level.
The primary level comprises the instruments, macros, and modules as they are known from REAKTOR 4.
The core level, also known as the REAKTOR Core, comprises three new ob­jects: core cells, core macros, and core modules. A core cell (*.rcc file) is a macro/module hybrid that serves as a bridge between the primary and core levels of REAKTOR. Just as primary-level structures consist of primary macros (*.mdl files) and primary modules, core-cell structures consist of core macros (*.rcm files) and core modules.
16 – Introduction REAKTOR 5
Note that primary and core macros are stored in external files (*.mdl and *.rcm, respectively), but that primary and core modules are built into the REAKTOR program. For this reason, modules are referred to as built-in modules.
Core cells, and the core macros and modules they contain, are built upon new concepts of signal propagation and runtime compilation. Using REAKTOR Core technology enables builders to design sophisticated signal-processing structures, that would not have been possible in REAKTOR 4. For a com­prehensive introduction to REAKTOR Core technology, please refer to the separate REAKTOR Core manual.
1.5. New Primary Modules
There are no new primary modules for audio generation and processing in REAKTOR 5, because this type of low-level functionality is, from now on, realized at the core level (i.e. within core cells), not at the primary level. The is a comprehensive, ever-growing library of core cells, core macros, and core modules for low-level DSP processing.
The new primary modules focus on the user interface, data storage, voice routing. MIDI input/output, and internal connections.
The new modules are:
Mouse Area (Panel) - enables other modules (such as Multi Display
and Poly Display) to process mouse actions (button clicks, mouse drags, changes in position, etc.).
Multi Display and Poly Display (Panel) - enable REAKTOR users
to generate and manipulate multiple graphical objects (rectangles, pictures, animations, etc.).
Stacked Macro and Panel Index (Panel) - enable multiple macros
to share the same display area in an instrument panel, where one macro is displayed at a time.
Channel Message (MIDI In) and Channel Message (MIDI Out) - re-
ceive/send all types of MIDI channel messages from/to external MIDI devices (keyboard, sequencer, file, etc.) or internal instruments.
Voice Shift (Auxiliary) - shifts specified input voices (e.g. 1, 2) to
specified output voices (e.g. 3, 4).
Snap Value Array (Auxiliary) - stores/recalls arrays of values to/from
the edit buffer and snapshots.
Introduction – 17REAKTOR 5
IC Send (Terminal) and IC Receive (Terminal) - send/receive mono-
phonic event signals anywhere in the ensemble. IC stands for in­ternal connection.
Numeric Readout – is a panel element to display numeric values.
For detailed information on each of these modules, see the Primary Modules Reference.

1.6. Changed Primary Modules

The appearance and functionality of several REAKTOR 4 modules has been changed in REAKTOR 5:
Invert, Rectify (Math), and Merge, Order, Value, Logic AND, Logic OR, Logic XOR, Logic NOT (Event Processing) - the structure icons for all of these modules are different from those in REAKTOR 4.
Meter, Lamp, Multi Picture, Multi Text (Panel), MIDI In Controller, MIDI Out Controller - the Internal Connections list in the Properties dialog has been removed from all these modules; Internal connections are now established by the IC Send and IC Receive modules.
Snap Value (Auxiliary) - can now be run in monophonic or polyphonic mode. (In REAKTOR 4, Snap Value is a monophonic-only module.)
Panel Controls (Panel) - the functionality of several REAKTOR 4 panel control modules has been changed in REAKTOR 5. Control and port labels can be edited in panel view (in unlocked mode). Control values can be set in panel view (in locked mode). Most panel controls can have panel skins. There are new options for instrument and primary macro background pictures. For detailed information on each of these modules, see the Primary Modules Reference.
18 – Introduction REAKTOR 5

1.7. New Functions

There are several new functions in REAKTOR 5:
Panelsets - an enhanced replacement for REAKTOR 4 screensets.
Bookmarking a structure - you can bookmark a structure so that you can jump straight to it from any other structure in the ensemble.
Locking an instrument’s voice allocation settings - an instrument’s voice allocation settings (Voices, Max Unison V, and Min Unison V) can now be locked by turning on the Lock Voices option (in the Properties dialog).
Voice & MIDI Slave option - an instrument’s voice allocation and MIDI In settings can now be controlled from another instrument in the ensemble.
Panel skins - REAKTOR 5 enables you to customize the appearance of several panel controls by applying skins to them: faders, knobs, buttons, lists, switches, Receive modules, lamps, and meters.
Instrument and macro borders - you can now add borders (blank margins) to instrument panels and framed primary macros.
Auditioning audio files in the Browser and Sample Map Editor - the REAKTOR 5 Browser and Sample Map Editor both support audio-file auditioning (pre-listening).
Initialization - REAKTOR 5 has a new initialization scheme for event inputs that is used if the REAKTOR 4 Legacy Mode option is disabled (in the Ensemble Properties dialog).
User Content folders - during installation, REAKTOR 5 creates separate folders for its system files (ensembles, instruments, primary macros, core cells, core macros), and for user files that are created/maintained by the user (ensembles, instruments, primary macros, core cells, core macros, audio, imported files, pictures, snapshots, tables).
Deleting wires - wires can now be deleted by dragging the mouse from the input port to which the wire is connected to a blank part of the structure.
Debug option - Show Event Initialization Order numbers modules in a structure to show their initialization sort order.
CPU peak meter – The CPU meter has been extended. It now also features a bar to show the average CPU drain (white), peak above average (yellow), CPU overload (red).
Introduction – 19REAKTOR 5

1.8. Changed Functions

Several REAKTOR 4 functions have been changed in REAKTOR 5:
Ensemble Panel window - there is now only one panel window, the
former Ensemble Panel window. All instrument panels reside within the Ensemble Panel window.
Structure windows - in order to minimize Structure window clutter, REAKTOR 5 displays all structures (ensemble, instrument, primary macro, core cell, and core macro) in the same Structure window. You can bypass this feature and open a structure in a separate window by Alt+double-clicking the structure icon, or WindowsXP: Right-clicking / OS X: Ctrl+clicking the icon and selecting Structure Window from the context menu.
Main toolbar - several aspects of the REAKTOR 4 Main toolbar have been changed in REAKTOR 5. The number of Main toolbar elements has been reduced, because the Ensemble Panel window and Structure windows now have their own toolbars. In the OS X implementation of REAKTOR 5, the toolbar is now displayed as a toolbox that can be placed anywhere on the screen, in order to keep the window headers visible.
There are now two MIDI activity lamps: External MIDI In and External
MIDI Out. During the compilation of a core structure, the CPU load indicator changes to a compilation progress bar.
Ensemble Panel and Structure toolbars - Ensemble Panel window and Structure windows now have their own toolbars, each with a set of the most commonly used functions in that window.
Instrument header - Several aspects of the REAKTOR 4 Instrument header have been changed in REAKTOR 5. The A, B, and Minimize buttons have been moved to the left. The panel Lock/Unlock function now has its own button (wrench icon). The Mute and Solo buttons have been removed. There are now four MIDI activity lamps: External and Internal MIDI In, and External and Internal MIDI Out. The In and Out drop-down menus provide access to all of the input and output connections (MIDI and wiring) of the instrument.
Browser item access - The REAKTOR 5 Browser provides dedicated buttons that enable you to fast access system and custom folders.
20 – Introduction REAKTOR 5

1.9. Discarded and Reassigned Functions

Several REAKTOR 4 functions have been discarded or reassigned in REAKTOR 5:
• There are no longer separate panels for instruments. All instrument panels are displayed in the Ensemble Panel window. The new Panelset bar provides easy (one-click) access to all of an ensemble’s instru­ment panels.
• REAKTOR 4 screensets (storage slots for ensemble layouts) have been replaced by REAKTOR 5 panelsets (see New Functions, pan- elsets).
• The Browser no longer supports wiring (this has been reassigned to the In and Out menus in an instrument’s panel header), structure browsing, and module loading.
• The internal MIDI connections of an instrument are no longer set in the instrument’s Properties dialog; they are set in the instrument panel header’s In and Out menus.

1.10. Opening REAKTOR 3 Ensembles

Ensembles saved with REAKTOR 3 will not open in REAKTOR 5 unless the REAKTOR 3 USB copy protection key is plugged in. If you have the key, install it and plug it into your USB port, then open the REAKTOR 3 ensembles in REAKTOR 5 and save them as REAKTOR 5 files. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to open the ensemble files without using the key. There is also a Batch Processing function to perform the convertion of many files at once.
Introduction – 21REAKTOR 5

2. Product Authorization

Part of the REAKTOR 5 installation is a Product Authorization which has to be fullfilled in order to make permanent use of the software. We recommend that you take notice of this chapter first, then proceed with the software installation as described in the following chapters and finally return to this chapter.

2.1. What is the Product Authorization?

The Product Authorization includes a full registration. After having completed the authorization, you can make use of all online services related to the regis­tered product. On the Native Instruments website you can read online tutorials, get technical support, participate in the NI forums and download updates.
REAKTOR 5 requires the Product Authorization in order to use the software permanently. You can run REAKTOR 5 for 30 days without any limitations. As long as the software runs unauthorized a message at every program start reminds you that the authorization has not been completed yet and indicates how many more days the software is running without an authorization.
The Product Authorization is performed by a small application called Registration Tool. The Registration Tool generates a so called System ID which serves as request code for receiving an Authorization Key. The System ID is based on some hardware components of your computer system, the operating system version and the serial number you have entered at the REAKTOR 5 installation.
Note: Exchanging your audio card, MIDI interface or external equipment will not start the request for a new Authorization Key. Only exchanging a basic hardware component in your computer or installing a new operat­ing system might produce a new Product Authorization request. In this case the Registration Tool will reflect the change by displaying a new System ID and you have to repeat the Product Authorization.
The System ID has to be sent to Native Instruments in order to receive the Authorization Key which allows the permanent use of REAKTOR 5. Since the Product Authorization is part of the license agreement REAKTOR 5 will stop launching after 30 days if it was not authorized until then. Of course, it is also possible to complete the Product Authorization after 30 days. In this case the software will launch again as soon as the Product Authorization has been completed.
22 – Product Authorization REAKTOR 5
Note: The data transfer at the online Product Authorization is done via a secure connection using 128 bit encryption. Native Instruments keeps your personal data like email and postal address in confidence. No data will be passed to a third party.
Registration Tool

2.2. Conducting the Product Authorization

Native Instruments has set a high value on making the authorization procedure as easy and comfortable as possible. In the following sections we describe three methods of conducting the Product Authorization. We recommend Method A and Method B since these result in the easiest and fastest way of receiving the Authorization Key.
2.3
. Method A: REAKTOR 5 computer has direct access to the internet
Important: This method requires a valid email address to complete the
Product Authorization, since the registration code will be sent to you by email.
Product Authorization – 23REAKTOR 5
Windows: Start the Registration Tool from the start menu (Native Instruments REAKTOR 5 REAKTOR 5 Registration Tool) or from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: C:\Program Files\ Native Instruments\REAKTOR 5\).
MacOS: Start the Registration Tool from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: Applications\REAKTOR 5\).
• A click on the Register Now button opens the Native Instruments registration webpage. Therefore your standard Internet Browser will be opened and an internet connection will be established according to your system settings. Your System ID will be automatically trans­mitted to the registration form.
• On the first online page you are asked if it is your First Registration at Native Instruments or if you want to do an Additional Registration.
• Depending on the option you have chosen on the first online page you now get a login page asking for your username and password or a form where you can fill out your address data. Please fill out all required fields and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the registration.
24 – Product Authorization REAKTOR 5
• On the last online registration page your Authorization Key is directly shown in the browser. Please copy the full number (12 x 5 digits) and paste it to the registration tool. Within a few minutes you will also receive an email from the Native Instruments registration system containing the Authorization key. The Authorization key is available in the email body and additionally as text attachment. This email also contains the password which is required for using the online services.
• Start the Registration Tool again and either copy the Authorization Key from the email and press the Paste from Clipboard. button in the Registration Tool or use the Open File button in the Registration Tool to open the email attachment which you previously have saved to hard disk.
Product Authorization – 25REAKTOR 5
Click on the Complete button.
After completing the Product Authorization the Registration Tool looks like this
Now the REAKTOR 5 Product Authorization has been completed. The au­thorization message at every REAKTOR 5 start has disappeared and you can use the software permanently:

2.4. Method B: Internet Connection on another computer

Important: This method requires a valid email address to complete the
Product Authorization, since the Authorization Key will be send to you by email.
Windows: Start the Registration Tool from the start menu (Native Instruments REAKTOR 5 REAKTOR 5 Registration Tool) or from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: C:\Program Files\ Native Instruments\REAKTOR 5\).
MacOS: Start the Registration Tool from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: Applications\REAKTOR 5\).
26 – Product Authorization REAKTOR 5
A click on the Save Registration File button opens a Save dialog for saving a HTML file. Save the HTML file to any storage medium.
• Transfer the HTML file to another computer where you have internet access (via floppy disk, CDR etc.).
• Open the HTML file in your internet browser.
• The HTML page contains a link for the registration page on the Native Instruments website. When you click on this link an internet connec­tion will be established according to your system settings.
• On the first online page you are asked if it is your First Registration at Native Instruments or if you want to do an Additional Registration.
• Depending on the option you have chosen on the first online page you now get a login page asking for your username and password or a form where you can fill out your address data. Please fill out all required fields and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the registration.
• Within a few minutes you will receive an email from the Native Instruments registration system containing the Authorization key. The Authorization key is available in the email body and additionally as text attachment. This email also contains the password which is required for using the online services.
• Transfer the text attachment to the computer where you have installed REAKTOR 5.
Product Authorization – 27REAKTOR 5
• Start the Registration Tool again and use the Open File button in the Registration Tool to open the email attachment which you previously have saved to hard disk.
Click on the Complete button.
After completing the Product Authorization the Registration Tool looks
like this
Now the REAKTOR 5 Product Authorization has been completed. The au­thorization message at every REAKTOR 5 start has disappeared and you can use the software permanently:

2.5. Method C: No Internet Connection available

Important: Following this method you will have to fill in a form which you send to Native Instruments. You will receive the Authorization Key either by email (recommended), by postal mail or by fax. If you do not provide Native Instruments with a valid email address in the form, be prepared to type in the Authorization Key manually (about 60 digits).
If you do not have access to the internet or if you do not have a working email address, the Product Authorization can also be done via postal mail or fax. Although Native Instruments goes after a fast handling of your authorization
28 – Product Authorization REAKTOR 5
requests, it is generally recommended that you prefer Method A or Method B for shortest return times and most comfortable operation. Please note the following instructions to fullfill the Product Authorization:
Windows: Start the Registration Tool from the Windows start menu (Native Instruments REAKTOR 5 REAKTOR 5 Registration Tool) or from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: C:\Program Files\Native Instruments\REAKTOR 5\).
MacOS: Start the Registration Tool from the REAKTOR 5 installation folder (default path: Applications\REAKTOR 5\)
A click on the Fill Out Form button opens a local HTML file in the operating system’s standard browser or another program which you have defined as standard application for opening HTML files.
The HTML file contains all information Native Instruments requires for completing the Product Authorization and registration. Please fill in the required data and print it out, or write a letter containing the data.
If you write a letter please attend to a legible handwriting to avoid mis­takes at the Native Instruments registration team. Illegible email or postal addresses can cause problems with the Authorization Key delivery.
Product Authorization – 29REAKTOR 5
Send the form to Native Instruments using one of the following contact ad­dresses:
Native Instruments GmbH Native Instruments USA
Registration 5631 A Hollywood Boulevard Schlesische Straße 28 Los Angeles CA 90028 10997 Berlin USA Germany Fax: +49 30 6110352400 Fax: +1-323-372-3676
You will receive the Authorization Key via email (recommended), fax or mail.
Start the Registration Tool again and either copy the Authorization Key from the email and press the Paste from Clipboard button in
the Registration Tool or use the Open File button in the Registration Tool to open the email attachment which you previously have saved to hard disk. If you have received the Authorization Key by mail or fax, type it in manually.
Click on the Complete button.
Now the REAKTOR 5 Product Authorization has been completed. The
authorization message at every REAKTOR 5 start has disappeared and you can use the software permanently:

2.6. Registration support

If you run into problems during the Product Authorization the Native Instruments registration support team will be happy to help you. In this case send a sup­port request on the NI website using the following URL:
http://www.native-instruments.com/registersupport.info
Please describe the occurred problem as accurate as possible and provide the registration support team with the necessary details to solve the problem.
30 – Product Authorization REAKTOR 5

3. Installation under Windows XP

3.1. System Requirements and Recommendations

To use the REAKTOR 5 software, you need a computer with the following minimum specifications:
Hardware
• Pentium III 1 GHz/ Athlon XP 1.33 GHz.
• 512 MB RAM
• Up to 1GB free HD space.
• A sound card compatible with Windows XP
• CD drive
Software
• Windows XP
Important: REAKTOR 5 only runs on processors supporting SSE

3.2. Software Installation

Insert the REAKTOR 5 CD into the CD drive.
Use the Windows Explorer to view the contents of the CD.
Start the installation by double-clicking REAKTOR 5 Setup.exe.
The setup program will suggest C:\Program Files\Native Instruments\
REAKTOR 5\ as the path for the destination folder. You may also choose another folder if you wish.
Installed Folders, Files, and Links
The setup program creates a new folder called REAKTOR 5\ in the installation directory (Program Files\Native Instruments). This folder contains the files required to operate the software. If you do not choose a different program group during the installation, links to REAKTOR 5 and a ReadMe file are added to the Start menu under Programs/Native Instruments.
Installation under Windows XP – 31REAKTOR 5

3.3. VST plug-in Installation

Insert the Installation CD into the CD drive.
Use the Windows Explorer to view the contents of the CD. To start,
double-click the REAKTOR 5 Setup.exe file.
When the choice is given by the installer, select VST plug-in from the list of components to install.
You can now choose to automatically search for the VST plug-in folder or manually select the VST plug-in folder of your choice. Please select the option that best suits your installation requirements.
Note: If more than one host program for VST 2.0 plug-ins is installed on your computer, the installer lets you install to multiple VST-folders by shift-clicking them. If you decide to install them at a later date, simply copy the “REAKTOR 5 VST.dll” file into the VST plug-ins folders of these programs. Windows: If the VST plug-in files are not visible in the Windows Explorer, select the Show All Files option. This option is located in the Explorer menu View Folder Options... on the View tab below Hidden Files. Optionally, you can set up your programs so that they all use the same VST plug-ins folder.

3.4. DXi 2 plug-in Setup

DXi 2 is a plug-in interface for software synthesizers and instruments based on Microsoft DXi technology. Sonar from Cakewalk and Fruity Loops are the most well known host sequencers that support DXi.
Installation
Insert the Installation CD into the CD drive of your computer.
Use the Windows Explorer to view the contents of the CD and dou-
ble-click the REAKTOR 5 Setup.exe file to start the installation.
Continue the REAKTOR 5 installation until you come to the Choose plug-ins page. Tick the checkbox DXi plug-in.
The installation program copies the REAKTOR 5 plug-in to your hard disk and registers it as a DXi 2 plug-in for use in DXi 2-compatible host programs. After the installation, REAKTOR 5 appears as a plug-in in the host program.
32 – Installation under Windows XP REAKTOR 5

3.5. RTAS plug-in installation

Launch the REAKTOR Installer from the CD.
Select the Custom installation type.
Select only RTAS from the list of components to install.

4. Installation under MacOS X

4.1. System Requirements and Recommendations

To use the REAKTOR 5 software, you need a computer with the following minimum specifications:
Hardware
Apple PowerMac G4 1 GHz or faster
512 MB RAM
Audio interface compatible with Core Audio
CoreMIDI compatible MIDI interface for connecting a MIDI keyboard
or an external sequencer (only for the stand-alone version)
Up to 1GB free HD space
CD drive
Software
MacOS 10.2.6
Important: REAKTOR 5 only runs on processors supporting AltiVec
Installation under MacOS X – 33REAKTOR 5

4.2. Installing REAKTOR 5 OS X

Insert the Installation CD into the CD drive of your computer.
Double-click the installation program Install REAKTOR 5 to start
it.
The start screen appears first. After clicking Continue and confirm- ing the license agreement, a dialog opens where you can select the installation location and the destination folder.
The installation program suggests a path for the REAKTOR 5 folder; if you do not select a different destination, the REAKTOR 5 folder is created on the first hard disk. You can choose between Easy Install, where both the stand-alone and plug-in versions are installed, or Custom Install, where you can select which versions you want to install.

4.3. MacOS Audio Unit plug-in Installation

Launch the REAKTOR 5 Installer from the CD
Select the Custom installation type.
Select only Audio Unit from the list of components to install.

4.4. RTAS plug-in installation

Launch the REAKTOR Installer from the CD
Select the Custom installation type.
Select only RTAS from the list of components to install.
34 – Installation under MacOS X REAKTOR 5

5. Audio Interfaces

Audio interfaces, which include software routines called drivers, allow REAKTOR 5 (and other programs you have installed, if present) to commu­nicate with your computer’s audio hardware. This section describes how to use various audio interfaces with REAKTOR 5.
There are two main ways to implement REAKTOR 5:
As a “stand-alone” device that requires no host software. REAKTOR 5’s au­dio and MIDI connections interact directly with your computer’s audio/MIDI hardware interface.
As a plug-in that works in conjunction with a “host” program, such as sequenc­ing or hard disk recording software. In this case, the host program interacts directly with the computer’s hardware interface. REAKTOR 5 connects to the host program via “virtual patch cords.” REAKTOR 5’s audio outputs appear as signals in the host’s mixer, and the host passes MIDI data to REAKTOR 5.
We’ll describe each mode in detail, but first let’s look at the various inter­face drivers and plug-in formats used by different operating systems and programs.

5.1. Stand-alone Application

REAKTOR 5 works in stand-alone mode with ASIO, MME, DirectSound, and Core Audio. The REAKTOR 5/computer combination acts as an instrument, similar to a hardware digital synthesizer. The table shows you which drivers are available under which Operating System:
Driver Windows MacOS X
ASIO 2.0
DirectSound
MME
Core Audio
Plug-In
Used as a plug-in, REAKTOR 5 is not a stand-alone program but rather a program “module” that can be integrated into a “host” program such as a sequencer. plug-in mode allows you to integrate it seamlessly with the se­quencer. Furthermore, it has many other uses as a plug-in:
• (only Jaguar)
Audio Interfaces – 35REAKTOR 5
• MIDI sequencing of REAKTOR 5 and audio mix-down of the MIDI tracks within a single program
• Comfortable automation of REAKTOR 5 parameters in the sequenc­er
• Further processing of REAKTOR 5 signals using additional plug-ins
• Sample-accurate timing with MIDI controllers (when used as VST 2.0 plug-in)
• Restoring of all plug-in settings when the host document (such as a song file of the sequencer) is loaded
• Integration with other instruments into a “virtual studio”
The shortcuts / key commands do not work in all sequencers. This is due to the fact that the host capture keys for themselves and do not pass them on to the plug-in.
This table provides you with an overview of which interfaces are supported by which host programs:
Plug-in Interface Host-Program Windows Mac
VST 2.0 Plug-in Cubase, Nuendo
DXi Sonar
Audio Units Logic
Note: Some hosts include “wrappers” that allow running REAKTOR 5 with a choice of plug-in protocols. Try each one, as one may offer better performance than another. Example: With Sonar, running REAKTOR 5 as a DXi instrument allows using multiple outputs, while running it as a VST instrument provides more automation options
Interface Details
The interfaces described below represent different ways REAKTOR 5 can communicate with your sound card. Available interfaces depend on your computer, the audio interface (sound card) you’re using, and your computer platform (REAKTOR 5 supports Windows XP or MacOS X). Choose the fastest interface protocol supported by your interface, which will likely be ASIO with Windows, or Core Audio for Mac. For Windows, you can also use DirectSound and Multimedia (also called MME), but expect a significant delay (called latency) between the time you play a note and the time you hear it.
36 – Audio Interfaces REAKTOR 5
ASIO (Audio Streaming Input Output): This cross-platform plug-in protocol was developed by Steinberg. It is highly recommended for its low latency, multi-channel audio card support, and high performance.
DirectSound: Developed by Microsoft, this is a is a component of DirectX 5.0 or higher for Windows. How well DirectX works well depends on your sound card. If you adjust the interface for an acceptable amount of latency, you may hear glitches and clicks in the audio output that can only be fixed if you increase latency.
MME (Multi Media Extension): This is the standard Windows audio driver. Most sound cards support this interface and work with it quite well. However, MME is even less suitable than DirectSound for real-time applications due to its comparatively high latency.
Core Audio: This audio interface for MacOS X is integrated tightly into the operating system, and works with external audio hardware as well as the Mac’s integrated audio output.
Plug-In Details
VST (Virtual Studio Technology): Like ASIO, this cross-platform plug-in tech­nology was developed by Steinberg. It is the most common plug-in format, and many programs are optimized to work with VST plug-ins.
DXi2 (DirectX Instrument 2): Based on Microsoft DirectX technology, this plug-in interface for software synthesizers and instruments is designed for low latency and high performance on the Windows platform. Cakewalk Sonar and Image Line FL Studio are the most well-known hosts that support DXi.
RTAS (Real Time Audio Suite): This interface protocol from Digidesign al­lows using plug-ins with ProTools (or other Digidesign-compatible software). Unlike traditional TDM effects that depend on using Digidesign hardware, RTAS plug-ins are “native;” the host processor performs all computations needed for the plug-in.
AU (Audio Units): This plug-in format is exclusively for the Macintosh OS X platform, and is tied in closely with the operating system.
Audio Interfaces – 37REAKTOR 5
More About Latency
As with any digital device (including hardware signal processors) that convert audio to data and back again, a computer adds a certain amount of delay (“latency”) when processing audio signals. Fortunately, with today’s computers and low-latency sound card drivers, this delay can be so small that you can’t hear it (e.g., under 3 milliseconds, which is about the same delay caused by moving your head one meter further away from a speaker). However, typical computers are generally not set up for low latency; attempting to play in real time through REAKTOR will probably be unsatisfying because of the delay.
If your computer is already configured for low-latency operation, keep read­ing.
38 – Audio Interfaces REAKTOR 5

6. REAKTOR 5 as Standalone

When used as a plug-in, the host program has already set up its audio and MIDI connections, and REAKTOR 5 simply “plugs in” to these. However, with stand-alone operation REAKTOR 5 communicates directly with your audio interface. It’s therefore necessary to specify audio and MIDI settings, as well as the preferred driver protocol (of course, plug-in format is not an issue).
Setup for Mac and Windows machines is essentially identical, except where indicated. Note that if you change your audio interface, you will almost cer­tainly need to re-adjust these settings.
Call up the Audio + MIDI Settings setup dialog from the Setup menu. You’ll see three tabs for Soundcard, Routing (audio output patching), and MIDI.

6.1. Soundcard (Audio Interface)

Audio + MIDI Settings dialog
Interface: Choose the fastest interface protocol supported by your interface, which will be ASIO or Core Audio. For Windows, you can also use DirectSound and Multimedia (also called MME), but expect a significant delay between the time you play a note and the time you hear it.
REAKTOR 5 as Stand-alone – 39REAKTOR 5
Windows only: Avoid using any drivers listed as “emulated,” as they provide poorer performance than other drivers. For example, although DirectSound drivers generally outperform MME drivers, MME drivers will outperform emulated DirectSound drivers.
Sample rate: The drop-down menu will display compatible sample rates for your audio interface. 44.1kHz is the same sample rate used for CDs, and is the most “universal” choice. However, some audio interfaces offer 48kHz and 96kHz (REAKTOR 5 accepts up to 96kHz sample rates). These higher rates stress your computer more, but offer somewhat better high frequency response. If you are using REAKTOR 5 standalone, choose whichever rate you prefer. When used as a plug-in with a host program (e.g., Cubase, Digital Performer, Logic, Sonar, etc.), the host will determine the sample rate.
Output Device: Use ASIO written specifically for your audio interface (not “ASIO DirectX” or “ASIO Multimedia,” unless no other choices are available), or for the Mac, Core Audio.
Output Latency: This field displays the output latency. For some drivers you can adjust the latency individually using a fader.
Adjust latency for the fastest possible setting that gives consistent audio performance. The CPU may not be able to keep up with fast settings, result­ing in possible crackles or pops in the audio. Slower settings will give more consistent audio performance, but the amount of delay may be musically unsatisfying.
Experiment with the latency setting until you find the best compromise be­tween consistent audio performance and fast response. A quick way to adjust latency is as follows:
Select any instrument and play it while moving the Latency slider.
Move the Latency slider to the left until you start to hear clicks in the audio output.
Now move the slider to the right until the clicks disappear. This is the opti­mum setting.
40 – REAKTOR 5 as Stand-alone REAKTOR 5

6.2. Routing

Using the drop-down menu, REAKTOR 5’s Output can be assigned to an output from a multi-output sound card.
If your sound card offers multiple inputs and outputs, you can choose which ones connect to REAKTOR 5 Click on Inputs to choose the desired inputs from the drop-down menus, and click on Outputs to select the outputs, also from drop-down menus. Note that the right and left channels are independent and can be assigned to any inputs/outputs – not just stereo pairs – as well as disconnected from audio ins and outs.
REAKTOR 5 provides up to 8 monophonic outs. Using all of these in stand­alone mode requires an audio interface with eight output channels.
However, it is not necessary to have this many channels. For example, if a notebook computer has built-in audio and offers only a single stereo output (two channels), you can assign all the REAKTOR 5 sounds to the stereo output.
REAKTOR 5 as Stand-alone – 41REAKTOR 5
Each drop-down list shows what outputs are available from the driver/audio interface selected under the Interface tab. Assign each REAKTOR 5 1/2 Right, Channel 3/4 Left, Channel 3/4 Right, Channel 5, Channel 6, Channel 7, and Channel 8) to the desired hardware output.
Windows only: The audio interface’s overall level may be determined by a mixer applet included with your interface hardware, or the built-in Win­dows mixer. If you encounter excessively low or high levels, please check the Windows volume control by going Start Programs Accessories Entertainment  Volume Control. Then check the Wave volume slider, and adjust its level as needed.

6.3. MIDI

When you click on the MIDI tab you’ll see a list of MIDI I/O. Initially, each one will be Off. This field is a toggle – click on Off to turn an input or output On, click on On to turn an input or output Off.
If you enable more than one input, they will be merged.
42 – REAKTOR 5 as Stand-alone REAKTOR 5

7. REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in

The plug-in version of REAKTOR looks a bit different from the standalone version, but you have still access to all the software’s main features (unless they are not applicable to plug-in operation).
A menu is available in the plug-in version as context menu. To call up the menu, WindowsXP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl + Click within an empty space of the toolbar. You can hide the toolbar with the first entry in this context menu. Even if the toolbar is hidden, you can call up the menu anytime with a WindowsXP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl + Click on an empty area of the Browser, Snapshot or Properties window.
If you hide the toolbar and close all other windows except for the Ensemble window and finally press the Resize button, your Ensemble fits perfectly into the plug-in window.
The left part of the plug-in window can be toggled between three different views: Properties (F4), Browser (F5), Snapshots (F6). Alternatively, you can hide this area by clicking on the Close button which shows a small cross.
If the toolbar is visible, the button on the right serves for switching to the Browser view. If it is hidden, use the shortcut F5.
Browser button
The Snapshot view can be accessed by the Snapshot buttons in the Ensemble and Instrument Headers (F6).
Snapshot button
The Properties view can be accessed by double clicking on any control within an Instrument panel (F6).
If you open the Sample Map Editor for a Sampler by double clicking a sampler waveform within an Instrument panel, it will be displayed at the buttom of the plug-in window.
Ensembles can be saved using the Save button in the Toolbar. You can save the Ensemble under a new name when you perform a Ctrl click on the Save button.
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 43REAKTOR 5
Automation: If your host supports plug-in automation, REAKTOR will pass the parameter names and value ranges of the controls used in the currently loaded ensemble to the host.

7.1. Automation ID editing

Each control element in a REAKTOR ensemble is assigned a unique automation ID. This enables automation from a host application. The ID determines the order that the controls appear in the host parameter list. For this reason, the instrument properties has several functions for re-arranging the automation ID’s. These functions are particularly important in certain host applications that only recognize a limited number of parameters.
Compress ensures that there are no ‘gaps’ between automation ID’s.
Sort and compress additionally ensures that ID’s of controls within the same macro are grouped together (so that they will appear together in the host parameter list).
Each instrument in an ensemble also has a unique base ID. This determines the overall order of Instrument controls within the param­eter list. Instrument up and Instrument down increase or decrease the priority of the instrument in the parameter list.

7.2. Total Recall

Loading a REAKTOR Plug-in
After inserting a REAKTOR plug-in in your host application, you will be pre-
sented with two options: New Ensemble and Load Ensemble....
Selecting New Ensemble will load New.ens (an empty structure in which you can construct your own ensemble). Selecting Load Ensemble... will present a file dialog to select an existing file.
It is also possible to load an ensemble by drag and drop from the browser or from an outside window.
44 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
The Auto Save Configuration Dialog
After loading an ensemble or creating a new one, the Auto Save Configuration dialog with the following options will appear.
Save this instance automatically: Enabling this option is always rec- ommended. It ensures that the ensemble and all changes made to it are saved to a separate .ens file when you save your project. This is safest as amendments to the original ensemble will not affect your project. When enabled, you are required to choose a destination folder and a filename for the Auto Save location. When disabled, a copy of the ensemble is not made, thus saving disk space. The cur­rent setting of the ensemble panel controls will be stored within your project file. But please note, sharing ensembles in this way means that amendments to the structure of the original ensemble will affect all projects using the ensemble. Further, changes to event / audio table data and sampler file references will not be stored when saving the project.
Automatic saving by default in this project: When this option is on, the Auto Save Configuration dialog will open up with each REAKTOR plug-in that you insert in this project. Keeping this option active guarantees that the latest state of all ensembles used in this project will be saved in their own files.
Auto Save Folder: Here you specify the folder where the ensemble shall be automatically saved. You can either enter a directory from the keyboard, or select it from a file browser by clicking on the folder icon. It is recommended to store ensemble files in the same folder as the project file itself. This ensures that they will be kept together when moving the project folder.
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 45REAKTOR 5
Ensemble Name: Here you can specify a filename for the ensemble. We recommend choosing a name that is unique and cannot be con­fused with the names used for other plug-in instances in the current project or other projects.
OK: Selecting OK confirms the Auto Save configuration. If Auto Save is on, but a folder or ensemble name have not yet been defined, the option to select “OK” is disabled.
Cancel: Discards changes and closes the dialog
Auto Save Functions in the Plug-in Header
The first field shows the file name of the currently loaded ensemble. This is updated with the file name that has been given in the Auto Save Dialog.
The Menu button opens the main menu.
The lamp between Menu and Auto Save” buttons shows whether the
plug-in is in Auto Save mode or not.
The Auto Save button opens the Auto Save Configuration dialog. This allows you to reconfigure Auto Save settings. If you change the Auto Save folder, the ensemble will be automatically moved to the new destination. If there are any other instances using the old folder, you will be asked whether to change the Auto Save folder for those instances too.
Replacing an Ensemble
If Auto Save is enabled, and you replace the ensemble, the Auto Save con­figuration dialog will appear. Thus, when auditioning different ensembles it might be advantageous to disable Auto Save until you decide which ensemble to use.
Loading a Project and the Ensemble is not Found
If an ensemble is not found when opening a project, a message will appear in the plug-in window. You can locate the ensemble via a file browser by click­ing the Locate Ensemble button, by dragging the correct ensemble into the window, or by re-configuring the Auto Save dialog. If other plug-in instances have missing ensembles, an option to try the new folder location for those other instances will now appear.
46 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
Working with multiple REAKTOR Plug-ins
If you load another REAKTOR plug-in into your project, the Auto Save mode and folder are taken from the last REAKTOR plug-in instance.
What is Saved with a Project
When the project is saved (or the host queries the plug-in data for whatever reason), the following happens:
If Auto Save is turned on, the ensemble is saved as a file to the AutoSave folder.
If Auto Save is turned off, the path of the currently used ensemble is saved in the project data.
In either case, the following are also saved:
The current setting of all panel controls
The last Auto Save mode and folder
The current window size and mode (minimized, auto-layout or
fixed)
Saving a copy of an Ensemble
In the Plug-in the ‘Save As’ command is replaced by ‘Save A Copy As’. This allows saving a copy of the ensemble elsewhere without changing the Auto Save filename and path.
Global Auto Save default
In the Preferences, the Auto Save off by default option determines the default Auto Save configuration for new instances.
Plug-in Size Functions
Several functions are available for controlling the window size of a plug-in.
These are the last four buttons on the right hand side of the plug-in toolbar. The first two buttons minimize and maximize the screen respectively. The third button (‘Manual resize’) resizes the plug-in window to fit the ensemble when pressed. The fourth button (‘Automatic Resize’) is a toggle button. When
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 47REAKTOR 5
activated, the plug-in window will always be automatically resized when required (for example, switching windows, toggling between A and B panels).
The maximum plug-in window size can now be configured in the prefer­ences.

7.3. VST 2.0 Plug-In

7.3.1. Using the REAKTOR 5 plug-in in Cubase SX 3

Launch Cubase, go to the Devices menu option and select the VST Instruments menu option or press F11 on your keyboard.
A window showing the instrument rack appears. Click on an empty slot and choose REAKTOR 5 from the available list of instrument plug-ins.
The plug-in will now appear in your list and automatically be turned on. It will also create a set of audio channels in your VST mixer that will be used for mixdown within your project. This will allow you to mix, pan, and process REAKTOR 5's output just like any other exist­ing audio track in your Cubase song.
Click on the Edit button to call up the REAKTOR 5 interface. Here you can control and edit all the features and functions that REAKTOR 5 has to offer.
Now go to the “Project” page and add a MIDI track (if you do not have one already created).
Go to the Output parameter section for this MIDI Track and click on the field. This will create a list of available MIDI out ports to assign to this MIDI track. Choose REAKTOR 5 from the list.
Note: If REAKTOR 5 does not appear in the list of available VST instru­ments inside your VST 2 host application, then it is not installed correctly. Please refer to the previous section on installing the plug-in for both Windows and Mac platforms for more assistance on setting this up.
48 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
After having loaded an Instrument from the library you should be able to trig­ger it via MIDI using a keyboard controller. REAKTOR 5’s sound will generate through the VST mixer and directly to your sound card. If the plug-in does not receive MIDI or generate audio, then make sure to check the following areas:
Make sure “MIDI thru” is enabled in Cubase.
The MIDI channel of your MIDI track must correspond to the receive
channel of the loaded instrument.
Make sure that you have properly configured your sound card for use with Cubase.
(please refer to your Cubase manual for more information)

7.3.2. Using the REAKTOR 5 plug-in in Nuendo 2.0

Launch an empty or current project in Nuendo.
Click on the Devices menu and choose VST instruments from the
menu options (or press F11 on your keyboard).
A window showing the instrument rack appears. Click on an empty slot and choose REAKTOR 5 VST from the available list of installed plug-ins.
The plug-in will now appear in your list and automatically be turned on. It will also create a set of audio channels in your VST mixer that will be used for mixdown within your project. This will allow you to mix, pan, and process REAKTOR 5's output just like any other exist­ing audio track in your Nuendo project.
Click on the Edit button to call up the REAKTOR 5 interface. Here you can control and edit all the features and functions that REAKTOR 5 has to offer.
Now go to the “Project Editor” page and create a MIDI track (if you do not have one already created).
Go to the Output parameter section for this MIDI Track and click on the field. This will create a list of available MIDI out ports to assign
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 49REAKTOR 5
to this MIDI track. Choose REAKTOR 5 VST from the list. Also make sure you assign the MIDI input port to correspond to whatever MIDI controller your are using.
Record enable the MIDI track.
Note: If REAKTOR 5 does not appear in the list of available VST instru­ments inside your VST 2 host application, then it is not installed correctly. Please refer to the previous section on installing the plug-in for both Windows and Mac platforms for more assistance on setting this up.
After having loaded an Instrument from the library you should be able to trig­ger it via MIDI using a keyboard controller. REAKTOR 5’s sound will generate through the VST mixer and directly to your sound card. If the plug-in does not receive MIDI or generate audio, then make sure to check the following two areas:
Make sure “MIDI thru” is enabled in Nuendo.
The MIDI channel of your MIDI track must correspond to the receive
channel of the loaded instrument.
Make sure that you have properly configured your sound card for use with Nuendo
(please refer to your Nuendo manual for more information).

7.4. Audio Units Plug-ins

7.4.1. Use in Logic 7.x

Launch Logic and create an audio instrument track or set an existing audio or MIDI track to an audio instrument track by clicking on it, holding down the mouse button and choose Audio Audio Instru- ment Inst 1.
50 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
Double click the audio instrument track to open the environment window. Logic scrolls automatically to the first instrument bus in the Logic mixer.
Choose the REAKTOR 5 Audio Unit plug-in in the appropriate insert slot of the instrument mixer bus, either in the arrange or mixer win­dow. Then click onto the insert slot, hold down the mouse button and choose Stereo Audio Units Native Instruments REAKTOR 5. (REAKTOR 5 is also available as a multi-channel insert)
The plug-in now appears in the instrument slot and is ready to use. The instrument mixer channel will allow you to mix, pan, and proc­ess REAKTOR 5’s output just like any other existing audio track in Logic.
If the REAKTOR 5 interface is not already open, double click on the mixer’s REAKTOR 5 slot to call up the REAKTOR 5 interface. Here you can control and edit all the features and functions that REAKTOR 5 has to offer.
Note: If REAKTOR 5 does not appear in the list of available AUinstruments inside your AU host application, then it is not installed correctly. Please refer to the previous section on installing the plug-in for the Mac platform for more assistance on setting this up.
After having loaded an Instrument from the library you should be able to trig­ger it via MIDI using a keyboard controller. REAKTOR 5’s sound will generate through the mixer and directly to your sound card. If the plug-in does not receive MIDI or generate audio, then make sure to check the following two areas:
Make sure the Inst track is selected in the Arrange window.
The MIDI channel of your MIDI track must correspond to the receive
channel of the loaded instrument.
Make sure that you have properly configured your sound card for use with Logic.
(please refer to your Logic manual for more information).
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 51REAKTOR 5

7.4.2. Use in Digital Performer 4.5

Launch Digital Performer and create an instrument track by selecting
Project Add Track Instrument Track REAKTOR 5.
Create a MIDI track by selecting Project Add Track Midi Track. In Digital Performer’s track overview window (or in the sequence ed­itor window) assign the ouput of this MIDI track to “REAKTOR 5-1” and a MIDI channel. If you instantiate further REAKTOR 5 Plug-Ins they will be named “REAKTOR 5-2”, “REAKTOR 5-3” etc.
The plug-in is now ready to use. The mixer of Digital Performer will allow you to mix, pan, and process REAKTOR 5's output just like any other existing audio track.
To play REAKTOR 5 with your keyboard, record enable the MIDI track which you have routed to REAKTOR 5 and make sure Midi Patch Through is enabled in the Studio menu of Digital Performer.
52 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
Double click on the REAKTOR 5 slot in Digital Performers mixing board to call up the REAKTOR 5 interface. Here you can control and edit all the features and functions that REAKTOR 5 has to offer.
Note: If REAKTOR 5 does not appear in the list of available Audio Unit plug-ins inside your Audio Units host application, then it is not installed correctly. Please refer to the previous section on installing the plug-in for Mac platforms for more assistance on setting this up.
After having loaded an Instrument from the library you should be able to trigger it via MIDI using a keyboard controller. REAKTOR 5’s sound will gen­erate through Digital Performers mixer and directly to your sound card. If the plug-in does not receive MIDI or generate audio, then make sure to check the following two areas:
Make sure Midi Patch Through is enabled in the Studio menu of Digital Performer.
The MIDI channel of your MIDI track must correspond to the receive channel of the loaded instrument.
Make sure that the instruments track output is correctly set.
Make sure that you have properly configured your sound card for use
with Digital Performer.
(please refer to your Digital Performer manual for more information).

7.4.3. Use in Garage Band

Launch Garage Band
Press the “+” button to create a new “Software Instrument” Track.
From here you can choose the icon you wish to use.
Double-click the instrument track icon or press the “I” icon to get the Track Info.
From the Info window expand the Details triangle underneath the Instrument icon to expose the track settings.
From the Generator drop-down menu, choose REAKTOR 5 from among Audio Unit plug-ins.
Clicking on the pencil icon next to the “Manual” drop-down menu will open the REAKTOR 5 interface for editing.
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 53REAKTOR 5
REAKTOR 5 can now be played using an external MIDI keyboard.

7.5. DXi 2 plug-in

DXi is a Microsoft DirectX technology based plug-in format

7.5.1. Use in Sonar 4

Launch Sonar
In the synth rack choose REAKTOR 5 DXi 2.
Loading the REAKTOR 5 DXi 2 plug-in in the synth rack
Route a MIDI track to the DXi 2-Plug-in by selecting REAKTOR 5 in the Out drop down list.
Assign a MIDI track to the REAKTOR 5-DXi-Plug-in
After having loaded an Instrument from the library you should be able to trig-
54 – REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in REAKTOR 5
ger it via MIDI using a keyboard controller. REAKTOR 5’s sound will generate through Sonar’s mixer and directly to your sound card. If the plug-in does not receive MIDI or generate audio, then make sure to check the following two areas:
Make sure Midi Patch Through is enabled in the Studio menu of Sonar.
The MIDI channel of your MIDI track must correspond to the receive channel of the loaded instrument.
Make sure that the instruments track output is correctly set.
Make sure that you have properly configured your sound card for use
with Sonar.
(please refer to your Sonar manual for more information).
7.7. Usi
The RTAS format is an interface protocol for Mac OS and Windows that allows you to use plug-ins with ProTools independently from additional TDM hardware, while nonetheless offering the widest range of features. In this case, the host processor alone performs all of the computations for the plug-in.
• Launch Pro Tools
• Create a new AUX track File a New Track
Create a new MIDI track the same way
• Locate the channel mixer Windows Show mix
• The dark grey box at the topmost section of the AUX channel is the
• Choose REAKTOR 5 from the menu
ng REAKTOR RTAS with Pro Tools 6.x (Mac/Windows)
RTAS insert section. Click on the first empty slot to show all available RTAS plug-ins.
REAKTOR 5 as Plug-in – 55REAKTOR 5
• Now locate the MIDI channel you just created
• In the output slot, choose REAKTOR and the appropriate channel
After record enabling the MIDI track, you will be able to play REAKTOR with your MIDI keyboard.
Important: If you will to use REAKTOR’s multiple outputs (provided the REAKTOR ensemble supports this) in Pro Tools 6.7 or higher, you must create additional stereo/mono Auxiliary tracks in your Pro Tools session. After creating new tracks, set the aux input source to “plug-in” and choose the corresponding output from the drop-down list.
(Please refer to your Pro Tools manual for more information on how to record REAKTOR’s output).
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8. Open Sound Control (OSC)

OSC is an open, network-independent protocol developed for communication among computers, sound synthesizers, and other multimedia devices. Com­pared to MIDI, OSC provides increased reliability, greater user convenience, and more reactive musical control. Open Sound Control is useful in any situ­ation where multiple music applications have to work together on the same computer or on networked computers. While MIDI only has the parameters defined in the standard (note on/off, pitch bend, control change, etc.), OSC lets each program have its own symbolic, hierarchical, and dynamic address space.
OSC can be used with any networking technology, including TCP/IP based LANs and the internet. OSC’s time tags and bundles of messages provide for exact timing of musical results even if the network has latency and jitter. OSC supports a variety of argument types which will be successively integrated into future releases of REAKTOR.

8.1. Application areas

The OSC implementation of REAKTOR allows for easy setup of
• Internet-based collaborative international music making
• Sound installations with dozens of computers coordinating with each other
• Coordinating synthesis between two (or more) computers to increase the total processing power
• Communication between music software applications within a single computer.
The OSC implementation in the current version of REAKTOR only supports transmission of event data between two or more REAKTOR computers, but not audio data. In addition to REAKTOR’s general requirements you will need an ethernet card to use OSC. Also, TCP/IP and UDP protocol stacks must be installed on your computer.
Open Sound Control – 57REAKTOR 5

8.2. OSC System Setup

OSC Sesttings window
REAKTOR’s Open Sound Control (OSC) settings are made using the OSC Settings window which you can open from the System menu. OSC provides
communication between media devices and software such as REAKTOR using a variety of network protocols, including TCP/IP and LANs.
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Activating OSC
OSC communication can be enabled and disabled at will using the Activate OSC button at the top-left of the OSC Settings window. OSC communica-
tion is only possible when REAKTOR’s audio processing is active, and as a consequence, you need an audio card or built-in audio capability on your computer to activate OSC. The Activate OSC status is preserved between REAKTOR sessions.
OSC Identification
In addition to the Activate OSC button, the top section of the OSC Settings win­dow contains your Local IP Address, Local Identifier, and Local Port settings. The settings in this section are all preserved between REAKTOR sessions.
Local IP Address: This is the current IP address of your computer. It is recognized automatically and can not be edited.
Local Identifier: This name will be used to identify you to other OSC clients. You can choose any name you like.
Local Port: This is the sub-network identifier by which other OSC clients recognize your system when they scan the network (see the Scan button below). Only certain ports are scanned, and you should use a number between 10,000 and 10,015.
Apply: When you make changes, you need to click the Apply button to have them take effect.
OSC Synchronization
The second section of the OSC Settings window contains synchronization settings.
Clock Sync (Master): Click this to have REAKTOR send an OSC clock signal to other OSC clients. OSC clock works exactly like MIDI clock. Clock will be sent to all clients on the Member list (see below).
Time Sync (Master): Time Sync is a control circuit system. The client constantly polls the master for the time stamp, compares the received time with its own, and adjusts it if neccessary.
Select Master: When not operating in Clock Sync Master mode, use this menu to synchronize to an OSC master. Select Clock Sync to synchronize to Clock Sync signals. Select another OSC member to Time Sync with that client.
Open Sound Control – 59REAKTOR 5
Sync LEDs: There are small LEDs to the right of the Clock Sync and Time Sync checkboxes. These indicate when a synchonization signal is received or sent.
Sync Errors: This field reports synchronization errors.
Time Offset (ms): Adds the time offset to each OSC message sent to the clients. If you enter 1000 ms each message will be received one second later by the client. This only applies if the participating clients are in Time Sync mode.
OSC Member List
This list contains all REAKTOR OSC clients to whom a connection has been established.
You can edit and delete entries in this list. To do so, select an entry and press the Edit button. To apply any changes you have made, click the Apply button.
To delete an OSC connection in the OSC member list, just select the entry and press the Delete button.
The Scan function is able to recognize OSC members within a sub-network automatically. This only works when the following conditions are met:
• The client must be located within the same subnet.
• REAKTOR must be running on this computer (audio engine active).
• OSC has to be activated in the REAKTOR OSC Settings.
• In the REAKTOR OSC Settings a port address between 10,000 and 10,015 must have been entered.
If you want to connect two computers that are not located in the same subnet (for instance if you want to establish an OSC connection via the internet), you will have to enter manually the Identifier, IP address and Port number of the other computer below the member list area and then press the Apply button.
OSC Monitor
The bottom section of the OSC Settings window is for monitoring OSC activ­ity.
OSC Message: This field is for sending text messages to other OSC clients. It can be used to test OSC connections or as a chat box. First select a
60 – Open Sound Control REAKTOR 5
recipient in the Member list, type a message and finish the operation with the enter key. The message will then be sent to that client.
OSC Monitor: The monitor displays all received OSC messages.
Monitor Options: Here you can set certain functions for the monitor window.

9. First Steps in REAKTOR

The purpose of this chapter is to make you familiar with the basics of the operation and the functionality of REAKTOR and how to program it.
We will dispense with trying to tell you that REAKTOR is a very simple affair and that within only a few minutes you will have programmed your own physi­cal modeling synthesizer. That would be a lie. The fact is that REAKTOR is a complex program that offers complex functions which allow you to achieve complex things. And if that’s just what you want to do, you won’t really get around an intensive initial learning phase. After all, real success never comes easy.
But don’t worry. Although you can work with REAKTOR at a complex level, you don’t have to. As you will see in our first tour, it is possible to make music with the software using a number of different instruments, even without any knowledge of synthesis methods or processing structures. You simply help yourself to the provided library.

9.1. Opening and Playing Examples

First, make sure that your MIDI controller instrument (master keyboard or MIDI workstation) is connected to one of the MIDI inputs of your computer. The input port should have been activated under Input Interface on the MIDI tab of the Audio + MIDI Settings... dialog. (For more information about activating MIDI ports, see REAKTOR Standalone). The MIDI transmit channel on your controller should be set to 1.
Alternatively, you can just use the QWERTY keys on your computer keyboard to play notes (see Appendix for key mapping).
First Steps in REAKTOR – 61REAKTOR 5
SynthOne
Panel Window for SynthOne
Now open the folder Tutorial Ensembles in the REAKTOR Library folder, select SynthOne.ens and click on Open, or drag the ensemble from the REAKTOR
Browser into the main REAKTOR window.
You should first take a quick look at the Main toolbar.
Is the Run/Stop Audio button on, and does the field next to it show the current CPU usage? If so, you can now play SynthOne. If not then click the Run/Stop Audio button to turn on your new synth, and then let ‘er rip! By the way, if the CPU usage field shows Over or a warning message pops up (“Processor Overload!”) to inform you that audio processing has been turned off, then you will need either to reduce the number of Voices in the Instrument header of the Synth 1 panel from 6 to a smaller number, or to choose a lower sample rate than the initial 44100 Hz in the toolbar. And if the Out level meter should ever light up red, this indicates that the sound card is being overloaded – in which case you should reduce the ensemble volume (by using the Main fader).
With every note you play, the MIDI In lamp in the Instrument Header should light up red.
This lamp indicates that the SynthOne is receiving MIDI data, while the MIDI In Ext lamp in the Instrument header indicates that the MIDI data is being received by the instrument.
SynthOne is a replica of a simple 6 voice analog synthesizer. It contains one
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sawtooth oscillator, a 24-dB lowpass filter, an LFO that affects the pitch, and an ADSR envelope that modulates the sawtooth amplitude and the filter cutoff frequency.
In the SynthOne panel you can find the control elements that are available for changing the sound. From left to right, these are: A(ttack), D(ecay), S(ustain) and R(elease) for changing the shape of the envelope, Cutoff for controlling the filter cutoff (or corner) frequency, Reson(ance) for the amount of boost applied to the frequencies near this cutoff frequency, EnvAmt for setting how much the filter is affected (modulated) by the envelope, and finally Depth for setting the LFO intensity and Rate for the LFO speed.
If you have ever had your hands on a synthesizer before, then dealing with this straightforward device should not be much of a challenge. On the other hand, if SynthOne is your first synth, you now have the opportunity to experiment with the effect that these few but essential synthesis parameters have on the sound. And there’s no reason to worry about getting too lost.
If during your experiments you should come across a sound that you particu­larly like, you may want to save it. To do so:
• Open the Snapshots window by clicking on the camera icon in the toolbar, which opens the snapshot window.
The Snapshots window is used for managing (saving, renaming, deleting, etc.) snapshots, which are like the “patches”, “presets” or “programs” found in other programmable synthesizers.
• Click the Append button twice (the first click lights the button, the second un-lights it) to save your current SynthOne sound settings to the first empty slot in the snapshots list.
• REAKTOR gives your new snapshot a default name. To rename it, double­click on the current name, type your new name, and press the Enter key.
First Steps in REAKTOR – 63REAKTOR 5
Padecho
The next ensemble we are going to have a look at is called Padecho.ens. (Pad-echo = Pad with echo.) You will find it in the same folder from where we previously pulled out SynthOne.
At this point you will be asked whether you want to save the changes you have made in SynthOne. You probably want to answer No here, unless you have just created a snapshot(s) worth keeping.
You will now see three instrument panels, which are labeled Pad, Echo Stereo and Master. Click on the Structure button (its icon is three little boxes con- nected by wires) in the Panel toolbar in order to open the Ensemble Structure window.
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The ensemble is the highest level in REAKTOR and the Ensemble Structure window provides a bird’s eye view of the complete working environment that is available to you. In this case it contains the synthesizer Pad, the stereo delay effect Echo Stereo, and Master which holds the master ensemble controls Main and Tune.
The output of Pad is connected to the two inputs of Echo Stereo. The outputs of Echo Stereo are then connected to the top two inputs of the Audio Out module.
You will find this Audio Out module in every ensemble. It represents the software’s connection to the rest of the world, which is normally the audio output of your sound card, but it can also be the Plug-In connection to another piece of software. Its counterpart, which is also present in every ensemble, is the Audio In module, which represents the audio inputs of your sound card (or the Plug-In connection). In this case Audio In is muted (as indicated by the red M in its title bar), because Padecho doesn’t use any audio input.
A quick look at the Padecho ensemble already brings to light two essential
First Steps in REAKTOR – 65REAKTOR 5
features of REAKTOR. One is that an ensemble can consist of more than one instrument. The other that its generative power is not restricted to synthesiz­ers, because Echo Stereo is an effects unit.
You can switch between the Structure and Panel windows by double-clicking the black background of the Panel window, or double-clicking the dark grey background of the Structure window. Give it a try.
You can play the ensemble with the Structure window open (as pressing a key on your MIDI instrument will show), but there are no control elements at your disposal, which does detract from the entertainment value of a synth quite a bit.
The panel of the Master Instrument gives access to two knobs: Main for controlling the master volume of the ensemble, and Tune for setting the master tuning.
Together with the panels for Pad and Stereo Echo you see all control elements of the ensemble.
Before we give you some time alone with the Padecho ensemble, we’ll make a few short comments regarding its structure. The Pad synth contains two oscillators that both generate a pulse-wave. The tuning of the second oscilla­tor can be controlled relative to the first one, coarsely with the knob labeled Interval, and finely with the Fine knob. The pulse width of both oscillators is set with PWidth and can also be modulated with the LFO. LFO rate sets the speed, and Depth the amount of LFO modulation. The controllers for the ADSR envelope, which again affects both filter and amplitude, as well as the knobs to the right for controlling the filter, correspond to those we got to know in SynthOne.
The Echo Stereo consists of two delay lines, one of which processes the left and the other the right stereo channel. Their delay times can be controlled independently of each other using Del L and Del R, where a setting of zero means that there is no delay. The desired number of echo repeats is set with the knobs F(eed)Back and Cross, where FBack controls the amount of signal of a channel (L or R) going back into itself and Cross the amount going into the respective other channel. Finally, Wet-Lvl sets how much of the original signal goes through the delays, controlling the strength of the effect.
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FM Overdrive
The next ensemble we want to present to you is called FM-Overdrive.ens. (FM-Overdrive = FM with 2 Operators + Overdrive.) You can also find this in the by now familiar Tutorial Ensembles folder.
As a quick look at the Ensemble structure shows, we again have a combina­tion of two instruments here: the synthesizer FM 2 Operator followed by the distortion effect Overdrive.
The FM 2 Operator synthesizer demonstrates the flexibility of REAKTOR. In addition to subtractive synthesis, REAKTOR is capable of other types of syn­thesis. In this case, FM (frequency modulation), made popular by the Yamaha DX series of synthesizers, is used for tone generation.
First Steps in REAKTOR – 67REAKTOR 5
In our example there aren’t 6 operators (as in the DX7), or 4 like in the smaller DX models, but only 2 operators, so the whole structure should be quite clear.
Both operators consist of an oscillator that generates a sine wave. One, called the carrier, is responsible for generating the fundamental wave and thus set­ting the pitch of the sound. The other operator is the modulator that affects the frequency of the carrier and controls the sound’s timbre.
Play a few notes on your MIDI instrument. Not very exciting, is it? Now slowly turn the FM knob upwards and listen to how the sound changes.
A bell-like element starts to creep into the sound until it dominates it com­pletely when the maximum position is reached. On a technical level, all we have done by sliding the FM knob up is to increase the level of the modulator and thereby determine how much it modulates the carrier’s frequency.
In the next step we turn our attention to the Interval knob. The effect that this parameter has should quickly become quite clear. The knob placed next to it, Detune, allows you to make fine adjustments to the interval setting.
A very simple envelope is responsible for determining the sound’s development over time. The carrier’s envelope, which controls volume, has only the two parameters D(ecay) and R(elease). The envelope for the modulator is even simpler and has only the one knob for setting the decay, labeled Mod-D.
Armed with this knowledge you should not find it difficult to create your own sounds with this 2 operator FM synthesizer, and to do it with a sense of purpose.
Let’s turn briefly to the Overdrive, the purpose of which is simply to furnish
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your FM sound creation with some amount of acoustic grit. The best thing is probably if you first try out the various snapshots before dedicating yourself to the following explanation of this device.
Drive sets the level of the signal that is sent to the distorting element and therefore controls the amount of dirt that is generated. With Asym it is pos­sible to modify the overtone spectrum of the signal in such a way as to make it “warmer”, i.e. to make it sound as if the sound was generated using a valve (tube) circuit. The distortion circuit is followed by a filter with the parameters Freq(ency) for setting its cutoff frequency and Emph(asis) to emphasize this frequency. The setting of the Volume knob determines the output level of the sound signal.
16-Step Sequencer Plus Bassline
The ensemble Squnc16*.ens (Squnc16 = 16-Step Sequencer) with which we are now going to experiment, can also be found in the Tutorial Ensembles folder.
First Steps in REAKTOR – 69REAKTOR 5
A look at the Ensemble structure tells us something about the construction of this ensemble: Sequenzer16, a 16-Step sequencer (another device that REAKTOR can provide) controls Bassline, a kind of 303 clone, whose signal reaches the audio output via the Auto Panner.
The panel of Sequenzer16 is already visible and, if the Run button is already pushed, you should hear the pattern playing. Press Run once to stop the pat- tern and another time to restart it. You can change the pitch for every step with the Pitch faders in the top row, and the volume for each step with the Lvl (Level) faders in the row below. The tempo is adjustable using the BPM knob (next to the Run button), and the length of the notes can be manipulated with knob labeled Length.
Finally, the Reset button located underneath Run resets the sequence to step 1 every time it is pressed. If it is pressed while the sequencer is running, a nice shifted pattern can be generated. If it is pressed while the sequencer is stopped, this ensures that, on starting, the sequence will begin at the first step and not somewhere in the middle.
The Bassline instrument corresponds to what you may know from a 303; but even if you have never seen such a beast, with such a small number of controls it’s unlikely that any confusion will arise. Just turn any knobs you want and listen to the result.
As you have probably already noticed, the sound in this ensemble is always moving back and forth between the left and right speakers. The Auto Panner is responsible for this. With Amount you set by how much the signal travels between the left and right channel and Rate is the speed of this movement. That is all there is to it.
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Sample Loop Player
The final example for illustrating REAKTOR’s capabilities is called Wav-play*. ens. You will find it with the previous REAKTOR examples in the Tutorial Ensembles folder.
This ensemble is made up of the units Loop Player and 12-Band..Before you can hear anything, you first need to load a sample into Loop Player. Windows XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on the sample slot displaying “untitled*.wav” in the panel and choose Load Audio in Tapedeck... from the context menu. In the Open Audio File dialog select any one of the WAV or AIF files on your hard drive and load it by clicking on Open. Presto, a click on the Play button and you should hear the newly loaded sample as a loop. If Play is already pressed and you don’t hear anything, or if the sample fails to loop, press Play twice to reinitialize it and start playback.
The whole point of the Wav-play ensemble, however, is to be found in the 12-Band effect. The panel looks very much like the classic control panel of a graphic equalizer – that is, faders which allow the level of various frequency bands to be controlled. What we have here is a filterbank which allows even more dramatic manipulation of the sound than an equalizer. Each fader has a number that indicates what frequency band (measured in Hz) it controls. Try out the effect of the different frequency bands on the sound, while the loop is running. You will notice that it’s not just the timbre that changes, but that it is possible to nearly remove entire parts and so manipulate the musical character of the loop.
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9.2. Your First DIY Synthesizer

As you may have noticed in the previous examples and by further rummaging through the library, REAKTOR offers a wealth of ready-made instruments, effects units and combinations. But the true thrill of REAKTOR is in the pos­sibility of designing and constructing your own instruments. And as you will see, it isn’t difficult if approached in the right way.
How about a good old-fashioned analog synthesizer? Let’s do it using subtrac­tive synthesis, where an oscillator first produces a signal rich in high frequency components, some of which are subsequently removed using a time variable filter. All right, here we go...
Preparation
To construct our synthesizer we will use a method that is very effective – the use of macros.
Note: REAKTOR supports two kinds of macros: primary macros (mac­ros that reside within the primary level of REAKTOR) and core macros (macros that reside within the core level of REAKTOR). In this section, we are speaking exclusively about primary macros. For DIY information on core macros, see the REAKTOR Core manual.
In REAKTOR terminology, macros are functional blocks that make the con­struction of complex structures quite easy, and most importantly, everything remains clearly laid out. In REAKTOR you already have an extensive library of such macros at your disposal, and we will help ourselves to it.
Initially, turn off the Run/Stop Audio button in the Main toolbar, so that you don’t get startled when the half-finished construction suddenly starts making noises.
To begin with we will prepare the workspace in which to construct the synth. Please open the File menu at the top of REAKTOR and choose the entry New Ensemble. After this you will see (in the Ensemble structure) our old friends Audio Out and Audio In, as well as two instruments, Instrument and Master.
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To proceed, delete the default Instrument since we want to see how to build an ensemble from ground up. The other instrument called Master should remain, since it contains the important global controls Level and Tune which appear in the Panel window.
First we need a shell – a box so to speak – in which we will construct our synth. For this we take an empty instrument which we find in the library. XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on a blank part of the Ensemble Structure win­dow and in the context menu choose Insert Instrument New - 2In2Out. An empty instrument named Instrument appears in the structure. Double-click Instrument to open its structure and delete all terminals inside it except for the L output terminal and the Audio Voice Combiner ( } ) in front of it.
Double-click on a blank part of the Instrument structure to redisplay the En- semble structure window. (Double-clicking on a structure is a great shortcut for moving one structure up in the ensemble hierarchy.) Click on the L output
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port of Instrument, drag the mouse pointer to 1 input port of the Audio Out module, and release the mouse button.
Do you now see a wire connecting the two components? If not, try again. If so, we congratulate you on creating your first virtual wire! In the same way connect the L output of Instrument to the 2 input of Audio Out so that you can later hear the sound on both channels.
Choice of Components
For our synth we need one or more oscillators whose output signal should go through a filter and whose volume should be controlled by an envelope, and that’s it. We will now assemble these components.
Take a look at the Master and Instrument panels (not structures!) in the Ensemble Panel window.
The Instrument panel is empty (because we haven’t added any visible objects to its structure yet), and Master contains only the Level and Tune controls.
Open the Structure window for Instrument. It is here that we will insert the components mentioned above. XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click in Instrument’s Structure window and in the context menu choose Macro  Building Blocks Oscillators Osc (pls, saw, tri) . In the Structure window you can now see the insert macro, which is named Osc 3 Wave.
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A quick look at the Instrument panel, which was empty until just a few mo­ments ago, shows the controls contained in Osc 3 Wave.
We’re making progress.
Before we go on we should make sure that the oscillator is working. As a pre­cautionary measure, set the Level fader of Master to, let’s say, -10 to avoid any nasty surprises during the following audio test.
In the Instrument structure, connect a wire from the Out port of the Osc 3 Wave macro to the input port of the Audio Voice Combiner module ( } ). To do this, click and drag your mouse from one port to the other (the direction doesn’t matter). The Audio Voice Combiner serves to convert a polyphonic signal into a monophonic one. This conversion is especially important in front of an instrument output port, since instrument ports are generally monophonic.
Let’s add an ADSR volume envelope to the Osc 3 Wave macro by using the context menu again and choosing Macro Building Blocks Envelopes ADSR - Env. Connect the lower Out output port (the black one, not the red one) of the ADSR-Env macro to the A input of the Osc 3 Wave macro.
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Now we only need two more important MIDI modules to get a connection to an external MIDI input device. Insert the NotePitch module (Built-In Module MIDI InNote Pitch) and connect it to the P input of the Osc 3 Wave macro. Finally we need a Gate module (Built-In Module  MIDI In  Gate), which has to be connected with the G input of the ADSR-Env macro.
Turn on the Run/Stop Audio button in the Main toolbar, and press some keys on your MIDI keyboard (or computer keyboard). You should hear sounds from the synth. (If not, check your wiring, and/or save/reload the ensemble.) This is it, our oscillator in its raw form – not really beautiful (yet) but audible.
Before loading the next component, the filter, first remove the wire you just drew between Osc 3 Wave and the Audio Voice Combiner. Simply drag from one port to another again, as if connecting a second wire, and the connection is gone. Alternatively, just click on the wire to select it (it changes color) and press the Del key.
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Now load a Filter macro in the same manner as you did the other macros. You will find it in the context menu under Macro Building Blocks Filter 4 Pole Filter (BP, BLP, LP). Connect the Out port of the Osc 3 Wave macro to the In port of the 4 Pole Filter macro, and then connect the Out port of the 4 Pole Filter to the input of the Audio Voice Combiner so that you get a signal at the output again.
Note that several new filter controls have appeared in the panel. If you cannot see these controls, because your Instrument panel is a jumble of overlapping controls, do this to clean it up:
1) Click the Lock/Unlock Panel button (wrench icon) in the Instrument panel header to unlock the panel;
2) Drag each macro (by its title at the top of its frame) to its own area in the panel;
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3) click the Lock/Unlock Panel button again to re-lock the panel. You should now be able to see all three macros clearly: Osc 3 Wave, ADR- Env, and 4 Pole Filter.
On considering these components you may wonder if a one-oscillator synth is the be all and end all. After all, it’s well known that two oscillators simply give a fatter sound. OK, so let’s add another one. In the Instrument structure, XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on the macro Osc 3 Wave (careful, don’t hit one of the ports), select Duplicate from the context menu. Done.
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It is important to maintain a clean design – especially when dealing with a complex synthesizer. It’s easy to create a chaotic layout and wind up spending hours in search of a problem’s cause. So - if you didn’t do so before like in the screenshots above - let’s clean up the Structure window a bit. Move the 4 Pole Filter macro to the left of the Out port, with the Audio Voice Combiner ( } ) module in-between. And place the two Osc 3 Wave macros neatly above one another to the left of the 4 Pole Filter macro.
For the next step, let’s remove some of the confusion between the two oscil­lators, which at present are identical, even sharing the same name. Let’s give them different labels. To do so, XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on the upper Osc 3 Wave macro and choose Properties from the context menu. A window will appear with a field called Label in the top left; here you can enter a new name, say, Oscillator1. Do the same for the lower Osc 3 Wave macro, but label it Oscillator2. You can also rename the macro 4 Pole Filter to simply Filter.
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Now we want the signals of both oscillators to enjoy treatment by the filter, so we need a second wire from Out port of Oscillator2 to the In port of Filter. We clearly have a problem here, because REAKTOR does not allow you to connect two wires to the same port. Of course that’s not really surprising, because you can’t put two jack plugs in the same socket either. The solution to this problem is to be found with a little bit of thinking. What we are looking for is a component that can simply combine the signals from the two oscillator macros and pass the sum on to the In port of Filter. And this component, a mixer for audio signals, is the Amp/Mixer module.
To insert the Amp/Mixer module, XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on a blank part of the Structure window and in the context menu choose Built-In Module Signal Path Amp/Mixer.
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Now place the Amp/Mixer module between Oscillator1 / Oscillator2 and Filter (we want things to be neat), and connect the output of Oscillator1 to the In port of Amp/Mixer. We need to connect the output of Oscillator2 to Amp/ Mixer also. But Amp/Mixer only has one In port and, as we know, you cannot connect two wires to the same port. Fortunately, this is not a problem, be­cause the Amp/Mixer module supports dynamic Input port handling. Simply XP: Ctrl+drag / OS X: X+drag (i.e. hold down Ctrl/APPLE while dragging) from the Out port of Oscillator2 to a spot just below the occupied In port of Amp/Mixer. This causes Amp/Mixer to create another In port, to which you should now complete your connection. The rest is child’s play: a wire from the output of Amp/Mixer to In of the Filter, and a wire from Out of the Filter to the input of the Audio Voice Combiner. Done.
As soon as you complete the last connection, the status LEDs of all modules should light up to indicate that we now have a functional structure.
If you did not use the Dublicate option to get a copy of Oscillator 1 (see above) but did the good old Copy/Paste action you have to connect the out ports of the modules Gate and Note Pitch to the P and A in ports of Oscillator2 as you did for Oscillator1 to transmit MIDI notes to Oscillator2 also.
An extra ADR envelope for the Filter makes our synthesizer sound richer. Du­plicate the ADR-Env macro and assign it to the filter by connecting its upper Out (red) port to the PM input of the Filter macro. Rename it to Filt.Env
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And, finally, let’s exchange the two modules NotePitch and Gate for a single macro which does the same but also has an integrated module for Pitchbend­ing. Delete NotePitch and Gate from the structure. Select Macro  Building Blocks Pitch+Gate Pitch + Gate to insert the Pitch Gate macro into the structure. Connect the P output of Pitch Gate to the P inputs of the two ADR-Env macros, Oscillator 1 and Oscillator 2, and Filter. The Pitch Gate G output has to be connected to the G inputs of both ADR-Env macros.
Now the synthesizer can be played properly. The pitch and volume of the incoming MIDI notes are recognized by the synth, and even the pitchbend wheel on the MIDI keyboard works, because the Pitch Gate macro is set up to handle all of these tasks.
Arranging the Panel
Have a look now at the Instrument panel. You see a bunch of knobs that are wrapped up within frames to form groups. Each frame corresponds to one of the macros that we have inserted, so we know exactly which controls belong to the Filter, which to Oscillator2, etc.
Now you can start polishing the panel design. For example, at the moment the controls for Oscillator2 are still overlaying those for Oscillator1. To change this, unlock the panel by clicking the Lock/Unlock Panel button (wrench icon) in the instrument panel header. You can tell that the panel is unlocked, because the Lock/Unlock Panel button is lit, and the panel is overlaid with a grid. (Note that you can play an instrument when its panel is unlocked, but you cannot change any of its control settings.) Drag all five macros to suitable locations in the panel.
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Possible result after polishing the panel layout
Once you are happy with the layout you can freeze it in its current state to make sure that knobs or frames aren’t moved inadvertently. Simply click again on the Lock/Unlock Panel button to lock the panel.
Saving
You probably want to save your two-oscillator synthesizer instrument so that you can reuse it in another ensemble. First, let’s name it something other than its default name, Instrument. Double-click on the name Instrument in the panel header to open its Properties dialog. In the Label field, type My DIY Synth (or similar) and press the Enter key. Now let’s save the instrument. XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on your new name in the panel header and choose Save Instrument as... from the context menu.
In the Save Instrument dialog that appears, choose a folder in which to store your instrument file, specify a file name (or use the one that REAKTOR sug­gests: My DIY Synth) and click on Save. When you are asked later whether you want to save the ensemble, you can say No because the only part of the ensemble that’s worth keeping (the My DIY Synth instrument) has already been saved.
Note: To save the entire ensemble, rather than just one instrument in the ensemble, use FileSave Ensemble... from the main menu
Luxury
If after some time you feel like adding more features, rest assured that REAK­TOR isn’t going to limit your urge for experimentation. Just take a look at the macros which are included in the demo. You will find a lot of possibilities to transform this simple synthesizer into a luxurious sound machine. First, try to change the Envelope type from ADR to ADSR to change the percussive sound of your first DIY synth and get something like a lead synthesizer.
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9.3. Your First DIY Structure

Our DIY synthesizer project was executed mainly using prebuilt macros. We would now like to introduce you to the art of constructing a synthesizer completely from scratch. Contrary to the recommendation we gave above, which was to always separate larger functional units into macros, this new synthesizer will be constructed entirely with modules in a single Structure window, no macros. The main reason for this is the fact that our new device will be of a quite modest nature. It will consists of so few components that any further subdivision into macros would probably cause confusion rather than make things clearer.
Building the Basic Structure
Select FileNew Ensemble from the main menu to open a new ensemble. In the Ensemble Structure window, delete the default Instrument. All that should be left is the default Master instrument (containing Level and Tune controls), and the Audio In and Audio Out modules.
XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on a blank part of the Structure window and choose Insert instrument New - 2In2Out from the context menu. An empty instrument named Instrument appears in the structure. Rename Instrument to My DIY Struct (or similar). Double-click My DIY Struct to open its structure and delete all modules inside it except for the L output terminal and its con­nected Audio Voice Combiner ( } ) . Double-click on a blank part of the My DIY Struct structure to move one level up to the Ensemble structure. Connect the L output port of My DIY Struct to input ports 1 and 2 of Audio Out.
Open the My DIY Struct structure by double-clicking its icon in the Ensemble structure. It is here, in the My DIY Struct Structure window that we will imple- ment our synthesizer circuitry.
First we insert an oscillator. Our choice this time is an oscillator module that generates a triangle wave. XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on a blank part of the Structure window and in the context menu choose Built-In Module Oscillator Triangle.
The next step is to add modules that will tell the synthesizer about the volume (gate) and pitch of the incoming MIDI notes. To that end, use the context menu to select Built-In Module MIDI In Gate and then Built-In Module MIDI In Note Pitch. For the envelope we choose an ADSR-Env module (Built-In Module LFO, Envelope ADSR).
Now position and interconnect the modules according to the following il-
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lustration. Use this shortcut to create the Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release controls that connect to the A, D, S, R input ports of the ADSR-Env module: XP: Right-click / OS X: Ctrl+click on each of the input ports and select Cre- ate Control from the context menu. Experienced builders use this “trick” all the time to create input-port controls (that they then modify, as necessary, to meet their needs).
How does it all work?
On studying this structure, the following functionality becomes apparent: The
ADSR-Env module generates an envelope whose shape is specified with the Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release knobs in the My DIY Struct panel window
(keep it tidy!). The envelope is triggered by a rising signal at the gate input G, in our case generated by the press of a MIDI key. The pitch of the incom­ing MIDI note is received by the NotePitch module and sent to the Triangle module through its P(itch) input.
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You can already play this synthesizer, but you will very likely soon get tired of the sound - other than the volume envelope there’s simply nothing that can be adjusted. The whole thing, however, becomes much more interesting when a filter is brought into play.
Adding a Resonant Filter
Use the context menu to insert a 2-pole filter (with FM) into My DIY Struct structure (Built-In Module Filter Multi 2-PoleFM). Then connect Out of the Triangle module to ln of the 2-Pole Filter module, and LP of 2-Pole Filter to the Audio Voice Combiner ( } ) .
Next, using Create Control (as discussed above), create controls for the 2-Pole Filter inputs F(requency Cutoff) and Res(onance) to make the structure look something like the picture below.
Filter’s Function
Play a few notes on your keyboard while at the same time changing the posi­tion of the knobs F Cutoff and Reson in the My DIY Struct panel window. (To see these knobs, you’ll have to unlock the panel, arrange the controls, and lock it again. If the Lock/Unlock Panel button is not visible in an instrument header, because the header is too narrow, use the header’s context menu to select Lock/Unlock Panel.)
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F Cutoff sets the filter’s cutoff frequency. When utilizing the output LP (low pass) of the 2-Pole Filter module, as done here, all frequencies above the cutoff frequency are removed. By using the other outputs of 2-Pole Filter it can also be employed as a band pass (BP) or high pass (HP) filter.
Reson sets the resonance of the filter. The higher the resonance value, the more the frequencies near the cutoff frequency are boosted. If you set Reson very high, say >= 9.5, the filter will begin to self-oscillate. Beware: This can cause extremely loud feedback-type sounds which can, potentially, damage your speakers (and ears)!
Adding Key Tracking
Now play some low notes and then some high notes on your MIDI instrument and you will notice that the high notes sound relatively dull. This is because the filter operates at a fixed cutoff frequency. This means that no matter what pitch you play, the filter always removes all frequencies above the fixed cutoff frequency. So if you play a note whose frequency is above this cutoff, almost nothing will be heard. We can change this by matching the filter frequency to the respective note pitch. Simply connect the NotePitch module with a second wire to the P(itch) input of the filter module.
The 2-Pole Filter circuit is designed to add the control signal at the P input to the frequency control signal at the F input. The sum of the two then de­termines the filter’s cutoff frequency. If you play some high notes they will sound as you would expect.
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Adding a Filter Envelope
Finally, we also want to control the filter cutoff frequency with an envelope. For simplicity’s sake we will let the existing ADSR-Env module take over this task, too. If you wanted to have a more sophisticated synth, you could add a separate envelope just for the filter.
For the envelope to affect the filter cutoff we first need another component, a multiplier (Built-In Module Math Multiply). Connect Out of ADSR-Env to one of the two input ports of Multiply (X), the output of F Cutoff to the other Multiply (X) input, and the Multiply (X) output to the F input of 2-Pole Filter, as illustrated below.
Play a few bars and you will hear that the envelope now affects the filter’s cutoff frequency. It works like this: The ADSR-Env module outputs a control signal between 0 and 1. This signal is multiplied by the current value of the knob F Cutoff. When the envelope is at its maximum value (1), the filter’s input F receives the value 1 x F Cutoff = F Cutoff. When the envelope reaches its minimum value (0), the signal at F is reduced to zero (0 x F Cutoff = 0).
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The function that F Cutoff now performs is commonly known as “Envelope Modulation Depth”. To take this into account in the display, open the F Cut-
off Properties dialog by double-clicking on its module and change the label F Cutoff to Env Mod.
Variations
Here are some suggestions for modifications you could make to the structure we have just built:
Try out the HP and BP outputs of the 2-Pole Filter module.
Replace the 2-Pole Filter module with a 4-Pole Filter module.
Try out different envelopes.
Add an extra envelope for the filter module.
So you have other ideas? Go ahead and try them. Always remember that in contrast to working with hardware components, there’s never any danger of breaking anything in REAKTOR.
Be warned, however, that unexpected - and potentially very loud - sounds will be generated from time to time as you experiment with REAKTOR. To protect both your speakers and your ears, set your initial amplification levels low.
All right! Now get cracking!
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10. Basic Operation

The REAKTOR user interface follows the conventions of your computer’s op­erating system, so it is easy for someone who has already worked with OS X or Windows to get used to the software. Nevertheless, we want to explain some particular characteristics of REAKTOR and draw your attention to some features that may be new to you.

10.1. Mouse

Practically all functions in REAKTOR can be carried out using the mouse. The main operations that will be performed are the following:
Selecting an object is done by clicking on it with the left mouse button. Selected objects (instruments, macros, modules, etc.) are recognized by their title bar which is colored red. If you want to select several objects, hold down the XP: Ctrl key or the OS X: Shift key on your computer keyboard while clicking on the desired objects one after the other. Al­ternatively you can click with the left mouse button on a blank part of the window and open a frame by dragging with the button pressed. All objects within the frame are selected.
Moving an object is done by clicking the left mouse button on it and keeping the button pressed while dragging the mouse pointer, and with it the object, to the desired location. To move several objects together, first select all the desired objects, and then move one of the objects as above. All of them will move together, and all the wiring to other objects will remain intact, merely stretching like rubber bands. On releasing the mouse button the modules are aligned on a grid and then remain at the new position. The grid helps to ensure a tidy appearance.
Wires are drawn by clicking and holding the left mouse button on the output port of the object that is to transmit the signal, and then dragging the mouse pointer, and with it the wire, to the desired input port of the object that is to receive the signal. Simply release the left mouse button and the connection is established. Wiring operations can also be carried out in the reverse direction (from input port to output port) the results will still be the same.
Double-clicking the left mouse button on an object (or on the background of a window) will perform various actions, depending on the object. Ac­tions that can be executed by a double-click appear in bold type in an object’s corresponding context menu.
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Clicking the right mouse button (XP) or holding down the Ctrl key and clicking the mouse button (OS X) opens the context menu that belongs to the object (or window) on which the button was clicked. Context menus play a very important part in REAKTOR’s operation, which is why the next section is dedicated to explaining them in detail.

10.2. Context Menus

Context menus are lists of commands that are applicable to the object you are clicking on. So, if you want to perform an action on an object or if you need information about it, XP: right-click or OS X: Ctrl+click on it. A context menu will appear whose entries apply to the selected object. Click (with the left mouse button) on a menu item to select it. The menu will disappear and the operation will be carried out. For example, you can delete a module by selecting the entry Delete from its context menu.

10.3. Key Commands

Many functions in REAKTOR can be performed with keys or key combinations in addition to the mouse. Available key commands are listed in the menues next to the command.

10.4 Ensemble Panel and Structure Windows

The REAKTOR workspace comprises two windows: the Ensemble Panel win­dow and the Structure window. The Ensemble Panel window contains the ensemble panel and all of the ensemble’s instrument panels. The Structure window contains the structure (internal wiring) of the currently selected object (ensemble, instrument, primary macro, core cell/macro).
There is one Ensemble Panel window. By default, there is one Structure window also. You can, however, choose to open multiple Structure windows by Alt + double-clicking the desired objects, or selecting Structure Window from the context menu. Though we recommend that you work with a single Structure window to keep your screen (and mind!) uncluttered, REAKTOR allows you to open as many separate Structure windows as you like.
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Here are some guidelines for managing your REAKTOR Ensemble Panel and Structure windows:
• To open the Ensemble Panel window, choose View->Show Panel from the main menu. Or, if you are working in a Structure window, use this trick: Double-click on a blank part of the Structure window to display its parent Structure window. Keep doing this until you reach the Ensemble Structure window. Double-click there and REAKTOR will display the Ensemble Panel window.
• To open a Structure window, double-click on the desired object (to open it in the shared Structure window) or Alt + double-click on the object (to open it in a separate Structure window).
• All open Ensemble Panel and Structure windows are listed at the bottom of the View menu. To jump to an open window, select it in the list (or, if the window is visible, simply click anywhere within it).
• To jump one structure up in the hierarchy – i.e. to the structure that contains the current structure – double-click on a blank part of the Structure window.
• You move, resize, minimize, and close REAKTOR windows just as you would for any other windows on your platform. If a window is too small to display its entire contents, scrollbars at its right and bottom edges enable you to scroll through the window’s contents.
The following applies to the use of REAKTOR in Windows:
• As is the norm with Windows programs, all REAKTOR Ensemble Panel and Structure windows are contained inside the main REAKTOR applica­tion window. When this main window is resized, minimized, or covered by another application, all the contained windows are affected.
• When an Ensemble Panel or Structure window is maximized, it expands to fill the entire main REAKTOR window, and all other windows are also maximized until any one of them is reset to a smaller size.
• When a window is minimized, it appears as a small rectangular box at the bottom of the main window.
• To step through all open windows, use Ctrl + Tab.
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11. Menus

In addition to the various context menus, the commands for using REAKTOR are accessible from the menu bar of the main window. The program’s global functions, controlled from the menu bar, are described below.

11.1. File Menu

New Ensemble
Selecting File->New Ensemble (or pressing XP: Ctrl + N / OS X: X + N) creates a new ensemble that contains a Master instrument and Audio In and Audio Out modules.
Open...
Selecting File->Open... (or pressing Windows: Ctrl + O / OS X: X + O) loads an ensemble file (*.ens) stored on your disk.
Save Ensemble
Selecting File->Save Ensemble (or pressing XP: Ctrl + S / OS X: X + S) stores the current ensemble together with all its instruments, structures, panels, and snapshots in an *.ens file.
Save Ensemble As...
Selecting File->Save Ensemble As... (or pressing XP: Ctrl + Shift + S / OS X: X + Shift + S) is identical to Save Ensemble (see above), but it enables you to specify a new filename and/or folder for the ensemble.
Save Window As...
Selecting File->Save Window As... (or pressing XP: Ctrl + E / OS X: X + E) enables you to (re)name and store the contents of the currently selected window.
If the Ensemble Panel window is selected, the ensemble will be saved (in an *.ens file), just as if you had used the Save Ensemble menu command.
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If a instrument structure window is selected, the instrument containing the structure will be saved (in an *.ism file) together with all its structures, panels, and snapshots.
If a Macro structure window is selected, the macro containing the structure will be saved (in an *.mdl file).
Import MIDI File...
There is an integrated MIDI File Player in REAKTOR that enables the import and playback of MIDI files in the Standard MIDI File format (SMF). Such MIDI files can be produced by nearly every sequencer program. Under Windows they have the file name extension .mid.
Because it has an integrated MIDI File Player, REAKTOR can play arrangements without a separate sequencer. This option can be especially appealing to live performers: A sequencer running in the background on the same computer could cause glitches and make your performance more difficult, since you would have to load new files into the sequencer as well as into REAKTOR. On top of that, you would then have to alternate between the two programs in order to access important parameters.
There is another advantage to using the integrated MIDI File Player instead of an external sequencer: sample accurate timing. All notes in a MIDI file that begin at the same time will be played by REAKTOR simultaneously, so the timing is perfectly tight. Of course, the MIDI file’s timing depends on the accuracy and resolution of the sequencer it was created on.
The REAKTOR MIDI File Player can be loaded either manually or automatically: For manual operation, use File->Import MIDI File... from the main menu to load a MIDI file from your disk. For automatic operation, REAKTOR will load a MIDI file upon opening an ensemble if that file is in the same folder and has the same name as the ensemble (but with the extension .mid); for example, mySynth.ens and mySynth.mid.
In the Settings menu there are three entries for navigating the MIDI File Player. When Play MIDI File is enabled, the MIDI file is played back when you start the REAKTOR clock (by clicking the Start/Restart Clock button in the Ensemble Panel Toolbar). The MIDI file will be played in an endless loop when Loop MIDI File is enabled. You can use this for instance to keep repeat- ing a pattern or sequence of patterns. Finally, Ignore Tempo Change, when enabled, causes REAKTOR to ignore all tempo in the MIDI file and play the file back with the tempo set by the REAKTOR clock (BPM).
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The transport functions of the MIDI File Player are controlled from the REAK­TOR clock:
• Click the Start/Restart Clock button to start MIDI File playback from the beginning or to restart playback at the place where the file was paused.
• Click the Pause/Stop Clock button once to pause playback of the MIDI File. Click the Pause/Stop Clock button a second time to stop playback and rewind the MIDI file back to the beginning.
Batch Processing
Batch Processing enables batch conversion of REAKTOR 3 files to the REAK­TOR 5 format, and the analysis of audio files for the granular sampler modules. Simply plug in your REAKTOR 3 USB key, select a source and destination folder, and click on OK.
Recent Ensembles
With a simple mouse click, you can open any one of the eight most recently accessed ensembles.
Exit
Exit closes the REAKTOR program and all its windows, including those in the taskbar. If any changes have been made to the current ensemble since it was last saved, REAKTOR asks if you want to save the file before exiting.

11.2. Edit Menu

Undo
Selecting Edit->Undo (or pressing XP: Ctrl + Z / OS X: X + Z) reverses the effect of the last editing operation carried out in any of the structures. The Undo function does not apply to panel control setting changes; i.e. changing the value of a knob or fader. For this, you want the Compare function in the Snapshots window.
You can set the maximum number of consecutive Undo commands in the Preferences dialog -->Options page. If your computer runs low on memory, try reducing this number.
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Redo
Selecting Edit->Redo (or pressing XP: Ctrl + Y / OS X: X + Y) reverses the effect of the most recent Undo operation (i.e. it “undoes” the last Undo). You can execute Redo as many times as you previously executed Undo until you wind up back where you started.
Cut
Selecting Edit->Cut (or pressing XP: Ctrl +X / OS X: X + X) cuts (removes) the current selection and copies it to the clipboard. From there it can be inserted in another place using the Paste command (see below).
Copy
Selecting Edit->Copy (or pressing XP: Ctrl + C / OS X: X + C) copies the current selection to the clipboard. From there it can be inserted in another place using the Paste command (see below).
Paste
Selecting Edit->Paste (or pressing XP: Ctrl + V / OS X: X + V) copies the current contents of the clipboard into the selected structure.
When using the keyboard shortcut for pasting, you can specify where to paste to by clicking in the desired Structure window.
Duplicate
Selecting Edit->Duplicate (or pressing XP: Ctrl + D / OS X: X + D) creates a copy of the current selection. It is equivalent to selecting Copy, then Paste.
Delete
Selecting Edit->Delete (or pressing the Del key) deletes the current selection. You can also use Delete in the context menu of the selected object (module, wire, etc.).
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Select All
Selecting Edit->Select All (or pressing XP: Ctrl + A / OS X: X + A) selects all the objects in the current window. You can then unselect individual objects by XP: Ctrl+clicking / OS X: X+clicking on them.

11.3. Settings Menu

Sample Rate
Sample Rate sets the sample rate at which REAKTOR generates and processes audio signals. With higher sample rates you can achieve better sound quality, but the CPU load rises proportionally. You can change the internal sample rate to any of the values in the menu. The range of available values depends on your sound card or host plug-in. If the internal sample rate is different from the sound card’s or host plug-in’s sample rate, the Audio In and Audio Out modules will do the necessary sample-rate conversion.
Control Rate
Control Rate sets the control rate for REAKTOR event signals; i.e. the number of times per second that event-signal values are updated. The control rate is applied globally to all primary modules that generate or process events; e.g. LFO, Slow Random, Event Hold, A-to-E, Event Smoother, and more. Since the control rate is very low compared to the sample rate, these modules need very little CPU power. For this reason, good builders choose to work with event signals rather than audio signals whenever possible (i.e. whenever it doesn’t degrade the sound).
Higher control rates give a better resolution in time, resulting in finer steps in the signal.
MIDI Learn
Selecting Settings->MIDI Learn (or pressing XP: Ctrl + T / OS X: X+ T) acti- vates MIDI Learn mode for the currently selected panel control. This mode is automatically deactivated after a MIDI-controller message is received. There is a corresponding MIDI Learn button (midi connector icon) in the Ensemble Panel Toolbar.
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Set Protected/Set Unprotected
Enables/disables Protection mode. In protection mode only a very limited edit of the ensemble panel and structure is possible. Insertion, deletion, movement, of panel controls and the alteration of voices is disabled.
Automatic Layout
Enables Automatic Layout mode for all instrument panels. (This is equivalent to turning on Automatic Panel Layout in an ensemble’s Properties dialog, Ap- pearance page.) By default this option is switched on.
External Sync
Toggles between the internal REAKTOR clock and an external clock (received via MIDI) for all Sync Clock and 1/96 Clock modules. Also enables control of
Start/Stop modules by external MIDI-Start/Stop messages. When External Sync is turned on, the tempo cannot be adjusted by the master clock BPM
field in the Main toolbar; instead, the internal clock is adjusted according to the external clock.
MIDI Clock Out
If you enable this option, REAKTOR sends out MIDI clock ticks on all active MIDI out ports (as set in the Audio Setup dialog, MIDI page).
Clock Start
Starts the REAKTOR master clock which controls all of the clock-driven modules in the ensemble. This works with both internal and external clocks. It sets the output of all Start/Stop modules to “start”. In the Ensemble Panel toolbar there is a Start/Restart Clock button for the same function.
Clock Stop
Stops the REAKTOR master clock which controls all the Sync Clock and 1/96 Clock modules in the ensemble. This works with both internal and external
clocks. It sets the output of all Start/Stop modules to “on”. In the Ensemble Panel toolbar there is a Pause/Stop Clock button for the same function.
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Play MIDI File, Loop MIDI File, Ignore Tempo Change
These commands act on REAKTOR’s integrated MIDI File Player. For more information about this, please see the Imp.

11.4. System Menu

Run/Stop Audio
With this menu command all audio computations can be started (Run Au­dio) or stopped (Stop Audio). In effect, this is the main on/off switch for the REAKTOR software. The same function can be accessed by the Run/Stop Audio button in the Main toolbar.
Debug
The Debug menu provides four options: Measure CPU Usage, Show Module Sorting, Show Event Initialization Order, and Optimization.
Measure CPU Usage
The Measure CPU Usage option switches all audio-processing components (instruments, macros, modules) to CPU-load measuring mode. The current CPU load is displayed in black labels on the components (in structure view). This feature is useful for determining how much of the total load is being caused by each component. This information can help you to streamline the structure, thus allowing for the generation of more voices.
Some components do not have a number displayed on them, i.e. they keep their normal label. That’s because they do not actually use up any CPU power for audio processing, either because they are not active or because they only do event processing.
The displayed value may differ a little from the actual CPU load in normal operation.
This mode is only available when Run Audio is active. During load measuring the audio output is switched off. You can enable the Measure CPU Usage option with the key combination XP: Ctrl + U / OS X: X + U.
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CPU Usage Display
Show Module Sorting
The Show Module Sorting option switches all audio-processing modules to sorting mode. In this mode, the current position of each module within the overall stream of audio processing is shown. This position will be displayed as a number in blue label on each module.
Show module Sorting mode
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