Propellerhead Reason - 3.0 Operation Manual

, English

, Operation Manual

stand-alone music production instrument

3.0

14 Channel Expandable Mixer,Analog Polysynth,Graintable Polysynth,Digital Samplers,Mastering T ools,REX-loop Player,Drum Machine

ReBirth Input Device,Multiple Effects Processors,Combinator Device,Shelving and Parametric EQs,Master Song Sequencer,Pattern

Sequencer

64 Channel Audio Output,64 Channel ReWire Output,512 Band Vo coder,CV Processing Tools,Full Automation,To tal Recall

Operation Manual by Synkron: Anders Nordmark

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Propellerhead Software AB. The software described herein is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to any other media expect as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Propellerhead Software AB.

Note: Trademarks referred to within the Reason product are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademarks holders are affiliated with Propellerhead Software AB or our products. The referrals to these trademarks do not in any way constitute trademark use. Nor does the use of these trademarks intend to explore the goodwill associated with these trademarks.

C 2005 Propellerhead Software and its licensors. All specifications subject to change without notice. Reason is a trademark of Propellerhead Software. All other commercial symbols are protected trademarks and trade names of their respective holders. All rights reserved.

D Table of Contents

5 The Sequencer

57 Advanced MIDI - the External Control Bus inputs

6 Recording 9 Copying REX loops and Patterns to Sequencer Tracks 11 Editing - About Snap 12 Editing in the Arrange View 15 Using Groups 18 The Edit View 28 Quantizing 29 The Change Events Dialog 31 Importing and Exporting MIDI Files

33 Routing Audio and CV

34 About the various signals that can be routed 34 About Cables 35 Automatic Routing 36 Manual Routing 37 Using CV and Gate

39 Remote - Playing and controlling Reason devices

40 About the various MIDI inputs

58 About the External Control Bus inputs

59 Synchronization

60 ReWire users – Read This! 60 What is Synchronization and MIDI Clock? 60 Slaving Reason to an External Device 61 Slaving Reason to Another Program on the Same Computer 61 Synchronization Considerations

63 Optimizing Performance

64 Introduction 64 Optimization and Output Latency 65 Optimizing Your Computer System 65 Optimizing Songs 67 Songs and Memory Requirements

69 Transport Panel

70 Overview

40 About Remote 40 Setting up 42 Remote basics 43 Locking a surface to a device 45 Remote Override 47 Additional Remote Overrides... 48 Keyboard Control 49 Saving Remote Setups

51 Using Reason as a ReWire Slave

52 About this Chapter 52 Why use Reason with ReWire? 52 Introducing ReWire! 53 Launching and Quitting 53 Using the Transport and Tempo Controls 53 Synchronization 54 Routing Audio 54 Routing MIDI via ReWire 2

73 Reason Hardware Interface

74 Introduction 74 MIDI In Device 74 Audio Out

75 The Combinator

76 Introduction 76 Creating Combinator devices 77 Combinator elements 77 About internal and external connections 78 Adding devices to a Combi 80 Combi handling 81 Sequencer tracks and playing Combis 81 The Controller panel 82 Using the Programmer

55 Converting ReWire Channels to Audio Tracks 55 Details About Various ReWire Hosts

TABLE OF CONTENTS

87 The Mixer

123 Malström Synthesizer

88 Introduction 88 The Channel Strip 90 The Mixer signal flow 90 About the EQ modes 90 The Auxiliary Return Section 90 The Master Fader 91 Connections 92 Chaining Mixers

93 The Line Mixer 6:2

94 Introduction 94 Channel parameters 94 The Auxiliary Return Section 94 Master level 95 Connections

97 Redrum

98 Introduction

124 Introduction 125 The Oscillator section 127 The Modulator section 128 The Filter section 131 Routing 134 The play controls 136 Connections 137 Routing external audio to the filters

139 NN-19 Sampler

140 Introduction 140 General Sampling Principles 141 About Audio File Formats 142 About Key Zones and Samples 146 Automap Samples 147 NN-19 Synth Parameters 150 Play Parameters 152 Connections

98 About File Formats 99 Using Patches 100 Programming Patterns 103 Redrum Parameters 106 Using Redrum as a Sound Module 106 Connections

107 Subtractor Synthesizer

108 Introduction 108 The Oscillator Section 112 The Filter Section 115 Envelopes - General 117 LFO Section 118 Play Parameters 120 External Modulation 121 Connections

155 NN-XT Sampler

156 Introduction 156 Panel Overview 157 Loading Complete Patches and REX Files 158 Using the Main Panel 159 Overview of the Remote Editor panel 160 About Samples and Zones 161 Selections and Edit Focus 163 Adjusting Parameters 164 Managing Zones and Samples 166 Working with Grouping 167 Working with Key Ranges 170 Setting Root Notes and Tuning 171 Using Automap 171 Layered, Crossfaded and Velocity Switched Sounds 174 Using Alternate 174 Sample Parameters 176 Group Parameters 177 Synth parameters 183 Connections

TABLE OF CONTENTS

185 Dr. Rex Loop Player

221 The Effect Devices

186 Introduction 186 About File Formats 187 Adding a Loop 188 Creating Sequencer Notes 189 Slice Handling 190 Dr.Rex Synth Parameters 194 Connections

195 Matrix Pattern Sequencer

196 Introduction 197 Programming Patterns 201 Example Usage

203 ReBirth Input Machine

204 Introduction 204 Preparations 205 Routing

222 Common Device Features 223 The MClass effects 223 The MClass Equalizer 224 The MClass Stereo Imager 225 The MClass Compressor 227 The MClass Maximizer 227 Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit 232 RV7000 Advanced Reverb 239 RV-7 Digital Reverb 240 DDL-1 Digital Delay Line 241 D-11 Foldback Distortion 241 ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter 244 CF-101 Chorus/Flanger 245 PH-90 Phaser 246 UN-16 Unison 246 COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain Compressor 247 PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ 248 Spider Audio Merger & Splitter

207 BV512 Vocoder

208 Introduction 209 Setting up for basic vocoding 211 Using the BV512 as an equalizer 212 BV512 parameters 213 Connections 214 Automation 214 Tips and tricks

249 Spider CV Merger & Splitter

253 Menu and Dialog Reference

254 Reason Menu (Mac OS X) 254 File Menu 258 Edit Menu 274 Create Menu 274 Options Menu 276 Windows Menu (Windows Version) 276 Windows Menu (Mac OS Version) 277 Help/Contacts Menu

279 About Audio on Computers

280 General Information 281 PC Specific Information 282 Mac Specific Information

283 MIDI Implementation

284 About This Chapter 284 How various MIDI messages are Implemented

285 Index

TABLE OF CONTENTS

D The Sequencer

Recording

Recording Notes

The Overdub/Replace switch

Recording and Playback Basics

The basic procedures for recording and playback are described in the Getting Started book. Here is a brief repetition:

D Make sure that the device you wish to play/record has master keyboard

MIDI input by clicking in the In column for the track connected to the device.

The master keyboard icon and the Record enable button will light up for the corresponding track in the sequencer track list.

D To activate recording, click the Record button on the Transport panel or

press [*] on the numeric keypad.

If your computer keyboard lacks a numeric keypad, you can activate recording by holding down [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and pressing [Return].

D Recording starts at the current song position. D You can get a metronome click during recording by activating Click on

the transport panel.

The volume of the metronome click can be adjusted with the Level knob.

D If the Loop is activated, the area between the Left and Right locators will

be repeated, allowing you to add or replace material on each loop pass (depending on the Overdub/Replace switch - see below).

D To start playback from the current song position, click the Play button or

press [Enter] on the numeric keypad.

To stop, click the Stop button, press [0] on the numeric keypad or press [Return]. You can also toggle between Play and Stop by pressing the Space bar.

D To move the song position, click in the ruler, use the Rewind/Fast For-

ward buttons or edit the position numerically on the transport panel.

You can also move the song position to the Left or Right Locator by pressing [1] or [2] on the numeric keypad.

If you record over an area where there are notes recorded already, the result depends on the Overdub/Replace switch on the transport panel:

D In Overdub mode, the new recording is added to whatever was on the

Track before.

For example, this is useful for adding elements during loop recording or for adding controller data to recorded notes.

D In Replace mode, the new recording replaces any previously recorded

notes.

Only the notes in the actual recording area are replaced.

! It’s probably best to use Overdub mode as your default mode, to avoid

removing material by mistake.

Quantizing during Recording

If the Quantize Notes During Recording switch is activated on the sequencer toolbar, notes will automatically be quantized when you record them. This is described in detail on page 26.

Recording Controllers

In Reason, you can automate virtually all device parameters, creating completely automated mixes if you like. This is done by recording (or drawing) controllers in the sequencer.

Before you record automation

Before you start recording automation of a parameter, you may want to set it to a suitable “static value”. By this, we mean the value the parameter should have whenever it isn’t automated in the song. Here is why:

D When you first record a section of automation for a parameter, its origi-

nal value will be inserted throughout the rest of the song.

This is explained in detail on page 8.

Let’s say you want to create a fade-out by recording your lowering a fader in the Mixer. Then it’s a good idea to first set the fader to the correct static value (i.e. the value the fader should be set to before you start the fade-out).

The same thing is true if you want to create a filter sweep for a synthesizer, somewhere within the song: First set the filter frequency to the value it should have elsewhere in the song, then record the filter sweep.

THE SEQUENCER

Recording automation of a device parameter

Recording more for the same controller

1. Make sure there is a sequencer track for the device.

For the instrument devices and the Matrix, sequencer tracks are automatically added when you create the device. For a mixer or effect device, you need to add tracks manually, by selecting “Create Sequencer Track for...” from the device context menu. You can also select “Sequencer Track” from the Create menu and connect the created track manually to the desired device (in the Out column in the track list).

2. Click in the In column for the track in the track list, so that the MIDI keyboard symbol is highlighted.

The record enable symbol (to the right of the MIDI keyboard icon) is also automatically highlighted. The track will now receive MIDI and is ready for recording.

3. Start recording from the desired position.

4. During recording, adjust the desired parameter(s), from the device panel or from a MIDI remote control surface.

You can record automation for several parameters in the same recording pass.

✪ You can also record automation for several devices at a time (not just the

device whose track has MIDI input). See page 8.

5. Stop recording.

On the device panel, each automated parameter will have a green frame.

If you need to redo a section of recorded automation, or add some automation of the same controller elsewhere in the song, proceed as follows:

! The Overdub/Replace switch does not affect controller recording. How-

ever, you should make sure this is set to “Overdub”, to avoid accidentally deleting any notes on the track.

1. Set up and start recording in the same way as described above.

As long as you don’t touch the parameter, its automation data will be played back normally.

2. At the desired position, adjust the parameter.

As soon as you start changing the parameter value, the Punched In indicator will light up on the transport panel.

From this point on, the previously recorded automation will be replaced!

3. Stop recording when you are done.

You have now replaced the section from where you Punched In up to where you stopped recording.

The parameters Feedback and Pan are automated.

In the Arrange view, recorded controllers are indicated in blue (the pale blue “strip” indicates that the track contains any kind of controller automation).

If you play back the recorded section again, the parameters will change automatically. Outside the recorded section, the parameters will have their original settings (the values they had before you started recording).

D Any time after Punching In, you can click the Reset button below the

Punched In indicator.

This turns off the Punched In indicator and “resets” the controller recording (making the previously recorded automation active again, from that position). You are still in record mode, and as soon as you adjust the parameter again, the Punched In indicator will be lit. Basically, clicking the Reset button is the same as stopping recording and starting recording again.

Moving Automated Controllers during Playback - “Live Mode”

Even if you have automated a parameter, you can still “grab it” and adjust it during playback, overriding the automation:

1. During playback, click and drag an automated parameter.

The Punched In indicator lights up on the transport panel. From this point on, the recorded automation for the parameter is disabled.

2. To activate the automation again, click the Reset button.

This returns control of the parameter to the sequencer.

D Automation override is automatically reset when you stop playback.

THE SEQUENCER

Recording automation on multiple tracks

Recording Pattern Changes

Although only one track can have MIDI input, it is possible to record enable any number of tracks for automation recording.

D Simply click in the Rec column to record enable the tracks you wish to

record automation events for.

D When recording is activated, all record enabled tracks will record param-

eter changes from their respective devices in the rack.

This is especially useful if you have multiple control surfaces, controlling different devices in the rack while you’re recording. See the Remote control chapter for details.

Background: How recorded controllers are handled

Even though the recording procedures are practically the same, the sequencer handles controllers differently from notes. While each recorded note is a separate event, there are no “controller events” as such in the sequencer. Instead, it works like this:

Each sequencer track has a number of controller “subtracks” (one for each automatable parameter in the corresponding device). A controller subtrack can be viewed as a length of magnetic tape, which you can fill with controller data.

When you haven’t yet recorded any automation for a parameter, its subtrack is empty. The parameter is not automated.

If your song contains pattern devices, you probably want to use more than a single pattern throughout the song. To facilitate this you can record pattern changes in the sequencer (or draw them in manually, as described on page 26).

1. If you want to use the same pattern for the main part of the song (and only want to add some variation patterns here and there), make sure this “main pattern” is selected before you start recording.

When you first record a pattern change somewhere in the song, the originally selected pattern will be inserted throughout the rest of the song. This is similar to the way controller automation works - see page 6.

2. Locate the sequencer track for the device, and make sure MIDI is routed to the track.

That is, the MIDI connector symbol should be shown in the In column for the track in the track list.

3. Start recording from the desired position.

When playback starts, the pattern device will automatically start (provided the pattern section is enabled on the device).

4. During recording, change patterns with the Bank and Pattern buttons on the device panel.

Make sure to change the patterns slightly in advance - the actual pattern change will be recorded (and happen) on the next downbeat according to the main sequencer time signature.

As soon as you record anything for the controller, anywhere in the song, the whole subtrack is filled with controller data:

This is the section you recorded.

This is the original, static value for the parameter.

5. When you are done, stop recording.

There will be a green frame around the pattern selection buttons to indicate that pattern changes are automated for the device.

In the Arrange view, recorded pattern changes are indicated as dark yellow bars (the pale yellow “strip” indicates that the track contains any pattern change data at all).

D Each pattern change will be recorded on a downbeat (at the start of a

new bar in the sequencer).

You can move pattern changes to other positions in the Edit View (see page 27).

D You can punch in on recorded pattern changes, to replace a section of

the track.

This works the same as punching in on controllers (see page 7).

D After recording the pattern changes, you can use the function Convert

Pattern Track to Notes, to transfer the notes in the patterns to the main sequencer.

This allows you to create unlimited variations by later editing the notes in the Edit View.

This makes it possible to set up a static mix first, and then add some automated parameter changes anywhere in the song while maintaining the static values elsewhere in the song.

THE SEQUENCER

Copying REX loops and Patterns to Sequencer Tracks

As described on page 188, you need to use the “To Track” function when using the Dr.Rex Loop Player device. This creates sequencer notes on the selected track, so that each slice in the REX loop gets a corresponding sequencer note. Playing back the sequencer track will then play all slices in the correct order, with the original timing of the loop.

Similar functions are available for the pattern devices (Redrum and Matrix).

• By using the function Copy Pattern to Track on the Edit menu or device context menu, you can copy the contents of the current pattern to notes on the selected sequencer track.

• The function Convert Pattern Track to Notes works in a similar way, but converts all patterns in a song to notes (taking pattern changes into account).

The procedures differ slightly for the different device types:

Using the “To Track” function for REX Loops

This assumes that you have loaded a REX loop into the Dr.Rex device. For details, see page 187.

1. Set the left and right locator to encompass the section you want to “fill” with notes for the REX loop.

D If the length of the area between the locators is greater than the length

of the REX loop, the loop will be repeated on the track.

This function always creates an exact number of loops, meaning that the last loop may “stick out” after the right locator.

The created notes are automatically grouped (as indicated by the colored boxes). Read more about groups on page 15.

Here, the loop was 2 bars long. Since there are three bars between the locators, the second loop will stick out after the right locator.

The “Copy Pattern to Track” function

This is available for the Redrum and the Matrix. It is useful when you have created a single pattern and want to use it as starting point for editing in the sequencer. You could also use this if you e.g. have created a drum pattern and want to have this pattern play back some other type of device.

Proceed as follows:

1. Set the left and right locator to encompass the section you want to “fill” with the notes in the pattern.

You may want to make sure the length of the area between the locators is a multiple of the pattern length, to avoid “cutting off” the pattern.

2. Select the track connected to the Dr.Rex device.

To avoid confusion, make sure there are no events between the locators on the track.

3. Click the “To Track” button on the Dr.Rex device panel.

Notes are created for the slices in the loop, and added to the track.

2. Select the track connected to the pattern device.

In fact, you can select any track. For example, if the device is a Matrix, it may make

sense to copy the notes not to the Matrix track, but to the track for the device con- trolled by the Matrix (since the Matrix doesn’t produce any sound in itself, and thus

can’t be played by the sequencer notes).

3. Select the device and select “Copy Pattern to Track” from the Edit menu or the device context menu.

D If you selected a track not connected to the pattern device, an alert will

appear, asking if that’s really what you want.

Click OK to proceed, or Cancel to abort.

THE SEQUENCER

The pattern is converted to sequencer notes on the track (see the notes below). If the length of the area between the locators is greater than the pattern length, the pattern will be repeated to fill out the area.

The created notes are automatically grouped (as indicated by the colored boxes). Read more about groups on page 15.

Redrum notes

When you use this function with the Redrum, you should note the following:

• The notes will have the pitch of the corresponding drum sound (see “Using Redrum as a Sound Module” on page 106) and the velocity depending on the Dynamic value. Soft notes have velocity 30, medium notes have velocity 80 and hard notes have velocity 127.

• You probably want to turn off the “Enable Pattern Section” switch on the Redrum device panel. Otherwise, the drum sounds will be “double-triggered” when you start playback (once by the pattern section itself, once by the main sequencer).

The “Convert Pattern Track to Notes” function

If you have recorded or drawn pattern changes on a Redrum or Matrix track, you can have the whole track converted to notes, in the following way:

1. Select the track with the pattern changes.

2. Select “Convert Pattern Track to Notes” from the Edit menu or the context menu for the track.

For each bar, the corresponding pattern is converted to notes on the track (following the same rules as for the “Copy Pattern to Track” function). The track will play back just the same as when you played the pattern device with the pattern changes.

In these sections, the pattern was muted (Pattern Enable off) in the pattern track.

D All pattern changes are automatically removed from the track after the

operation.

Redrum notes

Matrix notes

When you use this function for the Matrix, you should note the following:

•A note will be created for each pattern step with a gate value other than zero. The notes will have the pitch according to the key CV value for the step, and the velocity according to the gate value.

• The curve CV is not copied.

• Make sure that the track is connected to the correct device! Having the track connected to the Matrix itself is pointless, since the Matrix cannot produce any sound.

• You may want to disconnect or even remove the Matrix after performing a “Copy Pattern to Track”. This is because you probably don’t want both the Matrix and the sequencer notes to play back at the same time.

• The “Enable Pattern Section” switch is automatically turned off when you use this function.

Matrix notes

• After performing “Convert Pattern Track to Notes”, you need to move the contents to another track, or re-route the track to another device. Having the track connected to the Matrix itself is pointless, since the Matrix cannot produce any sound.

• You may want to disconnect or even remove the Matrix after performing this function. This is because you probably don’t want both the Matrix and the sequencer notes to play back at the same time.

THE SEQUENCER

Editing - About Snap

D Drawing Groups in the Arrange View.

When you create Groups with the Pencil tool, their start and end positions will be magnetic to the snap value positions. See page 15.

When you select and edit material (both in the Arrange View and the Edit View), the Snap (Snap to Grid) function determines the result. By activating Snap, editing becomes “restricted” to the note values selected on the Snap pop-up menu (the Snap value). The Snap button and pop-up menu are located on the sequencer toolbar:

Use this pop-up menu to select the Snap value.

Click here to turn Snap on or off.

! Note that you can select different Snap values for the Arrange View and

the Edit View.

D Drawing events in the Edit view.

The Snap value determines the smallest note position on which you can draw a note or insert a controller value or pattern change. Furthermore, the Snap value determines the smallest length of the events when you draw. See page 19.

D Using the Eraser tool to delete events in the Edit and Arrange views.

With Snap activated, clicking directly on events with the Eraser tool will not only

delete the events “touched”, but all events within the set snap value (e.g. 1 bar).

The Eraser tool can also be used for making selection rectangles and these will be magnetic to the snap value as well. See page 14.

Snap has an effect on the following operations:

D Moving the Song position, Locators and End marker.

When you adjust these markers with Snap activated, they will be “magnetic” to the Snap value.

D Selecting events by enclosing them in a selection rectangle.

Since the selection rectangle is magnetic to the snap value, this determines the smallest “block” you can select. However, selecting by clicking directly on notes in the Edit View (or Groups in the Arrange View - see page 16) is not restricted by Snap.

D Moving and duplicating events.

When you move one or several Events with Snap activated, they will keep their relative distance to the Snap value positions. In the example below, Snap is set to 1/ 4 (quarter notes):

THE SEQUENCER

Editing in the Arrange View

The Arrange View allows you to view several tracks at the same time, and provides a good overview of the song. This view is best suited for large-scale editing, such as rearranging blocks of music, adding or removing bars or applying quantizing and editing functions to events on different tracks at the same time.

D To select the Arrange View, click the Arrange/Edit View button in the top

left corner of the sequencer area.

To select events in the Arrange view, click and drag a selection rectangle.

D If Snap is activated, the selection rectangle will be magnetic to the Snap

value.

D You can drag a selection rectangle covering only one lane, thereby se-

lecting only the notes, pattern changes or controllers.

You can also draw a selection rectangle covering several tracks.

D If you hold down [Shift] when you select events, any already selected

events remain selected.

This allows you to make multiple, non-contiguous selections: first select some events, then press [Shift] and select some more events, and so on.

You can also toggle between Arrange View and Edit View by pressing [Shift][Tab] or [Command]/[Ctrl]-[E].

! On the following pages we will use the word “event” as a collective name

for notes, controller changes and pattern changes.

! The procedures below apply to separate events in the Arrange View.

Some techniques are different for Grouped events, as described on page

15.

Selecting Events

Each track in the Arrange View is divided vertically into three “lanes”, in which events are shown as thin vertical lines. The top lane shows notes (including drum notes and REX slices) in red, the middle lane shows pattern changes in yellow and the lower lane shows controller value changes in blue.

D You can also use the “Select All” function on the Edit menu.

This selects all events, controllers and pattern changes in the song.

D The selection you make in the Arrange View will be maintained if you se-

lect the Edit View.

See page 20.

D To de-select events, just click anywhere in an empty area.

Moving Events

To move the selected events, click in the selection, and drag and drop it on a new position.

D When you move the selection, it is “magnetic” to the lanes.

That is, you cannot drag notes to a controller lane, etc.

D If you hold down [Shift] and drag, movement is restricted to horizontal or

vertical only.

D If Snap is activated, you will only be able to drop the selection so that it

maintains its relative distance to the Snap value positions.

See page 11.

Duplicating Events

To duplicate the selected events, hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and proceed as when moving events.

D You can also use the Duplicate Track function on the Edit menu or the

track context menu.

This creates a copy of the selected track, complete with all events. The duplicated track will appear below the original track in the track list.

THE SEQUENCER

Using Cut, Copy and Paste

Deleting Events

You can move or duplicate events using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu. When you Paste, the events appear at the song position, on their original track(s).

! If you have deleted the original tracks, or if you Paste into another Rea-

son song document, new tracks will be created as needed.

D See the note below about Copying and Pasting whole tracks!

Using Copy and Paste to repeat a section

When you Cut or Copy a selection, the song position will automatically move to the end of the selection (or, if Snap is activated, to the closest Snap value position after the end of the selection). This allows you to quickly repeat a section, in the following way:

1. Make sure playback is stopped.

2. Set the Snap value to “Bar” (or to the length of the section you want to repeat, if is smaller than one bar).

3. Activate Snap.

4. Select the section you want to repeat.

Since you can make selections over several tracks, this is a quick way to copy entire song sections.

D To delete an Event, either select it and press [Delete], [Backspace] or se-

lect Delete from the Edit menu.

Both of these methods will delete the Event.

You can also draw selection rectangles with the Selection tool, encompassing several Events and delete them all at once. The same rules apply as when selecting Events. That is, if Snap is on, the selection rectangle will be magnetic to the Snap value positions. Also note that an Event doesn’t have to be fully enclosed by the rectangle to be selected - the selection rectangle only needs to intersect or touch the Event.

Deleting Events with the Eraser tool

You can also use the Eraser tool to delete Events and Groups in the Arrange view, as well as Notes, Controller sections and Pattern Change sections in the Edit view.

The Eraser tool can be used in two ways: You can single click on events or you can make a selection rectangle encompassing several events. See below.

About Snap and the Eraser tool

! Note that Snap doesn’t apply in quite the same way when selecting

Groups (see page 16). Make sure the selection contains exactly what you want before proceeding.

5. Select Copy from the Edit menu.

The song position is moved to the closest snap value after the end of the selection (provided that playback is stopped).

6. Select Paste from the Edit menu.

The copied section is pasted in, and the song position is moved to the end of pasted section.

7. Paste again, as many times as you want to repeat the section.

Using Cut, Copy and Paste with Tracks

You can select one or several tracks by clicking or [Shift]-clicking in the track list. This allows you to use Cut or Copy on the track, complete with contents.

D If you Paste the track(s) into their original song, this simply duplicates

the tracks.

However, the Pasted tracks will not be connected to any devices in the rack.

With Snap activated, clicking directly on events or making selection rectangles with

the Eraser tool will not only delete the events “touched”, but all events within the set

snap value (e.g. 1 bar).

D You can also Paste the track(s) into another song.

Note that only the tracks (complete with contents) are copied and pasted - not their respective devices. You may want to separately copy and paste the devices to the other song.

THE SEQUENCER

Deleting events by single clicking

Inserting and Removing Bars

D Select the Eraser tool and click on the event you want to delete.

When using the Eraser tool to delete events with Snap on, the following applies:

•When single clicking, all events within the set Snap value will be deleted. The “area of effect” is indicated in a dark gray color.

In this example, the Eraser tool is used to delete notes in the Edit view. Snap is set to “Bar”, and therefore a single click will remove all the instances of the note C 2 on bar 6.

Deleting events by making a selection rectangle

D Select the Eraser tool, click and hold the mouse button and draw a selec-

tion rectangle.

This way, you can make a selection encompassing several events and delete them all at once.

When editing the overall structure of a song, you may need to rearrange the order and length of whole sections (e.g. make the “verse” two bars shorter, add a few bars to the intro, etc.). On the Edit menu or sequencer context menu you will find two useful functions for this:

Insert Bars Between Locators

This function inserts an empty area between the locators. All events after the left locator are moved to the right to “make room” for the inserted area.

Remove Bars Between Locators

This function removes all material between the locators. All events after the right locator are moved to the left to “fill out” the gap after the removed section.

If Snap is on when a selection rectangle is drawn, it will be magnetic to the nearest snap value positions. For example, if Snap is set to “Bar”, dragging a rectangle will select all notes within an exact range of bars.

Drawing a selection rectangle with Snap set to “Bar”. All notes enclosed in the “shaded” area will be deleted.

! Note that an Event doesn’t have to be fully enclosed to be selected - the

selection rectangle only needs to intersect or touch the Event.

✪ If you hold down [Shift] when making a selection rectangle, direction is

restricted to horizontal or vertical only.

✪ The “Remove Bars Between Locators” function will automatically

shorten any Groups intersected by the locators. This can be used as a feature in itself, as described on page 17.

Other Editing Functions in the Arrange View

You can also apply quantizing (see page 28) and use the Change Events function (see page 29) in the Arrange View. This is useful since it allows you to edit events on several tracks in one go.

D Note that you can select one or several tracks and have quantizing or

Change Events apply to all events on the selected tracks.

Selecting several tracks is done by [Shift]-clicking in the track list.

THE SEQUENCER

Using Groups

Sometimes it is practical to work with a section of events as one entity. This is done by Grouping the events. You may for example have a two-bar bass line that you want to move or repeat in the song - by Grouping the events, you can select, move and handle the bassline as a single object.

! This applies to the Arrange View only - you can still edit individual events

in a Group in the Edit View.

Appearance and Color

Creating Groups

There are two main ways to create Groups:

By using the Group command

1. Select the events that you want to Group.

It doesn’t matter which lanes you select - all notes, pattern changes and controllers within the area will be included in the Group.

D If you select events on several tracks, one Group for each track will be

created.

Each Group can only contain events on one track.

In the Arrange View, Groups appear as colored boxes.

The color of the Groups depends on their contents:

! Groups with the same color contain the same events.

This makes it easy to get an overview of the song, since variations will appear as Groups in another color.

These Groups are “variations”

- all the others have the same contents.

2. If you want the Group to have a specific length, activate Snap and select an appropriate Snap value.

Often it is practical to create Groups that are one or several whole bars long.

3. Select Group from the Edit menu or the sequencer context menu.

Or, hold down [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and press [G].

The events are Grouped.

By drawing with the Pencil tool

1. Select the Pencil tool.

You can also select the Pencil tool momentarily by holding down [Command] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows).

2. If you want the Group to have a specific length, activate Snap and select an appropriate Snap value.

Often it is practical to create Groups that are one or several whole bars of length.

3. Click where you want the Group to start, drag to the right and release the mouse button.

A Group is created, containing the enclosed Events. It is also possible to create empty Groups this way.

✪ Groups are also automatically created when you use the “To Track”,

“Copy Pattern to Track” and “Convert Pattern Track to Notes” functions. See page 9.

THE SEQUENCER

Selecting Groups

Resizing Groups

To select a Group, just click on it in the Arrange View.

This Group is selected.

D If you hold down [Shift] and click, you can select multiple Groups.

You can de-select individual Groups by [Shift]-clicking them again.

D You can also select Groups by clicking and dragging a selection rectan-

gle, just as with events.

If Snap is on, the selection rectangle will be magnetic to the Snap value positions. However, note that a Group doesn’t have to be fully enclosed by the rectangle to be selected - the selection rectangle only needs to intersect or touch the Group.

✪ Note that it’s possible to select Groups and “loose events” at the same

time with this method. Make sure the selection rectangle encloses the elements you want!

When a Group is selected, a handle appears on its right edge. You can click on this handle and drag to make the Group smaller or larger. The following rules apply:

D If you drag to the left to make the Group smaller, any events that end up

outside the Group boundary are no longer included in the Group.

As a consequence, if you drag the handle all the way past the start of the Group, all events are Ungrouped (see below).

D If you drag to the right to make the Group larger, any events you enclose

will become part of the Group.

D Another way of selecting Groups is to use the arrow keys on the com-

puter keyboard.

Pressing the right arrow key selects the next Group on the track, pressing the down arrow key selects the closest Group on the track below, etc. Holding down [Shift] and using the arrow keys allows you to make multiple selections.

D If you select a Group and go to the Edit View, all events in the Group will

be selected.

D To de-select the selected Group(s), click anywhere in an empty part of

the Arrange View.

D Note: Groups cannot overlap!

This means that if you enlarge a Group so that it partially covers another Group, this will automatically resize the other Group as well:

The second Group now starts here!

THE SEQUENCER

Dividing Groups

Find Identical Groups

You can divide a Group into two by clicking with the Pencil tool at the desired position and dragging to the end of the Group.

Actually, this is just a consequence of the fact that Groups cannot overlap. As soon as you create a Group that overlaps another Group, the other Group is automatically resized. For example, if you were to draw a small Group within a larger Group, you would end up with three Groups:

Tip: Splitting Groups on several Tracks

If you have Groups on several tracks and want to split these at the same position, you can use the following method:

This command on the Edit menu helps you locate all Groups with the same contents:

1. Select a Group.

2. Select “Find Identical Groups” from the Edit menu.

All Groups with the same contents are selected in the Arrange View.

Ungrouping

There are two ways to dissolve a Group:

D Select it and select Ungroup from the Edit menu or sequencer context

menu,

D Click on the Group size handle and drag it all the way to the left.

Neither of these methods affect the events in the Group, they just remove the Grouping.

Editing with Groups

You can work with Groups much like you edit selected events in the Arrange view:

1. Set both the Left and the Right Locator to the desired split position.

2. Select “Insert Bars Between Locators” from the Edit menu.

The Groups are split.

Combining Groups

There are two main ways to combine two or more Groups into one:

By using the Group command

1. Select the first and the last Group that you want to combine.

All Groups in between these will be included as well.

2. Select Group from the Edit menu.

You will now have one larger Group.

By Resizing

1. Click the size handle of the first Group and drag to the right.

2. Release the mouse button at the end of the last Group.

All Groups in between are combined to one larger Group.

D To move a Group, click on it and drag it to a new position, taking the

Snap value into account.

If you move the Group so that it partially overlaps another Group, the other Group will automatically be resized. If the moved Group overlaps the other Group completely, you will get one large Group containing the events from both.

D To duplicate a Group, hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and

proceed as when moving.

This duplicates the Group and all its contents. You can also use Copy and Paste for this, following the same rules as for selected events.

D To delete a Group, either select it and press [Delete], [Backspace] or se-

lect Delete from the Edit menu.

D Select the Eraser tool and click on a Group.

Both of these methods will delete the Group and all its contents. You can also draw selection rectangles with the Selection tool or the Eraser tool, en-

compassing several groups and delete them all at once. The same rules apply as when selecting groups. That is, if Snap is on, the selection rectangle will be magnetic to the Snap value positions. Also note that a Group doesn’t have to be fully enclosed by the rectangle to be selected - the selection rectangle only needs to intersect or touch the Group.

THE SEQUENCER

The Edit View

The Edit View allows you to perform detailed editing to the events on a single track. This is also where you create notes, pattern changes and controller values from scratch by drawing.

D To select the Edit View, click the Edit/Arrange View button in the top left

corner of the sequencer area.

About the Lanes

The Edit View is (or can be) divided vertically into lanes. There are six different lanes, suitable for editing different types of events. Any combination of lanes can be shown. You show and hide lanes by clicking their respective buttons in the sequencer toolbar:

Key lane Drum lane

Pattern lane

Controller lane

You can also toggle between Arrange View and Edit View by pressing [Shift][Tab] or [Command]/[Ctrl]-[E].

Selecting a Track for Editing

REX lane

D If you hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and click a Lane but-

ton, only that lane will be shown (all other lanes are hidden).

By default, the lanes that are shown when you select Edit View depends on the device type to which the track is connected (and whether the track contains controller data). For Redrum tracks, the Drum lane, Velocity lane and Pattern lane are shown, for Dr.Rex tracks, the REX lane and Velocity lane are shown, and so on.

However, once you show or hide lanes, the new combination of lanes will be stored individually for each track. The next time you select Edit View for that track, the lane configuration will be the same.

Velocity lane

Resizing and Zooming

D You can resize lanes by dragging the dividers between them.

The Edit View shows the events of the track that has the focus in the track list.

D If one track is selected when you enter Edit View, that track will have the

focus and its events will be shown.

D If more than one track is selected in the track list when you select Edit

View, the track you last clicked on will have focus.

D You can change edit track at any time, by clicking in the track list.

This way you can stay in the Edit View and select different tracks for editing, without having to go back to the Arrange View.

D Where applicable, the lanes have individual zoom controls and scroll-

bars.

D The Magnifying Glass tool can be used for zooming in and out.

Click to zoom in, and click while pressing [Option] (Mac)/[Ctrl] (Windows) to zoom out.

D The Hand tool can be used for scrolling the view.

Just click, hold and drag in the desired direction.

THE SEQUENCER

D For extensive editing, you may want to detach the sequencer area from

the rack and use it in a separate window.

This is done either by clicking the Detach Sequencer button in the rack or by selecting “Detach Sequencer Window” from the Windows menu.

The Detach Sequencer button.

To reattach the sequencer, either click the Attach Sequencer button (in the rack or in the detached sequencer window) or select “Attach Sequencer Window” from the Windows menu.

D Alternatively, you can also maximize the sequencer area so that it fills

the rack.

This is done by clicking the Maximize Sequencer button or by holding down [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and pressing [2] on the left part of the computer keyboard.

The Maximize Sequencer button.

Drawing and Editing Notes

Notes are drawn and edited in one of three lanes: the Key lane, the Drum lane and the REX lane:

The Key lane. The piano keyboard to the left indicates the pitch of the notes, covering the whole MIDI note range (C-2 to G8). Note that the black and white keys are reflected in the background colors of the grid, making it easier to find the right pitch when drawing and moving notes! This is the lane to use when editing Synth or Sampler tracks.

About the Ruler and the Group strip

At the top of the Edit View you find the ruler. Just like the ruler in the Arrange View, this shows meter positions (bars and beats), helping you find the right positions in the song.

D You can adjust the horizontal zoom individually for the Edit View and the

Arrange View.

This makes sense, as you will probably work with a larger magnification when performing fine editing.

Just below the ruler is a narrow empty strip. This shows the Groups (if any) as colored bars, providing additional means of orientation in the Edit view.

Groups

✪ When you edit events within a Group, you will note that the Group indica-

tor changes color. This is because the color of a Group depends on its contents, as described on page 15.

The Drum lane. This is divided vertically into ten pitches, corresponding to the ten drum sound channels on a Redrum device (and named accordingly, if the track is connected to a Redrum device). Use this for editing drum tracks.

The REX lane. This is divided vertically into pitches (from C3 and up), corresponding to the slices in a Dr.Rex loop player device. Use this for editing Dr.Rex tracks.

D In all three lanes, the actual notes are shown as “boxes”, with the note

length indicated by the width of the box and the velocity values indicated by the color of the box (the darker the color, the higher the velocity).

The basic note editing procedures are the same for all three lanes.

THE SEQUENCER

Drawing notes

Moving notes

1. If you want to restrict note input to certain note values (e.g. sixteenth notes), set the Snap value accordingly and activate Snap.

2. Select the Pencil tool.

You can toggle temporarily between the Arrow tool and the Pencil tool by holding down [Command] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows).

3. If needed, click in the piano keyboard display, drum sound list or slice list to find the correct pitch.

If the track is connected to a device, this will play the corresponding note.

4. Click in the note display part of the lane, at the desired position.

A note will be inserted at the closest Snap value position.

D If you just click, the note will get the length of the Snap value.

This is true regardless of whether Snap is activated or not.

D If you instead click and keep the mouse button pressed, you can drag to

the right to set the length of the note.

If Snap is on, the length will be a multiple of the Snap value (unless you hold down [Shift] while you drag). Also, see the note about drum note lengths below.

Selecting notes

To select notes in the Edit View, use one of the following methods:

D Click on a note with the Arrow tool to select it. D To select several notes, hold down [Shift] and click.

You can de-select individual notes by [Shift]-clicking them again.

D To move a note, click and drag it to a new position.

If several notes are selected, all will be moved. The individual distance between the moved notes will be kept.

D If Snap is on, the moved events will keep their relative distance to the

Snap value positions.

For example, if Snap is set to “Bar”, you can move the selected notes to another bar without affecting their timing.

D If you hold down [Shift] when you drag, movement is restricted to hori-

zontal or vertical only.

This helps you move notes without accidentally transposing them, or transposing notes without accidentally changing their meter position.

Duplicating notes

To duplicate the selected notes, hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and proceed as when moving notes.

D You can also click and drag a selection rectangle around the notes you

want to select.

If Snap is on, the selection rectangle will be magnetic to the nearest snap value positions. For example, if Snap is set to “Bar”, dragging a rectangle will select all notes within an exact range of bars (and within the pitches enclosed by the rectangle).

D You can select the next or previous note on the track by pressing the

right or left arrow key on the computer keyboard.

Holding down [Shift] and using the arrow keys allows you to make multiple selections.

D To select all notes on the track, use the Select All function on the Edit

menu.

Make sure that the correct lane (Key, Drum or REX) has focus first - otherwise you may select all controllers or pattern changes. To set focus to a lane, click somewhere in it (focus is indicated by a thin extra border within the lane).

D To deselect all notes, click somewhere in an empty area.

Using Cut, Copy and Paste

You can move or duplicate events using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu.

D When you Cut or Copy, the song position is automatically moved to the

end of the selection (or, if Snap is activated, to the closest Snap value position after the end of the selection).

You can use this for repeating events, as described on page 13.

D When you Paste, the events appear at the song position, on their original

track(s).

Resizing notes

When you select a note, a handle appears on its right edge. You can click on this handle and drag to make the note shorter or longer.

THE SEQUENCER

D If Snap is on, the end of the note will be magnetic to the Snap value po-

sitions.

You can disable this function temporarily by pressing [Shift] when you drag. This allows you to resize the note to any length, regardless of the Snap value.

D If several notes are selected, all will be resized by the same amount.

• If a selection rectangle is drawn, it will be magnetic to the nearest snap value positions. For example, if Snap is set to “Bar”, dragging a rectangle will select all notes within an exact range of bars.

D If you hold down [Shift] when making a selection rectangle, direction is

restricted to horizontal or vertical only.

About resizing drum notes

Drum notes can be resized as any other notes. However, the result of this depends on the settings of the Decay/Gate switch and the Length knob for the drum sound on the Redrum panel:

D If Decay mode is selected, the drum sound will play to its end, regardless

of the note length.

Or rather, it will fade out according to the Length setting.

D If Gate mode is selected, the note length affects the resulting sound.

However, the maximum length of the sound is set by the Length knob - the sound will be cut off after this length, regardless of the note length. Finally, even if the Length knob is set to its maximum value, the sound will not play longer than the length of the drum sample.

Deleting notes

You can delete notes in two ways:

D Select them and press [Backspace] or [Delete], or select Delete from the

Edit menu.

Editing velocity

The velocity values of notes are edited in the Velocity lane.

D Select the Eraser tool and click on the notes you want to delete.

You can also drag a selection rectangle with the Eraser tool and delete all notes encompassed by the rectangle. When using the Eraser tool with Snap on, the following applies:

•When single clicking, all notes of the same pitch within the set Snap value will be deleted. The “area of effect” is indicated in a dark gray color.

In this case, with Snap set to “Bar”, a single click will remove all the instances of the note C 2 on bar 6.

The velocity values are shown as bars, with higher bars indicating higher velocity. Note also that the color of the notes and bars reflect the velocity.

To change the velocity of a note, click on its velocity bar with the Pencil tool and drag the bar up or down. Clicking above a bar immediately raises the velocity to the level at which you click.

THE SEQUENCER

Creating velocity ramps and curves

Editing Controllers

You can also edit the velocity of several notes at once, in two ways:

D By dragging the Line tool across the bars, at the desired height.

Controllers are shown and edited in the Controller lane. This lane in turn is divided into several “subtracks”, one for each automatable parameter for the corresponding device.

The Controller lane for a Subtractor track, with three controllers shown.

Drawing a velocity ramp with the Line tool.

D By dragging the pencil across the bars, at the desired height.

The Line tool is probably the preferred method for creating regular, smooth ramps, or for giving all the notes the same velocity (by drawing a straight line), while the Pencil tool can be used for creating more irregular curves.

! If you hold down [Shift] when you edit velocity values, only the selected

notes will be affected!

This can be very useful, especially in “crowded” sections with lots of notes. Consider for example if you have a busy drum beat, and want to adjust the velocity of the hi-hat notes only. Simply dragging with the line- or pencil tool would change the velocity of all other drum notes in the area too, but if you first select the hi-hat notes in the Drum lane and press [Shift] as you draw, you can edit their velocity without affecting any other notes!

Showing and Hiding Controllers

For each track, you can select which controllers should be shown. This can be done in several ways:

D Hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and click on a parameter on

a device panel in the rack.

This sets focus to the first sequencer track connected to the device, opens Edit View, brings the Controller lane and shows the automation subtrack for the specified parameter, all in one go.

D You can do the same thing by selecting “Edit Automation” on the context

menu for the parameter.

You bring up the parameter context menu by [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) or right-clicking (Windows) on the parameter on the device panel.

✪ If you use a Mac with a two-button mouse, it’s a good idea to assign

[Ctrl]-click to the right mouse button, allowing you to bring up context menus by right clicking.

THE SEQUENCER

D By using the Controller pop-up menu on the sequencer toolbar, you can

hide or show individual controllers from the sequencer.

Shown controllers are indicated by a tick mark on the pop-up menu - select a controller to show it or hide it. Controllers for which there is data (automation) in the track are indicated with an asterisk next to the controller name.

Drawing and Editing Controllers

Regardless of whether you’re editing recorded controllers or creating controller changes from scratch, you do it by drawing with the Line- or Pencil tool.

Note:

D When using the line tool, you can hold down [Shift] when drawing to re-

strict movement to horizontal only.

D If Snap is on, the controller value change you enter will snap to the near-

est Snap value position.

Also, the length of the changed section will be a multiple of the Snap value.

D Click the “Show Device Controllers” button to show all controllers avail-

able for the track’s device.

D Click the “Show Controllers in Track” button to show all controllers for

which you have recorded or drawn automation in the Track.

D Select “Hide All Controllers” from the Controller pop-up menu to hide all

controllers.

This will leave the Controller lane empty.

In this example, Snap is set to 1/4. Thus, the controller changes you enter will be in “steps”, one or more quarter notes in length.

D If the controller hasn’t been automated yet (the words “Not Automated”

are shown in the Controller lane), it is a good idea to first set the parameter to a good “default value” on the device panel.

The reason is that as soon as you enter a controller value, the rest of the track will be filled with the original value of the parameter (the value set on the device panel). This works exactly the same as when recording controllers - see page 6.

THE SEQUENCER

Selecting sections of a controller track

Deleting Controller sections

To select a section of the “subtrack” for a controller, click and drag a selection rectangle with the Arrow tool. If Snap is on, the selection will be magnetic to the Snap value positions, just as when selecting notes.

The selected section is shown as a shaded rectangle.

D By holding down [Shift] and dragging, you can select multiple, discontin-

uous sections of the controller subtrack.

✪ If you select Groups or sections of the controller lane in the Arrange

View, this section will be selected when you got to Edit View and vice versa.

Moving and Duplicating Controller sections

D To move a selected controller section, click and drag it to another posi-

tion on the same subtrack.

Snap is taken into account as usual.

You can delete controller sections in two ways:

D By making a selection (as described above) and pressing [Backspace] or

[Delete] or by selecting Delete from the Edit menu.

D By using the Eraser tool.

If Snap is on, you can single click to immediately erase the shaded area which corresponds to the set Snap value (e.g. Bar). You can also make a selection range by clicking and dragging.

The result is this:

The controller value just before the deleted selection will remain until the end of the selection.

! You can´t remove all automation using this method - there will always be

at least one controller value left. To remove all automation, use the Clear Automation function:

Clearing Automation

D To duplicate a selected controller section, hold down [Option] (Mac) or

[Ctrl] (Windows), click and drag it.

! Moving or duplicating controllers will replace the controller values at the

new position (just as if you had edited them with the Line- or Pencil tool).

Using Cut, Copy and Paste on a single subtrack

You can move or duplicate selected controller sections using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu.

D When you Cut or Copy, the song position is automatically moved to the

end of the selection (or, if Snap is activated, to the closest Snap value position after the end of the selection).

You can use this for repeating events, as described on page 13.

D When you paste, the controller data appears at the song position, on the

original subtrack.

Note, however, that if another subtrack has selection focus when pasting, the copied data will appear on this subtrack instead - see “Copying data between different

controller subtracks” below.

To remove all automation for a controller, select “Clear Automation” from one of the following menus:

D The context menu for the controller subtrack.

This appears when you [Ctrl]-click (Mac) or right-click (WIndows) in the subtrack.

D The Edit menu.

Requires that the controller subtrack has focus. Click in the subtrack if you are uncertain.

D The parameter context menu.

This appears when you [Ctrl]-click (Mac) or right-click (WIndows) on the parameter on the device panel. Note that this clears all automation for the parameter, on all tracks!

Selecting “Clear Automation” will remove all controller values from the subtrack, and the text “Not Automated” will be shown.

THE SEQUENCER

Copying data between different controller subtracks

Using copy/paste for multiple parameters

It is possible to copy controller data (e.g. a fade) from one parameter and to apply it to another parameter. This works as follows:

1. Make a selection, and use cut or copy to add the data to the clipboard.

2. Select the controller subtrack you wish to paste the copied data to (on the same track or on a different track) by clicking on it so that it gets focus.

Only one subtrack can have focus.

3. Place the song position where you want the section to be pasted in.

You can use [Shift] to select and copy controller automation data on several subtracks. The following applies when you paste:

D The data on the uppermost subtrack (when copied) will be pasted in at

the song position on the subtrack with selection focus.

D Data on other subtracks will keep the same vertical order in relation to

the uppermost subtrack when pasted.

Copied data.

4. Select Paste from the Edit menu.

The data is pasted in on the selected subtrack, and the song position is moved to the end of the pasted section.

About selection focus

As described above, the subtrack with selection focus determines where pasted controller data ends up. If there is no subtrack selected when pasting, the data will appear on the original subtrack(s) (at song position). This is useful when repeating automation, i.e. copying one (or several) parameter(s) to/from the same device - see below.

D To deselect subtrack focus, click in an empty area in the track list, or on a

device panel in the rack.

Pasted data (the red outline indicating the selected subtrack when pasting).

D If you are copying controller data to/from the same device, and your in-

tention is to repeat an automated section (i.e. for the same parameters), there is no need to make a selection focus - the data will automatically be pasted in on the original subtracks.

About different parameter values

Parameters can either be bi-polar (-64 to 63) uni-polar (0 to 127) or switches (off/on or a number of steps). When pasting controller data from one parameter to another, this should obviously be taken into account.

D E.g. copying a bi-polar parameter data to a parameter with uni-polar val-

ues will only take values above zero (0 to 63) into account.

Any values below zero are outside the range for the new parameter and is simply disregarded. This is completely non-destructive - if you should “re-copy” the pasted data and apply it to a parameter with bi-polar values, the full range will still be there.

THE SEQUENCER

Inserting and Editing Pattern Changes

Pattern changes are viewed and edited in the Pattern lane:

A pattern change is shown as a yellow “tab” with the Bank and Pattern number. From the tab, a bar stretches to the right, for as long as the selected pattern is “active”, i.e. to the next pattern change.

3. Pull down the Pattern pop-up menu to the left in the Pattern lane, and select the pattern you want to insert.

The selected pattern is shown next to the pop-up menu.

! When you record pattern changes, they are automatically positioned on

downbeats (at the beginning of new bars).

Inserting Pattern Changes

To insert a Pattern change, proceed as follows:

1. If you haven’t automated any pattern changes for the track yet (the words “Not Automated” are shown in the Pattern lane), it is a good idea to first select a “default pattern” in the pattern device.

This is especially useful if you are using a main pattern and want to insert changes to variation pattern here and there. The reason is that just like when you record pattern changes, the rest of the track will be “filled” with the original value as soon as you enter a pattern change somewhere on the track.

2. Activate Snap and set the Snap value to the note position where you want to insert pattern changes.

It is probably a good idea to set Snap to “Bar”, at least if you are working with patterns of a length corresponding to the time signature (e.g. 16 or 32 step patterns and 4/4 time signature). However, if you are working with patterns of another length, it can make sense to use other Snap values.

! Don’t insert pattern changes with Snap turned off, unless you want cha-

otic rhythm changes!

The patterns are listed with the bank letter and pattern number (A1, A2, A3, and so on).

4. Click with the Pencil tool at the position where you want the pattern change to happen, and keep the mouse button pressed.

5. Drag to the right.

When you drag, you will see the previous or original pattern being replaced by the pattern you insert.

6. Release the mouse button at the position where you want the pattern change to “end”.

! The “Pattern Enable/Mute” switch (the button above the pattern selec-

tion buttons on the device panel, used for temporarily silencing the pattern playback) is automated using controller automation. The controller is called “Pattern Enabled”.

THE SEQUENCER

Selecting Pattern Changes

To select a section of Pattern lane, click and drag a selection rectangle with the Arrow tool. If Snap is on, the selection will be magnetic to the Snap value positions, just as when selecting notes.

The selected section is shown as a shaded rectangle.

D By holding down [Shift] and dragging, you can select multiple, discontin-

uous sections of the Pattern lane.

✪ If you select Groups or sections of the pattern lane in the Arrange View,

this section will be selected when you got to Edit View.

The result is this:

The pattern before the deleted section will remain selected until the end of the section.

Moving and Duplicating Pattern Change sections

You can move and duplicate selected sections of the Pattern lane, just as when moving controller sections. Just like when inserting pattern changes, it is recommended that Snap is activated (and in most cases set to “Bar”) when you do this.

You can also move or duplicate sections using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu. Again, the same rules apply as when editing controllers.

Deleting Pattern Change sections

You can delete a section of the Pattern Lane in two ways:

D By making a selection (as described above) and pressing [Backspace] or

[Delete] or by selecting Delete from the Edit menu.

D By using the Eraser tool.

If Snap is on, you can single click to immediately erase the shaded area which corresponds to the set Snap value (e.g. Bar). You can also make a selection range by clicking and dragging.

! Again, make sure Snap is activated. ! You can´t remove all pattern change data using this method. To remove

all pattern automation, use the Clear Automation function:

Clearing Automation

To remove all pattern changes, proceed as follows:

1. [Ctrl]-click (Mac) or right-click (WIndows) in the Pattern lane.

The context menu appears.

2. Select “Clear Automation”.

This will remove all pattern changes from the track, and the text “Not Automated” will be shown.

THE SEQUENCER

Quantizing

The Quantize function moves recorded notes to (or closer to) exact note value positions. This can be used for correcting errors, “tightening up” recorded music or changing the rhythmic feel.

Applying Quantizing

In Reason, you use the Quantize function in the following way:

1. Select the notes you want to quantize.

Only notes will be affected, so you can select Groups or complete Tracks if you like.

2. Pull down the Quantize pop-up menu on the sequencer toolbar and select a Quantize value.

This determines to which note values the notes will be moved when you quantize. For example, if you select sixteenth notes, all notes will be moved to (or closer to) the closest sixteenth note position.

4. Click the Quantize button or select “Quantize Notes” from the Edit menu.

The selected notes are quantized.

The Quantize button

The Quantize pop-up menu.

3. Select a value from the Quantize Strength pop-up menu.

This is a percentage, governing how much each note should be moved. If you select 100%, notes will be moved all the way to the closest Quantize value positions; if you select 50%, notes will be moved half-way, etc.

In this example, a sloppily recorded hi-hat pattern is quantized to straight eight notes (Quantize value 1/8, Strength 100%).

Quantizing to Shuffle

On the Quantize pop-up menu, you will also find an option called “Shuffle”. If this is selected when you quantize, the notes are moved towards sixteenth note positions, but with the Shuffle applied.

As described in the Getting Started book, Shuffle creates a “swing feel” by delaying the even-numbered sixteenth notes (the sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes). The amount of Shuffle is set with the Pattern Shuffle control on the transport panel.

The Pattern Shuffle control.

Quantizing to Shuffle is useful if you want to match the timing of recorded notes with pattern devices in the song (if Shuffle is activated in the patterns).

D The Quantize Strength setting applies as when quantizing to regular

Quantize values.

THE SEQUENCER

Quantizing to Grooves

The Quantize pop-up menu also contains three items named “Groove 1-3”. These are three different, slightly irregular rhythmic patterns. If you select one of these as Quantize value and apply Quantize, your notes will be moved towards the note positions in the Groove pattern, creating different rhythmic feels.

Creating your own Groove

You can create your own groove and apply this using Groove Quantize:

The Change Events Dialog

The Change Events dialog contains some special editing functions. Proceed as follows:

1. Select the events to which you want to apply the editing functions (in the Arrange view or Edit view).

The Change Events functions are mainly used with notes, but the Scale Tempo function will also affect controllers and pattern changes (see below).

1. Create or record a rhythmic note “pattern” of some kind.

You may for example record a drum pattern, or use the notes playing the slices in a REX loop.

2. Select the notes you want to include in the user groove.

The groove can be of any length, but it’s usually most practical to make it one or two bars long.

3. Select “Get User Groove” from the Edit menu or sequencer context menu.

Your pattern is stored as the User groove.

4. Select any notes that you want to quantize, make sure “User” is selected as Quantize value, and quantize as usual.

The rhythmic feel of your groove is applied to the notes.

! The User Groove is only stored temporarily - it isn’t included when you

save your Song.

Quantizing during recording

You can have Reason quantize notes automatically when they are recorded. This is done by activating the “Quantize Notes during Recording” button on the sequencer toolbar, before you start recording.

2. Select Change Events from the Edit menu or the context menu for the selected events.

The Change Events dialog appears.

The Quantize value and Strength settings apply as usual.

3. Make settings for one of the functions in the dialog and click the Apply button next to the settings.

All settings can be made by clicking the spin controls or by clicking in a value field and entering a value numerically. The functions are described below.

4. If you like, use other settings in the same way.

You can use the transport controls as usual while the dialog is open. This allows you to play back the events to check out the changes.

5. When you are done, close the dialog.

THE SEQUENCER

Transpose

Alter Notes

This function transposes the selected notes up or down, by the specified number of semitones.

Velocity

Adjusts the velocity of the selected notes.

D The Add field lets you add a fixed amount to the velocity values.

To subtract, enter a negative amount. Note that the possible velocity range is 1-

127. Adding an amount to a note with velocity 127 will not make any difference.

D The Scale field allows you to scale velocities by a percentage factor.

Scaling with a factor above 100% will increase the velocity values, but also make the difference between soft and hard notes bigger. Scaling with a factor below 100% will decrease the velocity values, but also make the difference between soft and hard notes smaller.

D By combining the Add and Scale functions, you can adjust the “dynam-

ics” of the notes in various ways.

For example, by using a Scale factor below 100% and Add a suitable amount, you can “compress” the velocity values (decreasing the difference between the velocity values without lowering the average velocity).

This function alters the properties pitch, length and velocity of the selected notes, in a random fashion.

D The function will only “use” values that already exist among the selected

notes.

For example, if you have selected notes within a specific pitch interval, the altered notes will remain within this pitch interval. Similarly, only velocity values and note lengths that were already used in the selection will be applied by the Alter function. You could say that the function “shuffles” the existing properties in a selection and redistributes them among the notes.

! This means that the less variation there is among the selected notes, the

less the effect of the Alter function.

D You can adjust the amount of Alteration with the Amount value.

✪ This function is especially useful for experimenting with REX loops. Se-

lect some notes on a Dr.Rex track and use Alter Notes to create instant variations, without losing the timing and rhythmic feel of the loop!

Scale Tempo

This function will make the selected events play back faster (Scale factor above 100%) or slower (Scale factor below 100%). This is achieved by changing the position of the events (starting from the first selected event) and adjusting the length of the notes accordingly.

The result of applying Scale Tempo with the Scale factor 200% (double speed).

D The buttons [*2] and [/2] are “shortcuts” to Scale factors 200% and 50%,

respectively.

These are probably the most common values used, simulating double tempo and half tempo.

! This function affects all types of events: notes, controllers and pattern

changes!

THE SEQUENCER

Importing and Exporting MIDI Files

Reason can import and export standard midi files (SMF). This allows you to transfer MIDI data between Reason and other applications.

Importing a MIDI File

To import a Standard MIDI File, select “Import MIDI File” from the File menu. The Browser appears, where you can locate and open the MIDI file.

D MIDI files have the extension “.mid”.

Now, a number of new tracks are created in Reason’s sequencer. The tracks will have their original name, with their original MIDI channel added.

D All controller data in the MIDI file is included.

This means that pitch bend, volume and modulation wheel data are preserved properly. However, some controllers may “mean” different things for the original MIDI instruments used when creating the MIDI file and the devices in Reason. When you have connected a sequencer track to a device, you may therefore need to remove some unwanted automation from the track.

D If the imported MIDI file is of “Type 1”, there will be one sequencer track

for each track in the MIDI file.

D If the imported MIDI file is of “Type 0” (that is, it contains one track with

MIDI events on multiple channels), there will be one sequencer track for each used MIDI channel.

D Any tempo changes in the MIDI file are disregarded.

The tempo in Reason will be set to the first tempo in the MIDI file.

D The new tracks will not be connected to devices in the rack.

You will need to connect the tracks manually to the proper devices, by using the Out pop-up menu in the track list.

Green frames will appear for the automated parameters in the device panels. This helps you locate any unwanted controller data.

Exporting a MIDI File

To export your Reason song as a MIDI file, proceed as follows:

1. Set the End (E) marker at where you want the MIDI file to end.

The MIDI file will contain all events on all tracks from the start of the song to the End marker.

2. Select “Export MIDI File” from the File menu.

3. In the file dialog that appears, specify a name and location for the file.

Under Windows, the file will automatically get the extension “.mid”. Under Mac OS, this is not required. However, if you want the MIDI file to be recognizable under Windows (and by some hardware sequencers), you may want to activate the option “Add Extension to File Name” before saving.

4. Click Save.

MIDI files exported by Reason will have the following properties:

D The MIDI file will be of Type 1, with one MIDI track for each track in the

Reason sequencer.

The tracks will have the same names as in the Reason sequencer.

D Since the Reason sequencer doesn’t use MIDI channels as such, all

tracks will be set to MIDI channel 1.

D The sequencer tempo is included in the MIDI file.

THE SEQUENCER

D Routing Audio and CV

About the various signals that can be routed

This chapter describes the various ways you can route signals in Reason. The following signal types are used:

Audio

Apart from the Matrix Pattern Sequencer, all devices have audio connectors on the back. The audio connectors carries audio signals to or from devices via virtual “cables”.

D Audio connectors are shown as large “quarter inch” jacks. D Audio Effects devices, which are used to process audio, have both

audio inputs and outputs.

D Instrument devices, which generate audio, have either mono or ste-

reo left/right audio output connectors.

You do not have to use both outputs for devices with stereo outputs. Use the left output to get a mono signal from a stereo device.

D To monitor audio outputs from devices, the signals can be either be

routed via a mixer - or directly- to the physical outputs of your audio hardware.

Typically, if you are using audio hardware with standard stereo outputs, you will most probably use one or several mixers in Reason to mix the audio signals to the master outputs.

CV/Gate

CV (control voltage) signals are used to modulate parameter values, and do not carry audio. Gate signals are also a type of control voltage, but are “normally” used for slightly different purposes.

D CV/Gate connectors are shown as smaller “mini” jacks. D CV is typically used for modulation purposes.

For example you could modulate one parameter with the value produced by another parameter.

D Gate outputs/inputs are typically used to trigger events, such as

note on/off values, envelopes etc.

Gate signals produce on/off values, plus a “value” which could be likened to (and used as) velocity.

D You can only route CV/Gate signals from an output to an input (or

vice versa).

You cannot route an input to another input or an output to another output.

MIDI Routing

There are several ways you can route MIDI from external MIDI devices to Reason devices. This is described in the chapter “Routing MIDI to Reason”.

About Cables

Hiding and Showing

If you have made many connections in Reason, the cables can sometimes obscure the view, making it difficult to read the text printed on the back panels of the devices. You can hide all cables in the following way:

D To hide all cables, press [Command]+[L] (Mac) or [Ctrl]+[L] (Win-

dows), or (de)select “Show cables” on the Options menu.

When cables are hidden, connections are indicated by a colored connector. Repeating the above procedure make the cables appear again.

Cables hidden

D When hidden, you can still connect or disconnect cables in the

same way as when they are shown.

See page 36 for a description of the available routing methods.

Checking Connections

It is possible to check to which device a jack is connected (useful if the cables are hidden, or if the connected devices are located far apart in the rack):

D Positioning the pointer over a connector.

A tool tip appears after a moment, showing the device and the specific connector at the other end.

ROUTING AUDIO AND CV

Color Coding

Cables are color coded in the following way, making it easier to discern between the various connections:

• Audio connections are different shades of red.

• CV connections are different shades of yellow.

• Connections to and from Effects devices are different shades of green.

These cables are green, indicating effect device connections.

This cable is yellow, indicating a CV connection.

These cables are red, indicating connections between instruments and mixer devices.

Automatic Routing

Auto-routing is when devices are automatically routed according to default rules. Auto-routing is performed in the following circumstances:

• When a new device is created.

• When moving, duplicating or pasting devices with [Shift] pressed.

Automatic Routing Rules

Reason Mixer devices

D The first created mixer device will be routed to the first available in-

put pair in the Hardware Device.

Routing devices to the Mixer

D When an Instrument Device is created, it is auto-routed to the first

available mixer channel(s).

Adding an effect to the Mixer

D When you have a mixer selected and create an effect device, it will

be connected as a send effect (to the first free Aux Send/Return).

Examples of effects that lend themselves well for use as send effects are reverb and delay.

D If there are no free Aux Sends on the mixer, the effect will be routed

as an insert effect, after the mixer.

That is, the master output signal from the mixer will be routed through the effect.

Adding an effect directly to a device (Insert)

D When you have an instrument device selected and create an effect,

that effect will be connected as an insert effect. That is, the signal from the device will pass through that effect and to the mixer (or to another effect).

Adding an effect between the Mixer and the hardware interface.

D If you select the hardware interface at the top of the rack and add

an effect device, it will be routed as an insert effect between the main mixer and the hardware interface.

This is where you typically would add an MClass Mastering Suite Combi.

ROUTING AUDIO AND CV

CV/Gate Auto-route

D CV/Gate auto-routing occurs when you create a Matrix Pattern Se-

quencer with an instrument device (Subtractor/Malström/NN-19/ NN-XT/Combinator) selected.

The Matrix Note and Gate CV outputs are automatically connected to the Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs on the instrument device, respectively.

Auto-routing devices after they have been created

Here follows some additional rules about auto-routing devices that are already in the rack:

D To reroute a device already in the rack, you can select it and use

Disconnect Device and Auto-route Device, both on the Edit menu.

D If you delete a device connected between two devices, the connec-

tion between the two remaining devices is automatically preserved.

A typical example would be if you have an effect device, connected as an insert effect between a synth and a mixer. If you delete the effect, the synth will be routed directly to the mixer.

D When you move a device, connections are not affected.

If you instead would like the program to re-route the device according to its new location in the rack, hold down [Shift] when you move it.

D When you duplicate devices (by dragging) or use copy and paste,

the devices are not auto-routed at all.

If you would like them to be automatically routed, hold down [Shift] when you perform the operation.

Bypassing Auto-Routing

D If you wish to create a new device, without any auto-routing taking

place, press [Shift] when creating the device.

Manual Routing

By selecting “Toggle Rack Front/Rear” from the Options menu or pressing [Tab] you turn the rack around. On the back of each device you will find connectors of two different types: audio and CV. As mentioned before, audio inputs and outputs are shown as large “quarter inch” jacks, while CV input and output jacks are smaller.

There are two ways to route audio from one device to another:

• By connecting “virtual patch cables” between inputs and outputs.

• By selecting connections from a pop-up menu.

Using Cables

! For the cables to be visible, the option “Show Cables” must be acti-

vated on the Options menu. See below.

1. Click on the desired input or output jack on one of the devices, and drag the pointer away from the jack (with the mouse button pressed).

A loose cable appears.

2. Drag the cable to the jack on the other device.

When you move the cable end over a jack of the correct type (audio/CV, input/output) it will be highlighted to show that a connection is possible.

3. Release the mouse button.

The cable is connected. If both input and output are in stereo and you connect the left channels, a cable for the right channel is automatically added.

D You can change an existing connection in the same way, by clicking

on one end of the cable and dragging it to another connector.

ROUTING AUDIO AND CV

Using pop-up menus

1. Click (or right-click) on a connector.

A pop-up menu appears, listing all devices in the rack.

2. Move the pointer to the desired device (the device to which you want to create a connection).

A submenu appears, listing all suitable input/output connections. For example, if you clicked on an audio output on a device, the hierarchical submenus will list all audio inputs in all other devices.

D If a device is greyed out on the pop-up menu, there are no connec-

tions of the suitable kind.

3. Select the desired connector from the submenu.

The connection is created.

Disconnecting Devices

Again, there are two ways to disconnect devices:

D Click on one end of the cable, drag it away from the jack and drop it

anywhere away from a jack.

D Click on one of the connectors and select “Disconnect” from the

context menu that appears.

Using CV and Gate

CV/Gate is used for modulating and triggering device parameters. Each separate Device chapter lists the available CV/Gate connections, the parameters that can be modulated or be used for modulation outputs for the device.

Routing CV and Gate

There are not really any hard and fast “rules” applicable to CV/Gate routing. A few points should be mentioned though:

D The specific “Sequencer Control” inputs present on the Subtractor,

Malström, NN-19 and NN-XT sampler devices are primarily intended for controlling these devices as (monophonic) instruments from the Matrix Pattern Sequencer.

If your intention is to use the Matrix CV/Gate outputs to create melodic patterns using these Instrument devices, you should use the Sequencer Control inputs.

✪ The Matrix Pattern Sequencer can be used in many other ways, be-

sides creating melodic patterns. For example you could use it to modulate any CV controllable parameter, with the added advantage of the modulation being synchronized to the tempo.

D Conversely, if you would like to apply Gate or CV modulation to

more than one voice, you should not use the Sequencer Control inputs, as these only function monophonically.

D Feel free to experiment: Use Gate signals to control parameter val-

ues and CV signals to trigger notes and envelopes, if you like.

See the chapter “Matrix Pattern Sequencer” for more tips about using CV.

✪ By routing CV to the rotary controls on a Combinator, you can CV

control virtually any parameter on any device - see page 85.

About the Voltage Trim Knobs

All CV inputs have an associated Trim knob. This is used to set the CV “sensitivity” for the associated parameter. The further clockwise a voltage trim knob is set, the more pronounced the modulation effect.

• Turned fully clockwise, the modulation range will be 100% of the parameters range (0-127 for most parameters).

• Turned fully anti-clockwise, no CV modulation will be applied.

ROUTING AUDIO AND CV

D Remote - Playing and controlling Reason devices

About the various MIDI

Setting up

inputs

This chapter describes how you use Remote to set up your master keyboard and control surfaces, allowing you to play Reason devices, adjust parameters and control various Reason functions. This is the main way of sending MIDI to Reason, but there are also some additional methods:

D Using ReWire 2.

ReWire allows you to run Reason together with another application, such as a sequencer or a DAW. With ReWire 2, you can send MIDI from the other application directly to devices in Reason. See page 54.

D Using the External Control Bus inputs.

The External Control Bus inputs (set up on the Preferences - Advanced MIDI page and in the MIDI In device in the hardware interface) let you send MIDI directly to the individual devices in the rack. This is mainly used if you control Reason from an external sequencer, etc. See page 58.

D Sending MIDI Clock to Reason.

This allows you to synchronize Reason’s tempo to other devices. See page 60.

Adding a control surface or keyboard

This is how you add your control surfaces - including the master keyboard.

1. Open the Preferences dialog and select the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page.

2. If your control surface is connected via USB (or if you have made a two-way MIDI connection), try clicking the Auto-detect Surfaces button.

Reason scans all MIDI ports and tries to identify the connected control surfaces. Note that not all control surfaces support auto-detection.

About Remote

MIDI from control surfaces (keyboards, remote control units etc.) is handled by a protocol called Remote. The Remote protocol allows for seamless integration between Reason and control surface devices. It is basically a mapping system that provides direct hands-on control of parameters for each Reason device - including transport and sequencer track selection!

At the time of this writing, Reason supports a large number of control surfaces and keyboards - the knobs, faders and buttons on the devices are automatically mapped to parameters on each Reason device.

Remote drivers for more control surfaces will be added continuously. Check the Propellerhead web page in case your model isn’t listed on the Preferences- Control Surfaces and Keyboards page.

Remote controlling Reason devices couldn’t be made any simpler. Set up your control surface once and for all for use with Reason - the program handles the rest!

All found surfaces are listed in the Attached Surfaces list.

3. To add a control surface manually, click the Add button.

This brings up a new dialog.

4. Select the manufacturer of your control surface from the Manufacturer popup menu.

If you can’t find it on the menu, see below.

5. Select the model of your control surface from the Model pop-up menu.

If you can’t find it on the menu, see below.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

6. An image of the selected control surface model is shown, often along with some information text - read this carefully.

For some control surfaces, you need to select a specific preset to use the surface with Reason - this is noted here.

7. Use the MIDI Input pop-up to select the input port to which you have connected the surface.

If in doubt, you can click the Find button and then tweak a control or play a key on the control surface to have Reason find the correct input port for you.

D Some control surfaces may have more than one MIDI Input pop-up menu.

You need to select ports on all MIDI Input pop-up menus.

If your control surface model isn’t listed

If you can’t find your control surface listed on the Manufacturer or Model pop-up menus when you try to add it, this means that there’s no native support for that model. However, the program supports generic keyboards and controllers. Here’s what to do:

D Select “Other” on the Manufacturer pop-up menu and then select one of

the three options on the Model pop-up menu.

or, if the Manufacturer is listed but not your specific model:

D Select one of the three “Other” options on the Model pop-up menu:

In both cases, the options are:

• Basic MIDI Keyboard Select this is you have a MIDI keyboard without programmable knobs, buttons or faders. This is used for playing only (including performance controllers such as pitch bend, mod wheel, etc.) - you cannot adjust Reason device parameters with this type of control surface.

• MIDI Controller Select this if you have a MIDI controller with programmable knobs, buttons or faders (but without keyboard). You need to set up your control surface so that the controllers send the correct MIDI CC messages, depending on which Reason device you want to control check out the MIDI Implementation Chart in the Reason Documentation folder. If your control surface has templates or presets for different Reason 2.5 devices, these can be used.

D Some control surfaces will have a MIDI Output pop-up menu.

In some cases this labeled “Optional” - then you don’t have to make a selection. In other cases, a MIDI Output is required. This is the case if the control surface uses MIDI feedback - motor fader, displays, etc. See the separate “Control Surface Details” pdf document for details.

D Reason only “grabs” the MIDI inputs you are actually using.

MIDI inputs not selected here or on the Advanced MIDI page (see page 58) are available to other programs.

D Note that other MIDI programs may “grab” all MIDI ports in your system

when you launch them!

8. If you like, you can rename your control surface in the Name field.

9. Click OK to add the surface.

D Depending on the surface model, alerts may appear, reminding you to

select a specific preset etc.

In some cases, Reason can restore a preset in the control surface to factory settings for you - you are then informed of this.

Finally you return to the Control Surfaces and Keyboards Preferences page, where your added surface is now listed.

• MIDI Keyboard with Controls Select this is you have a MIDI keyboard with programmable knobs, buttons or faders. Again, you need to set your controllers to send the right MIDI CCs.

After selecting a model, proceed with selecting MIDI input port as described above.

About the master keyboard

One of the control surfaces can be the master keyboard. This is like any other control surface, but it must have a keyboard and it cannot be locked to a specific Reason device (in other words, it always follows the MIDI input to the sequencer). This is the surface you use to play the instrument devices in Reason.

D The first surface with a keyboard that is added (or found by auto-detect)

is automatically selected to be the master keyboard.

This is shown in the Attached Surfaces list on the Preferences page.

D If you want to use another surface as master keyboard, select it in the list

and click the “Make Master Keyboard” button.

You can only have one master keyboard.

D If you don’t want to use any master keyboard at all, select the current

master keyboard surface and click the same button (which is now labeled “Use No Master Keyboard”).

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

Other functions

D To edit a surface, double click it in the list (or select it and click Edit).

This lets you change its name and MIDI port settings, if needed.

D To delete a surface, select it in the list and click Delete. D You can turn off a surface by deactivating its “Use with Reason” check-

box.

This could be useful if the surface is connected to your system but you only want to use it with another program, etc.

D There is still an “Advanced MIDI” page in the Preferences.

This is only used for External Control MIDI buses and for MIDI Clock Sync input. All hands-on MIDI control is set up on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page.

Remote basics

Parameters and functions for each Reason device are mapped to controls on supported control surface devices. As soon as you have added your control surface(s) in the Preferences, you can start tweaking parameters!

D By default, all connected control surfaces follow the sequencer MIDI in-

put (the Master Keyboard).

This means that you set MIDI input to a track in the sequencer to route the control surface(s) to the track’s device in the rack. You can bypass this functionality by locking a control surface to a specific device - see page 43. Or you can simply use Remote Override mapping (see page 45 for specific parameters - these will then be mapped to the selected controls regardless of MIDI input.

Example Setups

There are several possible variables when it comes to what type of setup you are using. Please read on.

A single MIDI keyboard with controls

With this setup, the keyboard is your master keyboard, which means it is always routed via the sequencer (it controls the device connected to the sequencer track with MIDI focus). To control another device, you move MIDI focus (the keyboard symbol in the In column in the track list) to another sequencer track.

You can, however, use Remote Override to control parameters on other Reason devices (or global Reason functions such as transport).

A basic MIDI keyboard and an additional control surface

The keyboard and the control surface should be connected to separate MIDI ports (or use separate USB connections). Here, the basic MIDI keyboard is your master keyboard - it is used for playing and recording via the sequencer. You can have the control surface follow the master keyboard - this lets you tweak the parameters of the device you are playing (just like in the example above).

You can also lock the control surface to another device in the rack - this lets you play one device while adjusting the parameters of another.

A MIDI keyboard with controls plus one or more control surfaces

This is the ideal setup! Again, all keyboards and control surfaces should be connected to separate MIDI ports (or use separate USB connections). The keyboard is routed via the sequencer and you can use its controls to tweak the parameters of the device you are playing. The additional control surfaces could be locked to different devices in the rack.

For example, if you lock a control surface to the main mixer, you will always have control over levels and pans. You could also have dedicated controls for transport, Undo/ Redo, sequencer track MIDI focus selection, etc.

D The Reason device connected to the track with MIDI input will have its

parameters standard mapped to logical controls (faders, buttons etc.) on the control surface device.

E.g. if a Subtractor has MIDI input, your control surface will control the most important Subtractor parameters. If you set MIDI input to a track connected to a NN-XT, the control surface will now control parameters on the NN-XT device, and so on for each device. There are standard mapping variations for most devices as well see page 43.

! Please refer to the separate “Control Surface Details” document for de-

vice related information.

D Supported control surfaces with dedicated transport controls will be

standard mapped to the equivalent transport controls in Reason.

If you do not have transport controls on your control surface you can still map transport controls to controllers using Remote Override mapping - see page 45.

D Other important functions such as switching target track in the se-

quencer, selecting patches, Undo/Redo can also be remote controlled.

See page 47.

About Standard vs Remote Override mapping

Reason parameters are “standard mapped” to supported control surface devices. There is nothing the user needs to set up to remote control any Reason device. You can, however, use Remote Override mapping to map a specific parameter to a specific control if you should want to.

D By using standard mapping the remote mapping for each device will be

the same for any new song created in Reason, given you have the same set of control surfaces online.

If you use Remote Override mapping (see page 45), the overrides will be saved with the current song, but won’t be there if you create a new song.

D Which parameters and functions that are standard mapped for each Rea-

son device depends on the control surface(s).

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

The “Control Surface Details” document contains some information about the standard mappings of the different control surface models. But you can also activate Remote Override Edit mode to see which parameters for each device are mapped to your control surface(s) - see page 45.

D Note that if you have several control surfaces connected, some parame-

ters could be mapped to controls on more than one control surface.

This is not a conflict of any kind, but simply a consequence that stems from the fact that all control surfaces by default follow Master Keyboard (sequencer) MIDI input. By using Surface Locking (see below) or Remote Override (see page 45) you have full control over your control surfaces.

About mapping variations

Since there are often more parameters on a device than there are controls on the control surface, there are standard mapping variations available for most devices. When selecting a standard mapping variation, a new set of parameters will be mapped to the controls on your control surface for a selected Reason device.

For example, if you have a control surface with 8 rotary knobs routed to a Subtractor, the knobs may control filter parameters by default. Selecting variation 2 may make the knobs control the oscillator settings, variation 3 may control LFOs and so on.

D For devices that support keyboard shortcuts, you switch between map-

ping variations using [Command] + [Option] (Mac) / [Ctrl] + [Alt] (Windows) and the numerical keys [1] to [10] (not the numerical keypad), where [1] selects the default standard mapping.

How many mapping variations are available depends on the control surface and the Reason device selected. The variation selected will stay active until you switch MIDI input to another device (or select another variation). If you switch back to the same device it will have its default standard mapping (variation [1]).

Locking a surface to a device

You can lock a control surface to a specific device so that it is always “tweakable”, regardless of which track has MIDI input in the sequencer. This enables you to play and record notes for one device and at the same time control parameters for another device from a control surface.

For example, you could lock a control surface to control the main mixer, so you can always control overall levels while playing/tweaking other devices.

D The master keyboard device cannot be locked!

If you select the master keyboard in the Preferences, you can click the “Use No Master Keyboard” button. You can then lock this control surface to a device and use its controllers to tweak parameters, but you will not be able to play the device.

D You can lock several control surfaces to the same device.

However, each control surface can only be locked to one device at a time.

D Info about which devices are locked (and to which control surfaces) is

saved with the song.

Locking a device

There are basically two methods you can use to lock a device:

Using the Surface Locking dialog

1. Select “Surface Locking...” from the Options menu.

The Surface Locking dialog opens.

D For control surfaces that have dedicated controls for selecting mapping

variations these are used instead of keyboard shortcuts.

D Locked devices (see below) can also be locked to a specific mapping

variation.

In this picture, the dialog has the master keyboard as the selected control surface - this cannot be locked.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

2. Pull down the Surface pop-up from at the top of the dialog and select the control surface device you wish to lock to a device.

3. Next, open the “Lock to device” pop-up menu.

On this pop-up, all devices in the current song are listed. The “Follow Master Keyboard” item which is selected by default, means that the control surface isn’t locked (it instead follows the MIDI input in the sequencer).

5. Close the dialog when you are done.

The device is now locked to the selected control surface. In Remote Override Edit mode (see page 45) a locked device is shown with a lock symbol in the upper left corner of the device panel.

Using the context menu

D A quick way to lock devices is by right-clicking (Win) / [Ctrl]-clicking

(Mac) on a device panel to bring up the context menu.

On the context menu, all installed control surfaces (apart from the master keyboard) are listed with the text “Lock to” plus the name of the control surface. Selecting one will lock the device to the control surface. On the context menu the control surface that is currently locked to this device will be ticked.

4. Select the device you wish to lock to the selected control surface from the list.

D If the selected control surface supports keyboard shortcuts for selecting

mapping variations (see page 43) an additional “Always use Mapping” pop-up appears.

On this pop-up you can set whether you wish to lock a specific standard mapping variation or whether the device should switch mapping variations according to keyboard shortcuts. If the former is the case, select the mapping variation from the list. If the latter is the case, select “Follow Keyboard Shortcut”.

Unlocking devices

D To unlock a locked device, bring up the context menu for the locked de-

vice, and untick the “Lock to” item.’

This unlocks the device and the control surface will now follow master keyboard MIDI input.

D Another way to unlock a device is to open the Surface Locking dialog

and selecting “Follow Master Keyboard” on the Lock to device pop-up.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

Remote Override

Remote Override allows you to map parameters and functions to controls on your control surface device, overriding the standard mapping.

Activating Remote Override Edit mode

1. Select “Remote Override Edit Mode” from the Options menu.

All unselected devices in the rack are grayed out, indicating Edit mode. Each selected device (including the Transport panel) will show a blue arrow symbol on every parameter that can be mapped to a control on a control surface.

D Note that you can select the Transport panel as well!

Most items on the Transport panel can be mapped to controls. Note that by selecting the Transport panel any standard mapping will be shown automatically, unlike other devices where you have to first direct MIDI input to the device from the sequencer.

D If you point on a standard mapped parameter, a tooltip appears showing

which control on the control surface device the parameter is mapped to.

Remote Override mapping

If Remote Override Edit Mode is enabled you can use the following methods to map a parameter to a control:

Method 1:

1. Select the parameter you wish to map.

The arrow (or knob) changes to orange, indicating it is selected.

Remote Override Edit mode enabled with the mixer device selected.

To be able to see which parameters are currently mapped for a device, you have to direct MIDI input to the sequencer track it is connected to:

2. Select a device in the rack and enable MIDI input for its sequencer track.

Standard mapped parameters are tagged with yellow knob symbols.

2. Select “Edit Remote Override Mapping...” from the Edit menu.

You can also [Ctrl]-click (Mac) / right-click (PC) the parameter to select the same item from the context menu.

The “Edit Remote Override Mapping” dialog opens. From here you have two ways to proceed:

D Either manually select the control surface and the control you wish to

map the parameter to from the two corresponding pop-ups.

The Control Surface pop-up lists all installed control surface devices, and the Controls pop-up lists all the mappable controls for the selected control surface.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

D Or you can activate “Learn From Control Surface Input” and simply move

(or press) the control you want to map the parameter to.

The “Control Surface Activity” field momentarily flickers as you turn the knob, and then the dialog shows the control surface and control it is mapped to.

D If the control surface has a keyboard, you can also select notes as con-

trols.

Notes work just like on/off buttons. If “Keyboard” is selected from the Controls pop-up, a Note Number field appears in the dialog.

3. Click OK to exit the dialog.

The mapped parameter now shows a lightning bolt icon, indicating it uses Remote Override mapping. Any overrides are always shown in Remote Override Edit mode. The device does not have to be selected or have MIDI input focus.

Removing Remote Overrides

This can be done for a selected parameter in the following way:

1. Select the parameter you wish to remove Remote Override for.

The lightning bolt changes to orange, indicating it is selected.

2. Select “Clear Remote Override Mapping...” from the Edit menu.

You can also [Ctrl]-click (Mac) / right-click (PC) the parameter to select the same item from the context menu. This is always available, regardless whether Remote Override Edit mode is selected or not.

Or you can remove all Remote Overrides for a device in one go:

1. Select the device you wish to remove Remote Override for.

2. Select “Clear All Remote Override Mappings for Device” from the Edit menu.

You can also [Ctrl]-click (Mac) / right-click (PC) the device panel to select the same item from the context menu.

Copying/Pasting Remote Overrides

You can copy Remote Override mappings for a device and paste them into a device of the same type. This works as follows:

4. To exit Remote Override Edit Mode, deselect it from the Options menu.

You can also leave this mode by pressing [Escape].

Method 2:

1. Double-click the parameter you wish to map.

A rotating lightning bolt appears for the parameter - this indicates that “Learn From Control Surface” mode is active. You can leave this mode by pressing [Escape].

2. Now move (or press) the control you want to map the parameter to.

The parameter is now mapped to the control.

You do not always have to edit override mapping when Remote Override Edit mode is activated - see below.

Override mapping with Remote Override Edit mode deactivated

If Remote Override Edit Mode is enabled on the Options menu, mapped parameters are “tagged”, and the arrow indicators show the assignable parameters. In this mode, however, you cannot operate Reason normally. Remote Override Edit mode is primarily for overview of available parameters and the current assignments.

1. With Remote Override Edit mode activated, select the device you want copy Remote Override mappings from, and the select “Copy Remote Override Mappings” from the Edit menu.

You can also [Ctrl]-click (Mac) / right-click (PC) the device panel to select the same item from the context menu.

2. Select the device you wish to paste the copied mappings to.

It has to be the same type of device you copied from. In case you copied Remote Override mappings from the Transport panel you can thus only paste the mappings into another song document.

3. Select “Paste Remote Override Mappings” from the Edit menu.

Now the following happens:

D If you are pasting in the mappings into a device in the same song docu-

ment, a dialog appears informing that the overrides are already used.

You then have the choice of cancelling the operation, or to move the existing overrides to the new device.

D If you are pasting into a device in another song, the copied Remote Over-

ride mappings are simply pasted.

In this case, the original Remote Override mappings are not affected.

D Another way to map parameters is to have “Remote Override Edit Mode”

deactivated on the Options menu, and to simply [Ctrl]-click (Mac) / rightclick (PC) the parameter you wish to remote control.

This opens a pop-up menu, where one of the options will be “Edit Remote Override Mapping”. Selecting this will open the Edit Remote Override Mapping dialog. Thus, you do not have to select Edit mode from the Options menu if you already know that a parameter is free and assignable.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

Additional Remote Overrides...

D Patch selection is usually standard mapped to buttons on a control sur-

face.

If you wish to override this standard patch selection mapping for devices globally to select patches for any patch device that currently has MIDI input, you can assign this here. For example, you may always want to use the same buttons on a specific control surface for selecting patches.

D Select Patch for Target Device is also meant to be assigned to a Delta-

type control (see above).

This allows you to select patches for a device connected to the target track by spinning the wheel clockwise or anti-clockwise.

D Select Previous/Next Patch can be assigned to standard button controls.

Undo/Redo

You can assign Undo/Redo to controls. This works just like the corresponding items on the Edit menu.

Document Name

This allows you show the name of the song in the display of the control surface. This only works for control surfaces that support this feature.

On the Options menu there is an item named “Additional Remote Overrides...”. Selecting this opens a dialog with remote functions that cannot be assigned using Remote Override Edit mode, such as switching target tracks, Undo/Redo etc.

What can be assigned?

Although most of the items in this dialog are self-explanatory, some need to be described. These are as follows:

Target Track Delta and Target Previous/Next Track

D Target track is the track with Master Keyboard (MIDI In) focus.

Assigning Target Previous/Next Track to two Button controls on a control surface allows you to move the keyboard symbol up or down in the Track list.

D Target Track Delta is meant to be used with Delta wheel controllers (a

special control with no min/max range) to switch target track.

A Mackie Jog wheel is an example of this type of controller.

D Select Previous/Next Track can be assigned to standard button controls.

Assigning Additional Overrides

Assigning overrides in this dialog is similar to assigning standard Remote Overrides:

1. Select a function/controller in the list that you wish to assign to a control and click “Edit”.

This opens the Edit Remote Override Mapping dialog, where you can assign a control to the selected function/parameter. You can also simply double click the item in the list to open this dialog.

2. Click OK to close the dialog.

Clearing Additional Overrides

1. Select “Additional Remote Overrides” from the Options menu.

In the Mapping column you can see which parameters/functions use overrides.

2. Select the item currently assigned override mapping, and click “Clear”.

Select Patch for Target Device and Select Previous/Next Patch for Target Device

The target device is the device connected to the target track.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

Keyboard Control

Assigning keyboard remote commands does not involve MIDI, so there is no special setting up required. Keyboard commands can be assigned to parameters just as when using Remote Override mapping, but the functionality differs in one central aspect:

D Keyboard Control commands can only be used to toggle on/off or min/

max values for an assigned parameter.

Hence, if you assign a keyboard remote command for a knob, slider or spin control, it will only switch between the minimum and maximum values for that parameter. The only exception to this are the multi-selector buttons used for various parameters such as envelope destination, for example. These will cycle through the available options when using keyboard control.

D If you click on an assignable parameter to select it, you can then select

“Edit MIDI Control Mapping” from the Edit menu.

This opens a dialog allowing you to select a key command for that parameter. You may use any key except the Space bar, Tab, Enter or the Numeric keypad (which is reserved for Transport functions) or a combination of [Shift] + any key (with the same aforementioned exceptions).

The Keyboard Control dialog.

Enabling Keyboard Control

To enable Keyboard Control, select “Enable Keyboard Control” from the Options menu.

Editing Keyboard Control

D To get an overview of which parameters are remote controllable select

“Keyboard Control Edit Mode” from the Options menu.

When done, each device you select will show a yellow arrow symbol beside every parameter that can be assigned a keyboard control.

A section of a drum machine with Keyboard Control Edit Mode enabled.

D Simply press the key (or key combination) you wish to use to remote

control the parameter.

The “Key Received” field momentarily indicates that it is “learning” the keystroke(s), and then the dialog displays the name of the key you have pressed. If [Shift] was used, the box beside the word Shift in the dialog is ticked.

You can also double-click on the arrow for an assignable parameter to set up keyboard control:

D A rotating yellow rectangle appears, indicating Learn mode. Press the

key (or key combination) you wish to use to control the parameter.

The rotating stops and the rectangle will now display the key or key combination you used.

About the two Edit Keyboard Control Modes

If Keyboard Control Edit Mode is enabled (ticked) on the Options menu, assigned parameters are “tagged”, showing the remote key for that parameter. In this mode, however, you cannot operate Reason normally. This mode is primarily for overview of available parameters and the current assignments.

D Another way to assign keyboard remote commands is to have “Keyboard

Control Edit Mode” deselected on the Options menu, and to simply [Ctrl]-click (Mac)/right-click (PC) the parameter you wish to remote control.

This opens a pop-up menu, where one of the options will be “Edit Keyboard Control Mapping”. Selecting this opens the Keyboard Control dialog. Thus, you do not have to enable/disable Edit mode from the Options menu if you know that a parameter is assignable.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

Saving Remote Setups

There’s no need to save MIDI Remote mapping as the Standard Remote mapping for each Reason device to supported control surfaces is built-in, and is always available. You may, however, wish to save specific Remote Override mappings or Keyboard Control setups as a template:

D This could be done by saving a song document containing all the devices

that are affected by the related Key or Remote Override mappings, but without any sequencer data.

This song document could then be used as a starting point for any new song, by simply loading it, and immediately using “Save As” to save it under a new name.

REMOTE - PLAYING AND CONTROLLING REASON DEVICES

D Using Reason as a ReWire Slave

About this Chapter

This chapter describes how to use Reason as a ReWire slave, that is with Reason delivering audio to another ReWire compatible application. It does not deal with using ReBirth and Reason together; that is described on page 204.

Why use Reason with

In ReWire 2

A number of features were added in Reason version 2. The following are the most important:

• Up to 256 audio channels (previously 64).

• Bi-directional MIDI communication of up to 4080 MIDI channels (255 devices with 16 channels each)

• Automatic querying and linking features that (among other things) allow a host to display the slave’s devices, controllers, drum sounds etc. by name.

How Does it Work?

ReWire?

While Reason is a complete music tool in its own right, you might want to add other elements to the music, such as:

• Vocals.

• Instrumental recordings.

• Hardware synthesizers (controlled via MIDI). Connecting Reason to another application allows you to do just this, integrate your

Reason songs with any other type of music, external MIDI and acoustic recordings. By recording Reason onto audio Tracks in an audio sequencer you can also continue processing your Reason tracks with other internal and external effects.

Introducing ReWire!

To make this integration between two audio programs possible, Propellerhead Software has developed ReWire. This technology provides the following possibilities and features:

In ReWire version 1

• Real time streaming of separate audio channels, at full bandwidth, into another audio program.

• Automatic, sample accurate, synchronization between the audio in the two programs.

• The possibility to have the two programs share one sound card.

• Linked transport controls that allows you to play, rewind etc, from either program.

• Less total system requirements than when using the programs together in the conventional way.

Basically the key to ReWire is the fact that Reason is divided into three components:

• The Reason application.

• The Reason Engine (a DLL on the PC and a Shared Library file on the Macintosh. Both located in the Reason program folder.)

• ReWire (also a DLL on the PC and a Shared Library on the Macintosh).

ReWire and the Reason Engine are common resources to the two programs (the other application and Reason) that generate the audio and passes it onto the other audio application.

Terminology

In this text we refer to Reason as a ReWire slave and the application receiving audio

from Reason (this could be Steinberg Cubase, Emagic Logic Audio or Mark of the

Unicorn Digital Performer for example) as the host application.

About System Requirements

To run Reason together with another audio application of course raises the demands on computing power. However, adding ReWire to the equation does not in itself require a more powerful computer. On the contrary, it is likely that ReWiring two programs requires less power than for example running them with one audio card each.

Still, you should be aware that running two powerful audio applications on one computer will require a fast processor and most of all a healthy amount of RAM.

USING REASON AS A REWIRE SLAVE

Launching and Quitting

Using the Transport and

When using Rewire, the launch and quit order is very important:

Launching for normal use with ReWire

1. First launch the host application.

2. Then launch Reason.

Quitting a ReWire session

When you are finished, you also need to Quit the applications in a special order:

1. First quit Reason.

2. Then quit the host application.

Launching the host application for use without Reason/ReWire

If you don’t plan to run Reason, just launch the host application as usual. We recommend that you then also deactivate all ReWire channels if required (see the relevant section for your program, below). But this is not completely critical, ReWire does not use up very much processing power when it isn’t used.

Launching Reason for use without the host application

If you want to use Reason as it is, without ReWire, just launch it as you normally do.

Launching both programs without using ReWire

We don’t know exactly why you would want to run Reason and a Rewire host application at the same time on the same computer, without using ReWire, but you can:

Tempo Controls

Basic Transport Controls

When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs are completely linked. It doesn’t matter in which program you Play, Stop, Fast Forward or Rewind. Recording, however, is still completely separate in the two applications.

Loop Settings

The Loop in Reason and the corresponding feature (Loop, Cycle etc) in the host application are also linked. This means that you can move the start and end point for the Loop/Cycle or turn the Loop/Cycle on/off in either program, and this will be reflected in the other.

Tempo Settings

As far as tempo goes, the host application is always the Master. This means that both program will run in the tempo set in the host application.

However, if you are not using automated tempo changes in the host application, you

can adjust the tempo on the transport in either program, and this will immediately be reflected in the other.

! If you are using the automated tempo changes in the host application, do

not adjust the tempo on the Reason transport, since that tempo the doesn’t have any effect on playback!

1. First launch Reason.

2. Then launch the host application.

You may get a warning message in the host application, regarding ReWire, but you can safely ignore it. Please also note that the two programs now compete for system resources such as audio cards, just as when running either with other, non-ReWire, audio applications.

Synchronization

All synchronization to other equipment is handled from the host application, not Reason. In fact there are no special synchronization issues. All that is said in the host application’s documentation about synchronizing audio channels is true for ReWire channels as well.

USING REASON AS A REWIRE SLAVE

Routing Audio

Preparations in Reason

When you route audio from Reason to a ReWire host application, you make use of the Hardware Interface at the top of the rack. Basically, each output in the Hardware Interface is connected to a separate ReWire channel. Therefore:

D To take full advantage of the mixing features in the host application you

need to connect the different Reason devices directly to the Hardware Interface.

For example, if your Reason Song contains eight different instrument devices and you connect these to separate inputs on the Hardware Interface, they will appear on separate ReWire channels in the host application. You can then use the mixing facilities in the host application to adjust volume and pan, add effects and equalizing etc. - individually for each Reason device! If you instead connect all your Reason devices via a Mixer to the stereo input pair on the Hardware Interface, all sounds will appear mixed on a single ReWire stereo channel pair. While this works perfectly fine, you won’t be able to mix and process the devices separately in the host application.

2. Click on the green buttons in the “Active” column to activate/deactivate the desired channels.

The buttons light up to indicate activated channels. How many and which channels you need to activate depends on to which Hardware Interface inputs you have connected your Reason devices, as discussed above.

3. If desired, double click on the labels in the right column, and type in another name.

These labels will be used in the Cubase SX/SL Mixer to identify the ReWire channels.

4. Open the Cubase SX Mixer.

You will find that new channels have been added - one for each activated ReWire channel. If the channels aren’t visible, you may need to scroll the Mixer window or check the Mixer View options (different channel types can be shown or hidden as desired in the Cubase SX Mixer).

5. Start playback (in Reason or Cubase SX - it doesn’t matter as both programs will automatically be synchronized).

You will now see the level meters moving for the playing ReWire channel, and hear the sound of the Reason devices through Cubase SX’s Mixer. Of course, this requires that your Reason Song contains some music!

Routing in the ReWire host application

The following description is based on using Reason with Cubase SX as the host application. For descriptions on how to activate and route ReWire channels in other host applications, please go to www.propellerheads.se/rewirehelp.

1. Pull down the Devices menu in Cubase SX and select the menu item with the name of the ReWire application (in this case Reason). All recognized ReWire compatible applications will be available on the Devices menu.

The ReWire panel appears. This consists of a number of rows, one for each available ReWire channel.

6. Use the mixing features in Cubase SX to add effects, EQ, etc.

Routing MIDI via ReWire 2

The following description is based on using Reason with Cubase SX as the host application. For descriptions on how to route MIDI to Reason from other host applications, please go to www.propellerheads.se/rewirehelp.

1. In Cubase SX, select a MIDI track that you want to route to a Reason device.

2. Pull down the MIDI Output menu for the track (in the Inspector or track list).

All devices in the current Reason Song are listed on the pop-up menu, along with the conventional, “physical” MIDI outputs.

3. Select a Reason device from the pop-up menu.

The output of the MIDI track is now routed to that device.

D If you now play back a MIDI part on the track, the MIDI notes will be sent

to the Reason device - just as if the track were connected to any regular MIDI sound source.

The sound of the device will be sent back into Cubase SX via ReWire - which channel it will appear on depends on how you have routed the device to the Hardware Interface in Reason, as discussed above.

D To play the device “live”, you need to select the proper MIDI input for the

track in Cubase SX (the input to which your MIDI keyboard is connected) and activate the Monitor button for the track.

When the Monitor button is activated, all incoming MIDI (i.e. what you play on the keyboard) is immediately sent to the track’s MIDI Output (i.e. to the Reason device).

USING REASON AS A REWIRE SLAVE

Converting ReWire

Details About Various

Channels to Audio Tracks

Most often, there is no need to convert individual ReWire channels to regular audio tracks! The channels already appear in the host application’s Mixer, and you can typically perform the same kind of real-time processing as with regular audio channels (effects, EQ, volume, pan and mute automation, etc.).

Still, you may need to convert the ReWire channels to audio tracks, for example if you want to continue working in Cubase SX only. This is probably easiest done by using the host application’s “Export Audio” or “Bounce” function. In Cubase SX, you would proceed as follows:

1. Make sure your Reason devices play back properly via ReWire.

2. In the Cubase SX Mixer, activate Solo for the ReWire channel you want to convert to a regular audio track.

Make sure no other channel is Soloed as well.

3. Go to Cubase SX’s Project window and set the left and right locator to encompass the whole song (or a section, if that’s what you want).

Make sure the Cycle (loop) function is turned off.

4. Pull down the File menu in Cubase SX and select “Audio Mixdown” from the Export submenu.

The Export Audio Mixdown dialog appears.

ReWire Hosts

The Propellerhead Software website provides updated information on how to configure ReWire for most compatible host applications. Please go to: www.propellerheads.se/rewirehelp.

5. Activate the “Import to Pool” and “Import to Track” options and fill in the rest of the dialog as desired.

You can choose to include any Cubase SX mixer automation, select a file format and file name, etc.

6. Click Save.

The ReWire channel is now rendered to a new audio file on disk. A clip referring to the file will appear in the Pool, and an audio event playing this clip will be created and placed on a new audio track, starting at the left locator.

D If you now play back the audio track you will hear exactly what was

played on the ReWire channel.

This means you should keep that ReWire channel muted (or deactivated) now, since otherwise you would hear the sound twice - once via ReWire and once from the audio track.

D To convert all your ReWire channels this way, simply proceed as above

(but solo another ReWire channel in the Cubase SX Mixer).

! Converting ReWire channels this way results in a number of audio files

that can be very large (depending on the length of the song). Make sure you have enough disk space!

USING REASON AS A REWIRE SLAVE

D Advanced MIDI - the External Control Bus inputs

About the External Control Bus inputs

Routing MIDI to Devices

Each External Control Bus can control up to 16 different Reason devices, one for each MIDI channel. To route a MIDI channel directly to a Reason device, proceed as follows:

The External Control Bus inputs allow you to send MIDI directly to Reason devices.

D These MIDI inputs are for controlling Reason devices from an external

sequencer.

This could be an external hardware sequencer or a sequencer application running on another computer.

D If you want to control Reason from another sequencer application on the

same computer, the preferred method is ReWire (see page 54).

However, if the other sequencer software doesn’t support ReWire 2, the External Control Bus inputs can be an alternative. In that case, you may need to use a MIDI routing application to be able to route MIDI from one program to the other.

You set up the External Control Bus inputs on the Advanced MIDI page in the Preferences dialog:

1. Locate the hardware interface at the top of the rack.

2. In the MIDI In device, click the Bus Select button for the External Control Bus you want to use (A, B, C or D).

3. Below the Bus Select buttons there are fields for the 16 MIDI channels. Click the arrow button for the desired MIDI channel and select a Reason device from the menu that appears.

Incoming MIDI data on that bus and channel will now be sent directly to the selected device. In other words, the master keyboard routing (the “In” column in the sequencer) is bypassed.

Sending Controller Data via MIDI

It is possible to send controller data from an external sequencer to control Reason parameters. Just set up your external device to transmit the correct MIDI controller messages on the right MIDI port.

D You should select a separate MIDI port for each bus you plan to use.

Each bus provides 16 MIDI channels, for a total of up to 64 MIDI input channels. For example, if you have an external sequencer with two MIDI outputs, you connect these to two MIDI inputs on your MIDI interface and select these two inputs for the first two busses on the Advanced MIDI page. You will then be able to send MIDI on up to 32 channels from the external sequencer to Reason.

D Make sure you don’t select a MIDI port that is already selected on the

Control Surfaces and Keyboards page (or in the MIDI Clock Sync section).

To find out which MIDI Controller number corresponds to which control on each device, please see the “MIDI Implementation Charts.pdf” document.

Once you have located the controller numbers and set everything up, you can record and edit the controller data in the external sequencer as you normally do, and the Reason parameters will react correspondingly.

✪ Do not confuse this with Remote control. Remote does not require any

mapping of controller numbers for supported control surfaces! See page

40.

Recording Pattern changes

As specified in the MIDI Implementation, MIDI Controller #3 can be used to switch patterns in a device. However, pattern changes activated this way occur immediately (not at the end of the bar), which may or may not be what you prefer.

Please see page 8 for information on recording and editing pattern changes.

ADVANCED MIDI - THE EXTERNAL CONTROL BUS INPUTS

D Synchronization

ReWire users – Read This!

Slaving Reason to an

This chapter is about synchronization via MIDI Clock, and does not apply to users of ReWire. If you are using Reason together with a ReWire compatible application, ReWire automatically handles all synchronization issues for you. See page 51 for details.

What is Synchronization and MIDI Clock?

Synchronization, in this context, is when you make Reason play at the same tempo as another device; where both start, stop and can locate to certain positions, together. This is done by transmitting MIDI Clock signals between Reason and the other device. MIDI Clock is a very fast “metronome” that can be transmitted in a MIDI cable. As part of the MIDI Clock concept there are also instructions for Start, Stop and locating to sixteenth note positions.

You can set up synchronization between Reason and hardware devices (tape recorders, drum machines, stand alone sequencers, workstations etc.) and other computer programs running on the same or another computer.

Master/Slave

In a synchronized system there is always one master and one or more slaves. In our case, the master is the one that controls the tempo. In other words, it is only the tempo setting on the master device that is of any relevance, since the slaves slavishly follow the master's tempo.

D Reason always acts as a slave. That is, it receives MIDI Clock signals, it

never transmits them.

External Device

This example assumes that you have an external device, such as a drum machine, hardware sequencer, another computer, tape recorder etc., that transmits MIDI Clock signals to which you want to synchronize Reason.

1. Connect a the device via USB/MIDI to the computer running Reason.

2. Set up the other device so that it transmits MIDI Clock signals to the MIDI Out you just connected to the computer running Reason.

3. In Reason, pull down the Edit menu (under Mac OS X, the Reason menu) and open the Preferences dialog. Select the Advanced MIDI page.

4. Pull down the MIDI Clock Sync pop-up and select the MIDI Input to which you connected the other device.

5. Close the dialog.

6. Activate MIDI Clock Sync from the Options menu in Reason.

This can also be set on the Transport panel.

7. Activate playback on the other device.

Reason will start playing ‘in sync’ with it and the Sync LED on the Transport will light up.

! Before you create any serious projects that require sync, try out the fea-

tures described below and check out “Synchronization Considerations” on page 117.

SYNCHRONIZATION

Slaving Reason to Another

Synchronization Program on the Same Computer

! The preferred method for synchronizing two applications is by using Re-

Wire, see page 51. However, if the application you need to sync Reason with doesn’t support ReWire, you can try the procedures described below.

This section describes how to use MIDI Clock to synchronize Reason to another application running on the same computer.

! Note that synchronization via MIDI Clock makes the two programs play

at the same time, that is, they both “run” when you “hit play”. It does not mean they can both play audio at the same time. See page 279 for details about “sharing audio”.

Proceed as follows:

1. Set up the other program, so that it transmits MIDI Clock to Reason:

Under Windows this is done by selecting one of the MIDI routing utility ports.

2. In Reason, open the Preferences - Advanced MIDI page.

3. Pull down the MIDI Clock pop-up and select the corresponding MIDI port.

4. Close the dialog.

Considerations

Adjusting for Latency

Latency compensation.

Because of the latency problem described on page 280, you might need to adjust

Reason’s playback in relation to the sync master, so that they are in perfect time. The

tempo will not differ between the two, but Reason might play ahead or behind the

other application. You might need to adjust this. However, this is something you only

need to do once. The setting is stored with your other preferences, so you don’t need

to adjust it again.

Proceed as follows:

1. Set up the other application so that it generates a solid click, on for example quarter or eighth notes, preferably with a special sound on the downbeat.

This click can either come from an internal metronome or from a MIDI source. If you use a MIDI source, make sure you pick one that has solid MIDI timing.

2. Set up Reason so that it plays a similar rhythm as the other application.

You might for example use the Metronome or Redrum drum computer for this.

5. Activate MIDI Clock Sync from the Options menu in Reason.

6. Activate playback on the other device.

Reason will start playing ‘in sync’ with it and the Sync LED on the Transport will light up.

3. Start the two applications in sync.

4. Make sure you hear both applications at approximately equal level.

5. Open the Preferences dialog in Reason and select the Audio page.

6. Trim the “Latency compensation” setting until the “clicks” from the both sources sound at exactly the same time.

7. Close the Preferences dialog in Reason.

If Latency Compensation isn’t enough

There might be situations where you can’t compensate enough in Reason to make two software applications run in sync. This might especially be true if the other application is an audio sequencer, that is if it can record and playback both audio and MIDI.

This problem is an indication of the fact that the other application has not been set up properly and that its audio playback is not in sync with its own MIDI playback.

! This is not something that you can or should compensate for in Reason.

Instead, follow the instruction included with the other application to make sure its MIDI playback and audio playback are correctly locked to each other.

SYNCHRONIZATION

About the beginning of the Song

Due to the latency phenomenon, described on page 280, Reason needs some time to correct it’s playback speed when it first receives the Start command. This can be noted as a small glitch in the audio playback, when the program starts. If this is a problem, you need to insert a couple of empty measures at the beginning of the Song. Proceed as follows:

1. Set the Left Locator to “1 1 1” and the right Locator to “3 1 1“.

2. Click somewhere in the main sequencer area to move the menu focus to the sequencer.

3. Select “Insert Bars Between Locators” from the Edit menu.

4. Set up the other device/application, so that it also plays two empty bars at the beginning.

About MIDI Song Position Pointers

MIDI Clock actually consists of five type of messages: The actual clock (the metronome that establishes the tempo), Start, Stop and Continue commands and Song Position Pointers. This last type of message contains information about positions, so that a program for example “knows” where in a Song to start playback from.

Normally, this ensures that you can locate to any position and activate playback from there. In older devices, Song Position Pointers might not be implemented. This means that you will be able to synchronize properly only if you start both devices from the absolute beginning of the song.

About Tempo Changes

Again, due to the latency phenomenon, Reason needs a bit of time to adjust to changes in tempo. If there are abrupt changes in the MIDI Clock, due to drastic tempo changes in the master, you will note that Reason will require up to one measure to adjust itself to the change. How long this actually takes also depends on the precision of the incoming MIDI Clock. The more precise it is, the faster Reason can adjust to it.

If this adjustment is a problem, try to use gradual tempo changes rather than immediate ones.

! When Reason is synchronized to MIDI Clock, there is no Tempo readout.

SYNCHRONIZATION

D Optimizing Performance

Introduction

Optimization and Output

Reason is a program of infinite possibilities. You can create as complex songs as you like, using endless racks of devices. While this is one of the most exciting properties of the program it does have a drawback – it means that you must be careful with how you manage your computer processing power.

Each device you add to the rack uses up a bit of computer processing power – the more devices the faster the computer has to be. However, you can set up your devices to require more or less processing power. For example a sound on the Subtractor synthesizer that only uses one oscillator and one filter requires much less processing power than one using both dual oscillators and dual filters.

Samples used in your songs also require RAM - memory - to load properly. The use of RAM can also be managed, as described at the end of this chapter.

When creating songs for other people, for example for publishing in the Reason song archive (see www.propellerheads.se for more information), you should do what you can to reduce the requirements for playing back a certain song, both in terms of processing power and in terms of RAM requirements. Other users may not have as powerful a computer as you do!

Checking Processing Power

On the transport you will find a meter labelled CPU. This indicates how much processing power is used at any given moment.

Latency

As described on page 280, you generally want the lowest possible latency, to get the best response when you play Reason in real time. However, selecting too low a latency is likely to result in playback problems (clicks, pops, dropouts, etc.). There are several technical reasons for this, the main one being that with smaller buffers (lower latency), the average strain on the CPU will be higher. This also means that the more CPU-intensive your Reason song (i.e. the more devices you use), the higher the minimum latency required for avoiding playback difficulties.

Therefore, you may need to adjust the latency. This is done differently depending on which audio cards, drivers and operating system you are using:

Making adjustments in the ASIO Control Panel

If you are using an ASIO driver specifically written for the audio hardware, you can in most cases make settings for the hardware in its ASIO Control Panel. This panel (opened by clicking the ASIO Control Panel button in the Preferences-Audio dialog) may or may not contain parameters for adjusting the latency. Usually this is done by changing the number and/or size of the audio buffers - the fewer and smaller the audio buffers, the lower the latency. Please consult the documentation of your audio hardware and its ASIO drivers for details!

! Raising the buffer size to eliminate audio artefacts on playback is mainly

effective if you are currently using very small buffers, 64 to 256 samples. If the buffers are already big (1024 or 2048 samples) you will not notice much difference.

The CPU meter.

The higher this meter goes, the higher the strain on your computer processor. You will note when your processor is heavily loaded that graphics will update slower. Finally, when there’s too little power left to create the audio properly, the sound will start breaking up.

Making adjustments in the Reason Preferences dialog

If you are running Reason under Windows and using an MME or DirectX driver, or if you are running Reason under Mac OS X and using the Built-in audio controller driver, you can adjust the output latency in the Preferences – Audio dialog.

D This is done by dragging the Buffer Size slider.

General procedure

The basic procedure for optimizing the latency is the following:

1. Open a song and start playback.

You want to choose a song that is reasonably demanding, i.e. with more than just a few tracks and devices.

2. Open the Preferences dialog.

Under Mac OS X, this is found on the Reason menu; under Windows it’s found on the Edit menu.

3. Select the Audio page and locate the buffer settings.

If you are using an ASIO driver, you need to click the ASIO Control Panel button, for Mac OS X/Built-in audio, Windows/MME or DirectX you should use the Buffer Size slider.

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE

! If you are making adjustments in the ASIO Control Panel for hardware

with an ASIO driver, you should make a note of the current buffer settings before changing them.

4. While the song is playing, listen closely for pops and clicks and try lowering the latency (buffer size/number).

Optimizing Songs

Below follows things you can check and change to make sure your song uses as little computer processing power as possible:

5. When you get pops and clicks, raise the latency value a bit.

6. Close the Preferences dialog (and ASIO Control Panel, if open).

About Latency Compensation

In the lower right corner of the Preferences-Audio dialog, you will find a setting called Latency Compensation. This value is used internally in Reason to compensate for the latency when synchronizing Reason to another MIDI sequencer or similar. Usually, Latency Compensation is set to the same value as the Output Latency, but it is possible to increase it (see page 61). Normally however, you shouldn’t need to touch this parameter.

Optimizing Your Computer System

In this manual we do not have the possibility to give you detailed procedures for optimizing your computer for maximum power. This is a subject that we could write complete books on! However, we’d like to share a couple of important tips:

D Quit other programs that are running at the same time as Reason. D Remove background tasks on your computer.

This might be any background utilities you have installed as well as networking, background internet activities etc.

Global

D Delete unused devices.

If a device isn’t actually doing anything, delete it from the rack.

D Use fewer devices.

For example, instead of using several reverbs as insert effects, replace them all with one, set up as a send effect. By the same token, try to use one sampler playing several different samples instead of numerous samplers playing one sample each.

D Don’t use stereo unless it is required.

For example, if a sampler or Dr. Rex player is playing mono material, only connect the Left output and leave the Right output unconnected.

Sample Players – NN19, NNXT, Dr. Rex and Redrum

D Only activate High Quality Interpolation when it is required.

Listen to the sound in a context and determine whether you think this setting makes any difference. However, note that on a Macintosh G4, High Quality Interpolation does not require any more processing power.

D If you are playing back a sample at a much higher pitch than it was re-

corded at, consider sample rate converting the actual sample file to a lower sample rate.

This will require an external sample editor with good sample rate conversion facilities.

D Try to refrain from using stereo samples.

D Under Windows, make sure you use the latest and most efficient driver

for your audio card.

Generally, ASIO drivers are the most efficient, followed by DirectX and last MME.

D Only work on one Reason document at a time.

Songs that are open in the background do consume some processing power even though they’re not playing.

D Lower the sample rate setting in the Preferences dialog.

While this also reduces sound quality, it is a very quick and convenient way to try to play a song that your computer otherwise can’t handle.

Filters – Subtractor, Malström, NN19, NNXT and Dr. Rex

D Deactivate filters that are not used.

Observe that if the Cutoff is all the way up or the envelope is set to open the filter fully, then the filter doesn’t affect the sound. Conserve processing power by disabling the filter altogether.

D Where applicable, use the 12dB lowpass filter instead of the 24dB low-

pass filter.

See if you can get the same sonic result by using the 12dB filter, since it uses up less processing power.

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE

Polyphonic Devices – Subtractor, Malström, NN19, NNXT, Dr. Rex and Redrum

D Try making the device play fewer voices.

This can be done for example by lowering the release and setting the Polyphony setting to exactly the maximum number of notes played simultaneously by this device.

✪ Please note that just lowering the polyphony setting has no effect. Un-

used voices do not consume processing power.

Mixer devices

D Avoid using stereo inputs when not required.

For example, if your sampler or Dr. Rex player is playing mono material, only connect it to the Left input on a mixer channel. Leave the Right input unconnected.

D Do not activate EQ (Mixer 14:2 only) unless required.

If a channel doesn’t make use of EQ, make sure it’s EQ button is deactivated.

Distortion

D Where applicable, try the Low Bandwidth (Low BW) setting.

This will remove some high frequency content from the sound of this particular device, but often this is not noticeable (this is especially true for bass sounds).

Subtractor

D Try avoiding using Oscillator 2 altogether.

If you can create the sound you need with only one oscillator, this saves considerable amounts of processing power.

D Do not use the oscillator Phase mode if you don’t need it.

In other words, set the Oscillator Mode switches to “o”, not “

D Do no activate Noise unless required. D Do not activate Filter 2 unless required. D Do not use FM unless required.

In other words, set the oscillator FM knob to “0” and make sure no modulation source is routed to FM.

” or “–”.

Malström

D If it isn’t necessary, refrain from using Osc B at all.

If you can produce the desired sound by using Osc A only, this will save a lot of processing power.

D If one or both Oscillators are routed to one Filter only, and/or the Spread

parameter is set to “0”, only connect one of the outputs (the one to which the filter is connected) to the mixer, and leave the other one unconnected.

D The D-11 Foldback Distortion will use up less CPU power than the

Scream 4 Distortion device.

Reverb

D The RV-7 uses much less power than the RV7000.

For some applications the RV-7 might do just fine, and will use up much less power.

D If you are running out of processing power, try the Low Density algorithm

for the RV-7.

This uses up much less power than other algorithms.

Send Effects

D When you are using mono effects as send effects, you can connect the

effect returns in mono as well (disconnect the cable to Aux Return Right on the Mixer).

This is true for the following effects:

• D-11 Distortion.

• Scream 4 Distortion

• ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter.

• COMP-01 Compressor.

• PEQ-2 Parametric EQ.

• DDL-1 Delay (provided the Pan parameter is set to center position).

• MClass effects; Equalizer, Compressor, Maximizer.

D Try to see if you can achieve the desired effect by using only one of the

filters, and without using the shaper.

Using both of the filters and the shaper in conjunction requires considerably more processing power than using just one of the filters and/or the shaper.

Redrum

D Do not use the Tone feature available on channels 1, 2 and 9.

In other words, make sure the Tone controls and their accompanying Vel knobs are set to “0” (“twelve o’ clock”).

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE

Songs and Memory Requirements

Songs not only use up system resources in terms of processing power, they also require RAM (memory) to load at all.

The amount of RAM required for loading a song, is directly proportional to the amount of samples used in the song. For example, a song only using Subtractors and effects requires very little RAM.

If you are running out of RAM try the following:

D Close other song documents.

All open songs compete for RAM.

D Terminate other applications.

All running applications compete for the RAM available in the computer.

D Use mono samples instead of stereo.

Mono samples require half the amount of RAM.

D Try sample rate converting sample files to a lower sample rate.

Note that this will affect sound quality negatively. Also note that it will require an external sample editor with good sample rate conversion facilities.

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE

D Transport Panel

Overview

The transport panel has standard controls for the sequencer transport, but also features controls for setting tempo, metronome click, locator points etc. The main controls in the central area of the transport panel are as follows:

Tempo

Time Signature

Play

Stop

Song Position

Rewind

Fast Forward

Record

Loop on/off

Overdub/Replace switch

Left and Right Locator positions

Main Transport Controls

The main transport controls function just like standard controls on tape recorders etc. There are also fixed computer keyboard combinations for the most important transport functions:

|Function |Key command |Comments

Stop [0] on the numeric keypad or [Return] Pressing Stop during playback stops the sequencer. Pressing stop again, sets the position to the left lo-

cator (if this is located before the current position). Pressing stop a third time sets the position to the start of Bar 1. The Stop button also sends out a “Reset” message, in case of stuck notes or other related prob-

lems. Play [Enter] on the numeric keypad Starts playback of the sequencer. Rewind [7] on the numeric keypad Clicking once moves the position backward one Bar. If you press and hold this button on the transport

(not using key command) it will start scrolling faster after about 2 seconds. Fast Forward [8] on the numeric keypad Clicking once moves the position forward one Bar. If you press and hold this button on the transport (not

using key command) it will start scrolling faster after about 2 seconds. Record [*] on the numeric keypad, or

[Command]/[Ctrl]-[Return]

You can also use the following transport related key commands:

|Function |Key command |Comments

Toggle Stop/Play Space bar Switches between stop and play mode. Go to Left Locator (Loop Start) [1] on the numeric keypad Sets the position to the left locator. Go to Right Locator (Loop End) [2] on the numeric keypad Sets the position to the right locator.

Activates “Record ready” mode if sequencer is stopped. If activated during playback it will start recording

immediately (“punch in”).

TRANSPORT PANEL

Tempo and Time Signature

Overdub/Replace Switch

When recording over a previously recorded section, this switch governs the following:

The tempo and time signature settings can be adjusted on the transport panel. The left tempo field sets the tempo in bpm, and the tempo field to the right allows you to fine tune the tempo, in steps of 1/1000 bpm.

D You can specify any tempo between 1 and 999.999 bpm (beats per

minute).

D You can also adjust the tempo (in bpm steps) by using the [+] and

[–] keys on the numeric keypad.

D You set the time signature by specifying a numerator (left value field)

and a denominator (right value field).

The numerator is the number of beats per bar, and the denominator governs the length of a beat.

Song Position

The song position in Bars, Beats and 16th notes is shown (in that order) in the three fields below the transport controls. You can set the positions by using the spin controls.

D In Overdub mode, the new recording is added to whatever was on the

Track before.

D In Replace mode, the new recording replaces any previously recorded

notes.

! Note that controllers and pattern changes aren’t affected by this - record-

ing controllers will always replace any previously recorded controller values. However, you may still want to set the switch to Overdub mode, to avoid accidentally removing some recorded notes in the area.

Additional Transport Panel Items

Click

When this is activated, you will hear a click on each beat, with an accent on the downbeat of each bar. The click is played back during recording and playback. You can adjust the volume of the click by using the Level knob.

MIDI Sync and Focus

D You can also set the position by double clicking on a Pos value box, typ-

ing in a new position (in the format “Bars.Beats.16th notes”) and pressing [Return].

If you only type one or two numbers, the remaining numbers will be set to their lowest values (e.g. type “5” to set the position to “5.1.1”)

Left and Right Locator Positions

The left and right locators are used for several things, like setting the boundaries of a loop or inserting/removing bars. You can set the positions for both locators by using the spin controls on the transport panel or by double clicking and typing a position value.

Loop On/Off

In loop mode, the sequencer will repeat a section over and over again, during playback or recording. You specify the section to be looped by setting the left and right locator.

This section of the Transport Panel contains items relating to MIDI sync.

D The “Enable” button puts Reason into MIDI sync mode.

The transport controls will be disabled, and Reason will not run unless MIDI sync data is provided from an external device.

The MIDI and Play Focus buttons relate to how incoming MIDI and MIDI sync should be handled if there are several open Song documents. If you have two or more Songs opened, and no MIDI sync is used, the currently selected Song (the document “on top”) always has MIDI focus. If MIDI Sync is enabled (which is global for all currently open Song documents), this functionality changes in the following way:

D If both “Play” and “MIDI” are activated for a Song, incoming MIDI data

and MIDI sync will be sent to this Song, regardless of whether another Song is currently in focus.

D If only “MIDI” is activated for Song, and another Song has “Play” focus,

incoming MIDI will be sent to the former and MIDI sync to the latter (i.e this Song will play back), regardless of which Song is currently in focus.

TRANSPORT PANEL

Automation Override

Automation override is activated when you manually “grab” a parameter that is being automated. If you change the setting of an automated parameter, the “Punched In” indicator lights up, and the automation data is temporarily overridden, until you either click the “Reset” button or press stop on the transport. As soon as you click Reset, the automation regains control.

D Reason Hardware Interface

Introduction

The Hardware Interface is where you connect Reason with the “outside world”. This is where MIDI is received, and where audio signals are routed to ReWire channels or to the physical outputs of your audio hardware. The Hardware Interface is always present at the top of the rack, and cannot be deleted. This chapter is meant to serve as a panel reference, describing the various sections of the device. How to set up your MIDI interface and audio hardware is described in the Getting Started book and in “About Audio on Computers”.

The Hardware interface is divided into two sections: MIDI In Device and Audio Out.

D Each output features a meter and a green indicator which will be lit for

each channel that is available.

! Remember that the Hardware Interface is where any possible audio clip-

ping will occur in Reason. Keep an eye on the clipping indicator on the transport panel, and also on the individual meters in the Audio Out panel. If a channel pushes the meter into the red, the output level of the device should be reduced.

Using ReWire

If you are running Reason together with a ReWire compatible host application, you can route any Reason device output to a ReWire channel by connecting the device to any of the audio inputs at the back of the Hardware Interface. In ReWire mode, all 64 channels are available and any device output routed to a ReWire channel will appear in the ReWire host application on it’s own channel. See “Using Reason as a ReWire

Slave”.

MIDI In Device

The MIDI In device is only used if you are controlling Reason from an external sequencer, using the External Control Bus inputs (see $). Normally, you send MIDI to a

track via the sequencer, by clicking in the In column for its sequencer track. You can select MIDI ports for up to four External Control Busses (on the Prefer-

ences:Advanced MIDI page). Each bus can carry 16 MIDI channels, for a total of up to 64 MIDI input channels. The MIDI In device is where you route each MIDI channel to a device in the Reason rack:

1. Select one of the External Control Busses by clicking the corresponding Bus Select button at the top of the MIDI In device.

2. Pull down the device pop-up menu for a MIDI channel and select a device.

The menu lists all devices in the current song.

Now, incoming MIDI data on the selected bus and MIDI channel is sent directly to the selected device, bypassing the Reason sequencer. The name of the device is shown in the name field for that MIDI channel.

3. Try sending MIDI notes from the external sequencer, on the selected bus and MIDI channel.

The indicator below the channel's name field should light up.

Audio Out

Reason supports up to 64 audio output channels.

REASON HARDWARE INTERFACE

D The Combinator

Introduction

The Combinator is a special device that allows you to save and recall setups which can consist of any combination of Reason devices. A Combinator setup can be saved as a patch, called a “Combi”.

✪ Please refer to the Getting Started book for a general introduction to the

Combinator device.

About the Combi patch format

The Combinator saves files in the Combi (.cmb) patch format. When you load a readymade Combi patch, all devices included in the Combi, their corresponding parameter settings and audio and CV connections are instantly recalled.

The Factory Soundbank includes many preset Combinator patches, divided into various categories.

There are two basic types of Combi patches; instrument and effect combis.

D Instrument Combis contain instrument devices and generate sound. D Effect Combis contain effect devices and are used to process sound.

The MClass Mastering Suite Combi (selectable from the Create menu) is an example of an effect Combi.

Creating Combinator devices

Creating an empty Combinator device

D Select “Combinator” from the Create menu.

This will create an empty Combinator. Empty Combinator devices can be used as a starting point when creating new Combi patches. It also allows you to browse for existing Combi patches.

Creating a Combinator by combining devices

You can create a Combinator device by combining existing devices:

1. Select two or more devices using [Shift].

The devices do not have to be adjacent in the rack.

2. Select “Combine” from the Edit menu.

This creates a Combinator device containing the devices that were selected according to the following rules:

D A sequencer track is created for the Combinator, just as when creating

instrument or pattern devices.

D The new Combinator device appears at the position below the selected

device that is farthest down in the rack.

D The selected devices are moved to be contained within the Combinator’s

“holder”.

Their internal order is not changed. Reason attempts to autoroute the first “input device” and first “output device” to the Combi To/From Devices connectors - see

“About internal and external connections”. Other connections are unchanged.

D Devices outside the Combi remain in the same order as before.

! Please see “Adding devices to a Combi” for details about auto-routing.

Creating a Combinator by browsing patches

You can use the “Create Device by Browsing Patches...” item to create a Combinator device (just as you can any device). If you select a .cmb patch a Combinator will be created containing all devices and settings saved in the Combi.

THE COMBINATOR

Combinator elements

About internal and external

In the picture below an unfolded Combinator device is shown.

The front of the Combinator consists of the following elements (from the top down):

D The narrow panel at the top is always shown, even when the whole Com-

binator is folded.

It contains a display which (amongst other things) shows the name of the currently loaded Combi, and standard Select/Browse/Save patch buttons.

connections

Unlike other devices, the Combinator contains both external and internal audio connections.

D External connections are used to connect a Combinator to devices out-

side the Combi.

D Internal connections are how devices within the Combi are connected.

External connections

D The “Combi Output L/R” connectors carry the audio output of the Combi-

nator.

This output connects with a device outside the Combi, normally a mixer. Internally, this output is connected to the “From Devices” connectors. When you create a new Combinator this output will be auto-routed to the first available mixer input channel.

D The “Combi Input L/R” connectors is the input to the Combinator (used

for effect Combis only).

Internally, this input is connected to the “To Devices” connectors.

D Next is the Controller panel, which is always shown if the Combinator is

unfolded.

See “The Controller panel”.

D The Programmer panel contains settings for Key and Velocity Zone map-

ping as well as Modulation Routing settings.

The Programmer can be shown/hidden by clicking the “Show Programmer” button on the Controller panel. See “Using the Programmer”.

D At the bottom are the devices included in the Combi.

Devices can be shown or hidden by clicking the “Show Devices” button on the Controller panel. The empty space at the bottom is used for adding more devices to a Combi by drag and drop. Clicking the empty space so that the red Insertion line appears also makes the Combi the target container for new created devices (from the Create menu). See “About the Insertion line”.

Internal Connections

D The “From Devices L/R” inputs is where the outputs from devices in the

Combi are connected.

D The “To Devices L/R” outputs connect to an input on a device in the ef-

fect Combi.

THE COMBINATOR

About External Routing

If an individual device in the Combi is directly connected to a device outside the Combinator, this is known as an “External Routing” connection, which should generally be avoided. The reason for this is that such connections are not saved with the Combi patch.

D Therefore, all connections to/from a Combi should pass via the To/From

Device connectors on the Combinator device if you wish to make the Combi self-contained.

If a Combi contains external routing connections, this is indicated both on the front and back panels of the Combinator; On the front panel “External Routing” is displayed in the Patch name display, and on the back panel a LED indicator is lit.

It is still possible to use a Combi with External Routing connections within the context of a song (where all routings are saved with the song). Just keep in mind that the external routing connections will not be part of the patch!

D When combining several instrument devices, connect them to a mixer

device and include this mixer in the Combi.

This way, all the instrument device outputs in the Combi can be connected to separate input channels in the mixer. The mixer device output can then be routed via the “From Devices” connectors and thus the Combi will be self-contained.

Instrument devices and effects connected to a Line mixer. within the Combi.

How to avoid external routing connections

As explained previously, all connections to/from a Combinator device should pass via the To/From Device connectors in order to make the Combi self-contained. Therefore you need to include a mixer device for Combis with more than 2 device outputs.

Say you were to combine three instrument devices (each with stereo outputs connected to a mixer) in order to create a layered or split instrument Combi.

If you simply selected these three instrument devices (but not the mixer) and then selected “Combine”, only one of the devices would be auto-routed to the “From Devices” connectors, while the other two devices would have the same connections they had before combining.

Therefore:

✪ The Line mixer is ideally suited for mixing device outputs in Combis.

Adding devices to a Combi

About the Insertion line

When the Insertion line is shown, new created devices will be added to the Combinator device.

D To be able to select the Insertion line you have make sure that the “Show

Devices” button is lit on the Combinator Controller panel.

D The Insertion line is shown in the empty space at the bottom of the Com-

binator holder (below any devices currently in the Combi).

If the Combi doesn’t contain any devices, the empty space is located just below the Controller panel.

THE COMBINATOR

Showing the Insertion line

Any of the following methods will select/show the Insertion line:

• By clicking in the empty space at the bottom of the Combinator holder.

•When creating a new Combi, the Insertion line is automatically selected.

• By using the arrow keys you can step through and select each device currently in the Combi. By selecting the empty space, the Insertion line appears.

• Selecting “Initialize Patch” for a Combinator will clear all devices and the Insertion line appears.

D Note that showing the Insertion line automatically selects the Combina-

tor device. However, selecting the Combinator will not automatically show the Insertion line.

The Insertion line remains selected until you select another device (either in the Combi or in the rack), or hide the devices.

D If you add a device to an empty Combi, its output will be auto-routed to

the “From Devices” connectors. For effect devices, the input will also auto-route to the “To Devices” connectors.

Adding devices using drag and drop

You can move devices in the rack that are currently outside the Combi into the Combinator holder. This works as follows:

1. If you want to add more than one device at the same time, [Shift]-select the devices.

2. Click in the “handle” area of a device.

For full width devices, this is the area to the left and right of the panel (between the rack fittings); for smaller devices you can click anywhere outside the actual parameters.

Creating new devices in a Combi

To make a Combinator the target device for created devices you have to use one of the following methods:

D Showing the Insertion line (see above).

If you create a device with the Insertion line showing, the new device will appear below the Insertion line, at the bottom of the Combi holder.

D Selecting a device in the Combi (but not the Combi itself).

When you select a device from the Create menu it will appear below the selected device (just like in the rack).

D No sequencer tracks will be automatically created for devices added to a

Combi.

All devices in a Combi are however listed in the Track list Out pop-up, and can thus be destinations for tracks in the sequencer.

About auto-routing

The auto-routing of devices in a Combi is similar to devices in the rack:

D If a device in a Combi is selected, the new created device will appear be-

low the selected device according to standard rules.

• If an effect is selected and you create a new effect device, these will be connected serially.

• If an instrument device is selected and you create an effect it will be connected as an insert effect to the instrument device.

• If a mixer is selected and you create an effect it will be connected as a mixer send effect.

• If an instrument device is selected and you create another instrument device it will be added below the selected device and connected to the first available mixer input channel.

• If you hold down [Shift] and create a new device, no auto-routing will take place.

• If you hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and create a new device, a sequencer track will be created for the device.

3. Drag the device(s) into the Combinator.

A thick red vertical line indicates where the device(s) will be positioned. Note that the red line can be to the left of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted before the other device) or to the right of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted after the other device). You can also add devices to the empty space at the bottom of the Combi holder.

D No auto-routing will take place.

The existing connections to the rack will be kept, so there may be external routing connections (see “About External Routing”). If there are, “External Routing” will be shown the Combinator name display (and on the back of the Combinator a LED indicator will be lit).

D If you drag devices into the Combi with [Shift] pressed, the devices will

be disconnected from the rack and auto-routed according to the insert position.

The routing between dragged devices will be kept. If it isn’t possible to auto-route a dragged device (e.g. if there’s no free mixer inputs in the Combi), the device will become unconnected.

D If you drag devices into the Combi with [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows)

pressed, the devices will be copied. No auto-routing takes place.

Using [Shift] at the same time will attempt to auto-route according to the same rules as described above.

THE COMBINATOR

Adding devices using copy/paste

You can copy devices and paste them into a Combi.

Combi handling

1. Select the devices you wish to copy as usual.

2. Select “Copy Device” from the Edit (or context) menu.

3. Select a device in the Combi or click the empty space to show the insertion line.

4. Select “Paste Device” from the Edit (or context) menu.

D When pasting, the devices will be added below the currently selected de-

vice or the Insertion line in the Combi.

No auto-routing takes place.

D Pressing [Shift] when pasting will attempt to auto-route according to

standard rules.

Adding a Combi to a Combi

Nested Combis (i.e. a Combi within a Combi) is not supported. If you open the Create menu when the Insertion line or a device in a Combi is selected, the Combinator item will be grayed out.

You can, however, use drag and drop or copy/paste to add a Combi to another Combi. The following then applies:

D The devices in the dragged (or pasted) Combi will be “uncombined” (i.e.

the Combinator device itself will be removed) and the devices will be added below the insert position in the target Combi.

Existing routing will be unchanged.

D If you press [Shift] when dragging (or pasting) the uncombined devices

will be auto-routed as if it was a single device.

The “From Devices” Output (and “To Devices” input if applicable) used in the uncombined Combi will be auto-routed to the target Combi, according to standard rules.

Combining two Combis

Moving the entire Combi

This works much the same as for other devices in the rack.

D Select the Combinator by clicking on the holder and drag to a new posi-

tion.

An outline of the Combinator is shown when you drag, and a red line shows the insert position. All connections are kept.

D If you press [Shift] when dragging the Combinator will attempt to auto-

route to the insert position in the rack according to standard rules.

The auto-routing will take into account whether it is an effect Combi or an instrument Combi.

D If you press [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) while dragging, a copy of

the Combi is created.

No Auto-routing takes place. If you press [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) + [Shift] the copied Combi will be auto-routed according to standard rules.

Moving devices within a Combi

Just as for devices in the rack, an outline of the devices is shown when you drag, and a red line shows the insert position. All connections are kept.

D If you press [Shift] when dragging, the device(s) will attempt to auto-

route to the insert position according to standard rules.

Moving devices out of a Combi

If you move devices out of a Combi the following applies:

D The routing is unchanged, and the External Routing indicator is likely to

light up.

If you press [Shift] when dragging, the device(s) will attempt to auto-route to the rack according to standard rules.

D The lower Combi will be uncombined and the devices added to the upper

Combi in the rack when combining.

Existing routing will be unchanged.

Combining devices in a Combi with devices in the rack

If you combine some devices in a Combi with devices in the rack, the combined devices are removed from their original locations and added to a new Combi (below the “original Combi).

THE COMBINATOR

Deleting devices in a Combi

This works exactly as for devices in the rack. Select the device and then either select “Delete Device” from the Edit menu, or press [Backspace].

Uncombining devices

You can uncombine a whole Combi or selected devices within a Combi in the following way:

D If you select a Combinator and then select “Uncombine” from the Edit

menu, the Combinator device will be removed, and all devices contained in the Combi will be connected as a single device to the rack.

The devices previously connected to the To/From Devices connectors will now be connected to the rack in the same way the Combinator device was (via the Combinator output and input).

D If you uncombine a few selected devices in a Combi these will be re-

moved from the Combi and added to the rack below the Combi.

Connections are unchanged, so external routing is likely to happen.

Sequencer tracks and

The Controller panel

This is the main Combinator panel. Like standard instrument devices it features Pitch and Mod wheels and various controls.

About the virtual controls

playing Combis

When you create a Combinator device, a sequencer track is automatically created. This track is also given MIDI focus just like standard instrument devices.

D When the Combinator track receives incoming MIDI data, this will be

routed to all instrument devices in an instrument Combi.

This means that the devices will be layered when you play (taking default velocity and key ranges into account). See “Using the Programmer” for details.

D If you click the “Out” column for a sequencer track, you can select the

Combinator device itself, or any individual device in the Combi.

You can direct MIDI to any individual device in a Combi just like any other device in the rack. The devices in a Combi are shown below the Combinator device on the Out menu, in the same order as in the Combi.

D The four Rotary knobs and buttons in the middle of the Controller panel

are “virtual” controls that can be assigned to parameters and functions in devices contained in the Combi.

These controls are by default not assigned to any parameters in new Combis.

• You assign parameters in the Modulation Routing section of the Programmer panel (see “Using Modulation Routing”).

• Movements of the virtual controls can be recorded as automation.

• Each control can be assigned to any number of parameters.

• Clicking on the label for a Rotary or Button lets you type in an appropriate name for it.

The Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels

The Pitch and Mod wheels on the Controller panel will mirror the corresponding actions on your master keyboard, just like for standard instrument devices.

D When a Combinator device has MIDI input and the Combi contains sev-

eral instrument devices these will all receive pitch bend and modulation data.

This means that the settings in the instrument device determines what happens when applying pitch bend or modulation.

• For example, moving the Mod wheel could apply vibrato for one device and change the filter cutoff frequency for another device.

• Pitch Bend will also be applied according to individual settings in the Range field for all instrument devices in a Combi.

D Sequencer tracks will not automatically be created for individual devices

added to a Combi.

This means that if you need to create tracks manually for devices in a Combi if you need to control them separately from the sequencer, e.g. to use the “To Track” function for Dr. Rex or pattern devices or to record automation etc.

Run Pattern Devices button

This can be used to start/stop all pattern devices included in the Combi. This works exactly as pressing the Run button on the pattern device panel. The on/off status of this button is not saved with the Combi patch. Pressing play on the transport panel will automatically activate “Run Pattern Devices”.

✪ On the Factory Sound Bank, Combi patches containing pattern devices

have “(run)” at the end of their patch names.

THE COMBINATOR

Bypass All FX

This button allows you bypass all effect devices in a Combi. It works as follows:

Using the Programmer

• All insert effect devices in the Combi are switched to Bypass mode.

• All effects connected as send effects to a mixer device are switched off.

• Clicking this button will not affect effect devices that were bypassed or turned off already.

Select backdrop...

This function allows you to change the “skin” of the Controller panel. You can design your own labels for the assignable controls, and change the color and look of the whole panel.

D Select the Combinator and choose “Select Backdrop...” from the Edit

menu.

The Image browser opens, allowing you to select image file in the JPEG (.jpg) format.

D The dimensions of the image file should be 754 x 138 pixels.

The Programmer is used for key mapping and setting velocity ranges for instrument devices, and for Modulation Routing; assigning device parameters to the knobs and

buttons on the Controller panel.

D To show the Programmer panel, click the “Show Programmer” button on

the Controller panel.

The Programmer appears below the Controller panel.

D To the left on the Programmer panel the devices in the current Combi are

listed in the same order they appear in the Combinator holder.

Clicking on a device in the list selects it for editing.

D The knobs, buttons, patch name display and patch buttons cannot be re-

designed.

D If you wish to design your own text labels for the virtual controls, you

should first remove the original text labels.

Click on a label, remove the current text and press [Enter].

D To remove a Backdrop, select “Remove Backdrop” from the context

menu.

The original look of the Combinator panel is restored.

About template backdrops

There are template backdrops installed with the program. These have the right dimensions and serve as a good starting point when creating new backdrops. The “Combi Backdrops” folder is located in the “Template Documents” folder within Reason’s Program folder.

Two templates are available, one in the JPEG format and the other in the Adobe Photoshop format (.psd).

D The .psd (Photoshop) template contains multiple layers, which are useful

when customizing backdrops.

You have to save any backdrops created in Photoshop as JPEG files before you can use them in Reason.

D The middle Key Mapping section features a keyboard with a horizontal

scrollbar at the top. In the area below it the key range for each instrument device is shown.

D To the right is the Modulation Routing section where you can assign pa-

rameters to the controls on the Controller panel.

See page 84.

THE COMBINATOR

Key Mapping instrument devices

About the keyboard

Each instrument device can have its own separate key range, the lowest and the highest key that will trigger the device. This allows you to create splits and layers for instrument devices in a Combi.

1. Make sure the Combinator track has MIDI focus.

2. Select an instrument device in the Device list to the left (non-instrument devices, e.g. effects and mixers do not have key ranges).

The currently selected device key range is highlighted and shown as a horizontal bar under the keyboard display, and as note numbers in the Key Range Hi and Lo fields at the bottom of the Programmer panel. By default, the entire range is selected (C -2 to G 8). Only one device at a time can be selected.

You can use the keyboard to audition selected instrument devices by pressing [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and clicking on the keys.

About the Receive Notes checkbox

In the bottom left corner of the Programmer there is a Receive Notes field with a corresponding checkbox. This checkbox is (by default) activated if an instrument device is selected.

D If you deactivate it this means that the selected device will not respond

to incoming MIDI note messages.

If a non-instrument device is selected this checkbox is always deactivated.

Setting Velocity Ranges for instrument devices

When instrument devices are set up so that their key ranges overlap – completely or partially – you can use velocity switching to determine which devices should be played back depending on how hard or soft you play on your MIDI keyboard.

There are several ways you can change the current key range:

D By clicking in the Key Range Lo and Hi value fields and moving the

mouse up or down.

D By moving the handles of the horizontal bar in the middle display.

You may have to use the scrollbar at the top to “see” the handles.

D By dragging the horizontal bar itself you can also move entire key zones

horizontally, thereby changing their key ranges.

3. Using either method, set the desired key range for the selected device.

When done, the device will only play back notes in the set key range.

D By setting up key ranges for devices in a Combi, you can create split in-

struments.

For example playing notes below C 2 could trigger a device playing a bass sound, whereas playing notes above C 2 could trigger a device playing a pad sound.

D Instrument devices in a Combi that share the same key range will be lay-

ered - i.e. play at the same time.

This given that no velocity ranges have been set up - see below.

This is done by setting up velocity ranges.

Each time you press a key on your MIDI keyboard, a velocity value between 1-127 is sent to Reason. If you press the key softly, a low velocity value is sent and if you press it hard, a high velocity value is sent.

This velocity value determines which devices will be played and which will not.

1. Select an instrument device in the Device list to the left (non-instrument devices, e.g. effects and mixers do not have velocity ranges).

By default, the entire range is selected (0 - 127).

2. Click in the Velocity Range Lo and Hi value fields and move the mouse up or down to set a low and high velocity range, respectively.

3. When you have set a range, the device will only be triggered by notes within this velocity range.

D You can of course set up overlapping ranges where notes within a set

key range will layer two (or more) devices, but notes above and below the set range will play separate devices.

THE COMBINATOR

About overlapping Velocity Ranges

You can set overlapping velocity ranges. Here’s an example of how this can work:

D Device 1 has a velocity range from 1-60.

D A Rotary control can either smoothly change parameter values (e.g. a

level control), or step through fixed values (like the Oscillator waveform spin controls on a Subtractor or the distortion type knob on a Scream device).

D Device 2 has a velocity range of 41-100. D Device 3 has a velocity range of 81-127.

127

100

Device 3

Velocity

Device 2

Device 1

Now, velocity values between 41 and 60 will trigger notes from both Device 1 and

Device 2. Likewise, velocity values between 81 and 100 will trigger sounds from Device 2 and Device 3.

About full and partial velocity ranges

D A Button control will switch between two set values like an on/off

switch.

Worth noting is that there are buttons on several Reason devices that will step through a series of values, for example LFO Waveform buttons. If LFO Waveform is assigned to one of the virtual Buttons you will only be able to switch between two of the six LFO waveforms (which waveforms is determined by the Min/Max range).

D The available range for each selected parameter is shown in the Modula-

tion Routing Min/Max fields.

Most sliders and rotary knobs on the actual devices have the standard 0-127 or

-64 to 63 range. Selectors and spin controls can have any value range.

Assigning parameters to a control

This is done as follows:

1. Select the device you wish to assign parameters for in the device list to the left.

You can see which devices have modified velocity ranges in the key map display:

• Devices with a full velocity range (0 - 127) are only shown with an outline.

• Devices with any other velocity range are shown as striped.

The device has a partial velocity range (any other range), which is indicated by stripes.

Using Modulation Routing

The Modulation Routing section allows you to assign any parameter or function in devices included in a Combi to any of the virtual Rotary and Button controls on the Controller panel.

About Rotary and Button controls

The virtual Rotary and controls operate much like the equivalent controls on the real devices:

A Dr. REX device selected.

The name of the selected device is now shown in the Modulation Routing Device field. The Modulation Routing section contains four columns:

D In the Source column, the four Rotary and Button controls are listed. D The pop-ups in the Target column contain all parameters for the selected

device.

D The Min/Max columns allow you to specify a value range for the virtual

control.

THE COMBINATOR

2. Click in the Target column for the Rotary or Button control you wish to assign a parameter.

On the pop-up that appears, all the available parameters for the device are listed.

3. Select the parameter you wish to assign to the control.

The parameter is now assigned, and the name of the parameter is shown in the Target column for the corresponding control.

Naming a control

When you make modulation routing assignments, you should give the associated control a descriptive name that reflects what it does, for example Vibrato On/Off or the name of the parameter that it controls.

This is done by clicking the label on the Controller panel and typing in new name.

CV Connections

CV connections between devices in the Combi are saved with the Combi patches. This is also true for CV connections between devices in Combi and the Combi itself e.g. if you have connected a Matrix in the Combi to one of the CV inputs on the back of the Combi panel.

The following CV connectors can be found at the back of the Combinator:

Sequencer Control Inputs

The Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs allow you to play the Combinator from another CV/Gate device (typically a Matrix or a Redrum). The signal to the CV input controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate input delivers note on/off along with velocity.

4. If you move or press the assigned Rotary or Button it will now control the parameter you assigned to it.

5. You can specify a range for the parameter by clicking in the Min and Max columns and moving the mouse up or down.

By default the maximum available range is set.

6. If you select another device in the Device list to the left, you can assign another parameter to the same Rotary or Button control using the same basic method.

This means that you can create multi-function controls that operate simultaneously on several parameters. E.g. if you have two Subtractors and a Malström in a Combi you could create a “master” filter cutoff knob, that controls this parameter for all three devices.

Modulation Input

These control voltage (CV) inputs (with associated voltage trim pots), can modulate the four Rotary controls. Parameter(s) that are assigned to a Rotary control can thus be modulated by CV, which allows you to use CV control for almost any Reason parameter!

About the additional Source column pop-ups

The first eight sources have a fixed relation to the eight virtual controls on the Controller panel. The last two rows are assignable. By clicking in the last two source fields you can select any of the eight controls from the pop-up that appears. This allows you to map one control to up to three parameters on the same device.

THE COMBINATOR

D The Mixer

Introduction

The Channel Strip

AUX Sends 1-4

Pre-fader switch for AUX Send 4 EQ On/Off button

EQ Treble and Bass controls

The Mixer 14:2 allows you to control the level, stereo placement (Pan), tone (EQ) and effect mix (AUX Sends) of each connected audio device.

If you have ever used a conventional hardware audio mixer, you will most likely find the Mixer very straightforward to use. It is configured with 14 (stereo) input channels, which are combined and routed to the Left and Right Master outputs. The vertical channel “strips” are identical and contain - from the top down - four Auxiliary Sends, an EQ section, Mute and Solo buttons, Pan control, and a Level fader.

Every mixer parameter can of course be automated, and should the need arise for more mixer channels, you can simply create another mixer!

! Note that if you haven’t created a mixer prior to creating an audio device,

the audio device output will be auto-routed to your audio hardware outputs via the Reason Hardware Interface (Audio Out device).

Mute (M) and Solo (S) buttons

Pan control

Channel fader

Channel meter

Channel label

Each channel strip in the Mixer 14:2 contains the items listed on the next page:

THE MIXER

Channel Strip Controls:

|Item |Description |Value Range

Channel Fader The channel fader is used to control the output level of each corresponding channel.

By adjusting the faders, you can set the desired mix (balance) between different devices connected to the Mixer.

0 - 127

Channel Label Each channel in the mixer that has a device connected to it, displays a read-only label with the name of the device to the

left of the fader.

Channel Meter The meter is a graphical representation of the channel output level. If the signal level pushes the meter into the range of

the red area, try lowering either the output level of the device connected to the channel, or the channel fader itself, to avoid distortion.

Pan Control Use this control to set the left/right position of the channel in the stereo field. [Command]/[Ctrl]-click the Pan knob to set

Pan to the default “0” (center position).

Mute (M) and Solo (S) Buttons

EQ Treble and Bass controls

Auxiliary (AUX) Effect Send 1-4

Clicking a channel’s Mute button silences the output of that channel. Click the button again to unmute the channel. Clicking a channel’s Solo button silences all other mixer channels, so that you only hear the soloed channel. Several channels can be soloed at the same time, but if this is the case, note that soloed channels can’t be muted with the Mute button. To mute one of several channels in solo mode you simply “unsolo” it.

The EQ Treble and Bass controls is used to cut or boost the higher and lower frequencies of the signal, respectively. Click on the EQ button to activate the EQ. If you need more advanced EQ, you can always use a PEQ2 parametric EQ as an insert effect for a device. Note also the two EQ modes - see page 90.

The four independent AUX Sends control the amount of channel signal that is to be sent to other devices - typically effect processors. The effect output is then normally returned to the Mixer via the AUX Return inputs (see page 90) where it is mixed with the dry (non-processed) signal. If you create an effect device when the Mixer is selected, the effect is autorouted to the first available Send/Return connectors. You can then control the amount of effect that is to be applied to any device connected to a Mixer channel via the corresponding AUX Send knob. The AUX Send outputs are taken post channel fader, but you have the option of selecting Pre-fader mode for AUX Send 4 (by clicking the “P” button next to the send so that it lights up). In that mode, the send level is independent of the channel fader. The sends are in stereo but can be used in mono as well.

N/A

-64 – 0 – 63

On/Off

Treble: +/- 24 dB at 12 kHz. Bass: +/- 24 dB at 80 Hz.

0 - 127

THE MIXER

The Mixer signal flow

The basic signal flow for a channel in the Mixer is as follows:

Aux 4 pre-fader mode

The Auxiliary Return Section

Input

Solo Master L/R Output

Note that the Solo function is true “in-place” solo, meaning that if the channel uses Auxiliary sends routed to effect devices, the soloed output signal will also include the Aux Return signals (from the soloed channel(s) only). Hence, you will hear the soloed channel(s) including any Aux Send effects.

Note also that if the pre-fader send mode is activated for Aux 4 the send is tapped after the EQ and Pan controls but before the channel fader.

Pan

FaderEQ Mute AUX Sends

Effects DevicesAUX Returns

About the EQ modes

The Auxiliary Returns provide an “extra” four stereo inputs in addition to the Mixer’s 14 stereo channels. The main function of Return channels is to provide inputs for connected Send effects devices. Each Aux Return channel has a level control, and a read-only tape label that display the name of the device connected to the Return channel.

The Master Fader

With Reason 2.5, the EQ modules in the Mixer were improved to get an even better sound and character. However, if you want to play back songs made in previous Reason versions, you may want to use the “old” EQ mode to ensure that the songs sound exactly the same.

On the back of the Mixer you will find a switch for this - select “Improved EQ” for the new EQ types or “Compatible EQ” for the old-style EQ. The parameters are exactly the same in both cases.

THE MIXER

The Master L/R fader controls the summed output level of all channels in the Mixer. Use this to change the relative level of all channels, to make fade-outs etc.

Connections

All input and output connectors are as usual located on the back panel of the Mixer 14:2. Special connectors are used for “chaining” two or more Mixers together. This is

described on page 92.

Mixer Channel Connections

Auxiliary (AUX) Returns

D Each mixer channel features stereo left/right inputs for connecting audio

devices.

Use the left input when manually connecting a mono signal source.

D In addition, there are two Control Voltage (CV) inputs (with associated

voltage trim pots), for voltage controlling channel Level and Pan from other devices.

Auxiliary (AUX) Send Out

D There are four stereo Send Out connectors, which normally are used to

connect to the inputs of effect devices.

To connect a send to a mono-input device, use the Left (Mono) output.

When a Send is connected to an effects device, the corresponding AUX Send knob determines the level of the signal sent to the effect device for each channel. The Send Output is taken post-channel fader but you have the option of selecting pre-fader mode for AUX Send 4.

D There are four stereo Return input connectors.

These are normally connected to the left and right outputs of effect devices.

Master Left/Right Outputs

D The Master outputs are auto-routed to the first available input pair on

the Audio Hardware interface.

This in turn sends the audio to the outputs of your audio hardware.

✪ Note that the Master outputs don’t have to be routed directly to the Au-

dio Hardware Interface. You could for example route the Master outputs to an effect, and then route the effect outputs to the Hardware Interface instead.

D Note that some effects (for example the Comp-01 compressor or the

PEQ2 parametric EQ) are effect types which are not designed to be used as AUX Send effects, but rather as insert effects, where the whole signal is passed through the effect.

Alternatively, you could use AUX Send 4 in pre-fader mode and lower the channel fader completely.

D In addition, there is a Control Voltage (CV) input (and an associated trim

pot), for voltage controlling the Master Level from another device.

THE MIXER

Chaining Mixers

Partially or Non-Chained Mixers

You can also have several Mixers that are only partially or not chained at all.

D You may for example wish to have different Aux Send effects for one

Mixer.

Then simply disconnect one or more of the Send Out to Chaining Aux connectors, and assign new Send effects.

D You could for example send the Master output of one Mixer to another

Input pair on the Audio In Hardware interface, instead of the Chaining Master inputs.

Two chained Mixers are connected like this, the top Mixer being the “Master” Mixer.

If you need more Mixer channels, you can simply create a new Mixer. If you do this, the Mixers are automatically connected via the “Chaining Master” and “Chaining Aux” connectors.

D The newly created Mixer’s Master Output is connected to the original

Mixer’s Chaining Master input.

The Master Out Level for the new Mixer is now controllable from the original Mixer’s Master fader - so that this fader now controls the Master output level of both mixers.

D The newly created Mixer’s four stereo Aux Send outputs is connected to

the original Mixer’s Chaining Aux connectors.

The new Mixer will now have access to any Aux Send effects connected to the original Mixer, via the same corresponding Aux Send(s).

This way, the two Mixers operate as “one”.

! One exception is the Mute/Solo function, which is not chained. Thus, so-

loing a channel in one of the Mixers, will not mute the channels in the other Mixer.

You can create as many Mixers as you like, they will be chained in the same way, with one Mixer remaining the “master” (i.e. it controls the Master level of all chained Mixers and supplies the Aux Send effect sources).

THE MIXER

D The Line Mixer 6:2

Introduction

The Line Mixer 6:2 allows you to control the level, stereo placement (Pan) and effect mix (AUX Send) of each connected audio device.

The Line Mixer is configured with 6 (stereo) input channels, which are combined and routed to the Left and Right Master outputs.

Channel parameters

The channels are identical and contain an Auxiliary Send, Mute and Solo buttons, a Pan control, and a Level control:

|Item |Description

Level control This controls the output level of each corresponding channel,

allowing you to set the desired mix (balance) between different devices connected to the Line Mixer.

Channel label Each channel in the mixer that has a device connected to it, dis-

plays a read-only label with the name of the device.

|Item |Description

Auxiliary (AUX) Effect Send

The AUX Send controls the amount of channel signal that is to be sent to other devices - typically effect processors. The effect output is then normally returned to the Mixer via the AUX Return input where it is mixed with the dry (non-processed) signal. If you create an effect device when the Mixer is selected, the effect is auto-routed to the Send/Return connectors. You can then control the amount of effect that is to be applied to any device connected to a Line Mixer channel via the AUX Send knob. The Send can be taken pre or post channel level - see page 95.

The Auxiliary Return Section

The AUX Return channels provide inputs for a connected send effect device. The Aux Return channels have a single level control on the front panel.

Master level

The Master L/R fader controls the summed output level of all channels in the Mixer. Use this to change the relative level of all channels, to make fade-outs etc.

Channel meter The meter is a graphical representation of the channel output

level. If the signal level pushes the meter into the range of the red area, try lowering either the output level of the device connected to the channel, or the Level control itself, to avoid distortion.

Pan control Use this control to set the left/right position of the channel in

the stereo field. [Command]/[Ctrl]-click the Pan knob to set Pan to the default “0” (center position).

Mute (M) and Solo (S) Buttons

Clicking a channel’s Mute button silences the output of that channel. Click the button again to unmute the channel. Clicking a channel’s Solo button silences all other mixer channels, so that you only hear the soloed channel. Several channels can be soloed at the same time. If this is the case, note that soloed channels can’t be muted with the Mute button. To mute one of several channels in solo mode you simply “unsolo” it.

THE LINE MIXER 6:2

Connections

All input and output connectors are as usual located on the back panel of the Line Mixer.

Mixer Channel Connections

D Each mixer channel features stereo left/right inputs for connecting audio

devices.

Use the left input when manually connecting a mono signal source.

D In addition, there is a Control Voltage (CV) input, for voltage controlling

channel Pan from other devices.

Auxiliary (AUX) Send

D The Send connectors are used to connect to the inputs of effect devices.

To connect the send to a mono-input device, use the Left (Mono) output.

When a Send is connected to an effects device, the corresponding AUX Send knob determines the level of the signal sent to the effect device for each channel.

The Send Output can be taken Pre or Post channel level by using the switch to the left of the Send connectors.

Auxiliary (AUX) Return

These are normally connected to the left and right outputs of effect devices.

Master Left/Right Outputs

D The Master outputs are auto-routed to the first available input pair on

the Audio Hardware interface, or another mixer.

If used in a Combi, the Master Outs are normally connected to the “From Devices” connectors on the Combinator.

THE LINE MIXER 6:2

D Redrum

Introduction

At first glance, Redrum looks styled after pattern-based drum machines, like the legendary Roland 808/909 units. Indeed, it does have a row of 16 step buttons that are used for step programming patterns, just like the aforementioned classics. There are significant differences, however. Redrum features ten drum “channels” that can each be loaded with an audio file, allowing for completely open-ended sound possibilities. Don’t like the snare - just change it. Complete drum kits can be saved as Redrum Patches, allowing you to mix and match drum sounds and make up custom kits with ease.

About File Formats

Redrum reads two basic types of files:

Redrum Patches

A Redrum patch (Windows extension “.drp”) contains all settings for all ten drum sound channels, including file references to the used drum samples (but not the actual drum samples themselves). Switching patches is the same as selecting a new drum kit.

Drum Samples

Redrum can read and play back sample files of the following formats:

•Wave (.wav)

• AIFF (.aif)

• SoundFonts (.sf2)

• REX file slices (.rex2, .rex, .rcy)

• Any bit depth

• Any sample rate

• Stereo or Mono Wave and AIFF are the standard audio file formats for the PC and Mac platforms, re-

spectively. Any audio or sample editor, regardless of platform, can read and create audio files in at least one of these formats, and some of them in both formats.

SoundFonts are an open standard for wavetable synthesized audio, developed by Emu systems and Creative Technologies.

SoundFont banks store wavetable synthesized sounds, allowing users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs. The sounds can then be played back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards. The samples in a SoundFont are stored hierarchically in different categories: User Samples, Instruments, Presets etc. The Redrum allows you to browse and load single SoundFont

samples, not entire soundfonts.

REX files are files created in ReCycle – a program designed for working with sampled loops. It works by “slicing” up a loop and making separate samples of each beat, which makes it possible to change the tempo of loops without affecting the pitch and to edit the loop as if it was built up of individual sounds. The Redrum lets you browse REX files and load separate slices from it as individual samples.

REDRUM

Propellerhead Reason - 3.0 Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

D Table of Contents

D The Sequencer

Recording

Copying REX loops and Patterns to Sequencer Tracks

Editing - About Snap

Editing in the Arrange View

Using Groups

The Edit View

Quantizing

The Change Events Dialog

Importing and Exporting MIDI Files

D Routing Audio and CV

About the various signals that can be routed

About Cables

Automatic Routing

Manual Routing

Using CV and Gate

D Remote - Playing and controlling Reason devices

Setting up

About Remote

Remote basics

Locking a surface to a device

Remote Override

Additional Remote Overrides...

Keyboard Control

Saving Remote Setups

D Using Reason as a ReWire Slave

About this Chapter

Introducing ReWire!

Launching and Quitting

Synchronization

Routing Audio

Routing MIDI via ReWire 2

D Advanced MIDI - the External Control Bus inputs

About the External Control Bus inputs

D Synchronization

ReWire users – Read This!

What is Synchronization and MIDI Clock?

D Optimizing Performance

Introduction

Optimizing Songs

Optimizing Your Computer System

Songs and Memory Requirements

D Transport Panel

Overview

D Reason Hardware Interface

Introduction

MIDI In Device

Audio Out

D The Combinator

Introduction

Creating Combinator devices

Combinator elements

Adding devices to a Combi

Combi handling

The Controller panel

Using the Programmer

D The Mixer

Introduction

The Channel Strip

The Mixer signal flow

The Auxiliary Return Section

About the EQ modes

The Master Fader

Connections

Chaining Mixers

D The Line Mixer 6:2

Introduction

Channel parameters

The Auxiliary Return Section

Master level

Connections

D Redrum

Introduction

About File Formats