Propellerhead Reason - 5.0 Operation Manual
Operation Manual
Version
5
Operation Manual by:
Fredrik Hylvander
Anders Nordmark, Scribe
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 except 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.
©2010 Propellerhead Software and its licensors. All specifications subject to change without notice. Reason and
Record are trademarks of Propellerhead Software. All other commercial symbols are protected trademarks and
trade names of their respective holders. All rights reserved.
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Adobe® Flash® Player. Copyright © 1998 - 2010. Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Patents
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in the United States and/or other countries.
Table of Contents
Introduction 19
Numerical segment displays 38
Welcome! 20
About this chapter 20
About this manual 20
About the Reason operating system
versions 20
Conventions in the manual 20
Common Operations and
Concepts 23
About this chapter 24
Areas, windows and basic navigation 24
Song window overview 24
The Rack 25
The Sequencer 26
The Transport Panel 27
The ReGroove Mixer 27
Using several Reason Song windows 27
The Tool Window 28
The On-screen Piano Keys window 29
General window techniques 30
Resizing 30
Scrolling 31
Zooming in the Sequencer 32
Scrolling and zooming using a wheel mouse 33
Tool Tips 39
Context menus 40
Parameter context menus 40
Device context menus 41
Rack “background” context menu 42
Sequencer context menus 42
Undo and Redo 43
On-screen Piano Keys 45
About this chapter 46
Using the On-screen Piano Keys 46
Opening the Piano Keys window 46
Mouse mode 47
Computer Keys mode 48
Audio Basics 51
About this chapter 52
How Reason communicates with your
audio hardware 52
Manual audio routing 52
Audio quality 53
Audio settings 53
About audio levels 56
Editing parameters 34
Knobs 34
Faders and sliders 34
Buttons 35
Fold/Unfold buttons 35
Multi Mode selectors 36
Numerical controls 36
Alpha-numeric controls 37
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
computers 58
About latency 58
About processors 59
About RAM 59
Mac specific information 60
About using the built-in audio inputs and outputs 60
General information about audio and
Sequencer Functions 61
About this chapter 62
Introduction 62
Sequencer area overview 62
Song View and Edit Mode 62
Toolbar overview 64
Track List overview 64
Tracks overview 64
Lanes overview 65
Clips overview 65
Inspector overview 65
Ruler overview 66
Edit/Arrangement Pane overview 66
Song Navigator overview 66
Transport Panel overview 66
Toolbar details 84
Toolbar tools 84
Alternate tools 87
Snap 87
Sequencer Toolbar keyboard shortcuts 88
Ruler details 89
Transport Panel details 89
Transport keyboard commands 93
About the Inspector 94
About subticks in the Position and Length displays 94
About the “Match Values” function 94
Recording in the Sequencer 95
Track details 67
Track definition 67
Master Keyboard Input 67
The relationship between tracks, lanes, clips and
events 68
Track types 69
Track List elements 70
Creating tracks 71
Selecting tracks 72
Moving tracks 72
Deleting tracks 73
Duplicating/copying tracks and devices 73
Coloring tracks 74
Naming tracks 74
Folding tracks 74
Muting tracks 75
Soloing tracks 75
Lane details 76
Note lane 76
Parameter automation lane 77
Pattern lane 78
Creating/adding lanes 78
Deleting lanes 81
Moving note lanes 83
Copying (duplicating) note lanes 83
Muting lanes 83
Clip basics 84
Clip types 84
About this chapter 96
General recording functions 96
Record enabling 96
Click and Pre-count 98
Loop mode 100
General recording procedure 100
Undoing a recording 101
Note recording details 102
Setting up the instrument track 102
Recording notes 102
Recording notes in Loop mode 102
Recording over or into an existing note clip 103
Recording notes using the “Dub” and “Alt” functions 104
Parameter automation recording
details 106
Performance controllers vs. track parameter
automation 106
Recording performance controller automation 107
Recording parameter automation into Note Clips 108
Recording performance controller automation over or
into an existing clip 108
About performance controller automation on multiple
lanes 109
Recording parameter automation 109
Recording parameter automation in Loop mode 110
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5
Recording parameter automation over or into an existing
clip 111
Adjusting automated parameters during playback - “Live
mode” 112
Recording parameter automation on multiple tracks 112
Pattern automation recording details 113
Recording pattern automation 113
Tempo automation recording 114
Recording tempo automation 114
Arranging in the
Sequencer 117
About this chapter 118
Clip handling 118
Selecting clips 118
Deleting clips 120
Resizing (masking) clips 121
About masked recordings and events 122
Tempo scaling clips 123
Moving clips 125
About overlapping clips 127
Duplicating clips 127
Cutting, Copying and Pasting clips 127
Naming clips 128
Coloring clips 128
Splitting clips 129
Joining clips 130
Muting clips 131
Merging clips on note lanes 131
Matching clips using the “Match Values” function 132
Inserting bars 133
Removing bars 134
About this chapter 136
The Edit Mode 136
Selecting what to edit 137
Opening note and automation clips for editing 137
Edit Mode elements 139
Edit Mode window handling 141
Note Edit Modes 141
Creating empty clips 144
Tool Window editing tools 145
Note editing 146
Selecting notes 146
Deleting notes 146
Drawing notes 147
Resizing notes 149
Moving notes 152
Duplicating notes 155
Using Cut, Copy and Paste 155
Quantizing notes 156
Transposing notes 159
Extract Notes to Lanes 160
Scale Tempo 163
Editing note velocity 164
Automation editing 166
Overview 166
Editing parameter automation 166
Drawing parameter automation events 169
Deleting automation events 170
Editing performance controller automation 170
About Automation Cleanup 171
Editing pattern automation 173
Drawing pattern automation 174
Moving, resizing and duplicating pattern automation
clips 174
Deleting pattern automation clips 175
The “Convert Pattern Automation to Notes” function 175
Editing tempo automation 176
Automating time signature 176
Moving, resizing and duplicating time signature
automation clips 177
Deleting time signature automation clips 178
Note and Automation
Editing 135
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Note and automation editing in the
Inspector 178
Editing notes and events in the Inspector 178
Matching notes or events using the “Match Values”
function 179
Working with Blocks in the
Sequencer 183
About this chapter 184
Introduction 184
The idea behind Blocks 184
Naming devices 209
Folding and unfolding devices 210
Sounds and Patches 211
About this chapter 212
Arrangement Views 185
Song View (with Blocks disabled) 185
Song View (with Blocks enabled) 186
Block View 187
Editing Blocks in the Block View 187
Selecting a Block for editing 187
Renaming Blocks 188
Defining the Block length 188
Changing Block color 188
Recording in the Block View 189
Editing clips in the Block View 189
Arranging clips in the Block View 189
Arranging Blocks in the Song View 189
Creating Block Automation Clips 189
Resizing Block Automation Clips 191
Reassigning Blocks in Block Automation Clips 191
Muting lanes in Block Automation Clips 192
Converting Block Automation Clips to Song Clips 194
Combining Block Automation Clips with Song Clips 196
Working with the Rack 199
About this chapter 200
About patches 212
Devices that use patches 212
Loading patches 213
Saving patches 214
Copying and pasting patches between devices 215
Initializing patches 215
About ReFills 215
Using the Browser 216
Opening the browser 217
Browser elements 218
Navigating in the Browser 222
Using Locations and Favorites 223
Favorites Lists 224
Selecting and auditioning patches 226
Selecting and auditioning samples 226
Selecting multiple files 227
Cross-browsing patch files 227
Create Instrument/Create Effect 228
About patch formats and sampler devices 229
Using the “Search” function 229
Opening files 230
About browse lists 230
Handling Missing Sounds 231
The Missing Sounds dialog 233
Reason file formats 235
Rack device procedures 200
Navigating in the rack 200
Resizing the rack 201
About Device Groups 201
Creating devices 203
Selecting devices 205
Deleting devices 205
Re-ordering devices 206
About the “Sort Selected Device Groups” function 208
Duplicating devices 208
Cut, Copy and Paste devices 208
Routing Audio and CV 237
About this chapter 238
Signal types 238
Audio signals 238
CV/Gate signals 238
About MIDI routing 238
TABLE OF CONTENTS
7
About cables 239
Cable appearance 239
Checking and following cable connections 240
Cable color 241
Exporting Audio 257
About this chapter 258
Importing audio to Reason devices 258
Automatic routing 241
Auto-routing of Instrument devices 241
Auto-routing of Effect devices 242
Auto-routing of CV/Gate signals 242
Auto-routing devices after they have been created 242
Manual routing 243
Connecting cables 244
Connecting cables using pop-up menus 244
Disconnecting cables 245
Disconnecting devices 245
Using CV and Gate 245
Routing CV and Gate signals 245
About CV Trim knobs 246
Song File Handling 247
About this chapter 248
Opening Songs 248
Opening a Song 248
Opening the last Song at program launch 248
Closing Songs 249
Closing a Song 249
Creating Songs 249
Creating a new empty Song 249
Setting up the Default Song 249
Exporting audio 258
Exporting Songs or parts of Songs 258
Sampling 261
About this chapter 262
Overview 262
One-click sampling 262
The Edit Sample window 262
About sample format, rate and resolution 263
General sampling functions 263
Setting up for sampling 263
Sampling 265
The Sample buttons 265
Sampling procedure 265
The Song Samples tab 268
Editing samples 270
The Edit Sample window 270
Setting Sample Start and End 272
Cropping samples 274
Normalizing samples 274
Reversing samples 274
Fading in/out samples 275
Looping samples 276
Saving edited samples 278
Renaming samples 278
Saving Songs 250
Saving a Song 250
Including Song Information 251
Publishing a Song 252
About Self-Contained Songs 252
A note about saving Songs as audio files 253
Importing and exporting Standard MIDI
Sample management 279
About Assigned and Unassigned samples 279
Saving samples in a song 280
Deleting samples from a song 280
Loading samples into a device 281
Duplicating samples 282
Exporting samples 283
About self-contained samples 285
Files 254
Importing Standard MIDI Files 254
Exporting Standard MIDI Files 255
8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The ReGroove Mixer 287
Introduction 288
ReGroove basics 288
The ReGroove Mixer 289
Global parameters 289
Channel parameters 290
Copy, Paste and Initialize ReGroove channels 294
Remote Override 315
Activating Remote Override Edit mode 315
Remote Override mapping 316
Additional Remote Overrides... 319
Assigning Additional Overrides 320
Keyboard Control 321
Enabling Keyboard Control 321
Editing Keyboard Control 321
Groove Settings 295
Working with grooves 298
Applying grooves to your music 298
Commit to Groove - making the grooves
“permanent” 301
Creating your own ReGroove patches 302
Groovy tips & tricks 303
ReGroove patches in the Reason Sound
Bank 304
Remote - Playing and
Controlling Devices 305
About the various MIDI inputs 306
About Remote 306
Setting up 307
Adding a control surface or keyboard 307
Other functions 309
Example Setups 309
Remote basics 310
About Standard vs Remote Override mapping 311
About mapping variations 311
Saving Remote Setups 322
ReWire 323
About this chapter 324
Why use Reason with ReWire? 324
Introducing ReWire! 324
In ReWire version 1 324
In ReWire 2 324
How does it work? 324
Terminology 325
About system requirements 325
About synchronization 325
Launching and quitting applications 325
Using the Transport and Tempo
controls 326
Routing audio 326
Preparations in Reason 326
Routing in the ReWire host application 327
Routing MIDI via ReWire 2 327
Locking a surface to a device 312
Locking a surface 312
Unlocking a surface 314
Converting ReWire channels to audio
tracks 328
Details about various ReWire hosts 328
TABLE OF CONTENTS
9
Synchronization and
Sampling Input section 345
Advanced MIDI 329
About this chapter 330
Synchronization to MIDI Clock 330
ReWire users – read this! 330
What is synchronization and MIDI Clock? 330
Slaving Reason to an external MIDI application or
instrument 330
Slaving Reason to another program on the same
computer 331
Synchronization considerations 331
Advanced MIDI - The External Control
Bus inputs 333
About the External Control Bus inputs 333
Routing MIDI to devices 334
Sending Controller data via MIDI 334
About recording Pattern Changes 334
Optimizing Performance 335
Introduction 336
Checking Processing Power 336
Optimization and Latency reduction 336
About Latency Compensation 337
Optimizing your computer system 338
Optimizing Songs 339
RAM requirements 341
Advanced MIDI Device 346
More Audio 346
The Big Meter 347
The Combinator 349
Introduction 350
Creating Combinator devices 351
Combinator elements 352
About internal and external
connections 353
About External Routing 353
Adding devices to a Combi 355
About the Insertion line 355
Creating new devices in a Combi 355
Adding devices using drag and drop 356
Adding devices using copy/paste 357
Adding a Combi to a Combi 357
Combining two Combis 357
Combining devices in a Combi with devices in the
rack 357
Combi handling 357
Moving the entire Combi 357
Moving devices within a Combi 358
Moving devices out of a Combi 358
Deleting devices in a Combi 358
Uncombining devices 358
10
Reason Hardware
Interface 343
Introduction 344
About using ReWire 345
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sequencer tracks and playing
Combis 358
The Controller panel 359
Select backdrop... 360
Using the Programmer 361
Key Mapping instrument devices 362
Setting Velocity Ranges for instrument devices 363
Using Modulation Routing 364
CV Connections 367
Mixer 14:2 369
Introduction 370
The Channel Strip 370
Channel Strip Controls 371
The Mixer signal flow 372
About the EQ modes 372
The Auxiliary Return Section 373
Introduction 382
Loading and Saving Patches 382
The Oscillator Section 383
Oscillator 1 Waveform 383
Setting Oscillator 1 Frequency - Octave/Semitone/
Cent 385
Oscillator Keyboard Tracking 385
Using Oscillator 2 385
Oscillator 2 Waveform 386
Noise Generator 386
Phase Offset Modulation 387
Frequency Modulation (FM) 389
Ring Modulation 390
The Filter Section 391
Filter 1 Type 391
Filter 1 Frequency 394
Resonance 394
Filter Keyboard Track (Kbd) 394
Filter 2 395
The Master Fader 373
Connections 373
Chaining several Mixer 14:2 devices 375
The Line Mixer 6:2 377
Introduction 378
Channel parameters 378
The Auxiliary Return section 378
Master level 378
Connections 379
Subtractor Synthesizer 381
Envelopes - General 396
Amplitude Envelope 397
Filter Envelope 397
Mod Envelope 398
LFO Section 399
LFO 1 Parameters 399
LFO 2 Parameters 400
Play Parameters 401
Velocity Control 401
Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels 402
Legato 403
Retrig 403
Portamento (Time) 403
Setting Number of Voices - Polyphony 404
About the Low Bandwidth button 404
External Modulation 404
Connections 405
Audio Output 405
Sequencer Control 405
Modulation Inputs 406
Modulation Outputs 406
Gate Inputs 406
TABLE OF CONTENTS
11
Thor Polysonic
Synthesizer 407
Introduction 408
Loading and Saving Patches 408
Thor elements 409
The Filter section 455
The Filters 456
The Filter Envelope 458
The Shaper 459
Routing 461
Routing examples 462
The output controls 465
The Controller panel 410
Using the Programmer 412
Basic connections - a tutorial 413
The Oscillator section 416
Mix section 423
Filter slots 423
Shaper 427
Amp section 427
LFO 1 428
Envelope sections 429
Global section 430
Modulation bus routing section 432
Step Sequencer 441
Basic operation 441
Connections 445
Malström Synthesizer 447
The play controls 465
Polyphony - setting the number of voices 466
Porta (portamento) 466
Legato 466
The Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels 467
The Velocity controls 467
The Modulation wheel controls 468
Connections 469
Audio Output 469
Audio Input 469
Sequencer Control 469
Gate Input 470
Modulation Input 470
Modulation Output 470
Routing external audio to the filters 471
NN-19 Sampler 473
Introduction 474
12
Introduction 448
Features 448
Theory of operation 449
Loading and Saving Patches 449
The Oscillator section 450
Setting oscillator frequency 451
Controlling playback of the graintable 451
The amplitude envelopes 452
The Modulator section 453
Modulator parameters 453
Destinations 454
TABLE OF CONTENTS
General sampling principles 474
Background 474
Multisampling vs. single samples 474
About audio file formats 475
Loading a Sample Patch 475
Loading REX Files as Patches 476
Sampling in NN-19 476
About Key Zones and samples 477
Loading a Sample into an empty NN-19 477
Loading SoundFont samples 478
Loading REX slices as samples 478
Creating Key Zones 478
Selecting Key Zones 479
Setting the Key Zone Range 479
Deleting a Key Zone 479
About Key zones, assigned and unassigned
samples 480
Adding sample(s) to a Key Map 480
Setting the Root Key 480
Removing sample(s) from a Key Map 481
Removing all unassigned samples 481
Rearranging samples in a Key Map 481
Setting Sample Level 481
Tuning samples 481
Looping Samples 482
About the Solo Sample function 482
Automap Samples 483
Mapping samples without Root Key or Tuning
information 483
How Mapping Information is saved 483
Sampling in NN-XT 496
Panel overview 497
The main panel 497
The Remote Editor panel 497
Loading complete Patches and REX
files 498
Loading NN-XT Patches 498
Loading NN-19 Patches 498
Loading SoundFonts 498
Loading complete REX files as Patches 499
Using the main panel 500
The Pitch and Modulation wheels 500
The External Control wheel 500
High Quality Interpolation 501
Global Controls 501
NN-19 synth parameters 484
The Oscillator Section 484
The Filter Section 485
Envelope Section 486
LFO Section 487
Play Parameters 489
Velocity Control 489
Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels 490
Legato 490
Retrig 490
Portamento (Time) 491
Setting Number of Voices - Polyphony 491
Voice Spread 491
Low Bandwidth 491
Controller Section 491
Connections 492
Audio Outputs 492
Mono Sequencer Control 492
Modulation Inputs 492
Modulation Outputs 492
Gate Inputs 493
NN-XT Sampler 495
Introduction 496
Overview of the Remote Editor panel 503
The Key Map display 503
Sample parameters 504
Group parameters 504
Synth Parameters 505
About Samples and Zones 505
Selections and Edit Focus 506
Selecting Zones 507
Moving Edit Focus 509
Adjusting parameters 509
Adjusting Synth parameters 509
Adjusting Group parameters 509
Sample parameters 510
Managing Zones and Samples 511
Creating a Key Map 511
About file formats and REX slices 512
Adding more samples to the Key Map 512
Replacing a sample 512
Quick browsing through samples 513
Removing samples 513
Auditioning samples 513
Adding empty Zones 513
Duplicating Zones 513
Removing Zones 514
Rearranging Zones in the List 514
TABLE OF CONTENTS
13
Working with Grouping 514
About Groups 514
Creating a Group 514
Moving a Group to another position in the List 515
Moving a Zone from one Group to another 515
Selecting a Group and/or Zones in a Group 516
The Group Parameters 516
Working with Key Ranges 516
About Key Ranges 516
Setting up Key Ranges 516
About the Lock Root Keys function 520
About the Solo Sample function 521
Sorting Zones by Note 522
Group parameters 532
Key Poly 532
Legato and Retrig 533
LFO 1 Rate 533
Portamento 533
Synth parameters 534
The Modulation controls 534
The Velocity controls 536
The Pitch section 537
The Filter section 538
The Modulation Envelope 539
The Amplitude Envelope 541
The LFOs 542
Setting Root Notes and Tuning 523
About the Root Key 523
Setting the Root Note manually 523
Tuning samples manually 523
Setting the Root Note and Tuning using pitch
detection 524
About changing the pitch of samples 524
Using Automap 524
Layered, crossfaded and velocity
switched sounds 525
Creating layered sounds 525
About velocity ranges 525
Setting velocity range for a Zone 527
About Crossfading Between Zones 527
Setting crossfading for a Zone 529
Using Alternate 529
About the Alternate function 529
Sample parameters 530
Root Note and Tune 530
Sample Start and End 530
Loop Start and End 530
Play Mode 531
Lo Key and Hi Key 531
Lo Vel and Hi Vel 531
Fade In and Fade Out 531
Alt 531
Out 531
Connections 544
Sequencer Control 544
Modulation Input 544
Gate Input 545
Audio Output 545
Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player 547
Introduction 548
ReCycled Loops 548
About REX file formats 549
Loading and saving Dr. Octo Rex
patches 549
About the Dr. Octo Rex patch format 549
About opening songs that previously used Dr. Rex
devices 549
Playing Loops 550
Switching playback between Loop Slots 550
Adding Loops 551
Loading Loops “On the Fly” 552
Removing Loops 552
Cut/Copy and Paste Loops between Loop Slots 552
Playing individual Loop Slices 552
14
Creating sequencer notes 553
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Slice handling 556
Selecting Slices 556
Editing individual Slices 556
Editing in the Waveform Display 557
The Slice Edit Mode 558
Dr. Octo Rex panel parameters 559
Pitch and Mod wheels 559
Trig Next Loop 559
Note To Slot 559
Loop Slot buttons 560
Enable Loop Playback and Run 561
Volume 561
Global Transpose 561
Dr. Octo Rex synth parameters 562
Select Loop & Load Slot 562
Loop Transpose 562
Loop Level 563
Oscillator section 563
Mod. Wheel 564
Velocity section 564
The Filter Section 565
Envelope section 566
LFO section 567
Pitch Bend Range 568
Setting number of voices - polyphony 569
Audio Quality settings 569
Loading a patch 576
Checking the sounds in a patch 576
Creating a new patch 576
Creating an empty patch 577
Programming patterns 577
Pattern basics 577
Pattern tutorial 579
Setting pattern length 580
Setting pattern resolution 581
Step dynamics 581
Pattern Shuffle 582
Flam 582
The Pattern Enable switch 583
The Enable Pattern Section switch 583
Pattern functions 584
Chaining patterns 584
Converting Pattern data to notes in the main
sequencer 584
Redrum parameters 586
Drum sound settings 586
Global settings 589
Using Redrum as a sound module 590
Connections 591
Connections 570
Modulation Inputs 570
Modulation Outputs 570
Gate Inputs 570
Gate Output 570
Slice Outputs 571
Main Outputs 571
Redrum Drum Computer 573
Introduction 574
Sampling in Redrum 574
About file formats 575
Using patches 576
Kong Drum Designer 593
Introduction 594
Overview 594
The Pad Section 594
The Drum Control Panel 595
The Drum and FX Section 595
About using custom backdrops 595
About file formats 595
Using patches 596
Loading a Kit Patch 596
Checking the sounds in a Kit Patch 597
Creating a new Kit Patch 597
Creating an empty Kit Patch 598
Saving Kit Patches 598
TABLE OF CONTENTS
15
Pad Settings 599
Assigning Drums to Pads 599
Renaming Pads 600
Copying & Pasting Drums between Pads 600
Assigning Hit Type to Pads 600
Muting and Soloing Pads 601
Working with Pad Groups 602
Main Audio Out 633
Using Kong as an effect device 633
Using external effects with Kong 634
The Drum and FX section 603
Signal flow 604
The Drum Control Panel 606
Sampling in Kong 608
The Drum Module slot 608
The FX slots 609
The Drum modules 610
NN-Nano Sampler 610
Nurse Rex Loop Player 614
Physical Bass Drum, Snare Drum and Tom Tom 619
Synth Bass Drum, Snare Drum and Tom Tom 621
Synth Hi-hat 622
The Support Generator modules 623
Noise Generator 623
Tone Generator 624
The FX modules 625
Using CV modulation of Bus FX and Master FX
parameters 625
Drum Room Reverb 626
Transient Shaper 626
Compressor 627
Filter 628
Parametric EQ 628
Ring Modulator 629
Rattler 630
Tape Echo 630
Overdrive/Resonator 631
The MClass Effects 635
The MClass effects 636
The MClass Mastering Suite Combi 636
The MClass Equalizer 637
The MClass Stereo Imager 638
The MClass Compressor 639
The MClass Maximizer 642
RV7000 Advanced Reverb 643
The RV7000 Advanced Reverb 644
Reverb algorithms and parameters 646
The EQ section 652
The Gate section 653
CV Inputs 654
Scream 4 Sound Destruction
Unit 655
16
Connections 632
Sequencer Control 632
Modulation Input 632
Aux Send Out 632
Gate In and Out 633
Audio Out 3-16 633
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit 656
Parameters 656
CV inputs and outputs 660
Screamy tips and tricks 661
BV512 Vocoder 663
PH-90 Phaser 700
Introduction 664
How does a vocoder work? 664
Setting up for basic vocoding 665
Vocoding vocals in real-time 665
Using the BV512 as an equalizer 667
BV512 parameters 668
Connections 670
Automation 671
Tips and tricks 672
Choosing a carrier sound 672
Choosing a modulator sound 673
Using the modulator as carrier 674
Controlling the Hold function 675
Using the individual band level connections 675
“Playing” the vocoder from a MIDI keyboard 677
Using the BV512 as a reverb 677
Half-Rack Effects 681
UN-16 Unison 702
COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain
Compressor 703
PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ 704
Matrix Pattern Sequencer 705
Introduction 706
About the three Output types 706
Programming patterns 707
Pattern basics 707
Tutorial 710
Using Curve Patterns 712
Setting Pattern Length 713
Using Tied Notes 713
Setting Pattern Resolution 714
Pattern Shuffle 714
Pattern Mute 714
Pattern Functions 715
Chaining Patterns 715
Converting Pattern data to notes in the main
sequencer 716
Common effect device features 682
DDL-1 Digital Delay Line 684
CF-101 Chorus/Flanger 685
Spider Audio Merger & Splitter 687
Spider CV Merger & Splitter 689
RV-7 Digital Reverb 693
D-11 Foldback Distortion 695
ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter 696
Example usage 717
Using the Matrix for modulation 717
Programming “Acid Style” lead lines 718
Triggering samples 718
RPG-8 Arpeggiator 719
Introduction 720
Using the RPG-8 721
Setting up 721
Recording MIDI note data for the RPG-8 - simple
tutorial 723
Rendering arpeggio notes to track 725
TABLE OF CONTENTS
17
RPG-8 Parameters 726
MIDI-CV Converter parameters 726
Arpeggiator parameters 727
Pattern editor 729
CV connections 732
Tips and tricks 734
ReBirth Input Machine
(Windows Only) 735
Menu and Dialog
Reference 739
Reason menu (Mac OS X) 740
File menu 741
Edit menu 744
Preferences – General 760
Preferences – Audio 763
Preferences – Keyboards and Control Surfaces 766
Preferences – Advanced Control 769
Preferences - Language and Computer Keyboard 770
Introduction 736
Preparations 736
Launching 736
Quitting 736
Routing 737
What signals are on the Outputs? 737
Create menu 771
Options menu 772
Window menu (Windows version) 776
Window menu (Mac OS X version) 777
Help menu 778
Index 779
18
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
Introduction
1
Welcome!
This is the Operation Manual for Propellerhead’s Reason music production software. The information in this manual
is also available as html files in the on-line Reason Help system.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out the Video Tutorials, available in the Reason Help system.
Also, be sure to regularly check out the Propellerhead web site at www.propellerheads.se for the latest news!
About this chapter
The Introduction chapter describes some of the general conventions used throughout the Reason reference manual.
About this manual
In this Operation Manual, all aspects of the Reason program are described in detail. The first chapters deal with general methods and techniques, e.g. how to connect audio sources, mix and record. Then follow descriptions of all rack
devices in Reason.
! The PDF version of the manual requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 or later to display correctly on Windows
computers.
On Mac OS X systems, you don't need Acrobat Reader - you can use Preview. For Windows, Acrobat Reader is included on the Reason DVD. However, if you downloaded Reason from the Propellerhead web site and don’t have
Acrobat Reader on your computer, you can download it free of charge from the Adobe web site at
www.adobe.com.
About the Reason operating system versions
Propellerhead Reason comes in two versions: one for Windows (XP, Vista or Windows 7) and one for Mac OS X 10.4
or later. The screenshots in this manual were taken from both versions of Reason. Since the program layout is more
or less identical in the two versions, there shouldn’t be any problem following the instructions, regardless of which
platform you use.
Conventions in the manual
This manual describes both the Windows and Mac OS X versions of Reason; wherever the versions differ this is
clearly stated in the text.
Text conventions
The text conventions are pretty straightforward. The examples below describe when certain text styles are used:
D This style instructs the user to perform the task(s) described in the sentence.
! This text style means IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Read carefully to avoid problems!
q This text style is used for tips and additional info.
Key command conventions
In the manual, computer keyboard commands are indicated with brackets. For example:
D Hold down [Shift] and press [C].
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INTRODUCTION
However, some modifier keys are different on Windows and Mac computers. Whenever this is the case, the manual
Rack
Sequencer
separates the commands with “(Win)” and “(Mac)” indications as in the following example:
D Hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [S] to save your song.
References to context menus
Whenever the manual instructs you to select an item from the “context menu”, it means that you should right-click (or
[Ctrl]-click if you’re using a Mac with single-button mouse) on the specific area, section or device, and then select the
item from the pop-up menu that appears - the context menu. The item list in context menus varies depending on
where in the application you click. See “Context menus” for an overview of the context menus in Reason.
Frames and circles (call-outs)
In pictures throughout this manual there might be circles and/or rectangles highlighting certain areas or objects.
These are indicated by filled lines according to the examples in the picture above. Sometimes these highlighting
frames/circles might also be accompanied by descriptive texts. The different colors of the frames and texts are only
to enhance the contrast to the background picture.
Dashed arrows
A dashed arrow in a picture indicates the directions in which the pointer (or other tool) should be dragged to perform
the desired operation. The example in the picture above shows in which directions (up and down) to drag the pointer
to change the knob’s setting.
INTRODUCTION
21
22
INTRODUCTION
Chapter
Common Operations and Concepts
2
About this chapter
Rack
Sequencer
Transport Panel
This chapter gives a basic overview of the Reason application and describes general methods and techniques employed throughout the Propellerhead Reason software. It also explains the terminology used throughout the program,
manuals and help files.
Areas, windows and basic navigation
Song window overview
24
A Reason Song window with its Rack and Sequencer areas
The Reason graphical user interface is divided into two main areas:
•The Rack
The Rack is where all sound and effects devices you use in your song are located. The Rack resembles a traditional hardware rack, where sound modules and effects units can be mounted.
• The Sequencer
The Sequencer is where you record your instrument tracks. Here you can also record automation of device parameters in the Rack. The Sequencer also incorporates the Transport Panel, where all sequencer transport controls
are located.
The areas can also be resized - see “Resizing”.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
The Rack
Rack
Scrollbar
Maximize Rack button
The Rack with a number of devices, and the Rack scrollbar to the right
In the Rack, all instruments, effects and mixer devices of the Reason song are visible. You can scroll vertically in the
Rack by clicking and dragging the Rack scrollbar.
By clicking the Maximize button at the top right of the Rack Area, you can maximize the Rack to cover the entire Reason Song window.
The Maximize button for the Rack
For more details on how to work with the Rack, refer to “Working with the Rack”.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
25
The Sequencer
Sequencer scrollbar
Song Navigator
Track List
Edit/Arrangement Pane
Toolbar
Ruler
Maximize Sequencer button
Detach Sequencer button
The Sequencer with a number of recorded instrument tracks
To the left in the Sequencer, all tracks in the Reason song are listed in the Track List. By clicking on a track in the
Track List you select the track for playback from a connected MIDI master keyboard and/or for recording.
At the top to the left are the Song View, Blocks View and Edit Mode buttons and the Toolbar, with various sequencer
editing tools.
The big center section of the Sequencer is called the Edit/Arrangement Pane. Here is where all recorded sequencer
data is displayed.
You can scroll and zoom in the Sequencer by using the Sequencer scrollbar and Zoom buttons to the right and the
Song Navigator at the bottom of the Sequencer - see “Scrolling” and “Zooming in the Sequencer”.
By clicking the Maximize Sequencer button at the top to the right, you can maximize the Sequencer to cover the entire Reason Song window. By clicking the Detach Sequencer button you can detach the Sequencer and have it in a
separate window.
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The Maximize and Detach buttons for the Sequencer
For more details about the sequencer, refer to “Sequencer Functions”.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
The Transport Panel
At the bottom of the Reason Song window is the sequencer Transport Panel. From here you control the sequencer
transport functions, such as Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play and Record. You can also set Tempo and Time Signature and various other parameters.
The Transport Panel is always available together with the Sequencer. If you have detached the Sequencer, a duplicate of the Transport Panel will be also present in the Rack window.
To the left on the Transport Panel are indicators for Audio In and Out levels, DSP Load, Audio Calculation and Automation Override status.
By clicking the small grey triangle button to the far upper right you can hide the Transport Panel if you like.
For more details about the Transport Panel, please refer to “Transport Panel details”.
The ReGroove Mixer
To the right of the Toolbar in the Sequencer is a big “G” button. Clicking this will bring up the ReGroove Mixer.
The ReGroove Mixer is used for adding advanced grooves to your instrument tracks in the Sequencer.
To hide the ReGroove Mixer, just click the “G” button again.
For more details about the ReGroove Mixer, please refer to “The ReGroove Mixer”.
Using several Reason Song windows
You can have several Songs open at the same time. Each Song will appear in a separate Song window, complete with
Rack, Sequencer and Transport Panel. Each Song window can be moved, minimized and resized using the standard
Windows and Mac procedures.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
27
The Tool Window
The Tool Window is a floating window which features four tabs that contain short-cuts for creating devices, editing in
the sequencer, editing grooves for the ReGroove mixer and sample editing functions. The Tool Window can be accessed from the Window menu.
D Open the Tool Window by selecting “Show Tool Window” from the Window menu. Alternatively, press [F8].
The [F8] key can be used for toggling between showing and hiding the Tool Window.
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The Tool Window
• See “Creating devices” for information on how to use the “Device Palette” tab.
• See the “Note and Automation Editing” chapter for information on how to use the various functions of the “Sequencer Tools” tab.
• See “The ReGroove Mixer” chapter for information on how to use the functions of the “Groove Settings” tab.
• See the “Sampling” chapter for information on how to use the functions of the “Song Samples” tab.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
The On-screen Piano Keys window
The On-screen Piano Keys floating window features a virtual keyboard which lets you play instrument devices without needing to have a MIDI master keyboard connected to your computer. The On-screen Piano Keys window can be
accessed from the Window menu.
D Open the On-screen Piano Keys window by selecting “Show On-screen Piano Keys” from the Window menu.
Alternatively, press [F4].
The [F4] key can be used for toggling between showing and hiding the On-screen Piano Keys window.
The On-screen Piano Keys window in “Mouse” mode
See “On-screen Piano Keys” for more information.
COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
29
General window techniques
Resizing
Adjustable divider in the Reason Song window
Between the Rack and Sequencer areas in the Reason Song window is a divider which can be used for resizing the
areas. When you place the mouse pointer on this divider, the pointer will change to a double-arrow symbol. Clicking
and dragging the divider makes it possible to adjust the size of the Rack and Sequencer areas.
You can also resize the entire Song window vertically by clicking and dragging on the lower or upper sides of the
Song window.
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COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
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