Operation Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 The Sequencer 45 Using Reason as a ReWire Slave 6 10 12 13 16 19 28 29 31 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 33 Routing Audio and CV 46 46 46 47 47 48 50 51 52 52 52 52 About this Chapter Why use Reason with ReWire? Introducing ReWire! Preparations for Using ReWire - Macintosh only Launching and Quitting Steinberg Cubase VST E
65 Optimizing Performance 99 Subtractor Synthesizer 66 66 67 67 69 Introduction Optimization and Output Latency Optimizing Your Computer System Optimizing Songs Songs and Memory Requirements 71 Transport Panel 72 Overview 100 100 106 110 112 114 116 117 Introduction The Oscillator Section The Filter Section Envelopes - General LFO Section Play Parameters External Modulation Connections 77 Reason Hardware Interface 119 NN-19 Digital Sampler 78 78 79 Introduction MIDI In Device Audio Out 81
155 ReBirth Input Machine 156 Introduction 156 Preparations 156 Routing 157 The Effect Devices 158 159 160 161 161 164 165 166 167 Common Device Features RV-7 Digital Reverb DDL-1 Digital Delay Line D-11 Foldback Distortion ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter CF-101 Chorus/Flanger PH-90 Phaser COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain Compressor PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ 169 Menu and Dialog Reference 170 175 188 188 190 191 191 File Menu Edit Menu Create Menu Options Menu Windows Menu (Windows Version) Windows Menu (M
THE SEQUENCER 1
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: ➜ 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]. ➜ Recording starts at the current song position.
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.
Background: How recorded controllers are handled Recording Pattern Changes 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: If your song contains pattern devices, you probably want to use more than a single pattern throughout the song.
➜ 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 if needed (see page 26). ➜ 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). ➜ 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.
Copying REX loops and Patterns to Sequencer Tracks As described on page 136, 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).
Redrum notes The “Convert Pattern Track to Notes” function When you use this function with the Redrum, you should note the following: 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: • • The notes will have the pitch of the corresponding drum sound (see “Using Redrum as a Sound Module” on page 96) and the velocity depending on the Dynamic value.
Editing - About Snap 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: ➜ 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.
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. ➜ To select the Arrange View, click the Arrange View button in the top left corner of the sequencer area.
Duplicating Events Using Cut, Copy and Paste with Tracks To duplicate the selected events, hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and proceed as when moving events. 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. ➜ 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.
Inserting and Removing Bars 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.
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 In the Arrange View, Groups appear as colored boxes.
Selecting Groups Resizing Groups To select a Group, just click on it in the Arrange View. 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: ➜ 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.
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. 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 Actually, this is just a consequence of the fact that Groups cannot overlap.
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. ➜ To select the Edit View, click the Edit 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.
➜ For extensive editing, you may want to maximize the sequencer area so that it fills the window. 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. 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 Maximize Sequencer button. About the Ruler and the Group strip At the top of the Edit View you will find the ruler.
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. ➜ 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. 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.
Resizing notes Editing velocity 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 velocity values of notes are edited in the Velocity lane. ➜ If Snap is on, the end of the note will be magnetic to the Snap value positions. 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.
Editing Controllers 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. ➜ 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.
Drawing and Editing Controllers Selecting sections of a controller track Regardless of whether you’re editing recorded controllers or creating controller changes from scratch, you do it by drawing with the Pencil tool. 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.
Deleting Controller sections Inserting and Editing Pattern Changes You can delete the selected controller section by pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or by selecting Delete from the Edit menu. The result is this: Pattern changes are viewed and edited in the Pattern lane: 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.
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. 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.
Deleting Pattern Change sections You can delete the selected section of the Pattern Lane by pressing [Backspace] or [Delete] or by selecting Delete from the Edit menu. The result is this: The pattern before the deleted section will remain selected until the end of the section. ! Again, make sure Snap is activated. ! You can´t remove all pattern change data using this method.
Quantizing 4. Click the Quantize button or select “Quantize Notes” from the Edit menu. The selected notes are quantized. 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. The Quantize button Applying Quantizing In Reason, you use the Quantize function in the following way: 1. Select the notes you want to quantize.
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: 1. Create or record a rhythmic note “pattern” of some kind.
Transpose Alter Notes This function transposes the selected notes up or down, by the specified number of semitones. This function alters the properties pitch, length and velocity of the selected notes, in a random fashion. Velocity Adjusts the velocity of the selected notes. ➜ 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.
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. ➜ 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.
32 THE SEQUENCER
ROUTING AUDIO AND CV 2
About the various signals that can be routed MIDI Routing This chapter describes the various ways you can route signals in Reason. The following signal types are used: About Cables 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”. ➜ Audio connectors are shown as large “quarter inch” jacks.
Color Coding Routing Devices to the Mixer Cables are color coded in the following way, making it easier to discern between the various connections: ➜ When an Instrument Device is created, it is auto-routed to the first available mixer channel(s). • • • Routing a Send Effect to the Mixer 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.
Bypassing Auto-Routing ➜ 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.
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.
38 ROUTING AUDIO AND CV
ROUTING MIDI TO REASON 3
About the Various MIDI Inputs External Control Bus Inputs All MIDI Inputs are set up in the Preferences-MIDI dialog. This chapter describes the various ways you can set up how incoming MIDI is received. Sequencer Input The External Bus inputs provide up to 64 MIDI input channels divided into four buses, each with 16 channels. ➜ These MIDI inputs are primarily for controlling Reason Devices from an external sequencer. The Sequencer is the “standard” port for receiving MIDI input.
Sending MIDI Data to Reason Setting up MIDI Inputs under Mac OS Reason requires OMS to receive MIDI. How to install OMS is described in the chapter “Installation”. OMS uses a concept of Devices, which basically means an external MIDI keyboard or sound module etc. ➜ Each of Reasons’ seven MIDI inputs can receive data from one OMS device. Use OMS Setup to create the devices needed (for example one per input). ➜ One OMS device can be used for several of Reason’s MIDI inputs.
4. Save your OMS Studio Setup. Sending MIDI Data from another Application under Windows To send MIDI from another application installed on the same computer as Reason, you need to install HLD (Hubi’s Loopback Device) which is included on your program CD. The OMS IAC port naming dialog. ! Note that there are other MIDI routing utilities available apart from HLD. These may work just as well, so if you have such a utility already installed you could try using that instead.
4. Open the MIDI input pop-up for the MIDI Input port(s) that should receive the incoming MIDI, and select the LB port that you set up in step 3. Note that the Sequencer Port only receives MIDI on one selected channel at a time. Controlling Devices directly via MIDI Routing MIDI to Devices Depending on your MIDI interface, up to four separate ports, each with 16 channels, can be routed to Reason’s External Control inputs.
➜ If you want to manually play (i.e not recorded MIDI data) Reason devices in real time from inside another sequencer program, MIDI thru must be activated. MIDI thru is when incoming MIDI is echoed out via the MIDI output. If you don’t know how to do this, refer to the program’s documentation. You will also need to make sure that the other application is “thruing” it’s data to the correct MIDI port and on the right MIDI channel.
USING REASON AS A REWIRE SLAVE 4
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 156. In ReWire 2 A number of features were added in Reason version 2.
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.
Steinberg Cubase VST 3. If desired, double click on the labels in the right column, and type in another name. This is the label that will be used in VST to identify the ReWire channel. Cubase Versions In this description we assume you are using Cubase VST 5.0 on the MacOS or Windows platforms. ! For Cubase VST under Windows, please make sure you use 5.0rc2. Earlier versions have some technical problems with ReWire connections.
How the ReWire Channels are handled in Cubase VST When you activate ReWire channels in the ReWire window in VST, as described above, new channels are added to the VST Channel Mixer. A few ReWire channels in the VST Channel Mixer. These channels have the following properties: ➜ The ReWire channel strips are red and appear between regular channels and group channels. ➜ Stereo outputs from Reason appear as stereo channels in Cubase VST.
Emagic Logic Audio In this description we assume you are using a version of Logic Audio that is later than 4.6. Activating ReWire Channels in Logic Audio To activate the desired inputs from Reason, in Emagic Logic Audio, proceed as follows: 1. Open the Audio Mixer window from the Audio menu. Locate the first channel that you want to use for ReWire input and select it by clicking at its name at the bottom of the channel strip. 2.
Mark of the Unicorn Digital Performer 5. Connect devices in Reason to the corresponding channels on the Hardware Device. Now when you play back, the audio from Reason will appear on the corresponding voices in Digital Performer. Performer Versions In this description we assume you are using Digital Performer version 2.72 or later. OMS Since Reason requires OMS we recommend that you set up Digital Performer to also use OMS.
Using the Transport and Tempo Controls Converting ReWire Channels to Audio Tracks Basic Transport Controls If you want to “convert” your ReWire channels into hard disk tracks, use the facilities in your host application. Basically there are two ways that this can be done. Exactly which one applies to you depends on which type of host application you are using: When you run ReWire, the transports in the two programs are completely linked.
MIDI AND KEYBOARD REMOTE CONTROL 5
Introduction MIDI Remote Mapping It is possible to assign computer keyboard commands and/or MIDI controller messages to most Reason device parameters or functions. Both methods allow you to use a “learn” function to instantly assign the parameter knob, slider or button to a keyboard command or a controller on an external device. If you want to control one or several Reason parameters in real time from an external MIDI device, you can use MIDI Remote Mapping.
Example MIDI Setups If you only have one MIDI Device There are several possible variables when it comes to what type of MIDI setup you are using. Please read on. If you only have one MIDI Device that you plan to use both for playing/recording and for remote control, there are severe restrictions. Actually there ‘s only one sensible way to avoid conflicts. “Ideal” Setup 1. Open the “MIDI Implementation Charts.pdf” document. This can be found in your program folder.
Editing MIDI Remote Mapping 1. To get an overview of which parameters are MIDI remote controllable select “Edit MIDI Remote Mapping” from the Options menu. When done, each device you select will show a green arrow symbol beside every parameter that can be assigned a MIDI remote. 4. Simply turn the knob (or slider etc.) that you wish to use to remote control the parameter.
Keyboard Remote Assigning keyboard remote commands is very similar to MIDI remote mapping. However, as there is no MIDI involved, there is no special setting up required. Keyboard commands can be assigned the same parameters as when using MIDI remote mapping, but the functionality differs in one central aspect: Editing Keyboard Remote ➜ To get an overview of which parameters are remote controllable select “Edit Keyboard Remote” from the Options menu.
About the two Edit Keyboard Remote Modes If Edit Keyboard Remote 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, as every parameter you click on will open the Key Remote dialog. This mode is primarily for overview of available parameters and the current assignments.
SYNCHRONIZATION 6
ReWire users – Read This! Slaving Reason to an External Device This chapter does not apply to users of ReWire. If you are using Reason together with a ReWire compatible application, ReWire handles all synchronization issues for you, automatically. See the ReWire chapter for details. This example assumes that you have an external device, such as a drum machine, hardware sequencer, another computer, tape recorder etc., that transmits MIDI Clocks that you want to synchronize Reason to. 1.
Under Windows, if you can’t find the MIDI Input you want to use, there is either something wrong with the installation of the interface, or some other program is holding on to it. Consult the documentation for the MIDI interface, the other program and Windows, for more information. Slaving Reason to Another Program on the Same Computer This sections describes how to synchronize Reason to another application running on the same computer.
3. Pull down the MIDI Clock pop-up and select the corresponding MIDI routing utility port (IAC, HLD etc.). MacOS: Slaving Reason to a non-OMS Program If the MIDI program you use does not support the common standard for MIDI on Macintosh computers, OMS, you can still set up synchronization, but this requires two MIDI interfaces, each connected to one of the serial ports on your computer. 1. Set up OMS so that it uses only one of the MIDI interfaces installed. 2.
Synchronization Considerations If Latency Compensation isn’t enough Adjusting for Latency This problem an indication to 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. There might be situation s where you can’t compensate enough in Reason to make two software applications run in sync.
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 on 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.
OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE 7
Introduction 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.
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: ➜ Quit other programs that are running at the same time as Reason. ➜ Remove background tasks on your computer. This might be any background utilities you have installed as well as networking, background internet activities etc.
Polyphonic Devices – Subtractor, NN19, Dr. Rex and Redrum ➜ 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. Unused voices do not consume processing power. Mixer ➜ Avoid using stereo inputs when not required. For example, if your sampler or Dr.
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: ➜ Close other song documents. All open songs compete for RAM ➜ Under MacOS; raise the memory setting for Reason.
70 OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE
TRANSPORT PANEL 8
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: Play Tempo Time Signature Stop Fast Forward Rewind Song Position Record Loop on/off Overdub/Replace switch Left and Right Locator Main Transport Controls The main transport controls function just like standard controls on tape recorders etc.
Tempo and Time Signature Left and Right Locator Positions 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. The left and right locators are used for several things, like setting the boundaries of a loop or inserting/removing bars.
Additional Transport Panel Items Automation Override 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. Automation override is activated when you manually “grab” a parameter that is being automated.
➜ If the Audio Out Clipping indicator lights up, and the signals are being sent directly (not via a Mixer) to your Hardware Interface, you can check the meters in the Hardware Interface. If the red segment of any of these meters are momentarily lit, this indicates at which output(s) the clipping is occurring. Reduce the output level of all devices connected to outputs whose meters show red. CPU Meter This bar graph shows the current CPU (processor) load.
76 TRANSPORT PANEL
REASON HARDWARE INTERFACE 9
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.
Audio Out Reason supports up to 64 audio output channels. ➜ 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 clipping 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.
80 REASON HARDWARE INTERFACE
THE MIXER 10
Introduction The Channel Strip AUX Sends 1-4 EQ On/Off button 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.
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.
The Mixer Signal Flow The Master Fader The basic signal flow of the Mixer 14:2 is as follows: Input Fader Pan/EQ AUX Returns Solo Mute AUX Sends Effects Devices 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.
Connections ➜ There are four stereo Return input connectors. These are normally connected to the left and right outputs of effect devices. 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 86. Master Left/Right Outputs Mixer Channel Connections ➜ Each mixer channel features stereo left/right inputs for connecting audio devices.
Chaining Mixers 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). Partially or Non-Chained Mixers You can also have several Mixers that are only partially or not chained at all. ➜ You may for example wish to have different Aux Send effects for one Mixer.
REDRUM 11
Introduction 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.
Using Patches When you create a new Redrum device it is empty. Before it can play back any audio you must first load a Redrum patch (or create one from scratch, by loading individual drum samples). A Redrum patch contains settings for the ten drum sound channels, complete with file references to the drum samples used. ! Redrum patterns are not part of the patch! ➜ By playing the keys C1 to A1 on your MIDI keyboard. C1 plays drum sound channel 1 and so on. See also page 96.
Programming Patterns About Pattern Selection 5. Select a Redrum channel, by clicking the “Select” button at the bottom of the channel. The button lights up, indicating that this channel and the drum sound it contains is selected. As described in the Getting Started book, each pattern device (such as the Redrum) has 32 pattern memories, divided into four banks.
About the “Edit Steps” Switch If you set the pattern length to more than 16 steps, the pattern steps following after the 16th won’t be visible, although they will play back. To view and be able to edit the next 16 steps, you have to set the Edit Steps switch to 1732. To see and edit steps beyond 32 you set the switch to 33-48, and so on. Setting Pattern Resolution ➜ When you use different dynamics, the resulting difference in the sound (loudness, pitch, etc.
Flam The Enable Pattern Section switch If this is deactivated, Redrum will function as a pure “sound module”, i.e. the internal Pattern sequencer is disengaged. Use this mode if you wish to control Redrum exclusively from the main sequencer or via MIDI (see page 96). Pattern Functions When a Redrum device is selected, you will find some specific pattern functions on the Edit menu (and on the device context menu): A flam is when you double-strike a drum, to create a rhythmic or dynamic effect.
Redrum Parameters Drum Sound Settings Redrum features ten drum sound channels that can each be loaded with a Wave or AIFF sample. Although they are basically similar, there are three “types” of drum sound channels, with slightly different features. This makes some channels more suitable for certain types of drum sounds, but you are of course free to configure your drum kits as you like. This is a great way to bring drum sounds in and out of the mix when playing Reason live.
Level and Velocity The Level knob sets the volume for the channel. However, the volume can also be affected by velocity (as set with the Dynamic value, or as played via MIDI). How much the volume should be affected by velocity is set with the “Vel” knob. ➜ If the Vel knob is set to a positive value, the volume will become louder with increasing velocity values. The higher the Vel value, the larger the difference in volume between low and high velocity values.
Pitch Bend By setting the Bend knob to a positive or negative value, you specify the start pitch of the sound (relative to the Pitch setting). The pitch of the sound will then be bent to the main Pitch value. Thus, selecting a positive Bend value will cause the pitch to start higher and bend down to the original Pitch, and vice versa. ➜ The Rate knob determines the bend time - the higher the value, the slower the bend. ➜ The Vel knob determines how the Bend amount should be affected by velocity.
High Quality Interpolation Using Redrum as a Sound Module The drum sounds in Redrum can be played via MIDI notes. Each drum sound is triggered by a specific note number, starting at C1 (MIDI note number 36): C1 When this is activated, the sample playback is calculated using a more advanced interpolation algorithm. This results in better audio quality, especially for drum samples with a lot of high frequency content.
Connections Others | Connection | Description Send Out 1-2 Outputs for the send signals controlled with the S1 and S2 knobs, as described on page 93. Stereo Out This is the master stereo output, outputting a mix of all drum sounds (except those for which you use individual outputs).
98 REDRUM
SUBTRACTOR SYNTHESIZER 12
Introduction The Oscillator Section Subtractor is an analog-type polyphonic synthesizer based on subtractive synthesis, the method used in analog synthesizers. This chapter will go through all parameters of each section of Subtractor. In addition to the parameter descriptions, the chapter also includes a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the Subtractor synthesizer.
! Please note that the descriptions of the waveforms sound or timbre is merely meant to provide a basic guideline, and shouldn’t be taken too literally. Given the myriad ways you can modulate and distort a waveform in Subtractor, you can produce extremely different results from any given waveform. Square Triangle Sine 14 This waveform is also good for organ-type sounds. Has a brighter sound compared to waveform 13. 15 This waveform is suitable for bowed string sounds, like violin or cello.
Setting Oscillator 1 Frequency - Octave/ Semitone/Cent Using Oscillator 2 By clicking the corresponding up/down buttons you can tune, i.e. change the frequency of Oscillator 1 in three ways: You activate Osc 2 by clicking the button next to the text “Osc 2“. Setting oscillator frequency and keyboard tracking is identical to Oscillator 1. ➜ In Octave steps The range is 0 - 9. The default setting is 4 (where “A” above middle “C” on your keyboard generates 440 Hz).
Noise Generator The Noise Generator could be viewed as an oscillator that produces noise instead of a pitched waveform. Noise can be used to produce a variety of sounds, the classic example being “wind” or “rolling wave” sounds, where noise is passed through a filter while modulating the filter frequency. Other common applications include non-pitched sounds like drums and percussion, or simulating breath noises for wind instruments.
When phase offset modulation is activated, the oscillator creates a second waveform of the same shape and offsets it by the amount set with the Phase knob. Depending on the selected mode, Subtractor then either subtracts or multiplies the two waveforms with each other. The resulting waveforms can be seen in the illustration below. 1.
Using the Noise Generator as the Modulator source As explained earlier, the Noise Generator is internally routed to the Osc 2 output. Hence, if you deactivate Osc 2, and activate the Noise Generator while using FM, the noise will be used to frequency modulate Osc 1. ✪ With the Noise Generators default settings, this will sound much like colored noise.
The Filter Section In subtractive synthesis, a filter is the most important tool for shaping the overall timbre of the sound. The filter section in Subtractor contains two filters, the first being a multimode filter with five filter types, and the second being a low-pass filter. The combination of a multimode filter and a lowpass filter can be used to create very complex filter effects. Filter 1 Type With this multi-selector you can set Filter 1 to operate as one of five different types of filter.
➜ 12 dB Lowpass (LP 12) This type of lowpass filter is also widely used in analog synthesizers (Oberheim, early Korg synths etc.). It has a gentler slope (12 dB/Octave), leaving more of the harmonics in the filtered sound compared to the LP 24 filter. The darker curve illustrates the roll-off curve of the 12dB Lowpass Filter. The lighter curve in the middle represents the filter characteristic when the Resonance parameter is raised.
➜ Highpass (HP12) A highpass filter is the opposite of a lowpass filter, cutting out the lower frequencies and letting the high frequencies pass. The HP filter slope has a 12 dB/Octave roll-off. ➜ Notch A notch filter (or band reject filter) could be described as the opposite of a bandpass filter. It cuts off frequencies in a narrow midrange band, letting the frequencies below and above through.
Filter 1 Frequency Filter 2 The Filter Frequency parameter (often referred to as “cutoff”) determines which area of the frequency spectrum the filter will operate in. For a lowpass filter, the frequency parameter could be described as governing the “opening” and “closing” of the filter. If the Filter Freq is set to zero, none or only the very lowest frequencies are heard, if set to maximum, all frequencies in the waveform are heard.
Envelopes - General Envelope generators are used to control several important sound parameters in analog synthesizers, such as pitch, volume, filter frequency etc. Envelopes govern how these parameters should respond over time - from the moment a note is struck to the moment it is released. Standard synthesizer envelope generators have four parameters; Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR).
Filter Envelope Mod Envelope The Filter Envelope affects the Filter 1 Frequency parameter. By setting up a filter envelope you control the how the filter frequency should change over time with the four Filter Envelope parameters, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. The Mod Envelope allows you to select one of a number of parameters, or Destinations, to control with the envelope.
LFO Section Destination The available LFO 1 Destinations are as follows: | Destination LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator. LFO:s are oscillators, just like Osc 1 & 2, in that they also generate a waveform and a frequency. However, there are two significant differences: • • LFO’s only generate waveforms with low frequencies. The output of the two LFO’s are never actually heard. Instead they are used for modulating various parameters.
LFO 2 Parameters Rate LFO 2 is polyphonic. This means that for every note you play, an independent LFO cycle is generated, whereas LFO 1 always modulates the destination parameter using the same “cycle”. This can be used to produce subtle cross-modulation effects, with several LFO cycles that “beat” against each other. This also enables LFO 2 to produce modulation rates that vary across the keyboard (see the “Keyboard Tracking” parameter below). The Rate knob controls the LFO’s frequency.
Play Parameters The following parameters can be velocity controlled: | Destination | Description This section deals with two things: Parameters that are affected by how you play, and modulation that can be applied manually with standard MIDI keyboard controls. Amp This let’s you velocity control the overall volume of the sound. If a positive value is set, the volume will increase the harder you strike a key.
Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels Modulation Wheel The Modulation wheel can be set to simultaneously control a number of parameters. You can set positive or negative values, just like in the Velocity Control section. The following parameters can be affected by the modulation wheel: | Parameter The Pitch Bend wheel is used for “bending” notes, like bending the strings on a guitar. The Modulation wheel can be used to apply various modulation while you are playing.
Retrig This is the “normal” setting for playing polyphonic patches. That is, when you press a key without releasing the previous, the envelopes are retriggered, like when you release all keys and then press a new one. In monophonic mode, Retrig has an additional function; if you press a key, hold it, press a new key and then release that, the first note is also retriggered.
Connections Modulation Inputs ! Remember that CV connections will not be stored in the Subtractor patch, even if the connections are to/from the same Subtractor device! These control voltage (CV) inputs (with associated voltage trim pots), can modulate various Subtractor parameters from other devices, or from the modulation outputs of the same Subtractor device.
118 SUBTRACTOR SYNTHESIZER
NN-19 DIGITAL SAMPLER 13
Introduction A sampler could be described as a device capable of recording and reproducing audio material, like a tape recorder. Unlike a tape or harddisk based recorder, samplers allows you to “play” the recorded sound via MIDI, using a keyboard for example. This way, any reproducible sound can be integrated into the MIDI environment, and be controlled from sequencers etc. like synthesizers. The NN-19 is a sample player, capable of reproducing, but not recording or editing sound files.
Fortunately Reason provides a wide range of high quality multisampled instruments, so much of this hard work has already been done for you. In our experience, most people don’t use samplers only for playing sampled versions of “real” instruments. Very often, single “stand alone” or single samples are used. Maybe you wish to use different sounds for every key zone. Or you could have complete chorus and verse vocals plus variations assigned to several “one note” key zones.
About Key Zones and Samples The inverted note on the keyboard indicates the “root key” of the sample. All samples contain a root key, tuning and level setting. If NN-19 is empty, a sample will have its root key placed on the middle “C” (C3) key. Loading a Sample into an empty NN-19 Creating Key Zones 1. Create a new sampler device. A “key zone” is a range of keys, that plays a sample. All key zones together make up a “key map”. 2. Click on the sample browser button.
Setting the Key Zone Range ! Key zones cannot overlap. About Key zones, Assigned and Unassigned Samples When you adjust the boundaries of a key zone, the surrounding boundaries are automatically adjusted accordingly. When you load samples and rearrange your key mapping, you will often wind up with samples that are not assigned to any key zone.
Setting the Root Key Tuning Samples Once you have defined a key zone, and added a sample, you should set the root key for the sample. Sometimes you might find that the samples you wish to use in a key map are slightly out of tune with each other. This parameter allows you to tune each sample in a map by +/– half a semitone. ➜ Select the key zone the sample belongs to, and click on the key you wish to set the root key to. Which key to select is normally determined by the pitch of the sample.
For each sample (or key zone), you can select the following Loop modes by using the Loop knob below the keyboard display: ➜ OFF No looping is applied to the sample. ➜ Each sample will be placed correctly according to its root note, and will be tuned according to the information in the sample file. Most audio editing programs can save root key information as part of the file. ➜ FWD The part between the loop points plays from start to end, then the cycle is repeated. This is the most common loop mode.
NN-19 Synth Parameters The NN-19 synth parameters are used to shape and modulate samples. These are mostly similar to the parameters used to shape the oscillators in Subtractor - you have envelope generators, a filter, velocity control etc. Again, it is important to remember that these parameters do not alter the audio files in any way, only the way they will play back. ! These parameters are global, in the sense that they will affect all samples in a sample patch.
The Filter Section Filter Frequency The Filter Frequency parameter (often referred to as “cutoff”) determines which area of the frequency spectrum the filter will operate in. For a lowpass filter, the frequency parameter could be described as governing the “opening” and “closing” of the filter. If the Filter Freq is set to zero, none or only the very lowest frequencies are heard, if set to maximum, all frequencies in the waveform are heard.
Envelope Section ! Please refer to the Subtractor chapter for a description of the basic envelope parameters. Envelope generators are used to control several important sound parameters in analog synthesizers, such as pitch, volume, filter frequency etc. Envelopes govern how these parameters should respond over time - from the moment a note is struck to the moment it is released. Standard synthesizer envelope generators have four parameters; Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR).
Waveform Rate LFO 1 allows you to select different waveforms for modulating parameters. These are (from the top down): The Rate knob controls the LFO’s frequency. Turn clockwise for a faster modulation rate. Amount This parameter determines to what degree the selected parameter destination will be affected by the LFO. Raising this knob’s value creates more drastic results. | Waveform | Description Triangle This is a smooth waveform, suitable for normal vibrato.
The following parameters can be velocity controlled: | Destination Amp | Description This let’s you velocity control the overall volume of the sound. If a positive value is set, the volume will increase the harder you strike a key. A negative value inverts this relationship, so that the volume decreases if you play harder, and increases if you play softer. If set to zero, the sound will play at a constant volume, regardless of how hard or soft you play. F.
Retrig Low Bandwidth This is the “normal” setting for playing polyphonic patches. That is, when you press a key without releasing the previous, the envelopes are retriggered, like when you release all keys and then press a new one. In monophonic mode, Retrig has an additional function; if you press a key, hold it, press a new key and then release that, the first note is also retriggered.
Connections On the back panel of the NN-19 you will find the connectors, which are mostly CV/Gate related. Modulation Outputs The Modulation outputs can be used to voltage control other devices, or other parameters in the same NN-19 device. The Modulation Outputs are: • • Filter Envelope LFO Gate Inputs These inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger the envelopes. Note that connecting to these inputs will override the “normal” triggering of the envelopes.
DR.
Introduction About File Formats Dr.Rex can read files in the following formats: ➜ REX (.rex) This is the file format generated by previous versions of ReCycle (Mac platform). ➜ RCY (.rcy) This is the file format generated by previous versions of ReCycle (PC platform). The Dr.Rex Loop Player is capable of playing back and editing files created in ReCycle, another product created by Propellerhead Software. ReCycle is a program designed especially for working with sampled loops.
Adding a Loop To add a loop into the Dr.Rex Loop Player, proceed as follows: 1. Open the browser by selecting “Browse ReCycle/REX Files” from the Edit menu or the device context menu, or click on the folder button beside the Loop name display. Loading Loops “On the Fly” Another practical method for checking out loops, is to load them “on the fly”, i.e. during playback. This is especially useful if you want to check out a number of loops against other sequencer data and patterns previously recorded.
Creating Sequencer Notes To be able to make your REX loop start at the same time as other sequencer or pattern data, you first have to create sequencer notes from the slices: 1. Select a sequencer track connected to the Dr.Rex device. 2. Set the left and right locators to encompass the section you want to fill with REX notes. You may want to make sure that this area doesn’t contain any notes already, to avoid confusion. 3. Click the To Track button on the Dr.Rex panel. ...and in the Edit View.
Slice Handling Editing in the Waveform Display Selecting Slices A selected slice is indicated by being highlighted in the waveform display. To select a slice, use one of the following methods: ➜ By clicking in the waveform display. If you hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and click on a slice in the waveform display, it will be played back. Here you are able to edit several parameters for each slice, by first selecting it, and then using the knobs below the waveform display.
Dr.Rex Synth Parameters The Filter Section The Dr.Rex synth parameters are used for shaping and modulating the sound of the REX loops. These parameters are familiar synth parameters, similar to the ones in the Subtractor and in the NN-19 sampler. It is important to remember that these parameters do not alter the REX files in any way, only the way they will play back. ! These parameters are global, in the sense that they will affect all slices in a REX file.
Filter Frequency Amplifier Envelope The Filter Frequency parameter (often referred to as “cutoff”) determines which area of the frequency spectrum the filter will operate in. For a lowpass filter, the frequency parameter could be described as governing the “opening” and “closing” of the filter. If the Filter Freq is set to zero, none or only the very lowest frequencies are heard, if set to maximum, all frequencies in the waveform are heard.
LFO Section Destination The available LFO Destinations are as follows: | Destination Osc LFOs only generate waveforms with low frequencies. The output of the two LFO:s are never actually heard. Instead they are used for modulating various parameters. Selecting this makes the LFO control the filter frequency. Pan Selecting this makes the LFO modulate the pan position of the REX file, i.e. it will move the sound from left to right in the stereo field. Rate The Rate knob controls the LFO’s frequency.
Velocity Control Velocity is usually used to control various parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A REX file does not contain velocity values on its own. And when you create sequencer track data by applying the “To Track” function, all velocities are set to a default value of “64”. As velocity information is meant to reflect variation, having them all set to the same value is not meaningful if you wish to velocity control Dr.Rex parameters.
Setting Number of Voices - Polyphony Audio Quality Settings These two parameters provide ways of balancing audio quality vs. conservation of computer power. This determines the polyphony, i.e. the number of voices, or slices, Dr.Rex can play simultaneously. For normal loop playback, it is worth noting that slices sometimes “overlap”. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a polyphony setting of about 3-4 voices when playing REX files.
Connections On the back panel of Dr.Rex you will find the connectors, which are mostly CV/Gate related. Using CV/Gate is described in the chapter “Routing Audio and CV”. Audio Outputs These are the main left and right audio outputs. When you create a new Dr.Rex device, these are auto-routed to the first available channels on the audio mixer. Slice Gate Output This outputs a gate signal for each triggered slice in the loop.
144 DR.
MATRIX PATTERN SEQUENCER 15
Introduction About the Three Output Types Note values are entered here The Matrix is a pattern-based device. Matrix doesn’t generate sound on its own, but has to be connected to another instrument device. It basically works by sending pattern data in the form of Note CV (pitch) and Gate CV (note on/ off plus velocity) or Curve CV (for general CV parameter control) signals to a device or device parameter. The patterns can be up to 32 steps, and there are 32 memory locations for storing pattern data.
Programming Patterns ! Pattern programming basics is covered in “Programming Pattern Devices”. 3. Make sure that the switch to the left of the pattern window is set to “Keys” position. As you can see, there is a horizontal row of red rectangles at the bottom of the upper field in the pattern window. These rectangles represent note pitch, for each step in a pattern. At the moment they are all set to the same note pitch.
➜ If you now click or drag in the lower gate section while the pattern is playing, you can hear how the timbre and volume changes. Using Curve Patterns ➜ If you drag some of the vertical rectangles down so that they disappear from view, the corresponding steps of the pattern are completely silenced. Curve patterns are independent patterns that can be applied separately to the note pattern programmed in “Keys” mode.
About Unipolar and Bipolar Curves Setting Pattern Length On the back panel of the Matrix you will find a switch, allowing you to select between “Unipolar” or “Bipolar” Curves. The difference is as follows: You may want to make settings for Pattern length, i.e the number of steps the pattern should play before repeating: ➜ A unipolar curve has values starting from “0” and up. “0” is the value produced by all steps when they are “empty” (not visible).
Setting Pattern Resolution Pattern Functions Matrix always follows the tempo setting on the transport panel, but you can also make Matrix play in different tempo “resolutions” in relation to the tempo setting. This is explained in the chapter “Programming Pattern Devices”. When a pattern device is selected, you will find some specific pattern functions on the Edit menu (and on the device context menu).
Chaining Patterns Converting Pattern Data to Notes ! ! Selecting Patterns and Banks and using Cut, Copy and Paste with Patterns is described in the chapter “Programming Pattern Devices”. When you have created several patterns that belong together, you will most probably want to make these play back in a certain order. ➜ Simply activate record for the track with the Matrix as the destination in the sequencer and use the Pattern and Bank buttons to determine the playback order as the Song is playing.
Example Usage As mentioned previously, the Matrix is a very flexible device. Here follows a few examples of how you can use the Matrix Pattern Sequencer. Using the Matrix for Modulation 9. While still in play mode, you can use the Resolution knob to change the modulation “rate” in relation to the tempo. For each clockwise resolution step the modulation speed is doubled and vice versa, but it will always stay in sync with the tempo.
Triggering Samples The Gate CV output can be used to trigger samples, either in Redrum or in the NN-19 Sampler. ➜ Connect the Matrix Gate CV out to the Gate (Sequencer Control) in the NN-19 or to one of the individual Gate Channel inputs of Redrum. The Matrix gate values will now trigger the sample on each step that has a Gate value above “0”.
154 MATRIX PATTERN SEQUENCER
REBIRTH INPUT MACHINE 16
Introduction ➜ If only the “Active” indicator is lit, either the launch order was wrong, or ReBirth is not installed properly. 5. Activate playback on Reason’s transport panel. ReBirth and Reason are locked in perfect sync, and will follow any transport commands in either of the programs. The ReBirth Input Machine is a device dedicated to receiving audio from the Propellerhead program “ReBirth RB-338” (version 2.01 and later).
THE EFFECT DEVICES 17
Common Device Features While the specific parameters for each device are described below, some features and procedures are common to all effect devices: The Input meter About Connections ➜ All effect devices have stereo inputs and outputs, and can be connected as send effects or as insert effects. However, some effects are best used as one of these only. This is stated for each effect on the following pages. See also the section about the signal flow graphs below.
RV-7 Digital Reverb The selected reverb algorithm can be tweaked using the parameters on the device panel: | Parameter Adjusts the emulated room size. Middle position (value 0) is the default size for the selected algorithm. Lowering this parameter results in a closer and gradually more “canned” sound. Raising this parameter results in a more spacey sound, with longer pre-delay. For the “Stereo Echoes” and “Pan Room” algorithms, the Size parameter adjusts the delay time.
DDL-1 Digital Delay Line | Parameter This is a mono delay (with the output pannable in stereo) that can be synchronized to the song tempo. The delay can be used as a send effect or an insert effect. CV Inputs Wet/Dry | Description If you are using the delay as an insert effect, you use this parameter to adjust the balance between the unprocessed audio signal (dry) and the delay effect (wet).
D-11 Foldback Distortion The D-11 is a simple but effective distortion effect, capable of producing anything from just a whisper soft touch of distortion, to complete thrashing. This effect is most often used as an insert effect. Parameters The distortion has the following parameters: | Parameter Amount Foldback | Description This controls the amount of distortion. The higher the value, the more distortion.
The Filter Parameters The Envelope Parameters The ECF-42 filter section has the following parameters: This is a standard envelope generator with Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release parameters. It is triggered by a gate signal connected to the Env Gate input on the back panel, or by MIDI notes on a sequencer track connected to the ECF-42. The parameters have the following functionality: | Parameter Mode Freq | Description This button sets the desired filter mode.
Pattern Controlled Filter - An Example This example shows how to use the ECF-42 and the Matrix to create pattern controlled filter effects. Proceed as follows: 1. Start with an empty Song. 2. Create a Mixer. 3. Create a Subtractor Synthesizer. An Init Patch will work fine for these examples. 10. While in Run mode, hold a chord down on your keyboard. Now you should hear the envelope (controlling the filter) being triggered with every gate step. ➜ By increasing the Env.
CF-101 Chorus/Flanger The CF-101 is a combined chorus and flanger effect. It adds depth and movement to the sound by adding a short modulated delay to the audio signal. The delayed signal is then mixed with the original (either in the effect device, or manually by you - see below). The CF-101 can be used as an insert effect or a send effect. 164 | Description Delay This is a manual control for the delay time used to create the chorus/flanger effect.
PH-90 Phaser Parameters | Parameter The PH-90 Phaser is a classic phaser effect with some special features for fine-tuning the sound. It can create the classic sweeping phaser sounds suitable for pads or guitars, but also more extreme effects if you like. The phaser is best used as an insert effect. Theory A phaser works by shifting portions of the audio signal out of phase, and then adding the processed signal back to the original one.
COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain Compressor The COMP-01 compressor levels out the audio, by making loud sounds softer. To compensate for the volume loss, the device has an automatic make-up gain, that raises the overall level by a suitable amount. The result is that the audio levels become more even and individual sounds can get more “power” and longer sustain. The COMP-01 should be used as an insert effect, either for a single instrument device or for a whole mix (e.g.
PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ About the graphic display The graphic display to the left in the device panel shows the frequency response curve as set by the EQ parameters. This gives a visual feedback and helps you tailor the EQ settings. CV Inputs The following CV inputs are available on the back panel of the device: While there is a simple two-band shelving equalizer available for each channel in the mixer, the PEQ-2 gives you much more precise control over the tone color.
168 THE EFFECT DEVICES
MENU AND DIALOG REFERENCE 18
File Menu Save New • When you select this, a new, empty song appears. The exact contents of this song is determined by the contents of your “Default Song.rns” document. To customize the contents of new songs, proceed as follows: 1. Select New from the File menu to create a new song document window. 2. Add/remove devices and make settings as desired. Typically, you may want the default song to contain your choice of devices and possibly some patterns.
Song Information... Song Splash Allows you to add a picture to the song. If the “Show splash on song open” checkbox is ticked, the picture will be displayed when the song is opened. To add a splash picture, click the folder button at the upper right corner, and locate and open the picture file in the file dialog that appears. ! Splash pictures must be JPEG files (Windows extension “.jpg”) with a size of 256 x 256 pixels. To remove the splash picture from the song, click the cross button.
Song Self-contain Settings... 2. When you have selected the desired sounds, click OK. The dialog is closed. The next time you save, the specified sounds will be included in the song file. ! Note that a self-contained song file will be considerably larger than the original song file. However, samples included in a self-contained song are automatically compressed by approximately 50%, meaning that the self-contained song will still be a lot smaller than the original song and the sample files combined.
Import MIDI File... MIDI files exported by Reason will have the following properties: Reason can import standard MIDI files (SMF). This allows you to import MIDI data to Reason from other applications. ➜ 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. ➜ Under Windows, MIDI files have the extension “.mid”. On a Macintosh, MIDI files are recognized if they have the file type “Midi”.
Export Song/Loop as Audio File... Export REX as MIDI File... When you have created a complete song, you may want to mix it down to an audio file to make it playable for other people (who don’t use Reason). You can either export the whole song (from the start to the “E” marker), or only the loop (the area between the left and right locator in the sequencer). Proceed as follows: If you have imported a REX file into a Dr.
Edit Menu Undo Virtually all actions in Reason can be undone. This includes creation, deletion and reordering of devices in the Rack, parameter value adjustments, editing in the sequencer and tempo/time signature adjustments. You can undo up to 10 actions. ➜ To undo the latest action, select “Undo” from the Edit menu or hold [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and press [Z]. The action to be undone is indicated next to the Undo command on the Edit menu.
Transferring patterns between Reason songs Browse Device Patches... If you want to copy patterns between different Reason songs, you use copy and paste: This menu item allows you to select a new Patch for a device. The menu item reflects which device is selected - in other words, you must select the device for the corresponding Browse Patches item to appear on the Edit menu. 1. Open both songs. 2. Select the pattern you want to copy. 3. Select Copy Pattern from the Edit menu or the device context menu.
Browse Samples... Automap Samples Redrum This menu item applies to the NN 19 Sampler. If you have a number of samples that belong together but haven’t been mapped to key zones, you can use the “Automap Samples” function. This is used in the following way: To use this menu item to load a new drum sound into Redrum, proceed as follows: 1. Select a channel in the drum machine, by clicking its Select button. 2. Select Browse Samples. The Redrum sample browser opens. 1.
Delete Sample/Remove Sample Redrum ➜ To remove a sample from a Redrum drum machine, select its drum sound channel and then select “Delete Sample” from the Edit menu. The sample is removed from the drum sound channel and from sample memory. NNI9 3. Select the Dr. Rex player, so that it has focus. 4. Pull down the Edit menu and select “Copy REX Loop to Track”. Now, the program will create a note for each slice, positioned according to the timing of the slices.
Shift Drum Left/Right Auto-route Device These menu items are used for the Redrum. Auto-routing is when devices’ audio and CV/gate connections are automatically routed according to default rules. Auto-routing is normally performed: The Shift Drum functions move the notes for the selected instrument one step to the left or right. Shift Pattern Up/Down These menu items are used for the Matrix. The Shift Pattern functions will transpose all the notes in a pattern one semitone up or down.
Find Identical Groups Matrix notes This command 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. • Insert Bars Between Locators This function inserts an empty area between the locators in the main sequencer. All events after the left locator are moved to the right to “make room” for the inserted area.
Quantize Notes Change Events... 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.
Velocity Alter Notes Adjusts the velocity of the selected notes. This function alters the properties pitch, length and velocity of the selected notes in a random fashion. ➜ 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 0-127. Adding an amount to a note with velocity 127 will not make any difference. ➜ The Scale field allows you to scale velocities by a percentage factor.
Preferences – General Show Parameter Value Tool Tip Normally, if you hold the mouse pointer over a parameter on a device panel for a moment, a Tool Tip appears displaying the name and the current value of the parameter. If you uncheck this option, Tool Tips will not be displayed. Show Automation Indication If a parameter is automated in the sequencer, this is, by default, indicated by a colored square around the parameter on the device panel. If you uncheck this option, automation will not be indicated.
Preferences – Audio ➜ Windows: If there is no specific ASIO driver, you should select the Direct Sound driver for the audio hardware. This makes Reason communicate with the hardware via Direct Sound (a part of the Microsoft DirectX package). For this to be possible, you need to have DirectX installed on your computer, and there must be a Direct Sound driver for the audio hardware. ➜ Windows: If the audio hardware doesn’t support Direct Sound (i.e.
Output Latency Proceed as follows: The Output latency is the delay between when audio is “sent” from the program and when you actually hear it. The latency in an audio system depends on the audio hardware, its drivers and their settings. 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.
Preferences – MIDI Remote Control Input The Remote Control input is used for assigning a MIDI port for receiving MIDI Controller messages. How to use Remote Control is described in the electronic documentation in the chapter “MIDI and Keyboard Remote Control”. MIDI Clock Input Using MIDI Clock, you can slave (synchronize) Reason to hardware devices (tape recorders, drum machines, stand alone sequencers, workstations etc.) and other computer programs running on the same or another computer.
Preferences – Sound Locations 4. If you like, specify search path 2 to 4 in the same way. It is normally enough to specify a single path, since all underlying folders are automatically included in the database. Use the additional paths if you use more than one hard drive, CD-ROM drives etc. When you add sound files or save Reason files, you should place them within the database (under one of the specified search path folders).
Create Menu Options Menu Sequencer Track Internal Sync/MIDI Clock Sync/ReWire Sync Tracks are automatically created when you create instrument devices in the rack. Still, you may need to create additional tracks (e.g. for recording effect device automation): These three options are used to specify which type of tempo synchronization you prefer: ➜ To create a new sequencer track, pull down the Create menu and select Sequencer Track.
Edit Keyboard Remote Enable MIDI Remote Mapping ➜ To get an overview of which parameters are remote controllable select “Edit Keyboard Remote” 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 remote. When this is activated, MIDI messages can be used to control devices, as set up with the Edit MIDI Remote feature.
Clear All MIDI Remote Mapping This menu command removes all MIDI Remote mapping that you have set up for the song. Toggle Rack Front/Rear This switches the rack between the front and rear views. A quicker way to do this is to press [Tab]. Show Cables 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.
Windows Menu (MacOS Version) Window list This lists all open song documents. Selecting one makes it the active window. Help/Contacts Menu Contents (Windows only) This menu item opens up the Help system with the Contents tab selected. Index (Windows only) This menu item opens up the Help system with the Index tab selected. Search (Windows only) This menu item opens up the Help system with the Search tab selected.
Register Reason Now This takes you to the Propellerhead Software registration pages. Once registered you can download free sounds, chat with other Reason users and upload songs for others to hear! About Reason (Windows only) This menu item opens up a dialog that informs you about the version of the program and the people behind it.
ABOUT AUDIO ON COMPUTERS 19
General Information Audio Quality The general audio quality in a computer based synthesizer system depends on two things: ➜ The quality of the software calculating the audio. In our case, this is the Reason DSP (Digital Signal Processing) code. • • • • Reason uses 32-bit floating point arithmetic for all internal audio operations which ensures the highest possible resolution throughout the signal chain. The program supports 16, 20, and 24 bit audio output.
ReWire and Latency When you run Reason as a ReWire slave, it is the other program, the Rewire master that is responsible for actually creating the audio and playing it back via the audio card. This means that it is the master program’s latency you will get as a final result.
Via an ASIO Driver This is your best option if it is available. More and more audio cards designed for serious music and audio use come with ASIO drivers. As stated above, ASIO does not guarantee low latency, but it allows for it if the audio card designers take advantage of its possibilities. • • • Not all cards come with ASIO drivers. If in doubt check with the audio card manufacturer. Using a card via an ASIO driver can give latency figures as low as 3ms.
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 20
About This Chapter This chapter briefly describes the way various MIDI messages are implemented in Reason. It is mainly intended for those who control the rack directly via MIDI, but direct MIDI input can also be put to good use when recording into the sequencer. How various MIDI messages are Implemented The basics on how to send MIDI to Reason is described on page 41 and page 43. This chapter only deals with the details on various MIDI messages. Notes MIDI Direct Control vs.
INDEX
A ADSR 110 Alter Drum 92 Notes 30, 182 Pattern 92, 150 Arrange View 13 ASIO Driver 196 Audio Card Driver 184 Audio Out Clipping 74 Audio Outputs 79 Audio Quality 194 Automap Samples 125, 177 Automatic Quantize 29 Automation Clearing 25 Editing 23 Pattern Changes 8 Recording 7 Resetting during recording 7 Showing and Hiding 23 Showing in Device Panels 183 Static Controller Value 6 AUX Sends and Returns 85 B Bipolar Curves 149 Bit Depth 174 Browse Device Patches 176 Browse Samples 177 Bypass 158 C Cables Co
Disable MIDI Priority Boost 186 Disconnect (Routing) 36 Distortion 161 Dr.
Init patch Redrum 89 Sampler 121 Subtractor 100 Input meter (Effect devices) 158 Insert Bars Between Locators 15 Internet Options 191 K Key Lane 20 Key Maps 120, 123 Key Zones 120, 122 Keyboard Remote 57 Keys (Matrix) 146 L Lane buttons 19 Latency 66, 194 Latency Compensation 63 Locators 73 Logic 50 Loops Creating Sequencer Notes 136 Editing Slices 137 Editing Sound 138 In Drum Samples 94 In Samples 124 Loading 135 Low BW 131, 142 M Master Tune 184 Matrix About 146 Application Examples 152 Programming 14
O OMS 41 Open 170 Outputs 79 Overdub/Replace 6 Preferences Dialog 183 Preview (Dr.
Resizing Groups 17 Lanes in Edit View 19 Notes 22 Resolution (Audio) 174 Resolution (Pattern) 91 Reverb 159 ReWire Latency 195 Setting Up 47 With Cubase VST 48 With Digital Performer 51 With Logic 50 With ReBirth 156 REX files 134 REX Lane 20 Ring Modulation 105 Routing Automatic 35 Manual 36 Pop-up Menu 36 Run button 90 RV-7 Reverb 159 S S1/S2 controls 93 Sample Rate For Playback 67 In Exported Audio 174 Sampler About 120 Loading Samples 122 Parameters 126 Samples Browsing 177 Extracting from Self-contain
Songs Creating New 170 End position 174 Opening 170 Optimizing 67 Publishing 171 Self-contained 172 Splash Picture 171 Sound and Patch Search Paths 187 Sound Manager 196 Splash Picture 171 Stereo Considerations 67 In Effect Devices 158 Samples 121 Subtractor About 100 External Modulation 116 Filter 106 Oscillators 100 Waveforms 101 Sync About 60 Internal/MIDI Clock/ReWire 188 Latency 63 Setting Up 60 Transport Panel 72 Transpose 30, 181 Trigger buttons (Redrum) 89 Trim knobs 37 U Undo 175 Unipolar Curves
