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.
Table of Contents
Introduction 19 Welcome! 20 About this chapter 20 About this manual 20 About the Reason operating system versions 20 Numerical segment displays 38 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 Conventions in the manual 20 On-screen Piano Keys 45 Common Operations and Concepts 23 About this chapter 24 About this chapter 46 Using the On-screen Piano Keys 46 Opening the Piano Keys window 46 Mo
Sequencer Functions 61 About this chapter 62 Toolbar details 84 Toolbar tools 84 Alternate tools 87 Snap 87 Sequencer Toolbar keyboard shortcuts 88 Introduction 62 Ruler details 89 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 Transport Panel details 89 Track details 67 A
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 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 Tempo automation recording 114 Reco
Working with Blocks in the Sequencer 183 About this chapter 184 Naming devices 209 Folding and unfolding devices 210 Sounds and Patches 211 Introduction 184 The idea behind Blocks 184 About this chapter 212 Arrangement Views 185 About patches 212 Song View (with Blocks disabled) 185 Song View (with Blocks enabled) 186 Block View 187 Devices that use patches 212 Loading patches 213 Saving patches 214 Copying and pasting patches between devices 215 Initializing patches 215 Editing Blocks in the Block
About cables 239 Cable appearance 239 Checking and following cable connections 240 Cable color 241 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 Exporting Audio 257 About this chapter 258 Importing audio to Reason devices 258 Exporting audio 258 Exporting Songs or parts of Songs 258 Manual routing 243 Sampling 261 Connecting cables 244 Connecting cables using pop-
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 Groove Settings 295 Remote Override 315 Activating Remote Override Edit mode 315 Remote Override mapping 316 Additional Remote Overrides...
Synchronization and Advanced MIDI 329 Sampling Input section 345 About this chapter 330 More Audio 346 Synchronization to MIDI Clock 330 The Big Meter 347 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 Device 346 The Combinator 349 Introduction 350 Advanced MIDI - The External Control Bus inputs 333 C
Using the Programmer 361 Introduction 382 Key Mapping instrument devices 362 Setting Velocity Ranges for instrument devices 363 Using Modulation Routing 364 CV Connections 367 Loading and Saving Patches 382 Mixer 14:2 369 Introduction 370 The Channel Strip 370 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 Freq
Thor Polysonic Synthesizer 407 The Filter section 455 The Filters 456 The Filter Envelope 458 The Shaper 459 Introduction 408 Loading and Saving Patches 408 Routing 461 Thor elements 409 Routing examples 462 The output controls 465 The Controller panel 410 The play controls 465 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 Polyphony - setting the nu
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 Sampling in NN-XT 496 Panel overview 497 The main panel 497 The Remote Editor panel 497 Loading complete Patc
Working with Grouping 514 Group parameters 532 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 Key Poly 532 Legato and Retrig 533 LFO 1 Rate 533 Portamento 533 Synth parameters 534 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 The Modulation controls
Slice handling 556 Selecting Slices 556 Editing individual Slices 556 Editing in the Waveform Display 557 The Slice Edit Mode 558 Loading a patch 576 Checking the sounds in a patch 576 Creating a new patch 576 Creating an empty patch 577 Programming patterns 577 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.
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 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 Main Audi
BV512 Vocoder 663 PH-90 Phaser 700 Introduction 664 UN-16 Unison 702 How does a vocoder work? 664 Setting up for basic vocoding 665 COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain Compressor 703 Vocoding vocals in real-time 665 PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ 704 Using the BV512 as an equalizer 667 BV512 parameters 668 Matrix Pattern Sequencer 705 Connections 670 Introduction 706 Automation 671 About the three Output types 706 Tips and tricks 672 Programming patterns 707 Choosing a carrier sound 672 Choosing a modulat
RPG-8 Parameters 726 MIDI-CV Converter parameters 726 Arpeggiator parameters 727 Pattern editor 729 Menu and Dialog Reference 739 Reason menu (Mac OS X) 740 CV connections 732 File menu 741 Tips and tricks 734 Edit menu 744 ReBirth Input Machine (Windows Only) 735 Preferences – General 760 Preferences – Audio 763 Preferences – Keyboards and Control Surfaces 766 Preferences – Advanced Control 769 Preferences - Language and Computer Keyboard 770 Introduction 736 Create menu 771 Preparations 736 Option
Chapter 1 Introduction
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.
However, some modifier keys are different on Windows and Mac computers. Whenever this is the case, the manual 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.
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 2 Common Operations and Concepts
About this chapter 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.
The Rack Rack Scrollbar 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 Sequencer Toolbar Ruler Track List Sequencer scrollbar Edit/Arrangement Pane Song Navigator 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.
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.
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.
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].
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.
Scrolling Reason offers a few different options for scrolling in the different areas. Scrolling with the scrollbars and the Song Navigator Scrollbars and the Song Navigator in the Reason Song window Whenever there is information “outside” the visible screen area, you may want to scroll to the desired destination. The Reason Song window features two scrollbars and a Song Navigator that can be used for scrolling.
Scrolling with the Hand tool In the Sequencer, you can also use the Hand tool for scrolling the view. In the Sequencer you have to manually switch to the Hand Tool by selecting it from the sequencer Toolbar. With the Hand Tool selected, you can scroll in any direction on the Edit/Arrangement Pane. Refer to “Hand Tool” for more information. Zooming in the Sequencer In the Sequencer it’s possible to zoom in and out using the Song Navigator.
Scrolling and zooming using a wheel mouse If you’re using a mouse equipped with a scroll wheel, this can be used for the following scrolling and zooming operations: Scrolling in the Rack with a wheel mouse D Spin the scroll wheel to scroll vertically in the Rack. Scrolling in the Sequencer with a wheel mouse D Spin the scroll wheel to scroll vertically on the Edit/Arrangement Pane. D Press [Shift] and spin the scroll wheel to scroll horizontally on the Edit/Arrangement Pane.
Editing parameters Since a large part of Reason is laid out like “real” hardware devices, such as instrument and effect devices etc., almost all controls are designed like their real world counterparts - mixer faders, effect unit knobs, transport buttons, etc. How to adjust these controls is described in the following paragraphs. Knobs D To “turn” a knob, point at it, hold down the mouse button and drag up or down (as if the knob was a vertical slider).
Buttons Many functions and modes are controlled by clicking buttons. Many of the buttons in Reason have a “built-in” LED, or the button itself lights up, indicating whether the button is on or not. Fold/Unfold buttons Fold/Unfold buttons are distinguished by a small triangle at the top to the left on a device. Clicking on a Fold/Unfold button will unfold the device panel so that more controls are visible and can be accessed for editing on the screen.
Multi Mode selectors Some parameters allow you to select one of several modes. There are two different graphical representations of this in Reason. The multi mode selector type below consists of a button with the different modes listed above it: D Click the button to step through the modes or click directly on one of the modes printed on the panel, or click on the corresponding LED, to select mode. The currently selected mode is indicated by a lit LED.
Alpha-numeric controls In Reason, alpha-numeric values and/or device presets are displayed in alpha-numeric readouts with “spin controls” (up/down arrow buttons) on the side. There are two ways to change alpha-numeric/preset values: or D By using the up and down buttons on the spin controls. To adjust a value or select a preset in single steps, click on the up or down arrow button. To scroll a value continuously, click on an arrow button and keep the mouse button depressed.
Numerical segment displays In the numerical segment displays on the sequencer Transport Panel and in the sequencer Inspector, values can be edited in a number of different ways. The editing principle is exactly the same for the Transport Panel and Inspector displays, which is shown in the two examples below. Transport Panel segment displays The segment displays of the Transport Panel can be edited as shown in the following Tempo display examples.
Inspector segment displays The segment displays in the Inspector can be edited as shown in the following Position display examples. The Position display segments show (from left to right) Bars, Beats, 1/16th Note and Ticks: Click the up/down buttons to change the value in steps of 1 Bar (the leftmost segment). Click in the display to select either the Bar, Beat, 1/16th note or Ticks segment. Then, click the up/ down buttons to change the value of the selected segment in steps of 1 unit.
Context menus Context menus are “tailored” to contain only menu items that are relevant to the current circumstances. Using the various context menus allows you to work more quickly and more efficiently with Reason. D To bring up a context menu, right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the desired object, section or area in Reason.
Device context menus If you click anywhere on a device in the Rack (but not on a parameter or display), the context menu will contain the following items: The Mixer 14:2 device panel context menu • Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete and Duplicate Device and Track items, allowing you to rearrange and manage the devices in the rack. • Commands for managing Device Groups. • A duplicate of the Create menu, allowing you to create new devices. • A “Go To” submenu, listing all devices connected to the current device.
Rack “background” context menu If you click in an empty area of the rack, the context menu will contain the following items: • A Paste Devices and Tracks item, allowing you to paste any copied or cut devices and tracks. • A duplicate of the Create menu, allowing you to create new devices. Sequencer context menus If you click in the Sequencer, the context menus will contain items related to editing tracks, clips and events.
Undo and Redo Virtually all actions in Reason can be undone. This includes creation, deletion and reordering of devices in the rack, parameter value adjustments, recording and editing in the sequencer etc. You can undo up to 30 actions. D To undo the latest action, select “Undo” from the Edit menu, or hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [Z]. The action to be undone is indicated next to the Undo command on the Edit menu.
Selecting Undo again undoes the next action in the list (the panning adjustment): | UNDO | REDO 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 4. Change pan 1. Create Mixer Device 5. Adjust tempo If you now select Redo, the most recently undone action will be redone. In this case, your panning adjustment will be performed again (and added to the Undo History again): | UNDO | REDO 4. Change pan 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 1. Create Mixer Device 5.
Chapter 3 On-screen Piano Keys
About this chapter This chapter describes the functions of the On-screen Piano Keys window. The On-screen Piano Keys window enables you to play instrument devices using either your mouse or computer keyboard. This provides a simple and convenient way to input notes or chords when using the program without an attached MIDI master keyboard. Using the On-screen Piano Keys Opening the Piano Keys window D To open the window, select “Show On-screen Piano Keys” from the Windows menu, or press [F4].
The Keyboard Navigator This is present in both modes and shows the total key range. The green area indicates the key range available in the On-screen Piano Keys window. Keyboard Navigator Keys that produce sound are indicated by a gray strip above the keyboard in the Keyboard Navigator. This is useful when playing a patch where only certain keys or key ranges produce sound, e.g. a REX file or a sampler patch.
D The keys are velocity sensitive. The higher up on the key you click, the lower the velocity and vice versa. The velocity range is between 40 and 127. Velocity=40 Velocity=127 Low and high note velocities. D The keyboard octave range can be set using the arrow buttons at each side of the navigator keyboard. Each C key is labeled with the octave number. You can also simply drag the green key range area to where you want. It will snap to octave ranges.
D In Computer Keys Mode you can play notes and chords using your computer keyboard. The Computer Keys keyboard range is fixed to 18 notes (from C to F), although the octave range will give you access to any notes within the ten octaves shown in the navigator. You can also click on the keys with your mouse to trigger notes. The numerical keys in the top row are not used to enter notes but to set velocity, see “Velocity”.
Velocity Variation This feature will randomly vary the velocity values for the notes you enter. There are four modes; None (default), Light, Medium and Heavy. The degree of velocity variation is as follows.
Chapter 4 Audio Basics
About this chapter This chapter contains some useful information about how audio is handled by Reason and how the audio is routed. Some of it may seem a bit technical, but we recommend that you read it to get the most out of Reason. How Reason communicates with your audio hardware Reason receives, generates and plays back digital audio - a stream of numerical values in the form of ones and zeroes.
To send the sound of a device in the Rack to a specific output, you route the device output to the corresponding Output jack on the Hardware Interface. This is done by using the patch cables on the back of the rack, as described in “Manual routing”.
Sample Rate settings for recording and playback Reason handles all internal audio processing in 32-bit floating point resolution. However, the resolution of the input and output audio is determined by the hardware audio interface. That is, if you have a 24-bit audio card, Reason will record and output audio in 24-bit resolution, and if you have a 20-bit audio card, audio will be recorded and played back in 20-bit resolution.
See “About latency” for more information about buffer size and latency. CPU Usage Limit settings In the “Miscellaneous” section on the “General” page in Preferences, you can define an upper limit for the CPU usage. If the DSP Load should exceed this set limit, the Reason application will stop receiving and outputting sound.
About audio levels When recording and playing back in Reason, you should keep an eye on the Audio In and Audio Out Clip indicators on the Transport Panel, or on the Hardware Interface and the Big Meter. If any of the clip indicators light up, the audio level is too high, resulting in clipping (digital distortion). The Clip indicators will stay lit for a short moment, to make them easier to spot.
! Note that it doesn’t matter if the level meters on the individual devices (effects, MIxer channels, etc.) “hit the red”. Output clipping can only occur in the Hardware Interface. The technical reason for this is that internally, Reason uses high resolution floating point processing, which ensures highest audio quality and virtually limitless headroom.
General information about audio and computers About latency On any personal computer system, there is a delay between the moment you input a sound, or “tell” the hardware to play a sound, and when you actually hear it. This delay is referred to as the “latency” of the design. This imposes a problem for any system where you want real-time user input to affect the sound. Why is there latency? All audio applications receive and generate their audio in chunks.
ReWire and Latency When you run Reason as a ReWire slave, it is the other program, the ReWire master, that is responsible for actually rendering the audio and playing it back via the audio card. It means that any latency is present in the ReWire master.
Mac specific information About using the built-in audio inputs and outputs All Mac models come with a built-in audio interface, providing stereo input and output jacks (and in some cases a built-in microphone). Depending on your needs, the quality of these inputs and outputs may be fully sufficient for use with Reason. However, in Mac OS X 10.4 the system presents the built-in inputs and outputs as two or three individual audio devices.
Chapter 5 Sequencer Functions
About this chapter This chapter describes the layout and general functions of the main sequencer. Recording, editing clips and events, arranging and working with Blocks in the sequencer are described in detail in the chapters “Recording in the Sequencer”, “Note and Automation Editing”, “Arranging in the Sequencer” and “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer”. Introduction The sequencer is where you record your songs.
If the Blocks button on the Transport Panel is activated, you can click the Block View button to enter Block View. In Block View you arrange the clips you want to include in specific Blocks (see “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer”). Edit Mode is where you edit the contents of the clips in your song.
In Edit Mode, you get a close-up look at the recordings on a track. In Edit Mode, the Edit Pane can be divided into several horizontal edit rows, showing different types of events (notes, velocity, parameter automation, etc.). This is the view mode of choice for fine editing the content of your recorded clips, and for drawing notes, performance controllers and other events manually. Toolbar overview The sequencer Toolbar features various sequencer editing tools as well as the Snap function.
Lanes overview Lanes Each track consists of one (default) or several parallel lanes. The lanes can contain clips that feature note events. A track can also feature automation lanes that contain clips with parameter automation events - or pattern automation for pattern based devices. See “Lane details” for more details about lanes. Clips overview Note Clips Automation Clips Pattern Clips Note, performance controller, pattern and parameter automation events are always contained in clips.
Ruler overview The Ruler is the song’s “time line”, measured in bars. In the Ruler, the Song Position Pointer indicates the current position in the song, i.e. in which bar the song is, or will begin, playing. The Ruler also shows the Left and Right Loop Locators as well as the Song End Marker. See “Ruler details” for more details. Edit/Arrangement Pane overview The big center section of the sequencer is called the Edit/Arrangement Pane.
Track details Track definition The tracks in the sequencer are where you record your audio, note and automation to create your songs. A track is always associated with a device in the rack (except for the Transport track and Blocks track). An icon with a picture of the associated device is shown in the Track List on the left hand side in the sequencer. In the Track List, the name of the associated device is shown, as well as icons and buttons related to the specific track.
Setting Master Keyboard Input D To set Master Keyboard Input to a track and its associated device, click the device icon in the Track List. Master Keyboard Input set to an instrument track The device icon gets a keyboard symbol below it and a red border, indicating that the track and associated device has Master Keyboard Input. The track and device will now respond to incoming MIDI data from a connected MIDI keyboard/control surface.
Track types These are the different track types: • The Blocks track. The Blocks track is present at the top of the Track List only when the Blocks button on the transport Panel is on. On the Blocks track you can create Block Automation clips to decide which Blocks should play back. Refer to “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer” for more information about the Blocks feature. • The Transport track. The Transport track is always present at the top of the Track List and cannot be moved or deleted.
Track List elements In the picture below, a Track List with four tracks is shown. From the top down are the Transport Track (which is always present and cannot be moved or deleted), an Instrument Track associated with an NN-XT device, an Instrument Track associated with a Combinator device and an Automation Track associated with an RV7000 device. The Transport Track in the picture features two parameter Automation Lanes (for Time Signature and Tempo) that have been manually created for the track.
Creating tracks Creating an instrument track To create an instrument track, you need only create the instrument device. An instrument track is automatically created when you create a device which can receive MIDI notes: 1. Select desired instrument type from the “Create” menu.
Selecting tracks D Select a track by clicking on it in the Track List. A selected track gets a darker color. q Selecting a track in the sequencer will automatically scroll the corresponding device into view in the rack. D You can also select the next or previous track in the Track List list by using the up and down arrow keys on the computer keyboard. ! By default, selecting a track will automatically set Master Keyboard Input to that track.
Deleting tracks The most common scenario would probably be to delete a track together with its associated device(s). However, it’s also possible to delete only the track while keeping the associated device(s) in the rack. Deleting tracks together with their associated devices D To delete one or several tracks together with their associated devices in the Rack, select the tracks and then select “Delete Track(s) and Device(s)” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu.
Coloring tracks A track can be assigned a color in the sequencer as follows: D To assign a new color to a selected track, select “Track Color” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu and then select color from the palette. The track color is shown in the track background in the Track List. The selected track color will be reflected in all new clips you record or draw on this track. Any previously recorded clips on this track will not change color.
Muting tracks To mute a track means to silence it, so that no data is sent from the track during playback. This can be useful when you are trying out different versions of an arrangement, for bringing elements in and out of the mix during playback. D To mute a track, click the corresponding Mute (M) button in the Track List. Everything present on the track will be muted. A red “M” button in the Track List indicates that the track is muted. D To unmute the track, click the “M” button again.
Lane details A track consists of one (default) or several parallel lanes. Depending on track type, the clips on the lanes can contain various types of events. A lane can also contain clips with performance controller and parameter automation events or pattern selection for pattern based devices. Note lane Note Lane As the name implies, the note lane can contain clips that feature note events. Clips on a note lane can also contain performance controller events.
• Activity bar To the right of the “M” button is the note lane Activity bar. As soon as there is any note playing in a clip on the lane, the bar lights up in green. The note lane Activity bar also reflects the velocity of the played back notes. • Delete (X) button To the far right is the “Delete Note Lane” (X) button. Clicking this button will delete the lane (and all clips on it). If there are clips on the lane, a dialog appears prompting you to confirm deletion.
Pattern lane Pattern Lane A Redrum track featuring a pattern lane A pattern lane can only exist in a track featuring a pattern based device, such as the Redrum Drum Module or the Matrix Analog Pattern Sequencer. A pattern lane can only contain clips with pattern Bank and pattern Number automation data. There can only be a single pattern lane per track. Pattern lane elements • Name The name of the automated parameter is displayed on the pattern automation lane tab.
D Click on the “New Dub” button on the Transport Panel. A new note lane will be created and automatically record enabled. See “Recording notes using the “Dub” and “Alt” functions” for more details. D Click on the “New Alt” button on the Transport Panel. A new note lane will be created and automatically record enabled.
Alternatively, if you want to automate several parameters in one go: 1. Select “Parameter Automation” from the Edit menu or the context menu. The Track Parameter Automation dialog opens up. D If the parameters you want to automate aren’t visible in the dialog, uncheck the “Show Frequently Used Only” box to view all available device parameters that can be automated. 2. Place a tick in the boxes for the parameters you want to automate and click OK. 3.
Deleting lanes Deleting note lanes A note lane can be deleted as follows: D Click the “Delete Note Lane” (X) button on the lane tab in the Track List. This will delete the lane (and all clips on it). If there are clips on the lane, a dialog appears prompting you to confirm deletion. D To delete the lane without the dialog, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and click the Delete Note Lane button.
Alternatively: 1. Select a track by clicking on it. 2. Select “Parameter Automation” from the Edit menu or from the context menu. The Track Parameter Automation dialog opens up. 3. Uncheck the checked boxes for the parameter automation lanes you want delete and click OK. The corresponding parameter automation lanes, with their clips, will be removed from the track. If there are clips on the lane, a dialog appears prompting you to confirm deletion.
Moving note lanes A note lane has a “handle” and can be moved vertically together with all clips on the lane. Move a note lane to another position on the same track like this: 1. Click on the lane handle (the leftmost area of the lane). 2. Drag the note lane up or down and release at the desired destination. Just as when moving tracks, a red insertion line is shown indicating where the note lane will be placed after you release the mouse button.
Clip basics Only the basic properties and functions pertaining to clips are described here. See “Arranging in the Sequencer” for in-depth details about what you can do with clips. Clip types Here are the different clip types: Block automation clip Note clip with note and performance controller events Parameter automation clip with automation events Pattern automation clips • Block automation clips (only if Blocks are on) that contain information of which Block should play back.
Pencil Tool The Pencil Tool is used for manually drawing clips and events in clips. It can also be used to edit the velocity values of notes in open note clips. D You can also select the Pencil Tool by pressing [W] on the computer keyboard. D Press [Alt](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) to momentarily switch from the Pencil Tool to the Selection Tool. Eraser Tool The Eraser Tool is used for deleting clips and events. D You can also select the Eraser Tool by pressing [E] on the computer keyboard.
D To zoom in with the Magnifying Glass Tool, click in the Arrangement Pane where you want the origin of magnification. Place the Magnifying Glass Tool in the Arrangement Pane and click. D After three clicks, the Arrangement Pane looks like this. The magnification is equal in vertical and horizontal directions To zoom out with the Magnifying Glass Tool, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Option](Mac) and click. You’ll notice that the “+” sign in the Magnifying Glass Tool changes to a “-” sign.
D You can also select the Hand tool by pressing [U] on the computer keyboard. D Press [Alt](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) to momentarily switch from the Hand Tool to the + Magnifying Glass Tool. D Press [Ctrl]+[Alt](Win) or [Cmd]+[Option](Mac) to momentarily switch from the Hand Tool to the - Magnifying Glass Tool. q It’s also possible to scroll horizontally in the Edit/Arrangement Pane by using the Song Navigator in the sequencer as described in “Scrolling with the scrollbars and the Song Navigator”.
! Note that you can select different Snap values for selected clips and for open clips (see “About separate Snap values for selected clips and for open clips”). The Snap function effects the following operations: • Moving the Song Position Pointer, Loop Locators and Song End Marker. When you adjust the Locators with Snap activated, they will snap to the selected Snap value on an absolute grid. • Moving clips and events.
Ruler details The Ruler is the song’s time line. In the Ruler, the Song Position Pointer indicates the current position in the song, i.e. in which bar the song is, or will start, playing. The Ruler also shows the Left (L) and Right (R) Loop Locators as well as the Song End Marker (E).
Pre(-count) On/Off D Click the Pre button to hear a pre-count (count-in) click sound before recording. Pre-count will only be present before recording - not before regular playback. See “Click and Pre-count” for details about selecting number of pre-count bars etc. Click Level D Adjust the audio level of the metronome (and Pre-count) click by turning this knob. See “Click and Pre-count” for more details.
Tempo The current song tempo is shown in the display in BPM (Beats Per Minute) and 1/1000 of a BPM. You can edit the tempo according to the descriptions in “Transport Panel segment displays”. The Tempo range is 1.000-999.999 BPM. Signature The current song time signature is shown in the display. You can edit the time signature according to the descriptions in “Transport Panel segment displays”. The available Signatures are: 1/2-16/2, 1/4-16/4, 1/8-16/8 and 1/16-16/16.
Q Rec D Click the Q Rec (Quantize during Recording) button to quantize notes as they are being recorded. When the Q Rec button is on, all recorded MIDI notes will be quantized to the currently selected quantization grid. Refer to “Quantizing notes” for more information on quantization. Loop On/Off D Click the Loop button or press [L] to activate the Loop function. When the loop function is activated, recording and playback will be continuously looped between the Left and Right Locators.
Transport keyboard commands Below is a complete list of the computer keyboard shortcuts for the Sequencer Transport functions: | Function | Key command Stop, Go to start position, Go to start of song [0] on the numeric keypad or [Shift]+[Return] Play [Enter] on the numeric keypad Toggle Stop/Play [Spacebar] Rewind [4] on the numeric keypad Fast Forward [5] on the numeric keypad Record [*] on the numeric keypad or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac)+[Return] Go to Left Locator [1] on the numeric keypad
About the Inspector Inspector (context sensitive) The Inspector, located above the Edit/Arrangement Pane, can be used for a number of different editing purposes pertaining to clips, events and recordings. The Inspector is context sensitive, meaning it will have different content and functionality depending on what is currently selected.
Chapter 6 Recording in the Sequencer
About this chapter This chapter describes the different recording techniques that you can use in Reason. The chapter covers both notes and parameter automation recording. Before you read this chapter, it’s recommended that you are familiar with the basic sequencer functions and definitions described in the “Sequencer Functions” chapter. A lot of functions are common for all types of recording methods. These will be described first in this chapter.
Record enabling an instrument track Record Enable Parameter Automation button Record Enable buttons D To record enable an instrument track, click on the Record Enable button on a note lane on the instrument track. The Record Enable button lights up red and the track has Master Keyboard Input.
Record enabling parameter automation Parameter automation can be recorded on all track types, on one track at a time or on multiple tracks simultaneously. Record Enable Parameter Automation button D Click on the Record Enable Parameter Automation button(s) on the desired track(s) in the Track List to enable parameter automation recording. All tracks enabled for parameter automation recording will be indicated by red Record Enable Parameter Automation buttons.
D Select the number of pre-count bars by choosing “Number Of Precount Bars” in the Options menu. You can choose between 1 to 4 bars. Selecting number of pre-count bars q Feel free to experiment with different pre-count settings. For up-tempo (faster) songs it’s generally more convenient to have a little longer pre-count (3 or 4 bars) whereas for slower songs it’s often sufficient with 1-2 bars. Click Level Adjust the audio level of the metronome click (and pre-count click) by turning the knob.
Loop mode In loop mode, the song is automatically looped between the Left and Right Loop Locators on the Edit/Arrangement Pane during playback and/or recording: Loop mode activated by clicking the Loop button on the Transport Panel The behavior when recording in loop mode differs depending on what you’re recording - MIDI or parameter automation. Refer to “Recording notes in Loop mode” and “Recording parameter automation in Loop mode”.
4. Start recording on the track. As the recording begins, the Play button on the Transport Panel goes dark while the Record button remains red. During recording, both the Play and Record buttons are active and any input data will be recorded. If the lane is currently empty, a new clip is automatically created on the record enabled lane on the track. As the recording progresses, the clip expands following the Song Position Pointer.
Note recording details Note events can be recorded for instrument devices and are contained in note clips. Performance controller events, such as Mod Wheel, Pitch Bend and Aftertouch events, can also be recorded from instrument devices, and be contained in note clips, but they are described separately in “Parameter automation recording details”.
3. Enable the Loop function by pressing [L] or by clicking the “Loop On/Off” button on the Transport Panel: Loop mode activated on the Transport Panel 4. Click the “L” button on the Transport Panel to move the Song Position Pointer to the Left Locator. 5. Record the track according to the description in “General recording procedure”. When the Song Position Pointer has reached the Right Locator, the recording starts over from the Left Locator again and you can record additional notes.
Recording notes using the “Dub” and “Alt” functions A practical way of recording additional MIDI events on an instrument track is to use the “Dub” and “Alt” functions. The “Dub” function The “Dub” function creates additional record enabled note lanes on which you can record “overdubs”. This is the function to use when you want to add new notes in the same section of the instrument track but want the notes to end up in new clips on additional note lanes instead of in the original clip.
The “New Alt” function The “Alt” function creates additional record enabled note lanes on which you can record alternative takes. At the same time, the previous note lane will be muted. Only the most recently added note lane will play back. ! Note that if Loop is activated and the Song Position Pointer is between the Locators, the clips between the Locators will be muted (instead of the lanes).
Parameter automation recording details In Reason, you can automate virtually any device parameters and create completely automated mixes if you like. This is done by recording parameter events in the sequencer. It’s also possible to record sequencer Tempo automation (see “Tempo automation recording”). Performance controllers vs. track parameter automation Recording parameter automation can be done in two different ways; either as performance controller automation or as track parameter automation.
Recording performance controller automation If you use any MIDI performance controllers when recording on a note lane, these are automatically added to the recorded clip. This makes sense as performance controllers are usually recorded at the same time you record notes, as a part of the performance. Standard MIDI performance controllers are Pitch Bend, Modulation Wheel, Sustain Pedal, Aftertouch, Breath Control and Expression.
q Note that you can record notes and performance controllers separately. I.e. you can first record notes on one note lane and then record performance controllers on another note lane on the same instrument track. The automation will be contained in note clips placed on a separate lane and can also be moved or muted separately. ! If several note lanes contain performance controller automation, the topmost lane has priority (see “About performance controller automation on multiple lanes”).
About performance controller automation on multiple lanes If you have several active (un-muted) note clips with performance controller automation on different lanes of the same track, and these note clips overlap position-wise, the following rule applies: • Performance controllers in clips on the topmost lane override performance controllers of the same type in other overlapping clips on lanes below: The clip on Lane 2 has Mod Wheel automation, and the clip on Lane 1 also has Mod Wheel automation - plus Pi
Parameter automation recording procedure 1. Make sure there is a sequencer track for the device you’re going to record parameter automation for. For instrument devices, a sequencer track is automatically created together with the device. For effect devices, that might not necessarily have a sequencer track, the easiest way to create a track for parameter automation is by right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) on the device parameter and selecting “Edit parameter Automation” from the pop-up. 2.
Recording parameter automation over or into an existing clip Recording parameter automation events over or into an existing automation clip will simply replace the previously recorded automation events. However, If the new recording should start before the start position of the original automation clip, and expand into the original clip, the new clip will merge with the original clip. After the new clip ends, the parameter automation in the original clip will “take over”.
Adjusting automated parameters during playback - “Live mode” Even if you have automated a device parameter, you can still “grab it” and adjust it during playback, overriding the recorded automation: 1. During playback, adjust an automated parameter. The Automation Override indicator lights up on the Transport Panel. From this point onward, the recorded automation for the parameter is temporarily disabled. 2. To activate the previously recorded automation again, click the “Automation Override” indicator.
Pattern automation recording details If your song contains pattern based devices such as the Redrum Drum Computer, Matrix Analog Pattern Sequencer or Dr. Octo Rex, you probably want to use more than a single pattern throughout the song. To facilitate this you can record pattern changes in the sequencer. Recording pattern automation 1. Before you start recording on the track, make sure the “Record Enable Parameter Automation” button is on (red).
• 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 by moving or resizing the pattern clips, see “Editing pattern automation”. • You can “punch in” on recorded pattern changes, to replace a section of the pattern lane with new pattern automation events. This can be done the same way as described in “Recording parameter automation over or into an existing clip”.
3. Start recording in the sequencer and record the tempo changes by changing the value in the Tempo display. Either click on the up/down buttons to change tempo in BPM steps, or click and drag up/down in either of the display segments to change tempo in BPM steps or 1/1000 BPM steps. or or q You can also manually draw Tempo automation events in the parameter automation clip, using the Pencil tool - see “Drawing tempo automation events”.
RECORDING IN THE SEQUENCER
Chapter 7 Arranging in the Sequencer
About this chapter This chapter describes how you can arrange and work with the clips in your song. The chapter covers both note and parameter automation clip arrangement. Special arrangement techniques pertaining to the Blocks View are described in the separate chapter “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer”. Before reading this chapter, it’s recommended that you are familiar with the sequencer functions and definitions described in the “Sequencer Functions” and “Recording in the Sequencer” chapters.
Selecting multiple clips In Song View, several clips can be selected, e.g. for cutting, copying, pasting, deletion, moving or resizing purposes. D Press [Ctrl](Win) or [Shift](Mac) and select the clips. Under Windows, you can also press [Shift] and click to select a range of clips on the same lane. D Draw a selection rectangle with the Selection Tool (arrow) on the Arrange Pane background.
Deleting clips D To delete a clip, select it and press [Delete] or [Backspace] or select “Delete” from the Edit or context menu. You can also draw selection rectangles with the Selection tool, encompassing several clips and delete them all at once. The same rules apply as when selecting clips (see “Selecting clips”). Deleting clips with the Eraser tool You can also use the Eraser tool to delete clips on the Arrange Pane.
Resizing (masking) clips All clip types can be resized by clicking and dragging either of the Clip Resize handles on the selected clip(s). This can be done both in the Song View and in Edit Mode. In Edit Mode, the Clip Resize handles appear in the Clip Overview area. Clip Resize handles A selected note clip If you resize a clip and make it smaller, any recordings or events that now lie outside the clip boundaries will not sound, or have any effect, when played back.
About masked recordings and events A note or parameter automation clip which contains masked events is indicated by white corners on the left, right or both clip boundaries: The position of the white corners indicate on which side of the clip boundary the masked events exist: Masked events to the right of the clip Masked events to the left of the clip Masked events on both sides of the clip Masked events in note and parameter automation clips In the picture below is an open note clip in Edit Mode with not
! Note that just switching to Edit Mode won’t show masked events. A clip has to be opened before you can view these events. You can remove all masked note and parameter automation events using the “Crop Events to Clips” function on the Edit menu (see “The “Crop Events to Clips” function”). About masked performance controllers and automation events Masked performance controller and parameter automation events just outside a clip can still affect the clip, since they affect the curve shape.
1. Select one or several clips, either on the arrangement pane in Song/Blocks View, or in the Clip Overview in Edit Mode. 2. With the Arrow Tool selected, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Option](Mac) and place the mouse cursor over one of the Clip Resize handles. When you reach any of the Clip Resize handles, the arrow symbol switches to a “scale tempo” arrow. 3. Hold down [Ctrl](Win)/[Option](Mac) and click and drag the cursor sideways in either direction to scale the tempo of the clip contents.
Moving clips Moving clips within the same lane D To move a clip, drag and drop it to the desired destination on the lane. It’s also possible to select and move several clips by dragging and dropping them to the desired destination. If the Snap function is selected (see “Snap”), you will only be able to move the clip(s) in steps of the selected Snap value.
Moving clips between lanes You can move clips between lanes, either on the same track or between lanes on different tracks: D Click and drag the clip(s) to the desired position on the new lane. The set Snap value is taken in to account if the function is activated (see “Snap”). It’s also possible to move several selected clips in one go. D Hold down [Shift] when you drag the clip(s), to restrict the clips to vertical movement.
Moving clips with performance controller automation to another track If you move note clips that contain performance controller automation events to another track (for a different type of instrument device), there are a few things to note: • If you have only recorded standard performance controllers (Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel and Sustain pedal) in the note clip, these will usually translate without any problems when moved to another device track.
New tracks will be created when necessary. Since all tracks must have a device associated with them, the new tracks will be associated with empty Combinator devices. You can then use the Patch browser on the Combinator to select a suitable patch and device type. The above rules also apply when pasting alien clips and parameter automation clips.
Splitting clips You can split clips using the Razor Tool in Arrange Mode. To split a single clip, proceed as follows: 1. Select the Razor Tool and place it where you want to split the clip. On the Razor Tool’s left edge is a cross-hair which indicates where the split will take place. If activated, the Snap setting is taken into account (see “Snap”). 2. Click with the Razor Tool to split the clip at the cross-hair’s position. The clip is now split into two separate clips.
1. Place the Razor Tool’s cross-hair on the Ruler where you want to split the clips on all tracks of the song. 2. Click and drag the Razor Tool in either direction on the Ruler to make a range selection. 3. Release the mouse button to split the clips on all tracks and lanes in the song. ! Clips on tracks and lanes that might be scrolled out of view on the Arrange Pane will also be split.
Muting clips Clips can be muted as follows: D Select the Mute Tool from the Toolbar and click on the clips you want to mute. Muted clips are indicated with gray stripes, borders and events: Muted clips D Select the clips and then select “Mute Clips” from the Edit menu or from the clip context menu. Alternatively, select the clips and press [M] on the computer keyboard to mute them. Unmuting clips Muted clips can be unmuted as follows: D Click on muted clips with the Mute Tool.
2. Select “Merge Note Lanes on Tracks” from the Edit menu or from the context menu. The clips on all note lanes will be merged on the topmost note lane. The same instrument track after merging. • If there are time gaps between the clips on the lanes, several clips will be created on the merged note lane. • Muted note lanes or muted clips on the track will not be included in the merge. • It’s also possible to select several tracks and merge the note lanes on each individual track, all in one go.
Matching clip lengths Another Match Value function in the Inspector can be used to match the lengths of several selected clips to the length of the topmost (or leftmost if on the same lane) selected clip: 1. Select a couple of clips on the Arrange Pane. 2. Click the “Match Values” button to the right of the Length display to resize all selected clips to the length of the topmost clip - or leftmost clip, if the clips are on the same lane.
Removing bars The “Remove Bars Between Locators” function on the Edit menu, or context menu, removes all events between the Left and Right Locators. All clips that intersect the locator positions will be cut (when necessary), and the cut section (between the locators) will be removed. All clips that originally were located to the right of the Right Locator will then be moved to the Left Locator, closing the gap.
Chapter 8 Note and Automation Editing
About this chapter This chapter describes how to edit note and parameter automation events after they have been recorded in the sequencer. It also describes how to manually create note and automation events in clips. General sequencer functions, recording, arranging in the sequencer and working with Blocks are described in detail in the chapters “Sequencer Functions”, “Recording in the Sequencer”, “Arranging in the Sequencer” and “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer”.
Selecting what to edit The Edit Mode shows the contents of a single track at a time on the Edit Pane. On instrument tracks, only one note lane can have edit focus at a time. • If a track is selected when you enter Edit Mode, the contents of the note lane with edit focus will be shown. Also, all parameter automation lanes will be shown at the bottom of the Edit Pane. If a single clip was selected on the note lane with edit focus when you switched to Edit Mode, it will automatically be opened.
D To edit the events in a note clip, open the clip by double-clicking it, or select it and press [Return]. Opening a note clip in the Song/Block View automatically switches the sequencer to Edit Mode. Double-clicking a note clip in the Song/Block View... ...opens it for editing in Edit Mode. An open clip in Edit Mode is highlighted. D Double-click on a closed (grayed out events) note clip in Edit Mode to open it for editing in Edit Mode.
See “Editing parameter automation in the Song/Block View” for information on how to edit parameter automation events in Arrange Mode. D Double-click on a parameter automation clip in Edit Mode to open it for editing in Edit Mode. A parameter automation clip before and after opening it in Edit Mode D To close an open parameter automation clip in Edit Mode, press [Esc] or click anywhere on another lane.
From the top down in the picture above, the Edit Pane contains the following elements: • Back button Click the Back button to exit Edit Mode and return to the Song/Block View. • Clip Resize Handles By clicking and dragging either of the handles, you can change the position and length of the clip. • Clip Overview The Clip Overview shows the note clips of the note lane which has edit focus. You can select one or several clips in the Clip Overview and perform clip-based editing (e.g.
Edit Mode window handling Resizing, zooming and scrolling D You can resize or hide Edit Lanes by dragging the dividers between them. Where applicable, individual zoom controls and scrollbars are available to the right of each Edit Lane. D The Magnifying Glass tool can be used for zooming in and out (see “Magnifying Glass Tool”). D The Hand tool can be used for scrolling the view in any direction (see “Hand Tool”).
D You can manually change Note Edit Mode by clicking the Note Edit Mode button in the upper right corner of the Note Edit Lane and selecting another mode from the pop-up menu. Selecting Note Edit Mode The selected Note Edit Mode is automatically remembered for each note lane on a track. The next time you switch to Edit Mode, the correct Note Edit Mode will be recalled for that note lane.
Drum Edit Mode Drum Edit Mode Drum Edit Mode is best suited for viewing and editing notes recorded for a Redrum device. In Drum Edit Mode the keyboard has been replaced by a list showing the corresponding Redrum drum sound channel names. If the track is associated with another type of instrument device, the list shows MIDI note numbers (0-127) instead. By clicking on any of the names (or note numbers) in the list, you can audition the sounds.
Creating empty clips When recording in the sequencer, clips are automatically created on the record enabled lane when necessary. However, there might be situations when you want to manually draw empty clips in the Song/Block View to record or edit in later on: 1. Select the Pencil Tool from the sequencer Toolbar. 2. Place the Pencil on the lane where you want the clip to begin. If you want to create a note clip, draw it on a note lane.
Tool Window editing tools The Sequencer Tools tab in the Tool Window is very useful when you want to perform various note and parameter automation editing tasks. Here is how you access the Tool Window and the contents of the Sequencer Tools tab: 1. 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. 2. Click the Sequencer Tools tab.
Note editing Notes can be edited using the mouse in Edit Mode. It’s also possible to edit notes by using the functions on the Tools tab in the Tool Window. Notes can also be numerically edited in the Inspector, as described in “Note and automation editing in the Inspector”. Selecting notes To select notes in an open clip in Edit Mode, use one of the following methods: D Click on a note event with the Selection (Arrow) Tool.
Drawing notes Notes are usually drawn and edited in Key Edit Mode on the Note Edit Lane, but the actions described below also apply to the Drum Edit Mode and the REX Edit Mode. 1. If you want to restrict note input to certain note values (e.g. 1/16th notes), activate Snap (see “Snap”) and set the snap value accordingly. 2. Select the Pencil tool. q With the Selection (Arrow) tool selected, you can toggle temporarily between the Selection tool and the Pencil tool by holding down [Alt](Win) or [Cmd](Mac).
About drawing notes outside an open clip If you draw notes outside the boundaries of an open clip, the result depends on the setting "Keep Events in Clip While Editing" on the Options menu: • If the “Keep Events in Clip While Editing” option is active, the notes will belong to the open clip after they have been drawn, but become masked since they are drawn outside the clip boundaries. The clip position and length will remain unchanged.
Resizing notes Resizing notes manually When you select a note on the Edit Pane, a handle appears on its right edge. You can click on this handle and drag sideways to make the note shorter or longer. • If Snap is on (see “Snap”), the end of the note will be magnetic to the Snap value positions. • If several notes are selected, all will be resized by the same amount. • When resizing notes the event may extend outside the right clip boundary.
! In Edit Mode, select clip(s) by clicking on it/them in the Clip Overview. • All note events in all note clips on one or several selected instrument tracks. This has to be done in the Song/Block View. D Click the “Add” or “Sub” radio button and select the length value to add or subtract in the corresponding display. Then, click “Apply”. D Click the “Fixed” radio button to set all notes to the length defined in the display. Then, click “Apply”.
• “Overlap” extends the selected note(s) to overlap the next selected note(s) by a set amount. A group of notes before and after applying the “Overlap” legato function with an overlap of 1/16th note D “Gap by” introduces a gap between selected notes, which you specify in the “Gap by:” display. A group of notes before and after applying the “Gap” legato function with a gap value of 1/16th note Resizing notes in the Inspector You can also edit the length of notes numerically in the inspector.
Moving notes Moving notes manually D To move a note, click and drag it to a new position, or new pitch (note number), using the Selection Tool. If several notes are selected, all will be moved. If Snap is on (see “Snap”), the moved events will keep their relative distance to the Snap value positions. For example, if the Snap value is set to “Bar”, you can move the selected notes to another bar without affecting their relative timing.
D You can also move selected notes to a new note clip, on a new additional note lane, by right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) and selecting “Move Selected Notes to New Lane” from the context menu. A new note clip and note lane will be automatically created.
Nudging note positions with the arrow keys You can use the left or right arrow keys to “nudge” the positions of selected note events: D Hold [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and use the left or right arrow key to move the position back or forward by the set Snap value. D Hold [Ctrl]+[Alt](Win) or [Cmd]+[Option](Mac) and use the left or right arrow key to move the position back or forward in Tick increments. There are 240 ticks per 1/16 note so this allows for very fine editing.
Moving notes in the Inspector You can also edit the note positions and pitches numerically in the inspector. See “Note and automation editing in the Inspector”. Duplicating notes Duplicating notes manually D To duplicate selected notes, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Option](Mac) and click and drag a copy of the selection, similar to when moving notes manually (see “Moving notes”).
Pasting events outside an open clip When you use the Paste command, the events will appear at the Song Position Pointer, on the original lane. Depending on the “Keep Events in Clip While Editing” setting in the Preferences dialog, the following rules apply: • If the “Keep Events in Clip While Editing” option is active, the notes will belong to the open clip after they have been pasted, but become masked since they are pasted outside the clip boundaries. The clip position and length will remain unchanged.
Quantization can be applied to: • Individual (selected) notes in a note clip. This has to be done in Edit Mode. • All notes in one or several selected note clips. This is done in the Song/Block View. If the clips are on the same lane, it can also be done in Edit Mode. ! In Edit Mode, select clip(s) by clicking on it/them in the Clip Overview. • All notes in all note clips on one or several selected instrument tracks. This has to be done in Arrange Mode.
3. Select a value from the Quantize Amount drop-down list. This is a percentage, governing how much each note should be moved. If you select 100%, notes will be moved all the way to the closest Quantize value positions; if you select 50%, notes will be moved half-way, etc. The Quantize Amount drop-down list 4. Click the Quantize “Apply” button. The selected notes are quantized. A sloppily recorded hi-hat pattern is quantized to straight 1/4 notes (Quantize Value 1/4, Amount 100%).
Quantize to Shuffle In the Value drop-down list, you will also find an option called “Shuffle”. If this is selected when you quantize, the notes are moved towards sixteenth note positions, but with Shuffle applied. Shuffle creates a “swing feel” by delaying the even-numbered sixteenth notes (the sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes). The amount of Shuffle is set with the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer.
The “Transpose Notes” function can be applied to: • Individual (selected) note events in a note clip. This has to be done in Edit Mode. • All note events in one or several selected note clips. This is done in the Song/Block View. If the clips are on the same lane, it can also be done in Edit Mode. ! In Edit Mode, select clip(s) by clicking on it/them in the Clip Overview. • All note events in all note clips on one or several selected instrument tracks. This has to be done in the Song/Block View.
Extract Notes to Lanes example We have recorded a 4-bar drum beat, consisting of kick, snare and open+closed hi-hat, in a single clip on a note lane. Now, we want to extract the open and closed hi-hat sounds to a new separate note lane. Normally, this could be done in the Song/Block View, but to better show what happens with the individual note events, we will show this in Edit Mode: 1. Open the note clip in Edit Mode. 2. Click in the Clip Overview to enable the ”Extract Notes to Lanes” function.
4. Click the “Move” button on the “Extract Notes to Lanes” pane. The open and closed hi-hat notes are now moved to a new clip on a new note lane.
Scale Tempo The Scale Tempo pane in the Tool Window The “Scale Tempo” function in the Tool Window can be applied to selected notes and/or automation events. It can also be applied to selected note and automation clips. The Scale Tempo function will make the selection play back faster (Scale factor above 100%) or slower (Scale factor below 100%).
Editing note velocity Editing note velocity manually The velocity values of notes can be edited manually on the Velocity Edit Lane: The velocity values are shown as bars, with taller bars indicating higher velocity. Note also that the color intensity of the notes and velocity bars reflect the velocity values. D To change the velocity of a note, click on its velocity bar with the Pencil tool and drag the bar up or down.
D If you hold down [Shift] when you edit velocity values, only selected notes will be affected. This can be very useful, especially in “crowded” sections with lots of notes. Consider for example if you have a busy drum beat, and want to adjust the velocity of the hi-hat notes only.
Automation editing Overview Automation in Reason is vector-based. This means that automation is stored in clips as automation events (points), connected by lines. Automation lanes for a Mixer 14:2 Level slider (top), Mute button (middle) and Aux Send slider (bottom) in Edit Mode. The Aux Send automation clip at the bottom is open for editing. • Parameter automation is contained in automation clips on Parameter Automation Lanes (see “Edit Mode elements”).
In the open parameter automation clip, it’s possible to move, add and delete automation events in the same way as in Edit Mode using the Selection (Arrow), Pencil and Eraser tools - see “Editing parameter automation in Edit Mode”. • A selected automation event’s position and value is also shown in the Inspector.
Editing parameter automation in Edit Mode 1. Switch to Edit Mode and select the track containing the parameter automation you wish to edit. Use the dividers if necessary to locate the automation clip to edit - these are located at the bottom of the Edit/Arrange Pane (not in the note clip). Parameter automation clips are distinguished by a “cut off” upper right corner. Parameter automation clips in Edit Mode An instrument track in Edit Mode with parameter automation clips at the bottom 2.
D To change the Static Value, click and drag the handle up or down, or double-click and type in a new value. To fine adjust the Static Value, hold down [Shift] when you click and drag. Static Value handle 3. When a parameter automation clip is open, you can select, move, copy or delete automation events, using the Selection (Arrow) Tool. When moving automation events with the Selection (Arrow) Tool, Snap (see “Snap”) is taken into account if enabled.
About drawing parameter automation events outside an open clip If you draw parameter automation events outside the boundaries of an open clip, the same rules apply as when drawing note events outside an open clip. See “About drawing notes outside an open clip”. Deleting automation events D Deleting automation events is done in the same way as when deleting note events. I.e.
Creating new performance controller automation lanes If you want to manually draw performance controller automation events for a controller which hasn’t already been automated, you have to create a new Performance Controller Edit Lane for that parameter. Proceed as follows: 1. Open the note clip in Edit Mode. 2.
Automation Cleanup in the “Preferences” menu D If you feel you get too many automation events when recording or drawing events, you can adjust the “Automation Cleanup” setting in the Preferences dialog - General page to “Heavy” or “Maximum”: This automatically removes superfluous automation events next time you record or draw events and simplifies the curves. Note that Snap (see “Snap”) also governs the number of events when drawing events.
Editing pattern automation Pattern automation clips are viewed and edited in the Pattern Select lane, which is available on Redrum tracks, Dr. Octo Rex tracks and Matrix tracks: Pattern (group and number) Pattern Selector Clip Resize handles Pattern changes are shown as clips with a Pattern Selector at the top (when the clip is selected). A single pattern automation clip can only contain data for a single pattern.
Drawing pattern automation You can draw pattern automation clips on a Pattern Select lane with the Pencil tool: 1. Activate Snap and set the Snap value to the note position where you want to insert the pattern change clip (see “Snap”). It is probably a good idea to set the Snap value to “Bar”, at least if you are working with patterns of a length corresponding to the time signature (e.g. 16 or 32 step patterns and 4/4 time signature).
! If you resize a pattern automation clip by clicking and dragging the left resize handle, and thus change the start position, the clip will be masked (just like a note clip). This means the pattern won’t necessarily begin on beat 1. A selected pattern automation clip that has a masked start position will indicate this in the Pattern Offset display in the Inspector.
Redrum specifics: • The “Enable Pattern Section” switch on the Redrum device is automatically turned off when you use the “Convert Pattern Track to Notes” function. Matrix specifics: • Make sure that the correct track is selected (normally the track for the device that the Matrix is connected to)! Creating notes for the Matrix itself is pointless, as the Matrix cannot produce any sound. • You may want to disconnect or even remove the Matrix device after performing this function.
3. Select the Pencil Tool. When the Pencil tool is selected, a Time Signature drop-down list appears in the Inspector. Select the desired time signature from the drop-down list. D If you select “Other” the Edit Time Signature dialog appears where you can specify another time signature. The available signatures are: 1/2-16/2, 1/4-16/4, 1/8-16/8 and 1/16-16/16. The Time Signature display in the dialog can be edited according to the descriptions in “Transport Panel segment displays”. 4.
Deleting time signature automation clips D Deleting time signature automation clips is done in the same way as deleting note clips. I.e. you can select or draw selection rectangles and then press [Backspace] or [Delete], or use the Eraser Tool. D To clear the time signature automation in a clip, simply delete the clip (or remove the whole Time Signature Lane to clear all time signature automation on the track).
Matching notes or events using the “Match Values” function The Match Values buttons appear as red ‘=’ signs The “Match Values” function in the Inspector can be used for matching the positions, lengths and velocities of several selected note events to the position/length/velocity of the selected event with the earliest start position in the song. It’s always the values of the earliest event that are shown in the displays.
2. Click the respective Match Values button to achieve the following results: or or Position values matched Length values matched Velocity values matched Matching parameter automation events Matching parameter automation event values is useful if you want an automated device parameter to be modulated to the same value throughout the clip. • Let’s say you want to modulate a parameter to a maximum value of 80 several times throughout the clip.
• If you want to match the positions of single performance controller events on several Performance Controller Automation lanes. • If you want to match the position of two adjacent automation events in a clip to create an instant “jump” between the two values. Matching the positions of several automation events in a single clip is not really useful. It will only place them in a “pile” on the same position. The effect during playback would be an instant jump between the extreme values.
NOTE AND AUTOMATION EDITING
Chapter 9 Working with Blocks in the Sequencer
About this chapter This chapter describes how to work with Blocks and Block Automation Clips in the main sequencer. Basic sequencer functions, recording, editing clips and events and arranging in the sequencer are described in detail in the chapters “Sequencer Functions”, “Recording in the Sequencer”, “Note and Automation Editing” and “Arranging in the Sequencer”.
Arrangement Views Song View (with Blocks disabled) The sequencer in the Song View This is the Song View, which is the same as “Arrange Mode” in previous program versions. Here you work with your song in a linear fashion, by recording and arranging your clips from the start of the song to the end. Songs created in previous versions of the program will automatically open up in the Song View, so it will all look very familiar.
Song View (with Blocks enabled) When you create a new empty song, or a song from a template, the sequencer will automatically have the Blocks function activated. However, if you open a song created in a previous program version you will have to manually activate Blocks: D Click the Blocks On/Off button on the Transport Panel to enable the Blocks function.
Block View D Click the Block button in the Toolbar to switch to the Block View. A colored area appears on the arrangement pane with the Block name at the top on the Blocks Track. By default, the Blocks are named “Block n” where “n” is a number between 1 and 32. If you like, you can rename your Blocks to more suitable names (see “Renaming Blocks”). The Block View is where you record the clips you want to include in a specific Block.
3. Select a Block (1-32) from the Blocks drop-down list in the Track List if desired. In this example, we will stick to Block 1. The Block name is shown on the Blocks Track. Renaming Blocks If you don’t want to use the default Block names you can easily rename them: D Double-click the Block name on the Blocks Track in the Block Arrange view, type in a new name and press [Return]. Defining the Block length The length of a Block is defined using the End Marker in the Blocks view: 1.
Recording in the Block View Recording on tracks in the Block View is done in the same ways as when recording in the regular Song View. ! Any events or recordings to the right of the End Marker in the Block View will be ignored when the Block is played back in the Song View. Refer to “Recording in the Sequencer” for details about recording. Editing clips in the Block View Editing events in clips in the Block View is done in the same way as when editing clips in the Song View.
2. Select the Pencil tool. The Block selector appears in the Inspector: Block Selector 3. Select desired Block (1-32) from the Block Selector List. In this example, we will use Block 1. 4. Draw a clip on the Blocks Track.
Resizing Block Automation Clips As with other clip types Block Automation Clips can be resized by clicking and dragging the clip handle(s) with the Selection (Arrow) tool or by editing the Position and Length values in the Inspector. • If you resize a Block Automation Clip by clicking and dragging its left clip handle, and thus changing its start position, the Block Offset will change. This means that the Block Automation Clip could start playing in the middle of the Block, i.e. not from the beginning.
Muting lanes in Block Automation Clips When you have arranged your Block Automation Clips as desired on the Blocks Track, it is possible to mute individual lanes contained in any Block. These lanes will remain muted until the end of the Block Automation Clip. This way you can use the same Block to create a song intro, by gradually introducing more and more sequencer tracks/lanes. The example below shows how to mute lanes in individual Block Automation Clips to create a song intro.
We begin by copying and pasting the Block Automation Clip twice. Then we resize (expand) the last Block Automation Clip to 16 bars: The Block Automation Clip assigned to Block 1 copied and pasted twice, with the last Block Automation Clip resized to 16 bars. Now, we want to mute individual lanes for the duration of each Block Automation Clip to create our intro.
Converting Block Automation Clips to Song Clips After you have arranged your Block Automation Clips in the Song View, you might want to convert the content of the Block(s) to “regular” clips on the sequencer tracks and lanes. There are a few ways of doing this: Converting single Block Automation Clips to clips in the Song View 1. Choose the Block Automation Clip(s) you want to convert by selecting it on the Blocks Track. 2.
Converting all Block Automation Clips to clips in the Song View D Select “Convert Block Automation to Song Clips” from the Track List context menu. All unmuted clips in all Block Automation Clips are automatically converted to regular clips on the tracks. The Block Automation Clips and their referenced Block contents still are preserved but the Blocks Track’s “On” button is automatically turned off.
Combining Block Automation Clips with Song Clips It’s possible to combine Block Automation Clips with regular clips in the Song View. The general rule is that clips in the Song View have priority over Block data. This means that if a clip in the Song View overlaps a (ghosted) clip on the same lane in a Block, the Song Clip will play back and the clip in the Block “underneath” will be silent (masked): Song Clips Song clips and Block Automation Clips in combination in the Song View.
Practical tips on combining Blocks and Song Clips A nice way of working with Block Automation Clips and Song Clips is to first create a couple of Blocks in the Block View and then arrange Block Automation Clips in the Song View. When you have arranged your Block Automation Clips, you could record a couple of shorter Song Clips with variations in the Song View.
About Performance Controllers and Parameter Automation Since the sequencer tracks and lanes are shared between the Blocks and the Song arrangement, the following rules apply regarding Performance Controller and Parameter Automation: • Performance Controller and Parameter Automation data in the Song View arrangement always overrides automation in Blocks. • If a sequencer track uses Parameter Automation in the Block, the automation will also affect all clips on the corresponding lanes in the Song View.
Chapter 10 Working with the Rack
About this chapter This chapter describes the procedures and techniques for managing devices and Device Groups in the rack. Rack device procedures The rack is where you create and configure your devices, and make parameter settings. This section describes all the procedures for managing the rack, that is, procedures and techniques common to all devices. Navigating in the rack Scrollbar The rack. The rack houses all the devices you use in your song.
Resizing the rack Adjustable divider in the Reason Song window D Resize the rack area by clicking and dragging the horizontal divider between the rack and the sequencer. D You can also make the rack fill the entire song document window by clicking the “Maximize” button to the top right of the rack. Maximize button The rack Maximize button. About Device Groups A Device Group is a series of interconnected devices that “belong together”.
If you want to keep all devices in a Device Group physically together in the rack (e.g. if you want to move all devices in the group), there is an option “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” on the Options menu. The “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” option. The advantage of using the “Auto -group Devices and Tracks” option is that it’s much easier to get a good visual overview over what devices are connected to each other and associated with specific sequencer tracks.
Creating devices Devices can be created in a number of different ways. These first two methods apply to any device types: D Use drag and drop, or double-click on a device on the “Device Palette” tab in the Tool Window. Alternatively, select a device and click the “Create” button. Any device type can be created. The Device Palette tab in the Tool Window. D Select desired device from the “Create” menu. Any device type can be created.
Instrument device specifics The following additional methods can be used for creating Instrument devices: D Click the “Create Instrument...” button on the “Device Palette” tab in the Tool Window, or select “Create Instrument...” from the Create menu. This will bring up the Patch Browser from which you can choose an Instrument patch to load in its corresponding device - see “Create Instrument/Create Effect”. ! You can only create Instrument devices using the “Create Instrument...
Selecting devices Some operations, e.g. cutting, copying, moving and deleting devices (see “Cut, Copy and Paste devices” and “Deleting devices”), require that you select one or several devices in the rack. This is done according to the following: D To select a single device, click on it in the rack. The selected device is displayed with a colored border (based on the color scheme selected for your operating system). D To select several devices, hold down [Shift] and click on the desired devices.
D Select “Delete Devices and Tracks” from the Edit menu or the device context menu. An alert appears asking you to confirm the deletion. This will delete the devices together with the associated sequencer track(s) also if the “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” option isn’t selected. (It’s possible to have devices without associated tracks but it is not possible to have a sequencer track without an associated device.
3. With the mouse button pressed, drag the device(s) to the new destination in the rack. A thick red vertical line indicates where the device(s) will be positioned. Note that when re-ordering devices with smaller width, the red line can be to the left of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted before the other device) or to the right of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted after the other device).
! Moving devices in the rack does not affect the order of the sequencer tracks and vice versa. If you want the sequencer tracks to be re-ordered as well, see “About the “Sort Selected Device Groups” function”. About the “Sort Selected Device Groups” function When you are working with Device Groups (see “About Device Groups”), there is a very nice feature which allows you to visually organize and re-order the Device Groups and sequencer tracks.
D To Cut, Copy and Paste a Device Group, make sure the “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” is selected on the Options menu. Then, select a device in the Device Group and proceed with the Cut/Copy and Paste procedure. All devices in the Device Group will be cut/copied and pasted with preserved connections (in the same Song or in another Song document). • When you Paste devices or Device Groups, these are inserted into the rack below the currently selected device.
Folding and unfolding devices If you don’t need to edit the parameters for a device, you can fold the device to make the rack more manageable and to avoid having to scroll a lot. D Click the “Fold/Unfold” button to the left on the device panel to fold the device. The “Fold/Unfold” button on an RV7000 device D To unfold the device, click the “Fold/Unfold” button again.
Chapter 11 Sounds and Patches
About this chapter This chapter deals with the following topics: • Handling Patches. See “About patches”. • Using the Patch Browser. See “Using the Browser”. • ReFills and Reason file formats. See “About ReFills”. About patches A patch contains settings for a specific device. Patches can be either separate files on your hard disk or files embedded in a ReFill (see “About ReFills” for info about ReFills).
Loading patches To select and load a patch for a device, use one of the following methods: D Click the “Browse Patch” button in the Patch section on the device panel. The Patch section has the same basic layout for all patch devices; a Patch Name display, two “Select Patch” buttons (up/down) for stepping through patches sequentially, a “Browse Patch” button to open the browser, and a “Save Patch” button to save patches.
If referenced samples are missing As described above, patches for the Redrum, NN19, NN-XT and Dr. Octo Rex contain references to samples or REX files. Just like patches, samples can be independent files on the hard disk or elements within a ReFill. However, if sample files have been moved or renamed after a patch was saved, the sample file references in the patch will not be accurate. If this is the case when you select a patch, the program will tell you so.
Copying and pasting patches between devices A quick way to copy device parameter settings between devices of the same type is to use the “Copy Patch” and “Paste Patch” functions. The result is exactly the same as if you had saved a patch from one device and opened it on another device of the same type - this is just a quicker method. ! Copying and Pasting settings is possible with all device types that can use patches. Proceed as follows: 1.
Using the Browser The Song Browser dialog The Browser is a special file dialog that appears when you open songs or load patches, samples, audio files, MIDI files or REX files, from regular file folders or from a ReFill. Besides standard file folder browsing, the browser dialog offers you several useful functions: • Search for files by name and/or type - see “Using the “Search” function”. • Use “cross-browsing” to search for patches belonging to any type of device.
Opening the browser You can use any of the following commands to open the Browser dialog (what file types you can browse for depends on which method you used to open the Browser dialog): • By selecting “Open” from the File menu. This opens the Song Browser where you can select to open a Song. • By selecting “Browse Patches” on the Edit menu with a patch based device selected (or by clicking the “Browse Patches” button on the device panel).
Browser elements The Patch Browser dialog. Regardless of what browser mode is chosen (song/patch/sample etc.), the Browser dialog basically contains the same main elements, although items may be grayed out if not applicable. The dialog contains the following elements: Files and Folders list This is the main browser list, showing the contents of a selected folder - see “Navigating in the Browser”.
Show drop-down list This is only available in the Patch Browser (it is otherwise grayed out). It determines what patch types are shown in the files and folder list view and thus which patches can be selected. See “Cross-browsing patch files”. Root Folder drop-down list The field above the file and folder list displays the name of the currently selected root folder. D Click in the name field, or on the arrow button, to bring up a drop-down list where you can move up in the folder hierarchy.
Locations and Favorites list This list contains shortcuts to various locations. You can manually add any locations (on any local drive) to the bottom section of the list below the gray divider. The locations above the gray divider are default and cannot be changed. Selecting an item in the “Locations and Favorites” list will open the corresponding folder/ReFill as the root in the main files and folder list - see “Navigating in the Browser”.
Audition section This section contains controls for auditioning audio files, samples and REX files - see “Selecting and auditioning samples”. For all other file types, the “Audition” section will be grayed out. Select Previous/Next arrow buttons These buttons allow you to select previous or next patches in the “Files and Folders” list. In the Patch or Sample Browser, a selected file (patch or sample) is automatically loaded in the background.
Navigating in the Browser The Patch Browser opened from a Combinator device, allowing you to browse for Combinator patches - or other instrument patches. When navigating in the Browser, items are shown as a hierarchical list in a selected root folder, just like in your computer’s file browser (Finder on Mac and Explorer on Windows). All folders and sub-folders within a root folder are shown, but only files of the relevant type (i.e. songs/samples/ patches etc.) can be viewed/selected in the Browser.
About hierarchic and flat lists In certain circumstances the Browser will display a flat list without any folder hierarchy. In such cases there will be an extra “Parent” column displaying the parent folder location for all files. The “Root Folder” drop-down list will then also contain a shortcut to the selected file’s parent folder - the “Go To Parent Folder” item.
D To remove a Location or Favorite, select it in the “Locations and Favorites” list and press [Backspace] or [Delete] - or click the “Remove Favorite” button. Alternatively, select “Remove” from the context menu. ! The default locations (above the gray divider) cannot be removed. • Manually added locations are stored in the Preferences file in the Reason application folder.
D Select the “Favorite List” folder to view the currently added files in the Browser list. What is selectable/shown in the Browser list depends as usual on the current Browser mode. If you select a Favorite List folder that contains samples, these will only be shown if the Sample Browser is selected. • When a “Favorites List” folder is selected in the Browser, an additional “Parent column” is shown (just like Search results), listing the name of the containing folder for each file in the list.
8. When you’re done, select the Favorites List folder. The folder is opened in the Browser, listing all the patches you added. 9. Use drag and drop to order the patch files according to the set list. 10.Select the first patch file in the Favorites List and click OK. The browser closes with the patch loaded. D If you have a MIDI keyboard or control surface with programmable buttons, you can assign a button to “Select next patch” on the device.
About browsing large patches As stated previously, when you are browsing patches (or samples), these are automatically loaded in the background when selected. Most of the time, this happens instantaneously. Bear in mind, however, that some files (especially big Combinator patches, which can contain any number of devices and samples) can take a little while to load. q If you select a particularly large patch by mistake, you can abort the loading by simply selecting another patch.
3. As soon as you select a Malström patch in the Browser, a Malström device replaces the Subtractor in the background (the Browser is still open). The sequencer track which was previously assigned to the Subtractor is now assigned to a Malström with the patch selected in the Browser loaded. • The name of the sequencer track is not automatically changed to reflect the new device. This may or may not matter.
About patch formats and sampler devices As both the NN-XT and NN19 sampler devices can load patches in the NN19 (.smp) and REX (.rx2/.rcy/.rex) formats, there must be certain rules regarding cross-browsing. • The basic rule is that the Browser will load such patches into the original device type (the device you opened the browser from), whenever possible. Thus, when the patch format is NN19 (.smp) or REX (.rx2/.rcy/.rex) and you are browsing from an NN19 device, the patch will be loaded into this device.
Executing the search D Click the “Find” button to execute the search according to your specifications. After the search, the search result is shown as a flat list in the Browser, and the “Root Folder” field reads “Search result”. • A new “Parent” column also appears, listing the name of the parent folder for each file. If you select a file, you can pull down the “Root Folder” drop-down list and select “Go to Parent folder” - this opens the parent folder for the selected file.
What can a browse list contain? • When you confirm a patch or sample selection by clicking “OK” in the Browser, the resulting browse list will include the files contained in all currently open folders in the Browser. If you open the Browser again for the same device, the same file and folder structure is shown. • If you save the current song and reopen it, the items in the browse list will be shown as a “flat” list, and the “Root Folder” field will show “Document Browse List”.
Below the main display are four buttons: D Click on the “Open Without” button to open the song or patch without the missing sounds. The song or patch will be opened, but with sounds missing. This means that sampler patches, drum machine patches and/or loop players will not play back correctly. On the panels of the concerned devices, missing samples are indicated with an asterisk (*) before the file names: This sample is missing D Click on the “Locate Sounds” button to open the “Missing Sounds” dialog.
The Missing Sounds dialog If you clicked “Locate Sounds” in the “Missing Sounds” alert described in “Handling Missing Sounds”, the “Missing Sounds” dialog appears: The “Missing Sounds” dialog The “Missing Sounds” dialog features the same columns as the “Missing Sounds” alert. Selecting files The “Search Locations”, “Search Folder”, “Browse Manually” and “Download ReFill” functions (see below) are performed on the files that are selected in the list.
D If you click “Search Folder”, the Browser opens, asking you to select the sample directory, i.e. the folder in which you know that the samples are located. Select the folder. When you click “OK”, Reason will search in the selected folder (and its husbanders) only. If the program finds a file with the matching name and file type, the new path is stored in the song/patch and the file is shown as “OK” in the Status column.
Reason file formats The following table lists the file formats that you can browse and open using Reason’s browser: | File type | Extension | Description Reason Song .rsn This is the main document format in Reason. It contains your music and the setup of the Reason rack, along with references to any used samples and loops (or it can contain the actual samples and loops, if you have made the song “self-contained”). Reason Published Song .
| File type SoundFont Bank 236 | Extension .sf2 SOUNDS AND PATCHES | Description The SoundFont format was co-developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Technologies and is used with many audio cards and software synthesizers. SoundFont banks store wavetable synthesized sounds, allowing users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs.
Chapter 12 Routing Audio and CV
About this chapter This chapter describes the various signals used in Reason and how you can route them. Signal types The following signal types are used in Reason: Audio signals Apart from the Spider CV, Matrix Pattern Sequencer and the RPG-8 Arpeggiator, all devices have audio connectors on the back. The audio connectors carry audio signals to or from devices via virtual cables. D Audio connectors are shown as large quarter inch jacks.
About cables Cable appearance If there are 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. Cables can be displayed in “normal” mode and in “Reduced Cable Clutter” mode. D Toggle cable display mode by pressing [K] or by selecting “Reduce Cable Clutter” on the Options menu: • In “normal” mode, i.e.
D Select “Hide All Cables” to hide all auto-routed and manually routed cables. All cable connections on devices will be indicated with colored dots in the jacks, and no cables will be displayed. “Reduce Cable Clutter” selected with the “Hide All Cables” appearance • In “Reduced Cable Clutter” mode, it’s still possible to connect and disconnect cables in the same way as when they are shown. See “Manual routing” for a description of routing methods.
Cable color To allow for a better overview of the connections in the rack, the cables have different colors: Green cables indicate effect device connections. Yellow cables indicate CV connections. Red cables indicate connections between instrument and mixer devices. • Audio connections between instrument and mixer devices are different shades of red. • Connections to and from effect devices are different shades of green. • CV connections are different shades of yellow. • Combinator connections are blue.
Auto-routing of Effect devices Routing directly to another device • When you have an instrument device selected and create an effect, that effect will be connected as an “insert” effect between the instrument device and the mixer device. Examples of effects that work well as insert effects are distortion, compression and modulation effects.
Manual routing To connect devices manually, you need to flip the rack around to see the back. This is done by pressing [Tab] or by selecting “Toggle Rack Front/Rear” from the Options menu. Note that routing cables can be done regardless of the “Reduce Cable Clutter” setting on the Options menu. This means that you can connect cables even though they are hidden (see “Cable appearance”).
Connecting cables 1. Click on the desired input or output jack on one of the devices, and drag the pointer away from the jack (with the mouse button pressed). A loose cable appears. 2. Drag the cable to the jack on the other device. When you move the cable end over a jack of the correct type (audio/CV, input/output) it will be highlighted to show that a connection is possible. 3. Release the mouse button. The cable is connected.
Disconnecting cables There are two ways of manually disconnecting cables: D Click on one end of the cable, drag it away from the jack and drop it anywhere away from a jack. D Click and hold (or right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac)) on a connector and select “Disconnect” from the popup menu that appears.
About CV Trim knobs All CV inputs have an associated Trim knob. This is used to set the CV “sensitivity” for the associated parameter. The further clockwise a CV trim knob is set, the more pronounced the modulation effect. • Turned fully clockwise, the modulation range will be 100% of the parameter range (0-127 for most parameters). • Turned fully anti-clockwise, no CV modulation will be applied.
Chapter 13 Song File Handling
About this chapter This chapter describes how to open, create and save songs in various ways. It also describes how to import and export songs as Standard MIDI files. Opening Songs Opening a Song To open a Reason Song: 1. Hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [O], or select “Open” from the File menu. The Reason Song Browser window appears. 2. Use the browser to navigate to the desired folder on disk or within a ReFill. See “Using the Browser” in the “Sounds and Patches” chapter. 3.
Closing Songs Closing a Song D To close a Song, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [W], or select “Close” from the File menu. Alternatively, click the close button in the upper corner of the Song document window. If you have unsaved changes, you will be asked if you want to save the song before closing. ! Note that when you’re closing the last open Song document in the Windows version of Reason, the application will quit.
Saving Songs Saving a Song ! If you are using the Demo version of Reason, you will not be able to save songs. The “Save” function To save a Song, proceed as follows: 1. Hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [S], or select “Save” from the File menu. If this is the first time you’re saving the song, a file dialog will appear where you can specify a name and destination. 2. Specify a name and destination for the Song and click “Save”.
Including Song Information Selecting “Song Information” on the File menu opens a dialog in which you can add information about your song. For example, if you plan to send the song to other Reason users, this dialog allows you to add contact information, comments about the song, etc. D Select “Song Information...” from the File menu. The Song Information dialog opens.
Publishing a Song If you want to make your songs available to the public, e.g. for downloading on the Internet, there is a special file format for this. A Reason Published Song (Windows file extension “.rps”) is much like a self-contained song, but has the following restrictions: • The user cannot save any changes to the song. • Copy, Cut and Paste is disabled. • It is not possible to use the function Export Song/Loop as Audio File if the song has been changed in any way.
2. Tick the checkboxes to the left of the “Name” column for the (non-ReFill) files you want to contain in the song. D You can use the “Check All” button to tick all checkboxes in one go. Similarly, the “Uncheck All” button unchecks all checkboxes. 3. When you have marked the desired sounds, click “OK” to exit the dialog. The next time you save your Song, the specified sounds will be automatically included in the Song file.
Importing and exporting Standard MIDI Files Reason can import and export Standard MIDI Files (SMF). This allows you to transfer MIDI data between Reason and other applications. Importing Standard MIDI Files To import a Standard MIDI File to the Reason sequencer, follow these steps: 1. Create a new, empty Song document. 2. Select “Import MIDI FIle...” from the File menu. The standard file browser appears. 3. Select a Standard MIDI File (.mid) in the browser and click “Open”.
Exporting Standard MIDI Files To export all Instrument Tracks and Automation Tracks from the Reason sequencer as a Standard MIDI File (SMF), do like this: 1. Set the End Marker in the sequencer to where you want your song to end. The MIDI file will contain all MIDI events on all tracks from the start of the song to the End marker. 2. Select “Export MIDI FIle...” from the File menu. The standard file browser appears. 3. Type in a new file name (if desired) and select location for the file to be exported.
SONG FILE HANDLING
Chapter 14 Exporting Audio
About this chapter This chapter describes the various techniques you can use to export audio from Reason. Importing audio to Reason devices When loading WAV or AIFF samples or REX (ReCycle) files into the samplers, the drum machine devices or the loop player, Reason supports files of a large number of sample rates and resolutions. You can use files of different formats in the same device - one drum sound can be an 8-bit sample, the next a 16-bit or 24-bit sample, etc.
D Place a tick in the “Dither” check box to improve the audio quality of exported audio at 16-bit resolution. Select Sample Rate, Bit Depth and Dithering of the audio to be exported About Tempo data in exported audio files In addition to the audio data, tempo data is automatically included in the exported audio file. The tempo data contains information about the song Tempo and any Tempo Automation used in the song/loop.
EXPORTING AUDIO
Chapter 15 Sampling
About this chapter This chapter describes how you can sample, edit samples and manage your samples in your songs. For more information about the specific devices that can sample and play back samples, please refer to the “NN-XT Sampler”, “NN19 Sampler”, “Redrum Drum Computer” and “Kong Drum Designer” chapters. Overview The sampling feature allows you to sample external audio (or internally from the outputs of any device) and use in any of the devices that support sample files, i.e.
About sample format, rate and resolution Whenever you sample in Reason, the resulting audio files are stored in WAV format. The sample rate is determined by the settings on the Audio tab in Preferences (see “Audio settings”). The resolution (bit depth) is defined in the setup application for your specific audio hardware (consult the manual for your audio hardware for information). Actually, Reason is totally agnostic about what sample rate and resolution you use.
Setting audio input level Once you have made the desired connections to the Sampling Input(s) on the Hardware Interface, it’s important to check the audio input level to avoid clipping. If you are going to sample external audio via the audio hardware of your computer, you have to adjust the level at the source, i.e. on the pre-amp of the audio hardware (or connected instrument). A good suggestion is to use the Big Meter on the Hardware Interface to be able to monitor the input level(s) more easily.
Sampling The Sample buttons The NN-XT, NN19, Redrum and Kong devices feature one or several Sample buttons. There is also a Sample button on the Song Samples tab in the Tool Window (see “Recording unassigned samples”).
3. Start playing or singing what you want to sample. As soon as any audio is present on the Sampling Inputs on the Hardware Interface, the waveform display will indicate this by drawing a wave. ! The buffer size for sampled audio is 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the play head will start over again from the beginning and start erasing any previously sampled audio.
Besides ending up in the device, a shortcut to the sample is also placed under the corresponding device icon in the Assigned Samples folder on the Song Samples tab in the Tool Window: Here, all samples you use in your song are listed (see “The Song Samples tab”). Here is also where you can open samples for editing (see “Editing samples”).
The Song Samples tab The Song Samples tab in the Tool Window is where all samples in your song are listed and can be accessed for preview and editing purposes.
The Song Samples tab in the Tool Window contains the following items: • Assigned Samples folder Here, all samples that are assigned to devices in the song are listed. All devices that contain assigned samples are listed as “sub-folders”. Each device “sub-folder” shows the samples currently assigned to it. Since samples can originate either from the Factory Soundbank, from external ReFills or your own samples, they are all listed as shortcuts in the list. See “Assigned Samples” for more details.
Editing samples The Edit Sample window Any sample present in the All Self-contained Samples folder on the Song Samples tab in the Tool Window can be edited.
The Edit Sample window can be resized in all directions by clicking and dragging the window frame. If you resize the window vertically, the displayed waveform will be resized vertically as well. • Undo and Redo buttons The Undo and Redo buttons work like the regular undo and redo functions in the main window menu, but these are used locally only for the Sample Edit window. The number of Undo and Redo steps in the Sample Edit window are limited to 10.
• Play button, Solo checkbox and Volume slider Click the Play button to play back the sample from the current position of the play head until the end of the sample. As soon as playback is started the button switches to display Stop instead, giving you the option of stopping playback. This is especially useful if your sample is looped. As an alternative to clicking the Play/Stop button you can press [Spacebar] to toggle between Play and Stop. Tick the Solo checkbox to solo sample playback.
q To make it easier to fine adjust the locators, it could be wise to magnify the waveform pane horizontally using the Waveform Navigator. The Waveform Navigator works exactly as the Song Navigator in the Sequencer - see “Zooming horizontally in the Sequencer” and “Scrolling and zooming using a wheel mouse”. D Tick the “Snap Sample Start/End To Transients” check box if you want the locators to snap to significant transients in the sample. 3.
Cropping samples Cropping a sample means deleting parts you don’t want to keep, e.g. any silence in the beginning and/or in the end of a sample. The Crop function in the Edit Sample window deletes everything except what’s in between the Start and End locators, or everything outside any highlighted part of the sample. To crop a sample, proceed as follows: 1. Set the Start and End locators where you want them - see “Setting Sample Start and End”.
• If you didn’t highlight a section of the sample, the entire sample gets reversed regardless of any Locator settings. After the Reverse operation, the waveform is redrawn with the reversed shape. Fading in/out samples Using short fades is useful if you want to remove clicks or pops in the beginning and/or end of the sample. You can also create longer fades to make a sound fade in and/or out nice and smoothly. 1. Set the desired Fade In (or Fade Out) zone by clicking and dragging on the waveform pane.
Looping samples Looping a sample means playing back the sample from the start and then playing back a defined zone in the sample over and over again (usually as long as a key is pressed on the MIDI master keyboard). In practice, looping samples can be used to create “longer” sounds out of shorter ones. For example, if you have a flute sample you may want to loop the middle part of it so that you could make the sound sustain as for long as you like.
The Set Loop function Another way of defining a sample’s loop positions is by using the Set Loop function: 1. Set the desired loop zone by clicking and dragging on the waveform pane. The defined zone is highlighted in blue color. 2. Click the Set Loop button. The Left and Right Loop locators are automatically placed at the beginning and end of the defined zone. 3. Click anywhere on the Waveform pane to remove the highlight.
The Crossfade Loop function Crossfades are useful for evening out clicks or transients at the loop points, especially in sounds with fairly constant volume throughout the loop zone. The Crossfade Loop function creates smooth volume crossfade around the Loop Locators. D Tick the Crossfade Loop box to automatically introduce a crossfade in the loop. • When the Crossfade Loop function is active, moving the Left and/or Right Loop Locators will force them to automatically “snap” to suitable loop positions.
Sample management About Assigned and Unassigned samples Assigned Samples Samples can be assigned to devices that support sample playback, such as the NN-XT, NN19, Redrum and Kong. Samples that are assigned to a device can be found in the Assigned Samples folder on the Song Samples tab in the Tool window: The Assigned Samples folder can contain various sub folders, one for each sampler device used in the current song.
Saving samples in a song When you have recorded a sample, either by clicking a Sample button on a sampler device or on the Song Samples tab in the Tool Window, the sample is automatically stored in the All Self-contained Samples folder in the Tool Window. The samples you have recorded are automatically named “Sample ‘n’” where ‘n’ is a serial number.
Loading samples into a device To load samples into a sampler device (NN-XT, NN19, Redrum and Kong) proceed as follows: 1. Click on a Browse Sample button on the device. Browse Sample buttons on NN-XT, NN19, Redrum and Kong respectively The Sample Browser window opens: 2. Click the Song Samples folder in the Locations and Favorites section to the left. The Assigned Samples, Unassigned Samples and All Self-contained Samples folders appear in the Browse List.
3. Unfold desired folder(s) and select the sample you want to assign to your device. You can select a sample in any of the folders. If you like to audition a sample, click the Play button in the Audition section of the window. To make samples automatically play upon selection, tick the Autoplay check box. 4. Click OK to load the selected sample into the device.
2. Click the Duplicate button at the bottom of the Song Samples tab. The duplicated sample appears - with its original name followed by the word “Copy” - in the All Self-contained Samples folder. A shortcut icon to the duplicated sample also appears in the Unassigned Samples folder: To edit and/or rename the duplicated sample, refer to “Editing samples” and “Renaming samples”.
• If your sample(s) are not cropped, or use a Crossfade Loop, the Lossy Sample Export dialog appears: The following options are available: • Crop selected sample(s) and render Loop Crossfade This item shows up if you have edited the Start and/or End Markers and use a Loop with Crossfades. The sample will be cropped at the Start and End Markers and the crossfaded loop will be rendered into the sample.
About self-contained samples All samples you record in a song automatically become self-contained. Self-contained means that the samples are automatically stored within the song when you save it. A great advantage with this is that you never have to keep track of any “loose” custom samples you use in your song - they are always included in the song document.
SAMPLING
Chapter 16 The ReGroove Mixer
Introduction The ReGroove Mixer combines all the benefits of quantization, shuffle, and groove templates into a single integrated environment, giving you real-time creative control over the feel and timing of individual note lanes. The ReGroove Mixer, which extends from the top of the Transport Panel puts 32 channels of interactive groove control at your fingertips. If you're familiar with mixing, you're already well on your way toward understanding the ReGroove Mixer.
The ReGroove Mixer D Open the ReGroove Mixer by clicking the ReGroove Mixer button to the right on the Transport Panel. The ReGroove mixer is divided into two sections. On the left are the Global parameters, and on the right are the Channel parameters. Global parameters Channel parameters Global parameters These parameters operate globally, rather than channel-by-channel. Channel Banks The ReGroove mixer consists of 32 channels, grouped into 4 banks (labeled A through D).
Anchor Point Normally, all groove patterns start at Bar 1 and repeat themselves throughout a song. For example, a 4-bar groove pattern will begin at Bar 1 and repeat its pattern every four bars. Many times, however, songs begin with blank measures, pickup measure or, perhaps, a short introduction. In these cases, you probably don't want the groove pattern to begin at Bar 1, but at some later bar.
On Button This is an On/Bypass button for the channel. When the button is lit, the groove channel is active and any note lane assigned to this groove channel will be affected. When the button is not lit, the channel is disabled and any note lanes assigned to this groove channel will play back straight, without being “grooved.” q This can be used for comparing the groove with the original, ungrooved beat.
Slide Use this knob to slide notes forward or backward in time. Musicians will frequently add energy and urgency to a track by “rushing” a particular beat or instrument a little. Similarly, they may “drag” a note a little in order to create a more laid back, shuffle-like feel. The Slide knob has a range of ±120 ticks, which allows you to slide notes up to a thirtysecond note in either direction. Setting negative values makes notes play earlier in time (rushing the feel).
Groove Amount Use this fader to adjust how intensely the selected groove patch will modify your notes. At 0%, the groove patch will have no effect. At 100%, the groove patch will have its maximum effect. Obviously, values between these extremes will produce some amount of groove effect, but less than maximum. As discussed in “Groove Settings”, later in this chapter, several additional parameters are associated with groove patches and how they modify your notes.
Copy, Paste and Initialize ReGroove channels To copy one ReGroove channel configuration into another: 1. Decide which ReGroove channel you want to copy from, then right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the Groove Patch Name (or anywhere else in that channel, except directly on a parameter). A context menu appears. 2. Select “Copy Channel” from the context menu. 3. Right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the destination channel's Groove Patch Name, then select “Paste Channel” from the context menu.
Groove Settings A groove patch consists of a groove template, which contains timing and dynamics information extracted from a performance, plus a collection of Impact parameters, which determine how strongly the groove patch applies the template settings. This section discusses the settings on the Groove tab in the Tool window, which is where all the Groove Patch settings are viewed and edited. Groove Channel The Groove Settings display one mixer channel at a time.
Groove Patch Length This displays the groove's length, which is import for determining how often the groove repeats. D In general, if you apply different groove patches to different note lanes, you'll want their lengths to be multiples of one another. For example, if one ReGroove channel uses a 4-bar groove, you might want to use 4-bar grooves on other channels or, perhaps, a multiple (such as 1-bar, 2-bar, or 8-bar grooves).
Velocity Impact This determines the extent to which velocity information embedded in the groove template affects the velocity of your notes. Grooves modify only the relative differences between note velocities, not their absolute values. This way, soft passages remain soft and loud passages remain loud-the groove simply accents the notes differently. A 100% setting means that the feel is more or less exactly transferred from the template to your music.
Working with grooves Applying grooves to your music Follow this example to learn basic ReGroove mixing techniques and hear the effect that various groove parameters have on your music. 1. If it's not already visible in either the Sequencer or Rack, open the ReGroove Mixer by clicking the ReGroove Mixer button to the right on the Transport Panel in the Sequencer. 2. Decide which note lane you are going to apply the groove to.
5. To hear some of the different possibilities, start by turning up the channel's Shuffle knob while you play the sequence. The music on that note lane (and any other note lane assigned to the same ReGroove channel) will start playing with a shuffle feel. 6. Turn down Shuffle to its middle position (50%), and turn up the channel's Slide knob to hear its effect.
7. Turn the Slide knob back to its middle position (0 Ticks), then click the channel's Browse button and navigate to the ReGroove Patches folder in the Reason Sound Bank. 8. Open the Vinyl folder, select the first groove patch in the list and click Open to load the groove patch and close the browser. 9. Pull up the Groove Amount fader on the channel, to about 80%. 10.Click the Next Patch button to step through the groove patches in the folder and hear what they do to your music. 11.
Commit to Groove - making the grooves “permanent” When you assign a ReGroove channel to a note lane, this will only affect how the notes play back. The notes will still be shown with their original, ungrooved positions if you open the note clip. If you want to edit grooved notes (e.g. adjust timing and velocity manually), it’s useful to first actually move the notes to the grooved positions, permanently. This is done with the “Commit to Groove” function: 1. Select the track with the grooved note lane(s). 2.
Creating your own ReGroove patches To create your own ReGroove Patch, proceed as follows. 1. Create a clip containing notes with the desired timing and dynamics (velocity). Alternately, you could import a MIDI File with the desired effect, or use the “To Track” function on a Dr.REX device to extract the notes from a REX loop. D Note that some MIDI clips will make better grooves than others.
Groovy tips & tricks • Because you can route each note lane to any of the 32 ReGroove channels, the key to creating really dynamic grooves is to spread your instrumentation across multiple note lanes. For instance, where you might normally create a Redrum sequence with kick, snare, and hi-hat all on the same track, putting these elements into different lanes will let you apply different grooves to them.
ReGroove patches in the Reason Sound Bank Reason ships with a ready-made assortment of groove patches, arranged in a number of different folders: MPC-60 These grooves were created by analyzing the audio output of an Akai MPC-60. Use these patches to get the same shuffle feeling as an original MPC-60. Note that these patches do not contain any velocity or note length information.
Chapter 17 Remote - Playing and Controlling Devices
About the various MIDI inputs This chapter describes how you use Remote to set up your master keyboard and control surfaces, allowing you to play Reason devices, adjust parameters and control various Reason functions. This is the main way of sending MIDI to Reason, but there are also some additional methods: D Using ReWire 2. ReWire allows you to run Reason together with another application, such as a sequencer or another DAW.
Setting up Adding a control surface or keyboard This is how you add your control surfaces - including the master keyboard. 1. Open the Preferences dialog and select the Keyboards and Control Surfaces page. 2. If your control surface is connected via USB (or if you have made a two-way MIDI connection), try clicking the Auto-detect Surfaces button. Reason scans all MIDI ports and tries to identify the connected control surfaces. Note that not all control surfaces support auto-detection.
6. An image of the selected control surface model is shown, often along with some information text - read this carefully. For some control surfaces, you need to select a specific preset to use the surface with Reason - this is noted here. 7. Use the MIDI Input pop-up to select the input port to which you have connected the surface. If in doubt, you can click the Find button and then tweak a control or play a key on the control surface to have Reason find the correct input port for you.
• MIDI Controller Select this if you have a MIDI controller with programmable knobs, buttons or faders (but without keyboard). You need to set up your control surface so that the controllers send the correct MIDI CC messages, depending on which Reason device you want to control - check out the MIDI Implementation Chart in the Reason Documentation folder. If your control surface has templates or presets for Reason devices, these can be used.
A basic MIDI keyboard and an additional control surface The keyboard and the control surface should be connected to separate MIDI ports (or use separate USB connections). Here, the basic MIDI keyboard is your master keyboard - it is used for playing and recording via the sequencer. You can have the control surface follow the master keyboard - this lets you tweak the parameters of the device you are playing (just like in the example above).
About Standard vs Remote Override mapping Reason parameters are “standard-mapped” to supported control surface devices. There is nothing the user needs to set up to remote control any Reason device. You can, however, use Remote Override mapping to map a specific parameter to a specific control if you should want to. D By using standard mapping, the remote mapping for each device will be the same for any new song created in Reason, given you have the same set of control surfaces connected.
Locking a surface to a device You can lock a control surface or an additional MIDI keyboard/controller to a specific device so that it is always “tweakable” and record enabled, regardless of which track has Master Keyboard input in the sequencer. This enables you to play and record notes for several devices simultaneously from multiple control surfaces/keyboards.
3. Next, open the “Lock to device” pop-up menu. On this pop-up, all devices in the current song are listed. The “Follow Master Keyboard” item which is selected by default, means that the control surface isn’t locked (it instead follows the Master Keyboard Input in the sequencer). 4. Select the device you wish to lock to the selected control surface from the list.
Using the context menu D A quick way to lock devices is by right-clicking (Win) or [Ctrl]-clicking (Mac) on a device panel to bring up the context menu. On the context menu, all installed control surfaces (apart from the master keyboard) are listed with the text “Lock to” plus the name of the control surface. Selecting one will lock the device to the control surface. On the context menu the control surface that is currently locked to this device will be ticked.
Remote Override Remote Override allows you to map parameters and functions to controls on your control surface device, overriding the standard mapping. Activating Remote Override Edit mode 1. Select “Remote Override Edit Mode” from the Options menu. All unselected devices in the rack are grayed out, indicating Edit mode. Each selected device (including the Transport panel) will show a blue arrow symbol on every parameter that can be mapped to a control on a control surface.
D Note that you can select the Transport Panel as well! Most items on the Transport panel can be mapped to controls. Note that by selecting the Transport panel any standard mapping will be shown automatically, unlike other devices where you have to first direct Master Keyboard input to the device from the sequencer. D If you point on a standard mapped parameter, a tooltip appears showing which control on the control surface device the parameter is mapped to.
3. Click OK to exit the dialog. The mapped parameter now shows a lightning bolt icon, indicating it uses Remote Override mapping. Any overrides are always shown in Remote Override Edit mode. The device does not have to be selected or have Master Keyboard Input in the sequencer. 4. To exit Remote Override Edit Mode, deselect it from the Options menu. You can also leave this mode by pressing [Esc]. Method 2: 1. Double-click the parameter you wish to map.
Removing Remote Overrides This can be done for a selected parameter in the following way: 1. In Remote Override Edit Mode, select the parameter you wish to remove Remote Override for. The lightning bolt changes to orange, indicating it is selected. 2. Select “Clear Remote Override Mapping...” from the Edit menu. You can also right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the parameter to select the same item from the context menu.
Additional Remote Overrides... On the Options menu there is an item named “Additional Remote Overrides...”. Selecting this opens a dialog with remote functions that cannot be assigned using Remote Override Edit mode, such as switching target tracks, Undo/ Redo etc. Although most of the items in this dialog are self-explanatory, some need to be described. These are as follows: Target Track Delta and Target Previous/Next Track D Target track is the track with Master Keyboard Input.
D Select Previous/Next Patch can be assigned to standard button controls. Select Keyboard Shortcut Variation (Delta)/Select Previous/Next Keyboard Shortcut Variation By mapping controls to these, you can use your control surface to change which keyboard shortcut variation is selected in Reason. • The "Select Previous/Next” functions are typically mapped to buttons, allowing you to step between keyboard shortcut variations. • The Delta function must be mapped to a delta-type control to work.
Keyboard Control Assigning computer keyboard remote commands does not involve MIDI, so there is no special setting up required. Keyboard commands can be assigned to parameters just as when using Remote Override mapping, but the functionality differs in one central aspect: • Keyboard Control commands can only be used to toggle on/off or min/max values for an assigned parameter.
D If you click on an assignable parameter to select it, you can then select “Edit Keyboard Control Mapping” from the Edit menu. This opens a dialog allowing you to select a key command for that parameter. You may use any key except the [Space bar], [Tab], [Enter], the Numeric keypad keys (which is reserved for Transport functions) and the function keys (except [F2] and [F3]) - or a combination of [Shift] + any key (with the same aforementioned exceptions). The Keyboard Control dialog.
Chapter 18 ReWire
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. Using ReBirth and Reason together is described in “ReBirth Input Machine (Windows Only)”. Why use Reason with ReWire? While Reason is a complete music tool in its own right, you might want to add other elements to the music, such as: • Audio. • Software synthesizers (Plug-ins controlled via MIDI). • Hardware synthesizers (controlled via MIDI).
ReWire and the Reason Engine are common resources to the two programs (the other application and Reason) that generate the audio and passes it onto the other audio application. Terminology In this text we refer to Reason as a ReWire slave and the application receiving audio from Reason (this could be Steinberg Cubase, Apple Logic Audio or MOTU Digital Performer, for example) as the host application.
Launching both programs without using ReWire We don’t know exactly why you would want to run Reason and a Rewire host application at the same time on the same computer, without using ReWire, but you can: 1. First launch Reason. 2. Then launch the host application. You may get a warning message in the host application, regarding ReWire, but you can safely ignore it.
Routing in the ReWire host application The following description is based on using Reason with Cubase as the host application. For descriptions on how to activate and route ReWire channels in other host applications, please go to www.propellerheads.se/rewirehelp. 1. Pull down the Devices menu in Cubase and select the menu item with the name of the ReWire application (in this case Reason). All recognized ReWire compatible applications will be available on the Devices menu. The ReWire panel appears.
Converting ReWire channels to audio tracks Most often, there is no need to convert individual ReWire channels to regular audio tracks. The channels already appear in the host application’s Mixer, and you can typically perform the same kind of real-time processing as with regular audio channels (effects, EQ, volume, pan and mute automation, etc.). Still, you may need to convert the ReWire channels to audio tracks, for example if you want to continue working in Cubase only.
Chapter 19 Synchronization and Advanced MIDI
About this chapter This chapter describes how to synchronize Reason to MIDI Clock, and how to use the External Control Bus inputs for advanced MIDI routing when you’re not using ReWire. Synchronization to MIDI Clock ReWire users – read this! This section is about synchronization via MIDI Clock, and does not apply to users of ReWire. If you are using Reason together with a ReWire compatible application, ReWire automatically handles all synchronization issues for you. See “About synchronization” for details.
6. Activate MIDI Clock Sync from the Options menu - “Sync” submenu in Reason. 7. Activate playback on the other device. Reason will start playing ‘in sync’ with it. Slaving Reason to another program on the same computer ! The preferred method for synchronizing two applications is by using ReWire, see “ReWire”. However, if the application you need to sync Reason with doesn’t support ReWire, you can try the procedures described below.
6. Trim the “External Sync Offset” setting until the “clicks” from the both sources sound at exactly the same time. 7. Close the Preferences dialog in Reason. If Latency Compensation isn’t enough There might be situations where you can’t compensate enough in Reason to make two software applications run in sync. This might especially be true if the other application is an audio sequencer, that is if it can record and playback both audio and MIDI.
Input Focus and Play Focus If you activate MIDI Clock Sync, the Transport Panel controls will be disabled, and Reason will not run unless MIDI Sync data is provided from an external device. The Input Focus (MIDI + Audio) and Play Focus (MIDI Sync) buttons (located on the Reason Hardware Interface) relate to how incoming MIDI and MIDI sync should be handled if there are several open Song documents.
Routing MIDI to devices Each External Control Bus can control up to 16 different Reason devices, one for each MIDI channel. To route a MIDI channel directly to a Reason device, proceed as follows: 1. Locate the Reason Hardware Interface at the top of the rack and click the ADVANCED MIDI button. The Advanced MIDI Device panel is unfolded. 2. On the Advanced MIDI Device panel, click the Bus Select button for the External Control Bus you want to use (A, B, C or D). 3.
Chapter 20 Optimizing Performance
Introduction Reason is a program of infinite possibilities. You can create extremely complex songs, with a vast number of tracks and rack 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 in your song uses up a bit of computer processing power – the more devices, the faster the computer has to be.
! Raising the buffer size to eliminate audio artefacts on playback is mainly effective if you are currently using very small buffers, 64 to 256 samples. If the buffers are already big (1024 or 2048 samples) you will not notice much difference.
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, there are a couple of very useful things to check and adjust. About using Multi-core processors If you’re using a multi-core processor, such as a dual-core, quad-core or octa-core, Reason will take full advantage of this in a very sophisticated way.
Optimizing Songs Below follows things you can check and change to make sure your song uses as little computer processing power and memory as possible: Global • Delete unused devices. If a device isn’t actually doing anything, delete it from the rack. • Use fewer devices. For example, instead of using several similar reverbs as separate insert effects, replace them all with one, set up as a send effect in the Mixer.
Subtractor • Try avoiding using Oscillator 2 altogether. If you can create the sound you need with only one oscillator, this saves considerable amounts of processing power. • Do not use the oscillator Phase mode if you don’t need it. In other words, set the Oscillator Mode switches to “o”, not “*” or “–”. • Do no activate Noise unless required. • Do not activate Filter 2 unless required. • Do not use FM unless required.
Send Effects • When you are using mono effects as send effects, you can connect the effect returns in mono as well (disconnect the cable to Aux Return Right on the Mixer). This is true for the following effects: • D-11 Distortion • Scream 4 Distortion • ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter • COMP-01 Compressor • PEQ-2 Parametric EQ • DDL-1 Delay (provided the Pan parameter is set to center position). • MClass effects; Equalizer, Compressor, Maximizer.
OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE
Chapter 21 Reason Hardware Interface
Introduction The Hardware Interface device is where you connect Reason to the “outside world”. This is where MIDI is received, and where audio signals are routed from physical inputs and to physical outputs of your audio hardware. Here is also where audio output signals are routed to ReWire channels. 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.
Refer to “More Audio” for more information. • By clicking the “BIG METER” button at the top on the panel, a panel with bigger audio level meters is shown: Refer to “The Big Meter” for more information. About using ReWire If you are running Reason together with a ReWire compatible host application, you can route any Reason device output to a ReWire channel by connecting the device to any of the audio out connectors at the back of the Hardware Interface.
Advanced MIDI Device This is opened by clicking the “ADVANCED MIDI” button on the Hardware Interface panel. The Advanced MIDI device is only used if you are controlling Reason from an external sequencer, using the External Control Bus inputs. Normally, you send MIDI to a track via the sequencer, by selecting the sequencer track. You can select MIDI ports for up to four External Control Busses (on the Advanced Control page in Preferences).
The Big Meter The “Show Big Meter” button Meter Mode button Channel Selection knob for the “Big Meter” Channel Selection buttons for the “Big Meter” Clip indicators Reset button To get a better overview of the levels of a particular channel pair you can bring up the Big Meter on the Hardware Interface. 1. Click the “Big METER” button on the front panel. The “Big Meter” panel shows up. 2.
• PPM+PEAK In PPM+PEAK Mode, the meter response is according to the PPM Mode, plus a peak segment. If the audio level for the selected is, or have been, too high, the Clip indicators on the Big Meter will stay lit until you click the “Reset” button, or select new audio channels for the Big Meter. See “About audio levels” for more information on how to use and work with the Big Meter.
Chapter 22 The Combinator
Introduction The Combinator is a special device that allows you to save and recall any combination of Reason devices (instruments, effects, mixers etc.) and their internal connections. A saved Combinator setup can be loaded as a patch, called a “Combi”. The Combinator device itself acts as a container for the devices in a Combi. The basic idea behind the Combinator device is simple, but very powerful.
Creating Combinator devices Creating an empty Combinator device D Add a Combinator from the Devices tab in the Tool Window. To see the Combinator device icon, the “Other” checkbox must be ticked. D Select “Combinator” from the Create menu. This will create an empty Combinator. Empty Combinator devices can be used as a starting point when creating new Combi patches. It also allows you to browse for existing Combi patches.
Combinator elements n the picture below an unfolded Combinator device is shown. The front of the Combinator consists of the following elements (from the top down): D The narrow panel at the top is always shown, even when the whole Combinator is folded. It contains a display which (amongst other things) shows the name of the currently loaded Combi, and standard Select/Browse/Save patch buttons. D Next is the Controller panel, which is always shown if the Combinator is unfolded.
About internal and external connections Unlike other devices, the Combinator contains both external and internal audio connections. D External connections are used to connect a Combinator to devices outside the Combi. D Internal connections are how devices within the Combi are connected. External connections D The “Combi Output L/R” connectors carry the audio output of the Combinator. This output connects with a device outside the Combi, normally a mixer.
How to avoid external routing connections As explained previously, all connections to/from a Combinator device should pass via the To/From Device connectors in order to make the Combi self-contained. Therefore you need to include a mixer device for Combis with more than 2 device outputs. Say you were to combine three instrument devices (each with stereo outputs connected to a mixer) in order to create a layered or split instrument Combi.
Adding devices to a Combi About the Insertion line When the Insertion line is shown, new created devices will be added to the Combinator device. D To be able to select the Insertion line you have make sure that the “Show Devices” button is lit on the Combinator Controller panel. D The Insertion line is shown in the empty space at the bottom of the Combinator holder (below any devices currently in the Combi).
About auto-routing The auto-routing of devices in a Combi is similar to devices in the rack: • If a device in a Combi is selected, the new created device will appear below the selected device according to standard rules. • If an effect is selected and you create a new effect device, these will be connected serially. • If an instrument device is selected and you create an effect it will be connected as an insert effect to the instrument device.
Adding devices using copy/paste You can copy devices and paste them into a Combi. 1. Select the devices you wish to copy as usual. 2. Select “Copy Device” from the Edit (or context) menu. 3. Select a device in the Combi or click the empty space to show the insertion line. 4. Select “Paste Device” from the Edit (or context) menu. D When pasting, the devices will be added below the currently selected device or the Insertion line in the Combi. No auto-routing takes place.
D If you press [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) while dragging, a copy of the Combi is created. No Auto-routing takes place. If you press [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) + [Shift] the copied Combi will be auto-routed according to standard rules. Moving devices within a Combi Just as for devices in the rack, an outline of the devices is shown when you drag, and a red line shows the insert position. All connections are kept.
The Controller panel This is the main Combinator panel. Like standard instrument devices it features Pitch and Mod wheels and various controls. About the virtual controls D The four Rotary knobs and buttons in the middle of the Controller panel are “virtual” controls that can be assigned to parameters and functions in devices contained in the Combi. These controls are by default not assigned to any parameters in new Combis.
Select backdrop... This function allows you to change the “skin” of the Controller panel. You can design your own labels for the assignable controls, and change the color and look of the whole panel. D Select the Combinator and choose “Select Backdrop...” from the Edit menu. The Image browser opens, allowing you to select image file in the JPEG (.jpg) format. D The dimensions of the image file should be 754 x 138 pixels. D The knobs, buttons, patch name display and patch buttons cannot be redesigned.
Using the Programmer The Programmer is used for key mapping and setting velocity ranges for instrument devices, and for Modulation Routing; assigning device parameters to the knobs and buttons on the Controller panel. D To show the Programmer panel, click the “Show Programmer” button on the Controller panel. The Programmer appears below the Controller panel. D To the left on the Programmer panel the devices in the current Combi are listed in the same order they appear in the Combinator holder.
Key Mapping instrument devices Each instrument device can have its own separate key range, the lowest and the highest key that will trigger the device. This allows you to create splits and layers for instrument devices in a Combi. 1. Make sure the Combinator track has Master Keyboard Input. 2. Select an instrument device in the Device list to the left (non-instrument devices, e.g. effects and mixers do not have key ranges).
About the keyboard You can use the keyboard to audition selected instrument devices by pressing [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and clicking on the keys. About the Receive Notes/MIDI Performance Controller checkboxes In the lower left corner of the Programmer there is a Receive Notes field with a corresponding checkbox, and below there are checkboxes for all standard MIDI Performance controllers (Pitch Bend/Mod Wheel/Breath/Expression/ Sustain Pedal/Aftertouch).
About overlapping Velocity Ranges You can set overlapping velocity ranges. Here’s an example of how this can work: D Device 1 has a velocity range from 1-60. D Device 2 has a velocity range of 41-100. D Device 3 has a velocity range of 81-127. 127 100 80 60 40 Device 3 20 Velocity Velocity 0 Device 2 Device 1 Device 3 Device 2 Device 1 Now, velocity values between 41 and 60 will trigger notes from both Device 1 and Device 2.
D A Button control will switch between two set values like an on/off switch. Worth noting is that there are buttons on several Reason devices that will step through a series of values, for example LFO Waveform buttons. If LFO Waveform is assigned to one of the virtual Buttons you will only be able to switch between two of the six LFO waveforms (which waveforms is determined by the Min/Max range). D The available range for each selected parameter is shown in the Modulation Routing Min/Max fields.
2. Click in the Target column for the Rotary or Button control you wish to assign a parameter. On the pop-up that appears, all the available parameters for the device are listed. 3. Select the parameter you wish to assign to the control. The parameter is now assigned, and the name of the parameter is shown in the Target column for the corresponding control. 4. If you wish the selected device to receive notes this option should be checked. 5.
Naming a control When you make modulation routing assignments, you should give the associated control a descriptive name that reflects what it does, for example Vibrato On/Off or the name of the parameter that it controls. This is done by clicking the label on the Controller panel and typing in new name. CV Connections CV connections between devices in the Combi are saved with the Combi patches. This is also true for CV connections between devices in Combi and the Combi itself - e.g.
THE COMBINATOR
Chapter 23 Mixer 14:2
Introduction 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 | Range Channel Fader 0 - 127 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. Channel Label Each channel in the mixer that has a device connected to it, displays a N/A read-only label with the name of the device to the left of the fader.
The Mixer signal flow The basic signal flow for a channel in the Mixer 14:2 is as follows: Aux 4 pre-fader mode Input EQ Pan Mute AUX Returns Solo Fader 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 soloed channel(s) including any Aux Send effects.
The Auxiliary Return Section The Auxiliary Returns provide an “extra” four stereo inputs in addition to the Mixer 14:2’s 14 stereo channels. The main function of Return channels is to provide inputs for connected Send effects devices. Each Aux Return channel has a level control, and a read-only tape label that display the name of the device connected to the Return channel. The Master Fader The Master L/R fader controls the summed output level of all channels in the Mixer 14:2.
Auxiliary (AUX) Send Out D There are four stereo Send Out connectors, which normally are used to connect to the inputs of effect devices. To connect a send to a mono-input device, use the Left (Mono) output. When a Send is connected to an effects device, the corresponding AUX Send knob determines the level of the signal sent to the effect device for each channel. The Send Output is taken post-channel fader but you have the option of selecting pre-fader mode for AUX Send 4.
• In addition to the Master Out connectors, there is a Control Voltage (CV) input (and an associated trim pot), for voltage controlling the Master Level from another device. Chaining several Mixer 14:2 devices Two chained Mixer 14:2 devices are connected like this, the top Mixer being the “Master” Mixer. If you want more Mixer channels, you can chain several Mixer 14:2 devices. D Select the existing Mixer 14:2 device and choose “Create:Mixer 14:2” from the Create menu or context menu.
MIXER 14:2
Chapter 24 The Line Mixer 6:2
Introduction The Line Mixer 6:2 allows you to control the level, stereo placement (Pan) and effect mix (AUX Send) of each connected audio device. The Line Mixer is configured with 6 (stereo) input channels, which are combined and routed to the Left and Right Master outputs.
Connections All input and output connectors are as usual located on the back panel of the Line Mixer. Mixer Channel Connections D Each mixer channel features stereo left/right inputs for connecting audio devices. Use the left input when manually connecting a mono signal source. D In addition, there is a Control Voltage (CV) input, for voltage controlling channel Pan from other devices. Auxiliary (AUX) Send D The Send connectors are used to connect to the inputs of effect devices.
THE LINE MIXER 6:2
Chapter 25 Subtractor Synthesizer
Introduction 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.
The Oscillator Section Subtractor provides two oscillators. Oscillators are the main sound generators in Subtractor, the other features are used to shape the sound of the oscillators. Oscillators generate two basic properties, waveform and pitch (frequency). The type of waveform the oscillator produces determines the harmonic content of the sound, which in turn affects the resultant sound quality (timbre).
Here follows a brief description of the Subtractor waveforms: 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. ! | Waveform 384 | Description Sawtooth This waveform contains all harmonics and produces a bright and rich sound.
| Waveform | Description 28 Similar to 27, but with a slightly different character. 29 This waveform has complex, enharmonic overtones, suitable for metallic bell-type sounds. 30 Similar to 29, but with a slightly different character. By using FM and setting the Osc Mix to Osc 1, this and the following two waveforms can produce noise. 31 Similar to 30, but with a slightly different character. 32 Similar to 30, but with a slightly different character.
Adding a second oscillator enables many new modulation possibilities which can produce richer timbres. A basic example is to slightly detune (+/– a few cents) one of the oscillators. This slight frequency offset causes the oscillators to “beat” against each other, producing a wider and richer sound. Also, by combining two different waveforms, and adding frequency or ring modulation, many new timbres can be created. Oscillator Mix The Osc Mix knob determines the output balance between Osc 1 and Osc 2.
There are three Noise Generator parameters. These are as follows: | Parameter | Description Noise Decay This controls how long it takes for the noise to fade out when you play a note. Note that this is independent from the Amp Envelope Decay parameter, allowing you to mix a short “burst” of noise at the very beginning of a sound, i.e. a pitched sound that uses oscillators together with noise. Noise Color This parameter allows you to vary the character of the noise.
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. The two offset waveforms: Ampl. t. 2. The result of subtraction: Ampl. t. 3. The result of multiplication: Ampl. t.
Frequency Modulation (FM) In synthesizer-speak, Frequency Modulation, or FM, is when the frequency of one oscillator (called the “carrier”) is modulated by the frequency of another oscillator (called the “modulator”). Using FM can produce a wide range of harmonic and non harmonic sounds. In Subtractor, Osc 1 is the carrier and Osc 2 the modulator. To try out some of the effects FM can produce, proceed as follows: 1. Select an Init Patch by selecting “Initialize Patch” from the Edit menu. 2. Activate Osc 2.
Ring Modulation Ring Modulators basically multiply two audio signals together. The ring modulated output contains added frequencies generated by the sum of, and the difference between, the frequencies of the two signals. In the Subtractor Ring Modulator, Osc 1 is multiplied with Osc 2 to produce sum and difference frequencies. Ring modulation can be used to create complex and enharmonic, bell-like sounds. 1. Select an Init Patch by selecting “Initialize Patch” from the Edit menu.
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 lower frequencies and letting high frequencies pass. The HP filter slope has a 12 dB/Octave roll-off. The darker curve illustrates the roll-off curve of the Highpass Filter. The lighter curve in the middle represents the filter characteristic when the Resonance parameter is raised. • Notch A notch filter (or band reject filter) could be described as the opposite of a bandpass filter.
Filter 1 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.
Filter 2 A very useful and unusual feature of the Subtractor Synthesizer is the presence of an additional 12dB/Oct lowpass filter. Using two filters together can produce many interesting filter characteristics, that would be impossible to create using a single filter, for example formant effects. The parameters are identical to Filter 1, except in that the filter type is fixed, and it does not have filter keyboard tracking. D To activate Filter 2, click the button at the top of the Filter 2 section.
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).
If you wanted to emulate the volume envelope of an organ, you theoretically only really need to use the Sustain parameter set to full level, as a basic organ volume envelope instantly goes to the maximum level (Attack “0”) and stays there (Decay “0”), until the key is released and the sound instantly stops (Release “0”).
Filter Envelope Invert If this button is activated, the envelope will be inverted. For example, normally the Decay parameter lowers the filter frequency, but after activating Invert it will instead raise it, by the same amount. Mod Envelope The Mod Envelope allows you to select one of a number of parameters, or Destinations, to control with the envelope.
LFO Section 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: • 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. The most typical application of an LFO is to modulate the pitch of a (sound generating) oscillator, to produce vibrato.
Sync By clicking this button you activate/deactivate LFO sync. The frequency of the LFO will then be synchronized to the song tempo, in one of 16 possible time divisions. When sync is activated, the Rate knob (see below) is used for setting the desired time division. Turn the knob and check the tooltip for an indication of the time division. Rate The Rate knob controls the LFO’s frequency. Turn clockwise for a faster modulation rate.
q If the LFO is set to modulate the phase offset, LFO keyboard tracking can produce good results. For example, synth string pads and other sounds that use PWM (see “Phase Offset Modulation”) can benefit from this. Rate 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 LFO 2. Raising this knob’s value creates more drastic results.
The following parameters can be velocity controlled: | Destination | Description 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. 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.
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 | Description F. Freq This sets modulation wheel control of the Filter 1 Frequency parameter. A positive value will increase the frequency if the wheel is pushed forward. Negative values invert this relationship. F.
Setting Number of Voices - Polyphony This determines the polyphony, i.e. the number of voices a Subtractor Patch can play simultaneously. This can be used to make a patch monophonic (=a setting of “1”), or to extend the number of voices available for a patch. The maximum number of voices you can set a Subtractor Patch to use is 99. In the (unlikely) event you should need more voices, you can always create another Subtractor! ! Note that the Polyphony setting does not “hog” voices.
| Destination | Description Amp This let’s you control the overall volume of the sound with external modulation. If a positive value is set, the volume will increase with higher external modulation values. A negative value inverts this relationship. FM This sets External modulation control of the FM Amount parameter. If a positive value is set, the FM amount will increase with higher external modulation values. A negative value inverts this relationship.
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. These inputs can control the following parameters: • Oscillator Pitch (both Osc 1 & 2). • Oscillator Phase Offset (both Osc 1 & 2).
Chapter 26 Thor Polysonic Synthesizer
Introduction Thor is an advanced synthesizer with many unique features. The design could be described as semi-modular, in that the oscillator and filter sections are open slots that allow the user to select between various different oscillator and filter types, each with a distinct character. Some of these designs were inspired by selected vintage equipment. As a result, Thor is capable of producing an astounding array of sounds.
Thor elements In the picture below an unfolded Thor device is shown. Thor’s user interface consists of the following elements (from the top down): • The Controller panel, which is always shown if Thor is unfolded. See “The Controller panel”. • The main Programmer panel contains all the synth parameters. The Programmer can be shown/hidden by clicking the “Show Programmer” button on the Controller panel. See “Using the Programmer”. • The Modulation bus routing section.
The Controller panel The Controller panel contains standard Master Volume and Pitch and Mod controls, Keyboard Mode/Note Triggering sections and four virtual (freely assignable) controls. The panel also has a patch display and standard Select/ Browse/Save patch buttons (these are always shown even if Thor is folded). The Keyboard Mode section In this section you make basic keyboard related settings for a patch.
About the assignable controls • The rotary knobs and buttons in the Controller panel are assignable controls that can be assigned to multiple parameters and functions in Thor. • You assign parameters to the knobs and buttons in the Modulation Routing panel (these are located on the “Modifiers” sub-menu - see “Modulation bus routing section”). • Movements of the assignable controls can be recorded as automation. • Each control can be assigned to any number of parameters.
Using the Programmer The Programmer contains the main synth parameters. D To show the Programmer panel, click the “Show Programmer” button on the Controller panel. The Programmer appears below the Controller panel. D The Programmer panel is divided into two sections; the Voice section to the left and the Global section to the right. The Global section has a separate brown panel to differentiate it from the Voice section.
Basic connections - a tutorial There are certain pre-defined connections available between the Oscillator 1-3 slots and the Mixer, Filter 1/Shaper, Filter 2 and Amp sections. On the panel itself, lines with arrows are shown to indicate the standard signal paths. q Note that you can also connect sections using the Modulation bus section (see “Modulation bus routing section”).
With a basic connection setup, the Oscillator outputs are internally connected to the “Mix” section. To pass the output signal onwards in the signal chain, you first have to activate a connection. This is done using the two vertical rows of routing buttons labelled 1, 2 and 3 to the right of the Oscillator section. • The upper row of routing buttons determine which of the Oscillators 1 to 3 are routed to Filter 1, and the lower row which of the Oscillators 1 to 3 are routed to Filter 2.
4. Next, click the arrow pop-up in the upper left corner of the Filter 2 slot. A pop-up menu with the four available Filter types appears. For a description of the filter types, see “Filter slots”. 5. Select a type of filter, e.g. a Comb filter for the Filter 2 slot. Now that the Filter 2 slot in the Voice section is active, you can connect the oscillators to it by using the lower row of routing buttons. 6.
Other pre-defined routing assignments There are other sections in Thor which are pre-defined and can be used without having to make any prior assignments: D The Amp Envelope and the Filter Envelope control the volume level and frequency of the Filters (1 & 2), respectively. The amount of filter envelope control is controllable by using the “Env” parameter in each Filter section. D The effects (Delay/Chorus) in the Global section are part of the signal chain and can simply be switched on and used.
• Phase Modulation • FM Pair • Multi Oscillator • Noise You can also select Off mode (no oscillator). Common parameters The specific parameters of the various oscillator types are described separately, but there are also common parameters that apply to all oscillator types. These are: D Octave (OCT) knob - this changes the pitch of the oscillator in octave steps. The range is ten octaves. D The Semi knob changes the pitch of the oscillator in semi-tone steps. The range is 12 semitone steps (1 octave).
Wavetable oscillator Wavetable oscillators has been the basis of several vintage synths (PPG, Korg Wavestation and many others). • With the Wavetable oscillator, you select between 32 wavetables, where each wavetable contains several (up to 64) different waveforms. By using an envelope or a LFO you can sweep through a wavetable to produce timbre variations. The parameters are as follows: D Position is the modifier (Mod) parameter and controls the position within the selected wavetable, i.e.
• Pulse • Pulse and Sine • Sine and flat (half sine) • Saw x Sine • Sine x Sine • Sine x Pulse The last three waveforms could be described “resonant”, as these originally were meant to simulate filter resonance. They didn’t really do this very accurately, but nevertheless constituted an important part of the sound. The Second waveform has the same available waveforms except the last three, and it can also be bypassed altogether.
Multi oscillator This versatile oscillator can simultaneously generate multiple detuned waveforms (of a set type) per voice. It is great for producing complex timbres e.g. to simulate cymbal or bell sounds, but can also generate a wide range of harmonic sounds. D The following basic waveforms are available: Sawtooth, Square, Soft Sawtooth, Soft Square, Pulse. You switch waveforms using the button in the lower left corner, or by clicking directly on the waveform symbol.
D The Waveform selector button in the bottom left corner is used to set the Oscillator mode. The following modes are available:’ | Mode | Description Band In this mode, the Oscillator knob controls bandwidth. Turned fully clockwise, the oscillator produces pure noise. Turning the knob counter-clockwise gradually narrows the bandwidth until a pitch is produced. The pitch will track the keyboard normally if the keyboard (KBD) knob is set fully clockwise.
D Switch Oscillator Sync on or off by activating the Sync buttons to the left of Oscillator slots 2 and 3. D The Sync “BW” sliders to the left of Oscillator slots 2 and 3 allows you to adjust the sync bandwidth. This allows you to change the character of the oscillator sync. The parameter basically sets how abrupt the reset is - high bandwidth settings produces a more pronounced sync effect and vice versa.
Mix section The Mix section allows you to adjust the levels and the relative balance of the three oscillators. D The two sliders controls the output levels of oscillators 1-2 and oscillator 3, respectively. D The Balance knob sets the balance between oscillator 1 and 2. The Balance parameter is also a modulation destination, allowing you to modulate the balance of the two oscillators with e.g. an LFO.
• Filters 1 & 2 can be used serially (i.e. the output of Filter 1 goes (via the Shaper) to the input of Filter 2, or in parallel (meaning that one signal goes to Filter 1 and another to Filter 2). The pre-defined routings of the three oscillators into the Filter 1-2 sections is described in the “Basic connections a tutorial” passage. Common parameters As with the open oscillator slots, there are certain parameters which are common for all filter types.
Note that “Self Osc” (see below) must be activated for the shaper to operate. D This filter can self-oscillate and will produce a playable note pitch with high Resonance settings if this is activated. Self-oscillation can be switched on or off by using the “SELF OSC” button. The “KBD” knob governs how the frequency tracks the keyboard, turned fully clockwise will produce 12 semitones/octave tracking.
Comb filter The Comb filter can add subtle pitch variations and phasing-like effects to sounds. D Comb filters are basically very short delays with adjustable feedback (controlled with the Resonance knob). A comb filter causes resonating peaks at certain frequencies. Comb filters are used in various signal processing devices like flangers, and produces a characteristic swooshing sound when the frequency is swept.
D The “Gender” parameter changes the basic timbre of the vowel generation between male (low Gender settings) and female (high Gender settings) voice characteristics. Gender can also be CV controlled. Shaper Waveshaping is a synthesis method for transforming sounds by altering the waveform shape, thereby introducing various types of distortion. The Shaper can radically transform the sound or just add a little warmth, depending on the mode and other settings.
LFO 1 An LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) is used for generating cyclic modulation. A typical example is to have an LFO modulate the pitch of an oscillator to produce vibrato, but there are countless other applications for LFOs. D LFO 1 will apply modulation polyphonically. I.e. if LFO 1 modulation of a parameter is assigned, an individual LFO cycle will be triggered for each note you play.
Envelope sections There are three Envelope generators in the Voice section. These are the Amp envelope, the Filter envelope and the Mod envelope. Each voice played has a separate envelope. There is also an additional Global Envelope which is described separately - see“Global Envelope”. D The Filter envelope is pre-wired to control the frequency of Filter 1 and 2.
Amp Envelope The Amp Envelope is also a standard ADSR envelope. D By setting up a Amp envelope you control the how the amplitude or some other parameter should change over time with the four parameters, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. Please refer to the Subtractor chapter for a description of these parameters. D The “Gate Trig” button can be used to switch off the envelope triggering from note input (which is the normal mode) and allow the envelope to be triggered by some other parameter.
Effects section There are two global mono in/stereo out effects, a Delay and a Chorus. These effects affect all voices coming from the Amp section equally if activated. The effects are placed after the Global Filter in the signal chain. D There are controls for standard Delay/Time and Feedback parameters. Chorus vs. Delay differ only in the delay time range - Chorus is for chorus effects, i.e. short delays, whereas Delay produces echo effects. D Delay Time can be Tempo Synced.
LFO 2 D The LFO 2 is a standard LFO but is not polyphonic like LFO 1. It is not assigned to any parameter in an “Init” patch so you have to use the Modulation Routing section to use it. • Also the LFO 2 “Delay” and “Key Sync” parameters are single trigger, i.e. the LFO will not retrigger these parameters for legato notes. D You select a LFO waveform by using the spin controls beside the waveform display, or by clicking in the display and moving the mouse up or down.
The upper half of the menu contains Voice section source parameters, and the lower half contains various global play and performance-oriented source parameters and the Global Envelope, as well as the Step Sequencer, CV and Audio inputs. 3. Select “LFO 1” from the pop-up. This means that LFO 1 is the modulation Source, and this can now be assigned to modulate a Destination parameter. 4. Pull down the “Dest” column pop-up in the top row. A pop-up menu appears listing all available modulation Destinations.
7. Pull down the “Scale” column pop-up in the top row. A pop-up menu appears listing all available Scale parameters. The upper half of the menu contains Voice section parameters, and the lower half contains various play and performance-oriented parameters and the Global Envelope, as well as the Step Sequencer, CV and Audio inputs. A typical controller for vibrato is the Mod wheel. 8. Select “Performance” from the menu and then “Mod wheel” from the submenu.
About the three modulation routing types As described in the tutorial, the principal operators of the Modulation bus routing system are as follows: • You have Modulation Source, Modulation Destination and Modulation Amount parameters. • Optionally, you have a Scale parameter controlling the Modulation Amount, and a Scale Amount that governs how much the Scale parameter controls the Modulation Amount.
Modulation Sources - Voice section The following parameters can be used as Voice section modulation Sources: | Parameter Voice Key | Description Voice Key lets you assign modulation according to notes. There are 4 modes selectable from the sub-menus: • Note - this is keyboard tracking. If a positive Amount value is used and the destination is filter frequency, the filter frequency will track the keyboard, i.e. increase with higher notes.
Modulation Sources - Global The following parameters can be used as Global section modulation Sources: | Parameter Global Envelope | Description This allows you to modulate parameters using the Global Envelope. Voice Mixer This allows you to modulate parameters using the Left and Right Mixer inputs. Last Key This will apply modulation according to the last note played (monophonic), either via MIDI, or from the Step Sequencer.
Modulation Destinations - Voice section The following parameters can be used as Voice section modulation Destinations: | Parameter Osc 1 | Description There are four modulation destinations available on the Osc 1 sub-menu: • Pitch - this will affect oscillator pitch (frequency). • FM - this will frequency modulate the oscillator. The difference between Pitch and FM is that if a high frequency audio signal (i.e.
| Parameter Filter Envelope | Description The Filter Envelope mod destinations are as follows: • Gate - this is the gate input of the envelope. A gate signal applied to this input will trigger the envelope. • Attack - this controls the Attack of the envelope. • Decay - this controls the Decay of the envelope. • Release - this controls the Release parameter. Amp Envelope This has the same destination parameters as the Filter Envelope.
| Parameter Delay | Description The Delay effect has the following destinations: • DryWet balance • Time • ModRate • ModAmount • Feedback Step Sequencer This allows you to control various parameters belonging to the Step Sequencer. • Trig - this enables control over the Step Sequencer Run on/off status. • Rate - this enables control over the Step Sequencer Rate. • Transpose - this enables control over the Step Sequencer base pitch. E.g.
Step Sequencer Thor’s Step Sequencer is a further development of the step sequencers which were often present in vintage analog modular systems. It can be used for programming arpeggios or short melody sequences. Alternatively, it can be used purely as a modulation source. You can have up to 16 steps, and each step can be programmed with various values such as Note pitch, Velocity, Step Duration etc.
Setting the direction The Direction parameter is used to set the direction of the step sequence. The following options are available: D Forward - plays the sequence from the first step to the last. D Reverse - plays the sequence from the last step to the first. D Pendulum 1 - plays the sequence from the first step to the last, then from the last step to the first. I.e. the last and first step is played twice when the sequencer reverses direction.
5. Turn one of the step knobs above one of the steps. A tooltip shows you what current note pitch the knob is set to, and when the sequencer repeats you should be able to hear the change in pitch for that step. Turn clockwise to raise the pitch in semitone increments. Turn counterclockwise to lower the pitch. D You can set the knob’s note range by using the Octave lever to the left of the step buttons. Available note ranges are 2 Octaves (i.e.
Setting Rate The Rate knob determines the rate of the step sequence. • You can either use “free running” rates (i.e. not synced to main sequencer tempo) or synced tempo. This is set with the Sync button on/off status. If Sync is active you can set the tempo in various beat resolutions. Setting other values for steps For each step you can also program other parameters with the step value knobs apart from note pitch.
Connections The following Audio and CV connectors can be found at the back of Thor: Sequencer Control Inputs The Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs allow you to play Thor from another CV/Gate device (e.g. a Matrix or the RPG-8). The signal to the CV input controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate input delivers note on/off along with velocity. Modulation Inputs D The Rotary control voltage (CV) inputs (with associated voltage trim pots), can modulate the two virtual Rotary controls.
THOR POLYSONIC SYNTHESIZER
Chapter 27 Malström Synthesizer
Introduction The Malström is a polyphonic synthesizer with a great number of different routing possibilities. It is based on the concept of what we call “Graintable Synthesis” (see below), and is ideally suited for producing swirling, sharp, distorted, abstract special effect types of synthesizer sounds. In fact, you could go so far as to say that the Malström can produce sounds quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard from a synthesizer.
Theory of operation There are a number of different synthesis methods for generating sound, e.g. subtractive synthesis (which is used in the Subtractor), FM synthesis, and physical modelling synthesis to mention but a few. To give you a clear understanding of the inner workings of the Malström, it might be in order with a brief explanation of what we call Graintable Synthesis.
The Oscillator section The two oscillators (osc:A and osc:B) of the Malström are the actual sound generators, and the rest of the controls are used for modulating and shaping the sound. The oscillators actually do two things; they play a graintable and generate the pitch: • A graintable is several short, contiguous segments of audio (see above). • Pitch is the frequency at which the segments are played back.
Setting oscillator frequency You can change the frequency - i.e. the tuning - of each oscillator by using the three knobs marked “Octave”, “Semi” and “Cent”. D The Octave knob changes the frequency in steps of one full octave (12 semitones). The range is -4 – 0 – +4 where 0 corresponds to middle “A” on your keyboard at 440 Hz. D The Semi knob changes the frequency in steps of one semitone. The range is 0 to +12 (one full octave up).
About motion patterns Each graintable has a predefined motion pattern and a default motion speed. When a graintable is looped (i.e. if the Motion knob is not set all the way to the left), it follows one of two possible motion patterns: D Forward This motion pattern plays the graintable from the beginning to the end, and then repeats it. D Forward - Backward This motion pattern plays the graintable from the beginning to the end, then from the end to the beginning and then repeats it.
The Modulator section The Malström features two Modulators (mod:A and mod:B) These are in fact another type of oscillators, called LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators). They each generate a waveform and a frequency, much like osc:A and osc:B. However, there are a couple of important differences: • Mod:A and mod:B do not generate sound. They are instead used for modulating various parameters to change the character of the sound. • They only generate waveforms of low frequency.
One Shot To put the Modulator into one shot mode, click this button so that it is lit. Normally, the Modulators will repeat the selected waveforms over and over again, at the set rate. However, when one shot mode is activated and you play a note, the Modulator will play the selected waveform only once (at the set rate) and then stop.
Mod:B Mod:B can modulate the following parameters of either oscillator: D Motion Use this if you want Mod:B to affect the motion speed of osc:A, osc:B, or both (see “Controlling playback of the graintable”). D Vol Use this if you want Mod:B to change the output level of osc:A, osc:B, or both (see “Vol”). D Filter Use this if you want Mod:B to offset the cutoff frequency of filter:A, filter:B, or both (see “Filter controls”).
The Filters Both filter:A and filter:B have the exact same parameters, all of which are described below. D To activate/deactivate a filter, click the On/Off button in the top left corner. When a filter is activated, the button is lit.
• Comb + & Comb – Comb filters are basically delays with very short delay times with adjustable feedback (in Reason controlled with the Resonance knob). A comb filter causes resonating peaks at certain frequencies. The difference between “+” and “–” is in the position of the peaks, in the spectrum. The main audible difference is that the “–”-version causes a bass cut. The Resonance parameter in both cases controls the shape and size of the peaks.
• Env (envelope) If you click on this button so that it is lit, the cutoff frequency (see below) will be modulated by the filter envelope. If you leave this deactivated, the Filter Envelope will have no effect. • Freq (frequency) The function of this parameter depends on which filter type you have selected: With all filter types except AM, it is used for setting the cutoff frequency of the filter.
The Shaper Before filter:A is an optional waveshaper. Waveshaping is a synthesis method for transforming sounds by altering the waveform shape, thereby creating a complex, rich sound. Or, if that’s more to your taste, truncating and distorting the sound to lo-fi heaven! A guitar distortion box could be viewed as a type of waveshaper for example. An unamplified electric guitar produces a sound with fairly pure harmonic content, which is then amplified and transformed by the distortion box.
Output Signal Sine Saturate Clip Quant Input Signal Amt (amount) This controls the amount of shaping applied. By turning the knob to the right you increase the effect.
Routing The Malström puts you in total control of how the signal should be routed from the oscillators, through the filters and on to the outputs. Below is first a general description of the routing options, followed by examples of how to route the signal in order to achieve a certain result. D Click on a button so that it is lit, to route the signal correspondingly. See below for descriptions. If this button is lit, the signal from osc:A is routed to filter:A via the shaper.
Routing examples One or both oscillators without filters With this configuration, the signals from the oscillators will bypass the filters and the shaper and go directly to the respective output. Using both oscillators allows you to use the Spread parameter to create a true stereo sound. One or both oscillators to one filter only Both oscillators routed to filter:B only. Both oscillators routed to filter:A only.
Both oscillators to one filter each With this configuration, the signals from osc:A and osc:B will go to filter:A and filter:B respectively, and then to the outputs. Again, this configuration allows you to work in true stereo. Oscillator A to both filters in parallel With this configuration, the signal from osc:A will go to both filter:A and filter:B, with the filters in parallel. ! This configuration is only possible with osc:A.
One or both oscillators with both filters in series Osc:A routed through both filters in series. Osc:B routed through both filters in series. With these configurations, the signal from osc:A and/or osc:B will go to both filter:A and filter:B, with the filters in series (one after the other). Adding the shaper The signal from one or both oscillators can also be routed to the shaper. The signal will then pass through the shaper to the outputs, with or without also passing through the filters.
The output controls These two parameters control the output from the Malström in the following way: Volume This knob controls the master volume out from the Malström. Spread This controls the stereo pan-width of the outputs from Osc:A/B and Filter:A/B respectively. The farther to the right you turn the knob, the wider the stereo image will be. In other words, the signals will be panned further apart to the left and right.
Polyphony - setting the number of voices This lets you set the polyphony for the Malström. Polyphony is the number of voices it can play simultaneously. The maximum number is 16 and the minimum is 1, in which case the Malström will be monophonic. ! The number of voices you can play depends of course on the capacity of your computer. Even though the maximum number is 16 it doesn’t necessarily mean that your system is capable of using that many voices.
The Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels • The Pitch Bend wheel is used for bending the pitch of notes, much like bending the strings on a guitar or other string instrument. • The Modulation wheel can be used for applying modulation while you are playing. Virtually all MIDI keyboards have Pitch Bend and Modulation controls.
• F.env This sets velocity control for the Filter Envelope Amount parameter. Positive values will increase the envelope amount the harder you play, and negative values will decrease the amount. • Atk (attack) This sets velocity control for the Amp Envelope Attack parameter of osc:A and/or osc:B. Positive values will increase the Attack time the harder you play, and negative values will decrease it. • Shift This lets you velocity control the Shift parameter of osc:A and/or osc:B.
Connections Flipping the Malström around reveals a wide array of connection possibilities. Most of these are CV/Gate related. Using CV/Gate is described in the chapter “Routing Audio and CV”. Audio Output These are the Malström’s audio outputs. When you create a new Malström device, they are auto-routed to the first available channel on the audio mixer: • Shaper/Filter:A (left) & Filter:B (right) These are the main stereo outputs.
Gate Input These inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger the following envelopes: • Amp Envelope • Filter Envelope ! Note that connecting to these inputs will override the normal triggering of the envelopes. For example, if you connected a Modulation output to the Gate Amp in-put, you would not trigger the amp envelope by playing notes, as this is now controlled by the Modulator. In addition you would only hear the Modulator triggering the envelope for the notes that you hold down.
Routing external audio to the filters The audio inputs on the back of the Malström allows you to connect any audio signal to the filters and Shaper. To use this feature, it’s important to understand the following background: Normally the Malström behaves like any regular polyphonic synthesizer, in that each voice has its own filter. The filter settings are the same, but each filter envelope is triggered individually when you play a note.
Connecting the signals from the Malström itself If you connect one or both oscillator outputs to the audio input(s), the internal signal path from the oscillators to the filters is broken. In other words, no signals will pass internally from the oscillators to the filters, and the three routing buttons for the oscillators are ignored.
Chapter 28 NN-19 Sampler
Introduction A sampler could be described as a device capable of recording and reproducing audio material, like a tape recorder. Unlike a tape or hard disk 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 sampler capable of recording and reproducing - but not editing - sound files.
To sample real instruments accurately requires a lot of hard work. Firstly, you need the original instrument, which should be in perfect working order. For acoustic instruments you need a couple of good microphones, a mixer or other device with high quality microphone preamps, and a room with good acoustics. You need to be meticulous when recording the different samples, so that levels are smooth and even across the range etc.
Loading REX Files as Patches REX Files are files created in the ReCycle program. This is an application created by Propellerhead Software, used for slicing up music loops and enabling them to be played back in any tempo. In Reason, REX files are primarily used in the Dr. Octo Rex loop player, but they can be used in the NN-19 as well. Possible extensions are “.rx2”, “.rcy” and “.rex”. When loading a REX file, each slice in the file is assigned to one key, chromatically.
About Key Zones and samples Loading a Sample into an empty NN-19 1. Create a new sampler device. 2. Click on the sample browser button. This is located above the keyboard display to the left. q When you browse samples, you can preview them before loading using the browser Play button. If you select the Preview “Autoplay” function, the samples play back once automatically when selected. 3. Use the browser to select a sample and open it.
Loading SoundFont samples The SoundFont format was developed by E-mu systems in collaboration with Creative Technologies. It is a standardized data format containing wavetable synthesized audio and information on how it should be played back in wavetable synthesizers - typically on audio cards. The SoundFont format is an open standard so there is a vast amount of SoundFont banks and SoundFont compatible banks developed by third parties.
Selecting Key Zones Only one key zone can be selected at a time. A selected key zone is indicated by a light blue (as opposed to dark blue) strip above the keyboard in the display. There are two ways you can select key zones: D By clicking on a non-selected key zone in the display. D By activating the “Select Key Zone via MIDI” button. Playing a note belonging to a non-selected key zone from your MIDI keyboard, will select the key zone it belongs to.
About Key zones, assigned and unassigned samples When you load samples and rearrange your key mapping, you will often end up with samples that are not assigned to any key zone. In the following texts we refer to the samples as follows: • Assigned samples are samples that are currently assigned to one ore more key zones. • Unassigned samples are samples that reside in the sample memory, but that are currently not assigned to any key zone. Adding sample(s) to a Key Map If the sample hasn’t been loaded yet 1.
Removing sample(s) from a Key Map D To remove a sample, select the zone it belongs to, and then select “Delete Sample” from the Edit or context menus. The sample is removed from the zone and from sample memory. D To remove a sample from a key zone/map, without removing it from memory, you can either select “No Sample” with the Sample knob for that zone, or simply replace it with another sample in the same way.
Looping Samples A sample, unlike the cycles of an oscillator for example, is a finite quantity. There is a sample start and end. To get samples to play for as long as you press down the keys on your keyboard, they need to be looped. For this to work properly, you have to first set up two loop points which determine the part of the sample that will be looped, and make this a part of the audio file.
Automap Samples If you have a number of samples that belong together, but haven’t mapped them to key zones you can use the “Automap Samples” function on the Edit menu. This is used in the following way: 1. Select all samples that belong together and load them in one go, using the sample browser. One of the samples will be assigned to a key zone spanning the whole range, and the rest will be loaded in to memory but remain unassigned. 2. Select Automap Samples from the Edit menu.
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.
D Fine steps (100th of a semitone) The range is -50 to 50 (down or up half a semitone). ! Note that the controls in this section cannot be used to tune samples against each other, as all samples will be affected equally. To tune individual samples, you use the Tune parameter below the keyboard display (see “Tuning samples”). Keyboard Tracking The Osc section has a button named “Kbd. Track”.
• 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 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.
The Amp Envelope is used to adjust how the volume of the sound should change from the time you press a key until the key is released. By setting up a volume envelope you sculpt the sound’s basic shape with the four Amplitude Envelope parameters, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. This determines the basic character of the sound (soft, long, short etc.). The Level parameter acts as a general volume control for the sample patch.
• The output of the two LFOs are never actually heard. Instead they are used for modulating various parameters. The most typical application of an LFO is to modulate the pitch of a (sound generating) oscillator or sample, to produce vibrato. The LFO section has the following parameters: Waveform LFO 1 allows you to select different waveforms for modulating parameters. These are (from the top down): | Waveform | Description Triangle This is a smooth waveform, suitable for normal vibrato.
Rate 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. Play Parameters 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.
Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels 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. Virtually all MIDI keyboards have Pitch Bend and Modulation controls. NN-19 also has two functional wheels that could be used to apply real time modulation and pitch bend should you not have these controllers on your keyboard, or if you aren’t using a keyboard at all.
Portamento (Time) Portamento is when the pitch “glides” between the notes you play, instead of instantly changing the pitch. The Portamento knob is used to set how long it takes for the pitch to glide from one pitch to the next. If you don’t want any Portamento at all, set this knob to zero. Setting Number of Voices - Polyphony This determines the polyphony, i.e. the number of voices a patch can play simultaneously.
Connections On the back panel of the NN-19 you will find the connectors, which are mostly CV/Gate related. Audio Outputs These are the main left and right audio outputs. When you create a new NN-19 device, these are auto-routed to the first available channel on the audio mixer. Mono Sequencer Control These are the main CV/Gate inputs. CV controls the note pitch. Gate inputs trigger note on/off values plus a level, which can be likened to a velocity value.
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. For example, if you connected a LFO output to the Gate Amp input, you would not trigger the amp envelope by playing notes, as this is now controlled by the LFO. In addition you would only hear the LFO triggering the envelope for the notes that you hold down.
NN-19 SAMPLER
Chapter 29 NN-XT Sampler
Introduction The basic functions of the NN-XT are very similar to those of its sampler companion in the Reason rack - the NN-19 (see “NN-19 Sampler”). Just like the NN-19, NN-XT lets you load samples and create multi-sample patches by mapping samples across the keyboard. The sound can then be modified by a comprehensive set of synth-type parameters. There are however some major differences between the two. The NN-XT has: D Support for SoundFonts.
Panel overview The main panel When the NN-XT is added to the rack, you will initially only see the main panel. The NN-XT main panel. The main panel is where you load complete sample patches. It also contains the “global controls”. These are controls that affect and modify the sound of entire patches rather than the individual key zones. The Remote Editor panel To show/hide the remote editor panel, use the fold/unfold arrow at the bottom left.
Loading complete Patches and REX files As previously alluded, you can load complete sample patches as well as individual samples into the NN-XT. • A patch is a complete “sound package”. It contains information about all the samples used, assigned key zones, associated panel settings etc. Loading a sample patch is done by using the patch browser on the main panel, and works in the same way as with any other Reason device. The patch browser button on the main panel.
Loading complete REX files as Patches REX Files are files created in the ReCycle program. This is an application created by Propellerhead Software, used for slicing up music loops and enabling them to be played back in any tempo. In Reason, REX files are primarily used in the Dr. Octo Rex loop player, but they can be used in the NN-XT as well. Possible extensions are “.rx2”, “.rcy” and “.rex”. When loading a REX file, each slice in the file is assigned to one key, chromatically.
Using the main panel All of the controls on the main panel are used for globally modifying certain parameters for all of the samples in a patch, by the same amount. ! Movements of the parameters on the main panel can be recorded as automation. However, controls on the remote editor panel (described later) can not! The following is a description of the controls and parameters on the main panel. The Pitch and Modulation wheels Most MIDI keyboards come equipped with Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels.
• Expression Pedal • Breath Control If your MIDI keyboard is capable of sending aftertouch messages, and/or if you have connected an expression pedal or a breath controller to it, you can use these to modulate NN-XT parameters. Which parameters should be modulated is set in the remote editor panel (see “The Modulation controls”).
Filter These two knobs each control a parameter of the filter (see “The Filter section”). Note that the filter must be on for these to have any effect. • Frequency This changes the cutoff frequency of the filter. • Resonance This changes the resonance parameter of the filter, meaning - the filter characteristic, or quality. Amp Envelope These three knobs control the Amplitude Envelope (see “The Amplitude Envelope”) in the following way: • Attack This changes the Attack value of the Amplitude Envelope.
Overview of the Remote Editor panel It is in the Remote Editor Panel that the main NN-XT action is going on, especially if you’re creating your own patches. The remote editor is dominated by the key map display, and this is also the part on which we will concentrate to begin with. The Key Map display The key map display consists of a number of separate areas that let you do different things. To help you navigate the key map display, these areas are described below.
The Key Range area This area in the middle of the key map display is where you keep track of all the zones and the relationship between them. You can also move and resize the zones just like in the Tab Bar area, as described above. The Scrollbars There are both horizontal and vertical scrollbars that work just like regular scrollbars. Whenever there is more information in the key map display than what fits on a “single screen”, you can use the scrollbars to reveal it.
Synth Parameters The bulk of the parameters on the remote editor are used for adjusting the sound of the samples by applying filtering, envelope shaping, modulation (like vibrato and tremolo) and so on. We call these the synth parameters, since they are to a large extent identical to those on a regular synthesizer.
Selections and Edit Focus Almost all operations in the remote editor are performed on one or more selected zones or on the zone with edit focus. Several zones can be selected at once, but only one zone at a time can have edit focus. This is important since: • Editing operations that can be performed on several zones (like deleting), always apply to the selected zones. • Editing operations that can be performed on one zone only, always apply to the zone with edit focus.
Selecting Zones D To select a zone, click on it. Clicking on a zone will also automatically give it edit focus. You can also select multiple zones in several ways: D By holding down [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and clicking on the zones you wish to select. This way you can select several non-contiguous zones. You can also deselect a selected zone by clicking on it again. D By holding down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and pressing [A]. This will select all of the zones in the key map display.
Selecting zones via MIDI You can also select zones via your MIDI keyboard. By clicking the button marked “Select zones via MIDI” above the key map display so that it lights up, you enable selection via MIDI. This way, you can select a zone and give it edit focus by pressing a key that lies within the zone’s key range (see later in this chapter for information about setting up key ranges). In this case, this zone can be selected by pressing any key between C2 - C3 on your MIDI keyboard.
Moving Edit Focus Moving Edit Focus A zone can be given edit focus independently of selection: D When you click on an unselected zone, it both gets selected and gets edit focus. D When you select several zones using [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac), the one you select last always gets edit focus. D To set edit focus to a zone when several zones are already selected, click on it without holding down any modifier keys.
Whenever two or more selected zones have conflicting parameter settings, NN-XT will notify you about this by showing a small “M” (for multiple) symbol, next to the parameter. In this example, Level and Spread have conflicting settings. D The controls on the panel always show the setting for the zone with edit focus. D By clicking your way through the zones within the selection, you can see the settings for each zone.
Managing Zones and Samples Creating a Key Map When you add an NN-XT sampler to the rack, its key map display is always empty. That is, it contains no samples. To create a new key map, proceed as follows: 1. Either click the Browse Samples button, select Browse Samples from the Edit menu or select Browse Samples from the NN-XT’s context menu. This will bring up the regular file browser. The Browse Samples button. 2. Select the sample or samples that you want to load in the browser and click “OK”.
About file formats and REX slices The NN-XT can import various types of samples: • Standard Wave files These have the extension “.wav”. This is the standard audio file format for the PC platform. Any audio or sample editor, regardless of platform, can read and create audio files in Wave format. Any sample rate and practically any bit resolution is supported. • Standard AIFF files These have the extension “.aif” and this is the standard audio file format for the Mac platform.
Quick browsing through samples If you want to quickly browse through a number of samples, for example to see which one of them would fit best in a certain context, proceed as follows: 1. Set up the zone as desired and make sure it has edit focus: 2. Use the arrow buttons in the Browse Samples section to select the next/previous sample in the directory.
Using Copy and Paste The Copy Zones function on the Edit menu allows you to copy all selected zones to the clipboard. Selecting Paste Zones from the Edit menu will paste the zones into the selected NN-XT device, below the existing zones. This is a handy way to transfer zones (complete with all settings) from one NN-XT device to another. Removing Zones To remove one or several zones, select them and do one of the following: D Press [Delete] or [Backspace] on the computer keyboard.
2. Select “Group Selected Zones” from the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu. The zones are grouped. Selecting these zones and grouping them... ...will create these two groups instead of the original one large group. Moving a Group to another position in the List D Click on the group in the Groups column and drag up or down with the mouse button pressed. An outline of the group you move is superimposed upon the display to help you navigate to the desired position. Dragging a group to a new position.
Selecting a Group and/or Zones in a Group D Clicking on a group in the groups column selects the group and all the zones in the group. D Clicking on a zone in the samples column selects the group (and that zone). The Group Parameters There are a few parameters on the front panel that apply specifically to groups. see “Group parameters” for details. Working with Key Ranges About Key Ranges Each zone can have its own separate key range, the lowest and the highest key that will trigger the sample.
3. Drag the handle left/right. Dotted lines extend from the edges of the zones up to the keyboard area. These lines give you a visual indication of which keys the key range will encompass. There is also an alphanumerical indication at the bottom left of the display. Clicking and dragging the high key boundary handle of a zone with the default key range of C1 - C6... ...to change the key range to C1 - C2. 4. Repeat the procedure with as many zones as you wish, to create a complete key map.
D If you have three selected zones that each have different high keys and then turn the Hi Key knob, they will all automatically get the same High Key value as the zone with edit focus. In other words, if the selected zone with edit focus has the high key set to C4, and you change this to D4 by turning the Hi Key knob, all other selected zones will also be extended to D4 as the High Key.
• Dragging the boundary handles for that zone will also simultaneously change the key range for a number of surrounding zones if: D The high key or low key (depending on which handle you drag) of the other zones are the same as the zone with edit focus. D The other zones are adjacent to the zone with edit focus. ! Note that it doesn’t matter whether the other zones are selected or not. They will be affected anyway. In the example in the picture above, the zone in the middle has edit focus.
Moving Zones by Dragging the Zone Boxes You can also move entire zones horizontally, thereby changing their key ranges. 1. Select all the zones you want to move. You can move several zones simultaneously. 2. Point on any of the selected zones, and press the mouse button. 3. Drag left/right and release the mouse button. Dragging multiple zones. Moving Zones by Dragging in the Tab Bar You can also move a zone by dragging anywhere between the zone boundary handles on the tab bar.
About the Solo Sample function The Solo Sample function lets you play a selected sample over the entire keyboard and disregarding any velocity range assigned to the sample. All other loaded samples are temporarily muted. This is useful if you for example want to check how far up and down from its root key a sample can be played on the keyboard before starting to sound “unnatural”. The solo sample function can therefore be useful as a guide for setting up key ranges, as described in “Setting up Key Ranges”.
Sorting Zones by Note The Edit menu and the NN-XT context menu contains an item called “Sort Zones by Note”. This option lets you automatically sort the selected zones in descending order according to their key ranges. When you invoke this option, the selected zones will be sorted from top to bottom in the display starting with the one with the lowest range. Note however, that the sorting is done strictly on a group basis.
Setting Root Notes and Tuning About the Root Key All instrument sounds have an inherent pitch. When playing a sample of such a sound on the keyboard, the keys you play must correspond to that pitch. For example, you may have recorded a piano playing the key “C3”. When you map this onto the NN-XT key map, you must set things up so that the sampler plays back the sample at original pitch when you press the key C3. This is done by adjusting the root note.
Setting the Root Note and Tuning using pitch detection The NN-XT features a pitch detection function to help you set the root keys. This is useful if you for example load a sample that you haven’t recorded yourself, and you don’t have any information about its original pitch. Proceed as follows: 1. Select all the zones you want to be subject to pitch detection. 2. Pull down the Edit menu or the NN-XT context menu and select “Set Root Notes from Pitch Detection”.
Layered, crossfaded and velocity switched sounds Creating layered sounds You can set things up so that two or more zones have overlapping key ranges - either completely or partially. This way you can create layered sounds, i.e. different samples that are played simultaneously when you press a key on your keyboard. In the picture above, you can see a set of piano samples at the top, mapped across the key range. Below these are a set of string samples that also span the entire key range.
• Zone 3 has a velocity range of 81-127. The sample in this zone will be triggered by all velocity values above 80. 127 100 80 60 40 Zone 3 20 Velocity 0 Zone 2 Zone 1 Overlapping velocity ranges Let’s change the values above slightly: • Zone 1 has a velocity range from 1-60. • Zone 2 has a velocity range of 41-100. • Zone 3 has a velocity range of 81-127. 127 100 80 60 40 Zone 3 20 Velocity 0 Zone 2 Zone 1 Now, velocity values between 41 and 60 will trigger samples from both Zone 1 and Zone 2.
About full and partial velocity ranges You can see which zones have modified velocity ranges in the key map display: • Zones with a full velocity range (0 - 127) are only shown with an outline. • Zones with any other velocity range are shown as striped.
Crossfading Between two Sounds An example: • Two zones are both set to play in the full velocity range of 1-127. • Zone 1 has a fade out value of 40. This means that this zone will play at full level with velocity values below 40, With higher velocity values, it will gradually fade out. • Zone 2 has a fade in value of 80. This has the effect that as you play velocity values up to 80, this zone will gradually fade in. With velocity values above 80, it will play at full level.
Setting crossfading for a Zone Manually To set up a crossfade for a zone, proceed as follows: 1. Select one or more zones that you want to adjust. 2. Use the knobs marked “Fade In” and “Fade Out” in the sample parameter area, to set the desired values. q You can change the values with finer precision by pressing [Shift] while turning the knobs, and you can reset the standard values by pressing [Command] (Mac)/[Ctrl] (Windows) and clicking on the knobs.
You can layer as many sounds as you will and the algorithm switches between them in a way that provides as little repetition as possible. To set up an alternating set of zones, proceed as follows: 1. Set up the zones so that they overlap completely or partially. 2. Select them all. 3. Set “Alt” to On for all the zones. Now, the program will automatically detect how to alternate between the zones, depending on their overlap. Sample parameters The Sample parameter area is found below the screen.
Play Mode By using this knob you can select one of the following loop modes for each zone: • FW The sample in the zone will play only once, without looping. • FW-LOOP The sample will play from the sample start point to the loop end point, jump back to the loop start point and then loop infinitely between the start and end loop points. This is the most common loop mode.
A Stereo example One possible way of utilizing this would be to create a drum kit. In this case you could load up to eight different stereo drum samples, assign them to separate outputs, route each to a separate mixer channel and then use the mixer to set levels and pan, add send effects etc. Using a stereo output as two mono outputs If, on the other hand, you are using mono samples, you can use one stereo pair as a two separate outputs, effectively giving you a total of 16 separate outputs. 1.
So you can play your open hi-hat repeatedly without the sound cutting itself off. When you play the closed hi-hat, this cuts off the open hi-hat. Note that activating this button is not the same as setting polyphony to 1. E.g., it can not be used for Legato or mono Retrig (see “Legato and Retrig”). Legato and Retrig Legato Legato works best with monophonic sounds. Set Key Poly (see above) to 1 and try the following: D Hold down a key and then press another key without releasing the previous.
Synth parameters The Modulation controls As previously described, the Modulation wheel (and the External Control wheel) can be used for controlling various parameters. These controls allow you to define which parameters the wheels should modulate and to what extent. D Below each of the knobs are the letters “W” and “X”. These are used for selecting the source that should control the parameter, and represent the “Modulation Wheel” and the “External Control wheel” respectively.
LFO 1 Amt This determines how much the amount of modulation from LFO 1 is affected by the Modulation wheel and/or the External Controller wheel. It does this by “scaling” the amounts set with the three destination knobs in the LFO 1 section (Pitch, Filter and Level, see “The LFOs”). We’ll explain this with an example: To use the Modulation Wheel to increase pitch modulation (vibrato), proceed as follows: 1. Turn the Mod Wheel all the way down, so that no modulation is applied. 2.
The Velocity controls Velocity is used for controlling various parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A typical use of velocity control is to make sounds brighter and louder if you strike a key harder. By using the knobs in this section, you can control if and how much the various parameters will be affected by velocity. Just like the modulation controls, all of the velocity control knobs are bi-polar, and can be set to both positive and negative values.
The Pitch section This section contains various parameters related to controlling the pitch, or frequency, of the zones. Pitch Bend Range This lets you set the amount of pitch bend, i.e. how much the pitch changes when your turn the pitch bend wheel fully up or down. The maximum range is +/- 24 semitones (2 Octaves). Setting the pitch Use the three knobs marked “Octave”, “Semi” and “Fine” to change the pitch of the sample(s): • Octave This changes the pitch in steps of one full octave.
The Filter section Filters can be used for shaping the character of the sound. The filter in NN-XT is a multimode filter with six different filter types. D To activate/deactivate the filter, click the On/Off button in the top right corner. When the filter is activated, the button is lit.
Filter controls The following filter controls are available: • Freq This is used for setting the filter cutoff frequency. The cutoff frequency determines the limit above or below which frequencies will be cut off depending on the selected filter type. In the case of a lowpass filter for example, frequencies below the cutoff frequency will be allowed to pass through, while frequencies above it will be cut off. The farther to the right you turn the knob, the higher the cutoff frequency will be.
Parameters The following are the available controlling parameters: • Attack When you press a key on your keyboard, the envelope is triggered. The attack parameter then controls how long it should take before the controlled parameter (pitch or filter) reaches the maximum value, when you press a key. By setting attack to a value of “0”, the destination parameter would reach the maximum value instantly. By raising the attack parameter, the value will instead slowly “slide” up to its maximum.
The Amplitude Envelope The Amplitude Envelope parameters let you control how the volume of a sound should change over time - from the moment a note is struck to the moment it is released again. Parameters Most of the Amplitude Envelope parameters are identical to those of the Modulation Envelope.
| Mode | Description Key This will make the pan position shift gradually from left to right, the higher up on the keyboard you play. Key 2 This will make the pan position shift from left to right and then back again from right to left in a sequence of eight keys. Playing 4 adjacent semitones thus makes the pan position gradually go from left to right. The next 4 higher semitone notes will then change the pan position from right to left in the same way, and this cycle will then be repeated.
Rate (LFO 1 and 2) This knob controls the frequency of the LFO. For a faster modulation rate, turn the knob to the right. The Rate knob of LFO 1 is also used for setting the timedivision when synchronizing the LFO to the song tempo (see below). Delay (LFO 1 and 2) This can be used for setting a delay between when a note is played and when the LFO modulation starts kicking in (gradually).
Destinations for LFO 1 The following parameters can be modulated by LFO 1: • Pitch This will make the LFO modulate the pitch, for vibrato, trills, etc. It can be set to -2400 – 0 – 2400 cents which equals 4 octaves. The set pitch will change up and down by this amount, with each modulation cycle. Turning the knob to the right will make the modulation cycle start above the set pitch, while turning it to the left will invert the cycle.
• Filter Resonance • LFO 1 Rate • Master Volume • Pan • Modulation Wheel • Pitch Wheel Gate Input These inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger the following envelopes: • Amplitude Envelope • Modulation Envelope Note that connecting to these inputs will override the normal triggering of the envelopes. For example, if you connect a Matrix Gate Out to the Gate In Amp Envelope, you would not trigger the amp envelope by playing notes, as this is now controlled by the Matrix Gate Out.
NN-XT SAMPLER
Chapter 30 Dr.
Introduction The Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player is the successor to the trusty Dr. Rex Loop Player, introduced in Reason Version 1. The Dr. Octo Rex can hold up to eight different REX loops at once, in eight pattern memories, and allows you to switch between loops and slices in very flexible ways. The Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player is fully backwards compatible with the discontinued Dr. Rex device. This means that all REX loops that previously used Dr. Rex devices in your songs will now open and play back in Dr.
About REX file formats Dr. Octo Rex can read REX 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). • REX 2 (.rx2) This is the ReCycle file format for both Mac and PC platforms generated by ReCycle version 2.0. One of the differences between the original REX format and REX2, is that the REX2 format supports stereo files.
Playing Loops 1. Make sure the Enable Loop Playback button is on (lit). 2. Click the desired Loop Slot button. 3. Play back the loop by clicking the Run button. The loop in the selected Loop Slot will play back repeatedly in the tempo set on the Transport Panel. If you change the tempo, the loop tempo will follow. D You can also play the loop once via MIDI, by using the D0 key.
When you use the Pencil tool to draw Pattern Automation clips and select Pattern in the Inspector, the Bank selection is of no importance since Dr. Octo Rex doesn’t make use of Banks. ! Triggering playback and selecting Loop Slots from a MIDI keyboard It’s also possible to control playback, stop and Loop Slot selection in real-time by pressing different keys on a MIDI keyboard. By pressing the keys E0 to B0 you select Loop Slot 1-8 and start playback of the corresponding loop.
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. Proceed as follows: 1. Activate the Enable Loop Playback button on the Dr. Octo Rex device and start sequencer playback. The REX loops and the sequencer are synced. 2. Now load a new REX file by using the Browser in one of the usual ways.
Creating sequencer notes The individual slices in a REX loop can be transferred as separate MIDI notes to tracks in the sequencer. This makes it possible to have detailed control over every single sample in a REX loop. Proceed as follows to create sequencer notes from the slices: 1. Select the sequencer track associated with the Dr. Octo Rex device. 2. Set the left and right locators to encompass the section you want to fill with REX notes. 3.
...and in the Edit Mode, with the Note To Slot parameter as a Performance Controller at the bottom. 5. Disable the Enable Loop Playback parameter. This is because you probably don’t want the loop playback to be controlled by the regular Run function but from note playback in the sequencer. If the Enable Loop Playback parameter is on, there will be double notes during playback from the sequencer. Activating playback in the sequencer will now play back the notes on the sequencer track.
• The Copy Loop To Track function always creates an exact number of complete clips, meaning that the last clip may “stick out” after the right locator. Here, the REX loop is 4 bars long. Since there are only two bars between the locators, the clip will stick out after the right locator. ! If you are using the Alt function for slices in the REX loop, these slices will output different note numbers each time you use the Copy Notes To Track function. See “About the Alt parameter” for details.
Slice handling Selecting Slices A selected slice is indicated by being highlighted in the waveform display. To select a slice, use one of the following methods: D By clicking in the waveform display. If you hold down [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and click on a slice in the waveform display, it will be played back. The pointer takes on the shape of a speaker symbol to indicate this. D By using the “Slice” knob below the waveform display. D Via MIDI.
Editing in the Waveform Display Here you are able to edit several parameters for each slice, by first selecting the slice and then using the knobs below the waveform display. If you want to edit a single parameter for several slices at once, a more convenient way would be to use the Slice Edit Mode, see “The Slice Edit Mode”.
The Slice Edit Mode A very convenient way of editing several slices at once is to work in Slice Edit Mode. In Slice Edit Mode, you can edit one parameter at a time for all slices in the loop. 1. Click the Edit Slice Mode button. The waveform display switches to show the REX loop in Slice Edit Mode. 2. Select the parameter you want to edit by clicking on its name below the REX loop. The parameters that can be selected are: Pitch, Pan, Level, Decay, Reverse, Filter Frequency, Alt Group and Output.
Dr. Octo Rex panel parameters Pitch and Mod wheels The Pitch wheel to the left is used for “bending” the pitch up or down. The Mod wheel can be used to apply various modulation while you are playing the loop(s). Virtually all MIDI keyboards have Pitch Bend and Modulation controls. Dr. Octo Rex also has two “wheels” on the panel that could be used to apply real time modulation and pitch bend should you not have these controllers on your keyboard, or if you aren’t using a keyboard at all.
The Note To Slot parameter can also be automated. This means you could switch between Loop Slots for every single sequencer note if you like. This opens up for very interesting “beat mangling” experiments.
Enable Loop Playback and Run D Click the Enable Loop Playback button to make it possible to play back the REX loops using the Run button or Play function in the main sequencer. If the Enable Loop Playback button is off, clicking Run or Play in the sequencer won’t play back the loops. This can be useful if you only want to control the individual slices of the REX loops from a master keyboard or from recorded notes in the main sequencer.
Dr. Octo Rex synth parameters The Dr. Octo 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 synthesizers; The Subtractor and the Malström, and in the samplers; the NN-19 and the NN-XT. It is important to remember that these parameters do not alter the REX files in any way, only the way they will play back.
• The Loop Transpose value can also be controlled via MIDI, by pressing a key between C-2 and C0 (with C-1 resetting the transpose value to zero). This way you can also record transposition changes in the sequencer. ! To control Loop Transpose via MIDI, the Note To Slot parameter must be set to the Loop Slot you want to control, see “Note To Slot”. q It’s also possible to set a global transpose value that affects all REX loops equally, see “Global Transpose”.
Mod. 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 | Description F. Freq This sets modulation wheel control of the filter frequency parameter. A positive value will raise the frequency if the wheel is pushed forward. Negative values invert this relationship. F.
The Filter Section Filters are used for shaping the overall timbre of all REX files in all 8 Loop Slots. The filter in Dr. Octo Rex is a multimode filter with five filter modes. D Activate or deactivate the filter completely by clicking the Filter On button. The filter is active when the button is lit. Mode With this selector you can set the filter to operate as one of five different types of filter.
Resonance The filter resonance parameter affects the character of the filter sound. For lowpass filters, raising the resonance will emphasize the frequencies around the set filter frequency. This produces a generally thinner sound, but with a sharper, more pronounced filter frequency “sweep”. The higher the resonance value, the more resonant the sound becomes until it produces a whistling or ringing sound.
Filter Envelope The Filter Envelope can be used to control two parameters for all REX loops in the 8 Loop Slots; filter frequency and overall loop pitch. By setting up a filter envelope you control how the filter frequency and/or the pitch should change over time for each slice. The Amount parameter determines to what degree the filter frequency will be affected by the Filter Envelope. The higher the Amount setting, the more pronounced the effect of the envelope on the filter.
| Waveform Soft Random | Description The same as above, but with smooth modulation. Destination The available LFO Destinations are as follows: | Destination | Description Osc Selecting this makes LFO control the pitch (frequency) of the REX file. Filter 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.
Setting number of voices - polyphony This determines the polyphony, i.e. the number of voices, or slices, Dr. Octo 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. If you are “playing” slices via MIDI, the polyphony setting should be set according to how many overlapping slices you want to have.
Connections On the rear panel of Dr. Octo Rex you will find the connectors. The left part of the panel houses a number of CV/Gate inputs and outputs. Using CV/Gate is described in “Routing Audio and CV”. Modulation Inputs These control voltage (CV) inputs (with trim pots), allow you to modulate various Dr. Octo Rex parameters from other devices (or from the modulation outputs of the Dr. Octo Rex device itself).
Slice Outputs To the right of the modulation inputs and outputs are the eight individual slice audio outputs. You can assign individual slices to any of these outputs as described in “Editing in the Waveform Display”. Main Outputs To the right are the main left and right audio outputs. When you create a new Dr. Octo Rex device, these are autorouted to the first available channel on the audio mixer. DR.
DR.
Chapter 31 Redrum Drum Computer
Introduction At first glance, Redrum looks styled after pattern-based drum machines, like the legendary Roland 808/909 units. Indeed, it does have a row of 16 step buttons that are used for step programming patterns, just like the aforementioned classics. There are significant differences, however. Redrum features ten drum “channels” that can each be loaded with an audio file, allowing for completely open-ended sound possibilities. Don’t like the snare - just change it.
About file formats Redrum reads two basic types of files: Redrum Patches A Redrum patch (Windows extension “.drp”) contains all settings for all ten drum sound channels, including file references to the used drum samples (but not the actual drum samples themselves). Switching patches is the same as selecting a new drum kit. Drum Samples Redrum can read and play back sample files of the following formats: • Wave (.wav) • AIFF (.aif) • SoundFonts (.sf2) • REX file slices (.rex2, .rex, .
Using patches When you create a new Redrum device it is loaded with a default kit. If you like you can program a pattern and play back using the default kit - or you can load another 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.
1. Click the folder button for a drum sound channel. The Redrum sample browser opens. 2. Locate and open a drum sample. You will find a large number of drum samples in the Factory Sound Bank (in the folder Redrum Drum Kits/xclusive drums-sorted). You can also use any AIFF, Wave, SoundFont sample or REX file slice for this. 3. Make the desired settings for the drum sound channel. The parameters are described in “Redrum parameters”. 4. Repeat steps 1 and 3 for the other drum sound channels. 5.
How the Redrum pattern sequencer integrates with the main sequencer The built-in pattern sequencer in the Redrum interacts with the main Reason sequencer in the following ways: D The tempo set on the transport panel is used for all playback. If the Tempo track (see “Recording tempo automation”) is used, Redrum will follow this.
D The sound sources can also be played by the main sequencer, or via MIDI. You can combine the built-in pattern playback with playback from the main sequencer or via MIDI. For example, this allows you to add variations or fills to a basic pattern. It is also possible to disable the pattern sequencer totally, converting the device to a pure sound module. This is done by deactivating the Enable Pattern Section switch.
3. Make sure that the “Enable Pattern Section” and the “Pattern” buttons are activated (lit). 4. Press the “Run” button. There will be no sound, as no pattern steps have been recorded yet. But as you can see, the LEDs over the Step button light up consecutively, moving from left to right, and then starts over. Each Step button represents one “step” in the Pattern. 5. Select a Redrum channel, by clicking the “Select” button at the bottom of the channel.
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.
Pattern Shuffle Shuffle is a rhythmic feature, that gives the music a more or less pronounced swing feel. It works by delaying all sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes. You can activate or deactivate shuffle individually for each Redrum pattern by clicking the Shuffle button on the device panel. The amount of shuffle is set globally with the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer - see “The ReGroove Mixer”.
The Pattern Enable switch If you deactivate the “Pattern” button the pattern playback will be muted, starting at the next downbeat (exactly as if you had selected an empty (silent) pattern). For example, this can be used for bringing different pattern devices in and out of the mix during playback. q You can also mute Redrum devices in the sequencer using the Mute button for the track connected to the Redrum.
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): | Function | Description Shift Pattern Left/Right These functions move all notes in the pattern one step to the left or right. Shift Drum Left/Right The Shift Drum functions move all notes for the selected drum channel (the channel for which the Select button is lit) one step to the left or right. Randomize Pattern Creates a random pattern.
• The notes will have the pitch of the corresponding drum sound (see “Using Redrum as a sound module”) and the velocity depending on the “Dynamic” parameter value in the device. “Soft” notes get velocity 30, “Medium” notes get velocity 80 and “Hard” notes get velocity 127. • You probably want to turn off the “Enable Pattern Section” switch on the Redrum device panel.
Redrum parameters Drum sound settings Redrum features ten drum sound channels that can each be loaded with a Wave or AIFF sample or a sample from a SoundFont bank. 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. On the following pages, all parameters will be listed.
D Raising the S1 knob for a drum sound channel will send the sound to the first send effect connected to the mixer. Similarly, the S2 knob governs the send level to the second send effect in the mixer. D Note that there must be send effects connected to the AUX Sends and Returns in the mixer for this to work. D Also note that if Redrum is soloed in the Mixer the effect sends will be muted. D Another way to add independent effects to drum sounds is to use the independent drum outputs.
D In Gate mode (switch up), the sound will play for the set Length, and then be cut off. Furthermore, if a sound set to Gate mode is played from the main sequencer, from a CV/Gate device or via MIDI, the sound will be cut off when the note ends or after the set Length, depending on which comes first. Or in other words, the sound plays for as long as you hold the note, but the Length setting serves as the maximum length for the sound.
Tone The Tone knob determines the brightness of the drum sound. Raising this parameter results in a brighter sound. The Vel knob determines whether the sound should become brighter (positive Vel value) or darker (negative Vel value) with higher velocity. D The Tone and Vel knobs have LEDs that light up when the functions are activated (i.e. when a value other than zero is selected). ! The Tone controls are available for drum sound channels 1, 2 and 10 only.
High Quality Interpolation 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. D High Quality Interpolation uses more computer power - if you don’t need it, it’s a good idea to turn it off! Listen to the drum sounds in a context and determine whether you think this setting makes any difference.
Connections On the back of the Redrum you will find the following connections: For each drum sound channel: | Connection | Description Audio Outputs There are individual audio outputs for each drum sound channel, allowing you to route a drum sound to a separate channel in the mixer, possibly via insert effects, etc. For mono sounds, use the “Left (Mono)” output (and pan the sound using the Pan control in the mixer).
REDRUM DRUM COMPUTER
Chapter 32 Kong Drum Designer
Introduction The Kong Drum Designer gives the visual impression of a pattern-based drum machine, like the legendary MPC units. Indeed, it does have a matrix of 4 x 4 pads that are used for playing the sounds, just like the aforementioned classics. There are significant differences, however. Kong features 16 drum “sound channels” that can host one drum sound each.
The Drum Control Panel The Drum Control Panel at the bottom left of the panel shows the name and “macro parameter” settings for the selected pad in the pad section. From the Drum Control Panel you can also load and save Drum Patches as well as initiate sampling. See “The Drum Control Panel”. The Drum and FX Section By clicking the Programmer button below at the bottom of the Drum Control Panel you can bring up the Drum and FX Section.
SoundFonts are an open standard for wavetable synthesized audio, developed by E-mu systems and Creative Technologies. SoundFont banks store wavetable synthesized sounds, allowing users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs. The sounds can then be played back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards. The samples in a SoundFont are stored hierarchically in different categories: User Samples, Instruments, Presets etc.
Checking the sounds in a Kit Patch There are three ways you can listen to the sounds in a patch without using the main sequencer: D By clicking the Pad buttons on the front panel. ! Note that the vertical click position on the pad determines the Velocity value. If you click towards the bottom of a pad, the velocity is low and at the top of each pad the velocity value is high. Velocity = 127 Velocity = 4 This will give you a vary good idea about the dynamics behavior of each drum sound.
2. Click the folder button for the selected drum sound channel. D Alternatively, right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the Pad and select “Browse Drum Patches...” from the context menu. The Patch Browser opens. 3. Locate and open a Kong Drum Patch (extension ‘.drum’) or a sample or REX file. You will find a selection of Kong Drum Patches in the Factory Sound Bank (in the Kong Drum Patches folder).
Pad Settings In the Pad Settings section to the right of the Pad section you can perform various assignments and tricks pertaining to how the Drum channels should be controlled from the Pads. Assigning Drums to Pads Kong features 16 pads and 16 Drum channels, as described earlier. Each pad can control a separate Drum sound channel. You can also assign several pads to control a single Drum sound channel.
Assigning Drums to Pads using the Quick Edit function If you want to assign several Drums to several pads quickly, you can do this by using the Quick Edit function. 1. Click the Quick Edit button in the Drum Assign section. Each Pad now shows the current Drum assignment. 2. Change the Drum assignment clicking on the desired Drum channel number on each Pad. 3. When you are done, click the Quick Edit button or press [Esc] to exit to normal mode.
D To assign a Hit Type to a pad, select the pad and then select Hit Type by clicking the Hit Type button (or on the name in the display). The Hit Type assignment is saved when you save your Kong Kit Patch and/or song. Assigning Hit Type to Pads using the Quick Edit function A quicker way of assigning Hit Type to several pads is by using the Quick Edit function. 1. Click the Quick Edit button in the Hit Type section. Each Pad now shows the current Hit Type assignment. 2.
Working with Pad Groups Kong features 9 Pad Groups, divided into 3 Mute Groups, 3 Link Groups and 3 Alt Groups. Each Pad can be assigned to one or more of these 9 Pad Groups independently. Pad Groups are useful if you, for example, want to trig several pads from a single pad, have one pad mute another, or randomly trig other pads from one pad. Mute Groups Mute Groups can be used if you want one pad to automatically mute another sound in the same Mute Group.
The Drum and FX section Drum Control Panel Drum Module Slot Bus FX Slot FX1 Slot FX2 Slot Master FX Slot The Drum and FX section in Kong is built up of the Drum Control Panel and the Drum and FX section. D Click the Show Drum and FX button below the Drum Control Panel to unfold the Drum and FX section.
Signal flow The output signal from a Drum module is sent via the FX1 and FX2 Slots to the Bus FX, Master FX or to a pair of the individual outputs on the back of the Kong panel. There is also an internal Bus FX Send that can be used to send an audio signal from the Drum via the FX1 and FX2 Slots to the Bus FX. The Bus FX Slot can the hold e.g. a reverb module which can be used a send effect for all the Drum channels.
Bus FX Drum Output When the Drum Output is set to “Bus FX”, the signal flow is according to the picture below. Note that the Bus FX is now routed both as an Insert effect and as a Send effect at the same time. Therefore, it might be a good idea to set the Bus FX Send knob on the Drum Control Panel to zero in this configuration.
Separate Out Drum Output When the Drum Output is set to any of the separate output pairs “3-4” to “15-16”, the signal flow is according to the picture below. The signals to the selected separate output pair are taken directly after the FX2 via the Master Level knob. Note that the signal via the Bus FX and Master FX is still available on the Main Out L & R and can be controlled with the Bus FX Send knob on the Drum Control Panel.
• The Decay Offset knob affects the amplitude Decay or Release parameters in all Drum modules plus any FX modules that feature a Decay parameter. For example, the reverb decay time in the Room Reverb FX module is affected by the Decay Offset parameter. • The Bus FX Send knob affects the signal level sent to the Bus FX Slot. Depending on current Drum Output setting, the effect will be a little different - see the examples in “Signal flow”.
Loading and Saving Drum Patches Loading and Saving Kong Drum patches (“.drum”) are done in the same way as with any other Reason device - see “Loading patches” and “Saving patches”. A Kong Drum patch contains all parameter settings on the Drum Control Panel, including modules and parameter settings in the Drums and FX section - with references to any used samples. It’s also possible to load samples and REX loops in the Drum Control Panel section.
D Select Drum Module type by clicking the button to the right of the On button and selecting the module from the pop-up. the following Drum Module types can be selected: NN-Nano Sampler, Nurse Rex Loop Player, Physical Bass Drum, Physical Snare Drum, Physical Tom Tom, Synth Bass Drum, Synth Snare Drum, Synth Tom Tom and Synth Hi-Hat. See “The Drum modules” for details about each Drum module.
The Drum modules ! Note that only four pre-defined parameters per Drum Module can be automated! NN-Nano Sampler The NN-Nano Sampler is based on the NN-XT Sampler and was designed to be ideal for drums and percussion sounds. The NN-Nano can handle samples or sets of samples for each of the four different Hit Types described in “Assigning Hit Type to Pads”. Each Hit Type can contain one or several samples which can be layered and/or altered and controlled individually via velocity. Loading samples 1.
2. Select the empty Layer in the display and load a new sample according to the description in “Loading samples” above. NN-Nano supports files in the following formats: • Standard Wave files These have the extension “.wav”. This is the standard audio file format for the PC platform. Any audio or sample editor, regardless of platform, can read and create audio files in Wave format. Any sample rate and practically any bit resolution (up to 24 bits) is supported.
D To sample your own sound and automatically load it into the NN-Nano, click the Sample button. Refer to the “Sampling” chapter for details on how to set up and use the sampling feature. The Edit Sample button If you click the Edit Sample button with a sample selected in the display, the sample will open in the generic Edit Sample window. In this window you can edit the sample and save as a self-contained Song Sample.
Global parameters The parameters located on the panel, outside the display, are global and affect all samples in all Hit groups equally. • Polyphony “Full” is, as the word implies, full polyphony. This means that all Hits can sound with full polyphony. Several Hits can also sound together if controlled from separate Pads that are assigned to different Hit Types. “Exclusive Hits” means that when one Hit plays it will automatically mute any other sounding Hits.
Nurse Rex Loop Player The Nurse Rex Loop Player is based on the Dr. OctoRex Loop Player but has been modified to be ideal for playing and triggering drum and percussion sounds. The Nurse Rex can load standard REX files and play back the loops and/or slices in a variety of ways depending on the selected Hit Type (see “Assigning Hit Type to Pads”). Loading REX files 1. Click the Browse Samples (folder) button. 2. Select a REX file and click Open in the Browser.
D Set Start and End slice, either by clicking and dragging the S and E numerical values up/down in the boxes, or by clicking and dragging the handles sideways in the “ruler” above the REX loop in the display. Different ways of editing the Start and End Slice values • Chunk Trig In Chunk Trig mode, you can assign several pads to play back shorter sections - chunks - of the REX loop. The number of chunks is determined by the number of pads you have assigned to the REX loop using the Chunk Trig Hit Type.
D Change the Start position of the first chunk and the End position of the last chunk by changing the REX loop Start and End values. In effect, this is the same as setting the overall REX loop start and end position. Editing the start position of the first chunk and end position of the last chunk • Slice Trig In Slice Trig mode, you can assign a pad to play back one single slice of the REX loop - or several slices alternatingly.
• Stop The fourth Hit Type is named “Stop”. The Stop mode can be used if you want to use a pad for immediately stopping the currently playing REX loop or Chunk. The Stop mode should be used in combination with any of the Hit Types “Loop Trig” or “Chunk Trig”, otherwise it won’t be useful. “Stop” selected as Hit Type for a pad assigned to a Nurse Rex module 1. Assign one pad to a REX loop in Nurse Rex and select any of the Hit Types “Loop Trig” or “Chunk Trig”. 2.
Editing Slice Parameters In the REX loop display you can edit parameters that are unique to each separate slice: Slice parameters Slices parameters for a loaded REX loop D To select a slice for editing, click on the desired slice in the REX loop display. Alternatively, click and drag up/down in the Slice number box or use the Slice Select knob below the Slice item. The Slice Parameters are: • Trig Click the Trig check box for the slices you want to alternate between using the Slice Trig Hit Type.
• Release with Velocity and Modulation controls Sets the release time for the amplitude envelope when ADSR is selected as Env Type. The release time can also be velocity controlled according to the sensitivity set with the Vel knob. You can also control the release time from the Mod Wheel with the amount set with the Mod knob. In Gate mode, the Release parameter has no effect. • Pitch with Velocity control Sets the overall pitch of all slices in the REX loop.
• Pitch Sets the overall pitch of the drum. The Pitch parameter can be considered the total size of the drum and affects all other head and shell parameters. • Tune 1 and Tune 2 (PM Bass Drum and PM Tom Tom) The Tune 1 and Tune 2 parameters set the drum’s harmonic character, similar to the effect of individually adjusting the rim tension screws of the top drum head. • Tune (PM Snare Drum) This controls the top drum head tension and thus affects the harmonic character of the sound.
Synth Bass Drum, Snare Drum and Tom Tom The Synth Bass Drum, Snare Drum and Tom Tom use analog modelling to generate classic synth drum sounds. The Synth Tom Tom was faithfully modelled after a famous hexagonal shaped analog drum system from the 80’s. General parameters • Level This controls the overall output level of the Drum module to the FX1 and FX2 Slots (see “Signal flow”). The Level is also affected by velocity.
• Bend Amount (Synth Bass Drum and Synth Tom Tom) Sets the upper pitch to bend from. The Bend Amount is also affected by velocity. • Noise Tone (Synth Snare Drum and Synth Tom Tom) This is a filter which sets the frequency content of the noise. • Noise Decay (Synth Snare Drum and Synth Tom Tom) This sets the decay of the noise in the sound. The Noise Decay is also affected by the regular Decay parameter. • Noise Mix (Synth Snare Drum and Synth Tom Tom) Sets the noise level in the drum sound.
The Support Generator modules There are two types of Support Generator modules in Kong, one for generating noise and another one for generating a tone. The Support Generator modules can be used as companions to any of the Drum modules, or stand-alone. The Support Generators can be loaded into the FX1 and/or FX2 slots.
Tone Generator • Hit Type buttons These buttons allow you to choose for which Hit Type(s) the Tone generator should be active. By default, the Tone generator is active for all Hit Types (see “Assigning Hit Type to Pads”). • Pitch This sets the pitch of the oscillator. • Attack This sets the attack time of the tone. • Decay This sets the decay time of the tone. • Bend Decay This sets the decay time for the Bend. • Bend This sets the upper start pitch of the bend range.
The FX modules The FX modules can be used in any of the FX1, FX2, Bus FX and Master FX slots. ! Note that only two pre-defined parameters per FX Module can be automated! Using CV modulation of Bus FX and Master FX parameters When the FX modules are used in the Bus FX and/or Master FX slots, it is possible to route external CV signals to the first two Effect module parameters for modulation.
Drum Room Reverb The Drum Room Reverb is a reverb with a room-type reverb algorithm. It’s perfect for adding ambience to single drum sounds or to the entire mix of all 16 drum channels. The parameters are as follows: • Size This sets the “size” of the room, from small to large. • Decay This sets the reverb decay time. • Damp This sets the high frequency damping amount of the reverb effect, from none to heavy. • Width This sets the stereo effect of the reverb, from mono to wide stereo.
• Decay This sets the decay time from amplification/attenuation back to normal amplitude level. • Amount This controls the amplification amount. A high Amount in combination with a positive Attack value will produce a very pronounced attack/transient in the sound. Compressor The Compressor levels out the audio, by making loud sounds softer. To compensate for the volume loss, the Compressor has a make-up gain control for raising the overall level by a suitable amount.
Filter The Filter is a state variable filter with a switch for selecting Lowpass, Bandpass or Highpass state. It has controls for cutoff/center frequency and resonance amount and can also be controlled from a built-in MIDI controlled envelope generator for sweeping the frequency. When used in the Bus FX Slot, MIDI Note E2 (#52) trigs the envelope. When used in the Master FX Slot, MIDI Note F2 (#53) trigs the envelope.
• Frequency Sets the center frequency of the equalizer. • Gain Sets the amplification (positive Gain value) or attenuation (negative Gain value) around the center Frequency. • Q Sets the bandwidth around the center Frequency, from wide to a narrow peak. Ring Modulator The Ring Modulator takes the input signal and multiplies it with an internal sinewave signal. The result is often a synthetic metallic sound.
Rattler The Rattler adds the effect of a snare “attached” to whatever sound is fed through it. Using the Rattler in combination with other types of sounds than “usual” snare drum sounds can produce really interesting results! Ever played a snare bass drum, or a snare hi-hat, for example? The parameters are as follows: • Snare Tension This sets the tension of the snare.
• Time This sets the time between the delays, from short to long. • Feedback This sets the number of delay repetitions, from one to... many. • Wobble This sets the tape speed wobbling effect. Since it emulates a magnetic tape, a wobbling speed also automatically produces a wobbling pitch of the signal. • Frequency This sets the change in frequency of the delay repetitions. For every delay, the frequency content will shift according to the Frequency setting.
Connections On the back panel of Kong are a number of connectors. Many of these are CV/Gate related. Using CV/Gate is described in the chapter “Routing Audio and CV”. Sequencer Control The Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs allow you to play Kong from another CV/Gate device (typically a Matrix or a Redrum). The signal to the CV input controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate input delivers note on/ off along with velocity.
Gate In and Out • The Gate Inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger each of the 16 pads individually. You are still able to control the pads from the panel and/or via MIDI even when the Gate Inputs are being used. • The Gate Outputs send out a CV Gate signal each time the corresponding pad is played. The Gate signals can be used for triggering sounds in other devices. Audio Out 3-16 There are 14 separate audio output jacks on Kong’s back panel - arranged as seven separate stereo pairs.
2. Play a couple of notes on your other device. The audio is now routed via Kong’s Bus FX slot and further via the Master FX slot, to the Main Audio Outputs of Kong. 3. Select suitable FX devices for the Bus FX and Master FX slots in Kong according to the descriptions in “The FX modules” and tweak the parameters to your liking.
Chapter 33 The MClass Effects
The MClass effects The MClass package consists of four effect devices, which are available separately or grouped together in the “MClass Mastering Suite Combi”. As the name implies, the effects are suitable for mastering purposes, i.e. to process the final mixed output, but can of course be used to process individual devices as well. The individual MClass effects are as follows: • The MClass Equalizer - this has low and high shelving bands, two fully parametric bands and a low cut “antirumble” switch.
Connections When using the MClass Mastering Suite Combi for mastering purposes, the Combinator should be connected at the very end of the signal chain, inserted between the final mixed output and the Hardware Interface. • If you select the Hardware Interface and then create a MClass Mastering Suite Combi, the correct connections will be auto-routed. q For descriptions of how to use Combinator devices please refer to “The Combinator” chapter.
Lo/Hi Shelf parameters A shelving equalizer will boost or cut frequencies below or above the selected frequency. The following parameters are available for the Lo/Hi Shelf bands: | Parameter | Description Frequency Frequencies below (Lo Shelf) or above (Hi Shelf) the selected frequency will be boosted or cut. • The Lo Shelf range is 30 Hz to 600 Hz. • The Hi Shelf range is 3 kHz to 12 kHz. Gain Specifies how much the level should be boosted or cut. The gain range is ±18 dB.
Connections Apart from standard L/R inputs and outputs, there are also “Separate” L/R outputs on the back panel. The Separate outputs can either carry the Lo or Hi band output, which is set by the switch beside the outputs. These outputs can be used to apply processing separately to either the Lo or Hi band.
About the Sidechain inputs D When a signal is connected to the Sidechain inputs, it is this signal that will trigger the compression. This signal is not passed to the compressor output, and will thus not be heard (unless Sidechain Solo is activated). D The signal connected to the normal L/R inputs is the signal that will be processed by the compressor (as usual).
6. Route one pair of the split outputs of the Spider to the MClass Equalizer inputs. 7. Route the Equalizer outputs to the Sidechain inputs on the MClass Compressor. 8. Route another pair of the split outputs of the Spider to the MClass Compressor. Now, the compressors normal audio inputs are fed the unprocessed signal, and the sidechain inputs are fed the equalized signal. 9. Next, route the outputs of the Compressor to inputs on a mixer device. 10.
The MClass Maximizer This is a loudness maximizer, a special type of limiter which can significantly raise the perceived loudness of a mix without risk of hard clipping distortion. Features include a 4 ms look ahead function for “brick wall” limiting and a Soft Clip function. The MClass Maximizer should be used as an insert effect, and is designed to be placed at the end of the signal chain between the mixed final output and the Hardware Interface.
Chapter 34 RV7000 Advanced Reverb
The RV7000 Advanced Reverb The RV7000 is a high quality reverb processor. It features nine different reverb and echo algorithms, ranging from rooms and halls to special effects. Since the RV7000 comes with a number of useful reverb presets, you could simply select one and tweak the most important parameters on the main panel - or you could use the Remote Programmer panel to fine-tune the reverb in great detail. The RV7000 also contains an equalizer and a gate section.
The remote programmer Clicking the arrow button next to the “cable slot” on the main panel brings up the remote programmer panel. This is where you make detailed settings for the reverb. Note: • The Edit Mode button to the left determines which section to make settings for, Reverb, EQ or Gate. • Settings are made with the eight dials around the graphic display. The functions of the dials differ depending on the selected Edit Mode and the selected reverb algorithm.
Reverb algorithms and parameters Common effect device parameters While the specific parameters for the RV7000 effect device are described below, some features and procedures are common to all effect devices. Please, refer to “Common effect device features” for information about the Input meter, the Bypass/On/Off switch and Signal Flow Graphs on the effect device.
Here’s a quick overview of the nine algorithms - for details and parameter descriptions, see below. | Algorithm | Description Small Space Emulates a small enclosed space (a small room or a resonant body). Room Emulates a room with adjustable shape and wall character. Hall Emulates a hall. Arena Emulates a large arena, with separate pre-delay for the left, right and center reverbs. Plate Emulates a classic plate reverb. Spring Emulates a spring reverb, as used in e.g. guitar amplifiers.
Hall Emulates a hall. The parameters are the same as for the Room algorithm above (but the Hall algorithm offers larger Size settings). Arena Emulates the ambience in an arena or concert hall, with long pre-delay times (separate for left, right and center): | Parameter | Description Size The size of the emulated arena or hall. Diffusion At low Diffusion settings, you will hear the individual reverb “bounces” more clearly, while higher settings produce a more “smeared”, dense and even reverb.
Echo This is an advanced echo effect, with diffusion controls and tempo sync. When Echo is selected, the Decay control on the main panel controls the echo feedback (the number of echo repeats). The parameters are: | Parameter | Description Echo Time Sets the time between each echo. When Tempo Sync (see below) is off, the echo time is set in milliseconds (10 - 2000 ms); when Tempo Sync is on you set the echo time as a number of 1/16 notes or 1/8 triplet notes, in relation to the current song tempo.
• You can also set Edit Select to “Repeat Tap” - this is where you specify the repeat time for the whole multi tap “package”. With short Repeat times, the first tap may be repeated before the last tap has sounded. This can be used to create very complex multiple delay effects. The common parameters (to the left) are: | Parameter | Description Tempo Sync Determines whether the delay times and repeat times should be freely set (“off”) or synchronized to Reason’s tempo (“on”).
Reverse The Reverse reverb algorithm in RV7000 is special in that it actually “moves” the source audio as well. Sounds fed into the Reverse reverb are “sampled”, a reverse reverb is created and played back and finally the “sampled” original sound is played back. For example, if you feed a snare drum hit into the Reverse reverb, you will hear a rising “backwards” reverb, followed by the snare drum hit. Therefore, you probably don’t want to hear the first, original (dry) sound.
The EQ section The equalizer in RV7000 affects the wet reverb sound only and is used for shaping the character of the reverb. There are two EQ bands, one for low frequencies (shelving) and one full-range parametric EQ. D To activate the EQ, click the EQ Enable button on the main panel so that the indicator lights up. D To make EQ settings, select “EQ” with the Edit Mode button to the left in the remote programmer panel.
The Gate section The Gate section allows you to create gated reverb effects with a lot of options and possibilities. You can either trigger the gate from the source audio signal or via MIDI or CV. When triggering the gate from the source audio signal, it works like this: • The gate “listens” to the source (dry) signal and opens whenever the signal reaches a certain threshold level. • The reverb sound is sent through the gate - when the gate is closed you won’t hear the reverb.
The parameters for the Gate section are: | Parameter | Description Threshold When Trig Source is set to “Audio”, this determines the audio signal level at which the gate opens. If you raise this setting, only very loud sounds will open the gate. Decay Mod This modulates the reverb Decay parameter so that the decay time is lowered when the gate closes.
Chapter 35 Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit
Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit Scream 4 is a very versatile stereo in/out sound destruction device, capable of warping any sound literally beyond recognition, but also capable of producing more subtle musical effects. Scream 4 features a wide range of algorithms for distortion and sound mangling which can be combined with an EQ and a resonant “Body” section to provide everything you need to add an edge to your sounds. This effect is most often used as an insert effect.
There are five controls in this section, with the following functions: | Parameter | Description Damage button This switches the Damage section on or off. Damage Control knob This controls the input gain which in turn determines the amount of damage inflicted. The higher the value, the more destruction! When raising the Damage Control you may need to lower the Master level to maintain the same output level (and vice versa).
| Type | Description Warp Warp distorts and multiplies the incoming signal with itself. - The P1 knob controls Sharpness. Lower values will produce a soft, compressed distortion, while higher values produces more harmonics and a sharper sound. - An effect of multiplying a signal with itself is that the fundamental pitch is removed from the signal, leaving overtones only. The P2 knob controls Bias - raise this to reintroduce the fundamental pitch in the sound.
The Body parameters are as follows: | Parameter Body button | Description This switches the Body section on or off. Body Type knob This is used to select one of the five available Body types (A-E). Body Reso knob This simulates the resonance of the selected Body. Turning the knob clockwise gives a more resonant effect. Body Scale The Body Scale parameter could be said to control the “size” of the Body. Note that this is “inverted” - turning the knob clockwise reduces the emulated size.
CV inputs and outputs On the back of the Scream 4 you will find CV inputs for controlling the following four parameters: D Damage Control Use this for dynamically changing the amount of damage effect. D P1 The use for this depends on the selected Damage Type. For example, if the Feedback effect is selected, this will control the Size parameter - connect it to the CV Out on a Matrix or synth LFO for strange, flanger-like sweeps. D P2 The use for this depends on the selected Damage Type.
Screamy tips and tricks Don’t restrict yourself to using Scream 4 as a basic distortion stompbox, but try it in as many ways as possible - you may be surprised to find how often Scream 4 can add power, warmth and color to your sounds. Here are some examples: Creating a heavy drum sound Scream 4 is ideal for processing drums. Try connecting it as an insert effect to a Redrum device and experiment with the Damage Types and settings. • For classic distorted drums, try the Tube, Tape or Distortion algorithms.
Emulating vintage digital gear The first generations of digital instruments (drum machines, synths and samplers) used 8 or 12 bit sampling and processing, at low sample rates. This “lo-fi” sound is still in high demand, e.g. in hip-hop and R’n’B. Try this: 1. Connect a Scream 4 as an insert for a Redrum, with a suitable kit selected. 2. Set Damage Type to Digital and turn P1 and P2 fully right. 3. Play back and lower P1 (bit depth) and P2 (sample rate) to get the sound you want.
Chapter 36 BV512 Vocoder
Introduction The BV512 is an advanced vocoder device with a variable number of filter bands. It also has a unique 1024-point FFT vocoding mode (equivalent of 512-band vocoding) for very precise and high quality vocoded speech. By connecting the BV512 to two instrument devices, you can produce anything from vocoded speech, singing or drums to weird special effects. Even if you have worked with a vocoder before, please read the following section.
• The FFT mode is best suited for vocoding speech or vocals, giving crystal clear and highly intelligible results. It is not so well suited for vocoding drums and percussion, since the FFT process is inherently “slower” than the regular filtering and doesn’t respond as quickly to transients, and also there will be a slight delay added to the signal (in the region of 20ms). A workaround solution to this would be to move the modulator signal slightly ahead to compensate for the delay.
7. Play some notes or chords on your MIDI keyboard and sing through the microphone. The result will be the classic vocoded vocal sound. 8. Try the different filter band options and note the difference in sound.
9. You can also adjust the vocoder sound by clicking and dragging the bars in the lower display. Each bar corresponds to a frequency band, with low frequencies to the left and high frequencies to the right. You adjust the level of a band by dragging its bar up or down. Clicking and dragging across the bars allow you to change the levels of several bars, much like drawing an eq curve. The upper display shows the spectrum of the modulator signal, for display only.
In equalizer mode, you cut or boost frequencies by clicking and dragging in the lower display - just as with a regular graphic equalizer. The usage and results differ depending on which mode is selected: • 4 - 32 band mode As in vocoder mode, the number of bars in the display conforms to the number of bands selected (4, 8, 16 or 32). With a higher number of bands you get a more detailed control over the frequency response.
| Parameter | Description Attack This is a global attack time control, affecting all envelope followers (see “Filter bands”). Normally you probably want this set to zero, to make the vocoder react as quick as possible. Raising the Attack time can be useful for “smearing” sounds, creating pads, etc. Not available in Equalizer mode. Decay Similarly, this controls the decay time for all envelope followers, i.e. how quick the filter band levels drop. Adjust this according to taste and context.
Connections The back panel of the BV512 offers the following connections: Individual band levels These are CV outputs and inputs. • The upper row outputs CV signals generated by the envelope followers for each frequency band. • The lower row are CV level inputs to the individual bandpass filters through which the signal is processed (the “vocoder filters”).
Automation All parameters on the front panel can be automated in the standard manner. The individual band levels (the bars in the lower display) will be edited on separate lanes in the sequencer. Note: • As with the other effect devices, you have to manually create a sequencer track for the BV512. • Although the band level adjustments can be edited individually, they are treated as one automatable parameter on the device panel.
Tips and tricks Choosing a carrier sound As always, which carrier sound to choose is a matter of taste and musical context. However, here are a few guidelines to help you get a good result: • The carrier sound should preferably have a lot of harmonic content (brightness) - dark or muffled sounds will not “give the vocoder much to work with”. • Often, you want the carrier sound to sustain at an even level (i.e. it shouldn’t “die out” when you hold a chord).
D Use sampled strings or choir sounds. A rich drawbar organ sample can also be a cool carrier sound. D For unusual vocoder sounds, try using the Malström as carrier device, e.g. with a glassy, digital pad sound selected. Try turning up the Attack and Decay controls on the BV512, for smeared, rhythmic or pseudo-random modulation of a pad. Choosing a modulator sound The modulator sound should typically have varying level and harmonic content.
Using the modulator as carrier You can get cool special effects by using the same device both as carrier and as modulator. For example, try processing a Redrum device in the following way: 1. Create a Redrum device and set up the desired patch and pattern. 2. Create a Spider Audio Merger & Splitter device. 3. Create a BV512 Vocoder. 4. Flip the rack around and connect the devices in the following way: The output of the Redrum goes into the splitter section of the Spider, and is split into two signals.
Controlling the Hold function As described in “Hold button”, pressing the Hold button on the front panel “freezes” the current filter spectrum until you deactivate it again. This can be used for creating sample & hold-like effects, stuttering or garbled vocoder sounds: D Connect e.g. the Gate output on a Matrix device to the Hold input on the back of the BV512.
Extracting CV from the vocoder You can connect an individual band level output to any CV input on any device. This means you can use the vocoder as an envelope follower, having elements in the modulator sound control a parameter in another device, e.g. an effect. Note: • The Attack and Decay settings on the BV512 panel affect the envelope followers, and thus the rise and fall times of the CV signals from the individual band level outputs.
“Playing” the vocoder from a MIDI keyboard If you have routed MIDI to the BV512, playing notes from C1 and up will control individual filter bands. For example, in 16 band mode, C1 controls band 1, C#1 band 2 and so on up to D#2 (which controls band 16). • The level of the bands is proportional to key velocity (how hard you play). • A band will be “open” until you release the corresponding key.
6. On the Subtractor, set up a noise sound as follows: D Turn the Oscillator Mix knob fully to the right. D Turn on the Noise section (but make sure Osc 2 is off). D In the Noise section, turn Color to around twelve o’clock. D Open the filter fully and make sure resonance is set to 0. D Make sure Filter Envelope Amt is 0 (and turn off velocity modulation). D Raise the Sustain to full in the Amp Envelope section. Now we want the Subtractor to play a continuous noise.
Creating a stereo reverb What you’ve got above is a mono reverb. Here’s how to make it stereo: 1. Select the Subtractor and create a Spider Audio Merger & Splitter device. 2. Create a DDL-1 delay. 3. Connect the devices in the following way: The Subtractor output should be routed to a Splitter input on the Spider. One split output should be routed to one of the carrier inputs on the vocoder, the other split output should be routed to the delay.
BV512 VOCODER
Chapter 37 Half-Rack Effects
Common effect device features While the specific parameters for each effect device are described below, some features and procedures are common to all effect devices: The Input meter This shows the level of the incoming audio signal, giving you an indication of which devices are active, connected and playing. However, you don’t need to worry about clipping in effect devices, even if the meter goes into the red. The Power/Bypass switch This is located in the upper left corner of each effect device.
The Signal Flow graphs On the back of each effect device, you will find two or three small “graphs”. These indicate how the effect device handles mono and stereo signals, depending on the connections. The selection of graphs for a device tells you how it should be used, according to the following rules: | Graph | Description Can be connected as a mono-in, mono-out device. (Of course, all effect devices can be connected in mono.
DDL-1 Digital Delay Line This is a mono delay (where the output can be panned in stereo) that can be synchronized to the song tempo. The delay can be used as a send effect or an insert effect. Parameters | Parameter | Description Delay time The display to the left on the device panel shows the delay time, either as note value steps (based on the sequencer tempo and the Step Length parameter) or in milliseconds, depending on the setting of the Unit switch.
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 or send effect. Parameters | Parameter | Description Delay This is a manual control for the delay time used to create the chorus/flanger effect.
D When you are using a mono input and stereo outputs, there will only be a stereo effect if the internal LFO is used. If you turn LFO Mod Amount to zero, both stereo outputs will carry the same signal (mono). This is because the “fake stereo” effect is produced by inverting the modulation for one of the output channels. Tip: Using the CF-101 as a vibrato effect The Send mode is intended for when using the CF-101 as a send effect.
Spider Audio Merger & Splitter The Spider Audio Merger & Splitter is not an effect device, but a utility. It has two basic functions: D To merge up to four audio input signals into one output. D To split one audio input signal into four outputs. There are no controls on the front panel of this device, only signal indicators. Merging audio Four audio input pairs Merged signal outputs On the back panel of the Spider are several audio connectors.
Splitting audio The right half of the back panel contains two signal splitters, labeled “A (L)” and “B (R)”. The two splitters work independently, in the following way: D The signal fed to the input connector will be simultaneously output by all four outputs. For splitting stereo signals you simply use both splitters with “A” for the left channel and “B” for the right channel.
Spider CV Merger & Splitter The Spider CV Merger & Splitter is not an effect device, but a utility. It has two basic functions: D To provide one merged CV output from up to four CV input sources. D To split CV or Gate inputs into several outputs. Two inputs, A and B, are provided, each with four outputs, where one of the outputs will invert the polarity of the control signal.
Practical uses of merging CV The practical applications of merging CV are perhaps less obvious compared to splitting CV. But there are numerous applications for a merged CV control output, a few of which are listed below: D You can create interesting modulation effects by merging several Modulation outputs from LFO’s and other CV modulation sources. For example, merging the Modulation outputs from several LFO’s would produce a “mixed modulation” output.
3. Now create a Spider CV and a second Matrix device and connect them as in the picture below. Note that the Note CV output from Matrix 1, and the Curve CV output of Matrix 2 should be connected to the Spider. The merged output is connected to the Sequencer Control Note CV input on the Subtractor. 4. On the Spider CV, turn the trimpot for the input connected to the Note CV output fully to the right. This setting will retain the correct pitch relationship for the notes played by the pattern. 5.
6. Set the Curve type switch to “Bipolar” on the back of the second Matrix (Matrix 2). 7. Flip the rack around so that the front panels are showing, and make the following settings for the “Matrix 2”: • Set the number of steps to “1”. • Set the Curve/Keys switch to “Curve”. 8. Adjust the Matrix 2 curve for step 1 (the only step used) so that it is in the middle of the bipolar curve as the picture shows. 9. If you now activate Play from the transport, the pattern you programmed for Matrix 1 is played back.
RV-7 Digital Reverb Reverb adds ambience and creates a space effect. Normally, reverb simulates some kind of acoustic environment such as a room or a hall, but you could also use it as a special effect. • The Reverb device can be used as a send effect or an insert effect. If several devices uses the same type of reverb, you should connect the reverb as a send effect, to conserve computer power.
The selected reverb algorithm can be tweaked using the parameters on the device panel: | Parameter | Description Size 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.
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 | Description Amount This controls the amount of distortion. The higher the value, the more distortion.
ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter The ECF-42 is a multimode filter with a built in envelope generator. It is mainly designed to be used together with pattern devices to create pattern controlled filter and envelope effects, but it can also be triggered via MIDI, or used as a “static” filter for shaping the sound of an instrument device or a whole mix. Usage The Envelope Controlled Filter is best connected as an insert effect. However, unlike the other effects it is not a pure “stand-alone” device.
The Envelope 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 | Description A (Attack) When the envelope is triggered, this is the time it takes before the envelope signal reaches its max value.
5. Create a Matrix Pattern Sequencer. If you flip the rack around, you can see that the audio out from the Subtractor is passed through the ECF-42 and then on to the Mixer. The Matrix Curve CV is connected to the ECF-42 Frequency CV parameter, and the Matrix Gate CV is connected to the ECF-42 Env Gate input. 6. Select the Track connected to the Subtractor (given that you are handling MIDI input via the sequencer) so that you can play it from your keyboard.
Triggering the ECF-42 via MIDI To trigger the envelope in the ECF-42, proceed as follows: 1. Create a sequencer track for the ECF-42. This is easiest done by bringing up the context menu for the device and selecting “Create Track for XX” (where “XX” is the name of this particular filter device). 2. Record or draw some notes on the sequencer track. Remember that the envelope takes the note length and velocity into account. The note pitches doesn’t matter. 3. Play back the track.
PH-90 Phaser 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. This way, narrow bands of the frequency range (“notches”) are filtered out.
About Stereo and Mono connections The PH-90 can be connected using mono or stereo inputs, as shown by the graphs on the back panel. Note the following: • A “moving” stereo effect is only obtained when you use a mono input and stereo outputs. With a stereo input, the two sides are processed in parallel, maintaining the stereo image of the original sound. • When you are using a mono input and stereo outputs, there will only be a stereo effect if the internal LFO is used.
UN-16 Unison The UN-16 simulates the sound of several detuned voices playing the same notes simultaneously. The voices are individually slightly delayed and also pitch modulated by low frequency noise. This produces a rich chorus effect with the voices spread across the stereo field (given that stereo outputs are used). The UN-16 can be used as an insert effect or a send effect. Parameters | Parameter | Description Voice Count This switch sets the number of voices for the effect; 4. 8 or 16.
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 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. The device consists of two independent, fully parametric equalizers and is most often used as an insert effect, in mono or stereo. About the two EQ modules The two independent EQs are labeled “A” and “B”.
Chapter 38 Matrix Pattern Sequencer
Introduction 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.
• Curve CV is a separate pattern, programmed separately from the Note/Key and Gate CV. Curve CV values (upper window). This is useful for programming CV curves that control other parameters other than note pitch (although you could do this too). This way you could control the note pitch and triggering from the Key and Gate outputs for a device, then add a second independent pattern using the Curve CV output that could control filter cutoff for example.
• Pattern changes can be controlled by a pattern lane in the main sequencer. In other words, you can record or create pattern changes in the main sequencer, and have them occur at the correct position on playback. Selecting Patterns The Matrix has 32 pattern memories, divided into four banks (A, B, C, D). The Bank and Pattern buttons for the Matrix pattern sequencer. D To select a pattern in the current bank, click on the desired Pattern button (1-8).
Using Cut, Copy and Paste By using the Cut, Copy and Paste Pattern commands on the Edit menu or device context menu, you can move or duplicate patterns. The following rules apply: D Copy Pattern makes a copy of the currently selected pattern and places the copy on the clipboard. D Cut Pattern moves the currently selected pattern to the clipboard. This is the same as first performing Copy Pattern and then Clear Pattern.
Tutorial The programming procedure of the Matrix is to input note and gate values into the upper and lower fields of the pattern window respectively. You can input values by clicking or dragging in the pattern window. Proceed as follows: 1. Create a Subtractor synth. You don’t have to use the Subtractor device to use the Matrix, in fact you don’t have to use an instrument device at all, but for this basic tutorial we will use a “standard” setup. 2.
4. Click inside the upper grid section of the Matrix pattern window. An orientation line is displayed in the grid to make it easier for you to find the desired note, and the red rectangles are placed according to where you click. You can drag to input continuous note values. 5. Click and drag in the lower area of the pattern window. You can create vertical Gate velocity strips of varying heights. The higher the strip, the higher the velocity value. 6. Press the Play button on the Matrix.
Using Curve Patterns Curve patterns are independent patterns that can be applied separately to the note pattern programmed in “Keys” mode. If you switch the Keys/Curve switch to “Curve”, the note, but not the gate steps, disappear from view, and leaves the upper area of the pattern window empty. You can now start programming a curve pattern. Proceed as follows: 1. Draw a curve, using the same method as for notes or gates. As you can see, the Curve pattern looks like large vertical gate steps.
D A bipolar curve is divided in the “middle”, with the middle representing a value of “0”. The curve reflects this. If no curve has been drawn and you switch to bipolar mode, all steps go from the bottom up to the middle of the scale printed to the left of the pattern window. Thus, all steps are at “0”, and the curve can be drawn both up and down from the middle. Bipolar curve Bipolar curves are essential in some instances.
Setting Pattern Resolution 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. Pattern Shuffle Shuffle is a rhythmic feature, that gives the music a more or less pronounced swing feel. It works by delaying all sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes. Straight sixteenth note pattern (viewed in the sequencer). The same sixteenth note pattern with shuffle applied.
Pattern Functions When a pattern device is selected, you will find some specific pattern functions on the Edit menu (and on the device context menu). Shift Pattern Left/Right The Shift Pattern functions move the notes and corresponding gate values in a pattern one step to the left or right. Shift Pattern Up/Down ! This function does not alter the Curve CV. This is because the values produced by the Curve CV do not necessarily correspond to semitone note steps at all.
Converting Pattern data to notes in the main sequencer You can convert Matrix Patterns to notes in the main sequencer. This allows you to edit the notes freely, create variations or use Groove quantizing. The “Copy Pattern to Track” function This function is useful when you have created a single pattern in the Matrix device and want to render individual note events on a sequencer track. ! Curve patterns cannot be converted to sequencer data! Only the note pattern and the gate values will be converted.
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 You can effectively use the Matrix as a modulation source, much like an LFO. Just like the LFOs in Reason’s instrument devices, the Matrix can generate modulation that is synchronized to tempo, which has many advantages. Proceed as follows: 1. Create a Synthesizer (e.g. a Subtractor or Malström). 2.
Programming “Acid Style” lead lines By “acid style” lead lines we mean patterns that use a combination of Legato and slide (or portamento) effects to produce the widely used hypnotic “wavy” sound produced by the original Roland TB-303, and recreated in the Propellerhead Software product ReBirth. To approximate this typical sound using Reason, proceed as follows: 1. Create a Synthesizer (Subtractor or Malström). 2. Create a Matrix Pattern Sequencer, or if one already exists, set it to an empty pattern. 3.
Chapter 39 RPG-8 Arpeggiator
Introduction An arpeggiator generates rhythmic note patterns (arpeggios) from notes or chords. The RPG-8 Arpeggiator doesn’t generate sound on its own, but has to be connected to another instrument device (just like the Matrix). It works by converting MIDI note data (input to the RPG-8) to Note CV (pitch) and Gate CV (note on/off plus velocity) signals. These CV/Gate signals are sent to the corresponding Sequencer Control inputs of an instrument device.
Using the RPG-8 Setting up The basic procedure is to input note data, either live or recorded, to the RPG-8 device. This note data is in turn sent to a target device via its Sequencer Control CV/Gate inputs. The resulting output from the target device can either be arpeggiated notes or simply mirror what is played on your control surface device. Proceed as follows: 1. Create an instrument device, e.g. a Subtractor. Select a suitable patch, preferably one with a short attack time. 2.
4. With Master Keyboard input set to the Arp 1 sequencer track, play a few notes. The notes in the chord you play are now arpeggiated for as long as you hold down the keys. The arpeggio will change directly if you release all notes and play another note or chord. If you add notes while holding down a chord, the arpeggio will continue with the added notes. • The display shows the notes played by the arpeggio pattern, with small bars indicating pitch for each step.
That covers the basic principles of how to set up and use the RPG-8 to arpeggiate notes that you play in real time. But to make full use of the RPG-8 there are many further applications: D You can of course record and edit the notes you input. You can also render the arpeggio output “to track” for full sequencer edit control of the notes generated by the RPG-8 - see “Rendering arpeggio notes to track”. D You can introduce rests for more complex rhythmical arpeggios by using the Pattern editor.
When using this method the following points should be noted: • It will not be possible to edit the individual notes generated by the arpeggiator, only the source notes you play. This may be fine, depending on the situation. If you simply played some wrong notes you can easily edit them in the sequencer as usual. • If you used Hold when recording (or if you activate Hold during playback) the arpeggio will play for as long the sequencer is in Play mode or until Hold is deactivated.
Rendering arpeggio notes to track This function allows you to render the arpeggio generated by RPG-8 to the target device track. The arpeggio output - rather than just the source notes that generate the arpeggio - will be rendered as notes allowing for full sequencer edit control. After rendering, the target device track will have a clip with the arpeggio notes and the RPG-8 track should be muted, so no arpeggiator parameter settings can be changed - only the actual notes can be edited.
RPG-8 Parameters MIDI-CV Converter parameters The MIDI-CV Converter section to the left contains parameters that affect the CV output from the RPG-8, regardless of whether the Arpeggiator section is activated or not. The following parameters are available: Velocity The Velocity knob can be used to set a fixed velocity value for the notes that are output via the Gate CV Out jacks on the back of the RPG-8.
Arpeggiator parameters The middle section contains the Arpeggiator parameters that govern how the arpeggio is played. The following parameters are available: Arpeggiator “On” button This switches the Arpeggiator on or off. Mode switch This determines the direction of the arpeggio notes. | Mode | Description Up This will generate an arpeggio that plays from the lowest note to the highest note. Up+Down Notes are played from lowest note to highest, then from highest back down to the lowest.
Insert buttons Insert can be used to add variations to the arpeggio by repeating certain notes in a predetermined order. It works as follows: | Insert mode | Description Off No Insert repeat. Low The lowest note is repeated in between every second note in the arpeggio. Hi The highest note is repeated in between every second note in the arpeggio. 3-1 The arpeggio will play 3 notes forward, then step 1 note back and from there play 3 notes forward etc.
Shuffle Shuffle is a rhythmic feature, that gives the arpeggio a more or less pronounced swing feel. It works by delaying all sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes. In the RPG-8 you can switch Shuffle on or off using the corresponding button. However, the amount of shuffle can be set globally (for all devices that incorporate this feature) with the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer. The Shuffle on/off switch in RPG-8 and the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer.
D When you play a chord (or in case you have recorded notes, when you start playback) the arpeggio will play according to the current Arpeggiator parameter settings, as normal. The only difference is that a pattern will be repeated in the display so that all 16 steps play the pattern. A three note chord with Pattern off... ...and with Pattern on. D If you click on a step button it goes dark. This means that this step will insert a rest in the arpeggio pattern.
1. Set up the buttons as you want them from the start of the song, e.g. all buttons “on”. This will be your “static value” which is active from the start. 2. Right-click the buttons and select “Edit Automation” from the context menu. A Pattern automation lane is created and the Pattern buttons will have a green rectangle around them to indicate that they are automated. 3. Start the sequencer in play mode, and set up the buttons as you want them (except one - see below) for the new pattern combination.
CV connections On the back of the RPG-8 you can find a number of useful CV connectors. These are as follows: CV Inputs There are five CV inputs, of which four can be used to control RPG-8 parameters that have associated controls on the front panel. These parameters are Gate Length, Velocity, Rate and Octave Shift. If you use an external source to modulate these parameters, the incoming CV is merged with the setting on the front of the device. An example: Velocity is set to 50 on the front panel.
CV Outputs The following CV outputs are available: • Gate CV Out (Velocity) transmits a gate/velocity value that corresponds to the Velocity parameter setting. This is normally auto-routed to the Sequencer Control Gate input on an instrument device. • Note CV Out transmits the notes generated by the Arpeggiator (or if this is off, the notes you input to the RPG8). This is normally auto-routed to the Sequencer Control CV input on an instrument device.
Tips and tricks Using the RPG-8 for modulation You can use the RPG-8 as a modulation source, much like an LFO. The RPG-8 can generate stepped modulation that is both synchronized to tempo and controlled by note input. In this and in following examples we assume you already have a RPG-8 connected to an instrument device. D With the RPG-8 selected in the rack, create a Spider CV Merger/Splitter.
Chapter 40 ReBirth Input Machine (Windows Only)
Introduction The ReBirth Input Machine is a device dedicated to receiving audio from the Propellerhead program “ReBirth RB338” (version 2.01 and later). This is achieved by using ReWire technology (see “ReWire”), where Reason will act as master and ReBirth as a slave device. If you don’t have ReBirth installed, you cannot use this device.
Routing When the two programs are synced, you can route any of the eighteen available outputs in ReBirth, to separate channels in a Reason Mixer, or to the Hardware Interface for direct connection to a physical output on your audio card. If you flip the rack around, a row of 18 audio outputs is shown, with the L/R Mix outputs auto-routed to your mixer or to the hardware interface. What signals are on the Outputs? Mix-L and Mix-R This is the regular master output in ReBirth RB-338.
REBIRTH INPUT MACHINE (WINDOWS ONLY)
Chapter 41 Menu and Dialog Reference
Reason menu (Mac OS X) About Reason... This menu item opens up a dialog that informs you about the version of the program and the people behind it. Preferences... This menu item opens up the Preferences dialog. See “Preferences – General”, “Preferences – Audio”, “Preferences – Keyboards and Control Surfaces”, “Preferences – Advanced Control” and “Preferences - Language and Computer Keyboard” for detailed descriptions about the functions and settings in this dialog.
File menu New When you select this, a new song appears. The exact contents of this song is determined by your Preferences settings (see “Default Song”). Open... To open a Song, proceed as follows: 1. Pull down the File menu and select Open. The Reason song browser window appears. 2. Use the browser to navigate to the desired folder on disk or within a ReFill. 3. When you have located the song file, select it and click Open (or double click on the file). The song appears in its own document window.
Publish Song... If you want to make your songs available to the public, e.g. for downloading on the Internet, there is a special file format for this. A Reason published song (Windows file extension “.rps”) is much like a self-contained song, but has the following restrictions: • The user cannot save any changes to the song. • Copy, Cut and Paste is disabled. • It is not possible to use the function Export Song/Loop as Audio File if the song has been changed in any way.
• The different types of patch files have different file extensions. These are: “.cmb” (Combinator patch files) “.zyp” (Subtractor patch files) “.thor” (Thor patch files) “.xwv” (Malström patch files) “.smp” (NN-19 patch files) “.sxt” (NN-XT patch files) “.drp” (Redrum patch files) “.drex (Dr. Octo Rex patch files) “.drum” (Kong drum patch files) “.kong” (Kong kit patch files) “.rv7” (RV7000 patch files) “.
Edit menu Undo Virtually any actions in Reason can be undone. This includes creation, deletion and reordering of devices in the rack, parameter value adjustments, recording and editing in the sequencer and tempo/time signature adjustments. You can undo up to 30 actions. ! Sequencer Transport commands are not “undoable”. D To undo the latest action, select “Undo” from the Edit menu or hold [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [Z].
• If you copy and paste several devices, the connections between these are preserved. D If you hold down [Shift] when you paste a device, Reason will attempt to auto-route it. For example, [Shift]-pasting an instrument device typically connects it to the first free mixer input(s) above it in the rack. D You can also paste the device(s) and track(s) into another song, including all sequencer data and device settings.
Sort Selected Device Groups This function should be used if you want to rearrange devices or sequencer tracks according to the order of the current selection. For example, if you want to rearrange the rack devices according to the current sequencer track order, you can select all sequencer tracks and then choose “Sort Selected Device Groups” to rearrange the rack devices. See “About the “Sort Selected Device Groups” function” for more examples.
Clear Pattern This menu item clears (empties) the current pattern on the selected pattern device (Redrum or Matrix). Browse Patches... 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. When you select the menu item, the Browser dialog appears, allowing you to locate and select the patch, on disk or within a ReFill.
Redrum: 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. 3. Navigate to a location containing any of the sample formats listed above, select one and click Open. NN19: This menu item can also be used to add a sample to a key zone in a key map in the NN19 sampler. 1. Select a key zone.
Mapping Samples Without Root Key or Tuning Information: Some samples may not have any information about root key or tuning stored in the file (nor indicated in the file name). If this is the case, you can still make use of the Automap function: 1. Select all samples that belong together and load them in one go, using the sample browser. One of the samples will be loaded to a key zone spanning the whole range, and the rest will reside in the sample memory. 2.
Reload Samples This menu item is used with the NN-XT sampler. When you select this, any changes you have made on a loaded sample using the sample parameters (root key, loop settings, etc.) are immediately undone, and the settings revert back to the original. Add Zone This menu item is used with the NN-XT sampler. It is used for adding an empty zone to the key map. An empty zone can be resized, moved and edited in the same way as zones that contain samples.
2. Make sure the zone that contains the settings you want to copy has edit focus by clicking on it. Focus is indicated by a thick border. 3. Select “Copy Parameters to Selected Zones”. All the selected zones will now get the exact same parameter settings. ! Observe that this only applies to the synth parameters (LFOs, envelopes etc.). Sample parameters (root key, velocity range etc.) can not be copied. Sort Zones by Note This menu item is used with the NN-XT sampler.
The NN-XT features a pitch detection function to help you set the root keys of loaded samples. This is useful if you for example load a sample that you haven’t recorded yourself, and you don’t have any information about its original pitch. Proceed as follows: 1. Select all the zones you want to be subject to pitch detection. 2. Select “Set Root Notes from Pitch Detection”. The samples in all the selected zones will now be analyzed, and the detected root keys will automatically be set for you.
D Zone 2 has a fade in value of 80. This has the effect that as you play velocity values up to 80, this zone will gradually fade in. With velocity values above 80, it will play at full level. Instead of manually setting up a crossfade, you can let NN-XT do it for you. Proceed as follows: 1. Set up the zones so that their velocity ranges overlap, as desired. 2. Select the zones. You can select as many zones as you wish, not just one pair of overlapping zones. 3. Select “Create Velocity Crossfades”.
D If you copied a Redrum pattern, you may want to turn off the “Enable Pattern Section” before playing back the new track data. Otherwise, both the main sequencer and the pattern sequencer will play the drum sounds, simultaneously. D If you copied a Matrix pattern, you may want to disconnect the Matrix (or even remove it), to avoid having both the Matrix and the sequencer notes playing at the same time.
The Alter Pattern function modifies existing patterns. Note that there must be something in the pattern for the function to work on - using an Alter function on an empty pattern will not do anything. ! Note that for the Matrix, Alter affects both the Gate, Note and Curve CV! Alter Drum This function modifies existing patterns for the selected drum sound in Redrum.
Convert Pattern Automation to Notes If you have recorded or drawn pattern changes on a Redrum or Matrix track, you can have the whole track converted to notes, in the following way: 1. Select the track with the pattern changes. 2. Select “Convert Pattern Automation to Notes” from the Edit menu or the context menu for the track. For each pattern clip, the corresponding pattern is converted to note clips on the track (following the same rules as for the “Copy Pattern to Track” function).
D The checkboxes to the left determine if a lane is shown or not. To add a lane, activate its checkbox. D The Automated column indicates if there is automation data (clips) on the lane. If you deactivate the checkbox for an automated parameter, this will delete the automation data. This is indicated by the automation symbol with the trash can. D If the “Show Frequently Used Only” checkbox is activated, only the more common automation parameters are listed.
If only muted clips are selected, the menu item is called “Unmute Clips”. The keyboard shortcut for Mute/Unmute Clips is [M]. Crop Events to Clips Notes or automation events can be positioned outside the start or end of a clip. For example, this would happen if you have resized a clip after recording. Notes outside the clip become masked and won’t be heard on playback, but you can view and edit them if you open the clip.
Quantize Notes In Reason, you use the Quantize function in the following way: 1. Select the notes you want to quantize. You can select notes inside an open note clips, or one or several closed note clips (to quantize all notes within the clips). Selecting one or several tracks will quantize all notes in all clips on all note lanes on these tracks. 2. Bring up the Tool window and select the Sequencer Tools tab. 3. Set the quantize value (the Value pop-up menu in the Quantize section).
Copy/Paste Remote Override Mappings These menu commands are available when Remote Override Edit Mode has been activated on the Options menu. You can use them to copy override mappings from one device and paste them into a device of the same type. If the device you paste into is in the same song as the device you copied from, the operation will replace the existing overrides. See “Remote Override mapping”.
Automation Cleanup Level The Automation Cleanup setting reduces the number of automation points when you record or draw automation. Adjust this setting if you find that recording or drawing results in too many or too few automation points. • This can also be done manually from the Tool window (Sequencer Tools tab) - see “The “Automation Cleanup” function in the Tool Window”.
CPU Usage Limit Reason is a very powerful program which was designed to be as light on processing power as possible - without compromising on sound quality. Nevertheless, the more devices you use in your song, the more of your computer’s resources it will use. The CPU Usage Limit setting allows you to set a limit on how much of the CPU (computer processor) that should be used for creating audio. The remaining capacity is reserved for the user interface and the graphics.
Preferences – Audio Master Tune This lets you adjust the global tuning in Reason. Standard tuning is “middle A” at 440 Hz. You can adjust this by +/100 cents. The Master Tune setting affects the tuning of all sound sources in Reason. It also affects the tuning of the Redrum and Dr. Octo Rex loop player. Audio Card Driver – Windows This menu lists all the available Audio Card Drivers on your system, and lets you select which one Reason should use.
! Reason requires that the audio card uses an ASIO driver on Windows systems, if you want to use both audio in and audio out. Direct X and MME drivers only support audio out. Audio Device – Mac OS X This menu lists all the available Audio Devices on your system, and lets you select which one Reason should use. Which option to select depends on the audio hardware: • If you are using audio hardware for which there is a specific Core Audio driver, you should select this.
External Sync Offset This control should normally only be adjusted when synchronizing Reason to an external MIDI Clock. Because of the latency problem, you might need to adjust Reason’s playback in relation to the sync master, so that they are in perfect time. The tempo will not differ between the two, but Reason might play ahead or behind the other application. You might need to adjust this. However, this is something you only need to do once.
Preferences – Keyboards and Control Surfaces This is where you set up your MIDI hardware; keyboards and control surfaces. D The “Attached Surfaces” list in the middle shows the currently added surfaces/MIDI keyboards. Selecting a surface in the list allows you to edit its settings or delete it from the list, by clicking the corresponding “Edit” or “Delete” button. D Clicking the “Auto-detect Surfaces” button will scan for connected control surfaces.
3. An image of the selected control surface model is shown, often along with some information text - read this carefully. For some control surfaces, you need to select a specific preset to use the surface with Reason - this is noted here. 4. Use the MIDI Input pop-up to select the input port to which you have connected the surface. If in doubt, you can click the “Find” button and then tweak a control or play a key on the control surface to have Reason find the correct input port for you.
• MIDI Control keyboard Select this is you have a MIDI keyboard with programmable knobs, buttons or faders. You need to set up your control surface so that the controllers send the correct MIDI CC messages, depending on which Reason device you want to control - check out the MIDI Implementation Chart in the Reason documentation. If your control surface has templates or presets for different Reason 2.5 devices, these can be used.
Preferences – Advanced Control External Control Bus Inputs The External Control inputs provide up to 64 MIDI input channels divided into four buses, each with 16 channels. • These MIDI inputs are for individual control of Reason Devices from an external sequencer. This could be an external hardware sequencer or sequencer software that is installed on the same computer as Reason. See the chapter “Synchronization and Advanced MIDI” for more details.
Preferences - Language and Computer Keyboard Language (Windows only) Reason is localized to several different languages. The language setting affects menus, dialogs, tool tips and some display texts, but generally not the texts on the device panels. If you run Reason under Windows, you can select preferred language on this page. ! Note that you need to restart Reason for a language change to take effect. ! Under Mac OS X, Reason will use the language selected in the operating system.
Create menu Create Instrument.../Create Effect... Selecting this will open the Patch Browser, where you can browse for patches, regardless of the device type. Depending on which menu item you selected, the browser will be set to show instrument patches or effect patches only. D Selecting a patch in the browser will automatically create a device of the corresponding type in Reason, with the selected patch loaded. Device List D To create a new device, select the desired item from the Create menu.
Options menu Internal Sync/MIDI Clock Sync/ReWire Sync These three options are used to specify which type of tempo synchronization you want to use: • Internal Sync When this is activated, the program is not synchronized to any external source. It plays in the tempo set on the Transport Panel. • MIDI Clock Sync When this is activated, the program is synchronized to external MIDI Clock, as set up in the Preferences dialog.
Remote Override Edit Mode All supported control surface devices have “standard remote mappings” for each Reason device. If you wish to override this standard mapping, you can do so in the following way: 1. To get an overview of which parameters can be assigned remote overrides, select “Remote Override Edit Mode” from the Options menu. Each device you select will show a blue arrow symbol beside every parameter that can be assigned a remote override.
D The Master Keyboard device cannot be locked! If you select the Master Keyboard in the Preferences, you can click the “Use No Master Keyboard” button. You can then lock this control surface to a device and use its controllers to tweak parameters, but you will not be able to play the device. D Each control surface can be locked to one device at a time (but you can lock several control surfaces to the same device).
Keep Events in Clip while Editing This function determines how note and automation events behave if they are drawn, moved or pasted outside the boundaries of the open clip in Edit mode in the sequencer. • With “Keep Events in Clip while Editing” selected, events drawn, moved or pasted outside the boundaries of the open clip will still belong to the original clip - but will be masked.
Window menu (Windows version) Stay on top When this is activated, the Reason window will always stay on top of other program’s windows. Detach/Attach Sequencer Window Selecting this will detach the Sequencer and open it in a separate window. Selecting this with the Sequencer detached will reattach it to the main Song window again. Show/Hide Tool Window Selecting this, or pressing [F8], will show or hide the floating Tool window.
Window menu (Mac OS X version) Minimize This minimizes the selected song document window. Zoom This toggles the selected window between the default and the user defined size and position, according to the Apple guidelines. For detached Mixer and rack windows, the default state equals maximized across the screen. Bring All to Front This will bring all open Reason windows in front of any other open application’s window(s).
Help menu Reason Help... This menu item opens up the on-line Help system. The Help system opens up in the Propellerhead Help Viewer application, which is a custom html viewer. The Reason Help contains detailed information about all functions in Reason. You can choose to browse for information, either from the Table of Contents (TOC), Index or Search tabs in the Help system. Video Tutorials... This opens up the Video Tutorial page in the Propellerhead Help Viewer application.
Index
A Active Input Channels (in Preferences) 765 Active Output Channels (in Preferences) 765 Add Labels To Clips 128, 758 Additional Remote Overrides... 319 Assigning 320 Adjust Alien Clips to Lane 126, 758 ADSR 396 Advanced MIDI (Hardware Interface) 333 Advanced MIDI Device (Hardware Interface) 346 Aggregate Device (Mac) 60 Alien Clips 126 Alt On Instrument Tracks 105 Alt Button (Transport Panel) 91 Alt Group (Dr.
Browser About 216 Favorites Lists 224 Locations and Favorites 223 Search 229 Buffer Size Settings 54 Slider 337 Bus FX Parameter 1 & 2 625 Bypass/On/Off Switch (on Effect Devices) C Cables Appearance 239 Automatic Routing 241 Checking Connections 240 Color 241 Connecting by Dragging 244 Connecting using Pop-up Menus 244 Deactivating Animation 761 Disconnecting 245 Hiding and Showing 239 Manual Routing 243 Scroll to Connected Device 240 CF-101 Chorus/Flanger 685 Channel 8 & 9 Exclusive 589 Channel Strips So
Compatible EQ (Mixer 14-2) 372 Compressor (Kong) 627 Context Menus 40 For Devices 41 For Parameters 40 For the Rack 42 For the Sequencer 42 Control Panel (Preferences - Audio) 765 Control Surfaces Adding and setting up 766 Convert Pattern Automation to Notes 175 Matrix 716 Redrum 585 Copy Devices and Tracks 208 Copy Loop to Track 753 Copy Loop To Track (Dr.
Dr.Rex Loops Opening in Dr.
Hide All Cables 240 Hide Auto-Routed Cables 239 Hide On-screen Piano Keys Mac OS X Version 777 Windows Version 776 Hide Tool Window Mac OS X Version 777 Windows Version 776 High Quality Interpolation NN-XT 501 Redrum 590 Hit Type (Kong) 600 Host Application (ReWire) 325 I Import MIDI File 254 Improved EQ (Mixer 14-2) 372 Init Patch Kong 598 Init patch Redrum 577 Subtractor 382 Initialize Patch 215, 746 Input Focus Button (Hardware Interface) 333 Input Meter (Effect Devices) 682 Insert Bars Between Locators
Low BW 491 Low BW (Dr.
Notes Altering 154 Cut, Copy and Paste 155 Deleting 146 Drawing 147 Outside a Closed Clip 148 Outside an Open Clip 148 Duplicating 155 Editing Velocity 164 Extracting to Lanes 160 Matching 179 Moving 152 Outside or Between Clips 153 Nudging 154 Outside an Open Clip 154 Pasting Outside an Open Clip 156 Quantizing 156 Random 158 To Shuffle 159 Recording in the Sequencer 102 In Loop Mode 102 Over Existing Clips 103 Resizing 149 Selecting 146 Transposing 153, 159 Nudging Note Positions 154 Nurse Rex Loop Player
Patterns Cut, Copy and Paste 709 Muting in Matrix 708 Muting in Redrum 583 Redrum 577 Running 578 Selecting in Matrix 708 Selecting in Redrum 579 PEAK (Big Meter) 347 Pencil Tool 85 Drawing Notes 147 PEQ-2 EQ 704 Performance Controller Automation Creating New Lanes 171 Deleting Lanes 171 Editing 170 Recording in the Sequencer 107 Over Existing Clips 108 Performance Controller Automation Selector 140 Performance Controller Edit Lanes (Note Clips) 140 PH-90 Phaser 700 Phase Controls (Subtractor) 387 Phaser 70
Over Existing Clips 108 Tempo Automation 114 Undoing 101 ReCycle 548 Redo 43, 744 Multiple 43 Redrum Individual Outputs 591 MIDI Notes for 590 Parameters 586 Patches 576 Programming Patterns 577 Reduce Cable Clutter 239 ReFills About 215 Downloading from Browser 234 Missing 232 Register reason Now 778 ReGroove Mixer Assigning to Note Lanes 298 Creating ReGroove Patches 302 Factory Patches 304 Making Grooves Permanent 301 Parameters 289 Settings in Tool Window 295 Reload Samples 750 Remote About 306 Adding a
Samples Auditioning (in Browser) 226 Browsing 747 Cropping 274 Cross-browsing 229 Crossfading 278 Deleting 280 Duplicating 282 Editing 270 Exporting 283 Extracting from Self-contained Songs 253 Fading In/Out 275 File Formats 235 Including in Self-contained Songs 252 Kong 595 Looping 276 Missing 231, 233 NN-19 477 NN-XT 505 Normalizing 274 Opening 230 Redrum 575 Renaming 278 Reversing 274 Saving 278 Sampling 265 About 262 Kong 608 Setting up 263 Save (Songs) 250, 741 Save Device Patch As...
Songs Closing 249, 741 Creating 249, 741 Default... 249 Exporting as Audio Files 258 File Formats 235 Opening 230, 248, 741 Optimizing 339 Saving 250 Self-contained...
Tracks Coloring 74 Creating 71 Deleting 73 Duplicating and Copying 73 Folding/Unfolding 74 Moving 72 Muting 75 Naming 74 Record Enabling 96 Routing Master Keyboard Input to 67 Selecting 72 Soloing 75 Sort Selected Device Groups 208 Types 69 Transient Shaper (Kong) 626 Transport Panel Keyboard Shortcuts 93 Transpose Notes 159 Trig Next Loop (Dr.
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