User manual PROPELLERHEAD REASON - VERSION 4

Operation Manual Operation Manual by 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 expect as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Propellerhead Software AB. ©2007 Propellerhead Software and its licensors. All specifications subject to change without notice. Reason is a trademark of Propellerhead Software. All other commercial symbols are protected trademarks and trade names of their respective holders. All rights reserved. D Table of Contents 7 8 8 8 8 9 10 10 11 Common Operations and Concepts About this manual About this Chapter Conventions in the Manual Making Settings Tool Tips Context menus Undo Window Techniques 51 52 52 61 64 69 70 70 78 89 92 94 96 The Sequencer Introduction Sequencer basics Recording Recording automation About the toolbar About Snap Editing clips in Arrange mode The Edit mode Tool window - Tools page note editing functions Copying patterns to sequencer tracks Automating tempo and time signature Importing and Exporting MIDI Files 15 16 16 18 20 20 Audio basics About this chapter How Reason communicates with your audio hardware General Information PC Specific Information Mac Specific Information 97 98 98 102 104 106 107 The ReGroove Mixer Introduction The ReGroove Mixer Groove Settings Working with grooves Groovy tips & tricks The ReGroove patches in the Factory Sound Bank 21 22 22 26 29 32 33 Sounds, Devices and Patches Introduction Rack device procedures A Quick Note on Routing About patches About ReFills Using the Browser 109 Remote - Playing and controlling Reason devices 110 110 110 112 113 115 117 118 119 About the various MIDI inputs About Remote Setting up Remote basics Locking a surface to a device Remote Override Additional Remote Overrides... Keyboard Control Saving Remote Setups 45 46 46 47 48 49 Routing Audio and CV About the various signals that can be routed About Cables Automatic Routing Manual Routing Using CV and Gate 121 Advanced MIDI - the External Control Bus inputs 122 About the External Control Bus inputs 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 123 Using Reason as a ReWire Slave 124 124 124 125 125 125 126 126 127 127 About this Chapter Why use Reason with ReWire? Introducing ReWire! Launching and Quitting Using the Transport and Tempo Controls Synchronization Routing Audio Routing MIDI via ReWire 2 Converting ReWire Channels to Audio Tracks Details About Various ReWire Hosts 149 Reason Hardware Interface 150 Introduction 150 MIDI In Device 150 Audio Out 151 The Combinator 152 152 153 153 155 156 157 157 158 Introduction Creating Combinator devices Combinator elements About internal and external connections Adding devices to a Combi Combi handling Sequencer tracks and playing Combis The Controller panel Using the Programmer 129 Synchronization 130 130 130 131 131 ReWire users ­ Read This! What is Synchronization and MIDI Clock? Slaving Reason to an External Device Slaving Reason to Another Program on the Same Computer Synchronization Considerations 163 The Mixer 164 164 166 166 166 166 167 168 Introduction The Channel Strip The Mixer signal flow About the EQ modes The Auxiliary Return Section The Master Fader Connections Chaining Mixers 133 Song File Handling 134 135 136 136 136 136 136 136 137 About Self-contained Songs Song Information Saving a Song Publishing a Song Opening a Song Closing a Song Creating a New Song Creating a Default Song Exporting as an Audio File 169 The Line Mixer 6:2 170 170 170 170 171 Introduction Channel parameters The Auxiliary Return Section Master level Connections 139 Optimizing Performance 140 140 141 142 143 Introduction Optimization and Output Latency Optimizing Your Computer System Optimizing Songs Songs and Memory Requirements 173 Redrum 174 174 175 176 180 183 183 Introduction About File Formats Using Patches Programming Patterns Redrum Parameters Using Redrum as a Sound Module Connections 145 Transport Panel 146 Overview TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 185 Subtractor Synthesizer 186 186 191 194 195 197 199 200 Introduction The Oscillator Section The Filter Section Envelopes - General LFO Section Play Parameters External Modulation Connections 255 NN-XT Sampler 256 256 257 258 259 260 261 263 264 266 267 270 271 272 274 275 276 277 284 Introduction Panel Overview Loading Complete Patches and REX Files Using the Main Panel Overview of the Remote Editor panel About Samples and Zones Selections and Edit Focus Adjusting Parameters Managing Zones and Samples Working with Grouping Working with Key Ranges Setting Root Notes and Tuning Using Automap Layered, Crossfaded and Velocity Switched Sounds Using Alternate Sample Parameters Group Parameters Synth parameters Connections 201 Thor Polysonic Synthesizer 202 202 203 204 216 221 224 Introduction Thor elements The Controller panel Using the Programmer Modulation bus routing section Step Sequencer Connections 225 Malström Synthesizer 226 227 229 230 234 236 238 239 Introduction The Oscillator section The Modulator section The Filter section Routing The play controls Connections Routing external audio to the filters 285 Dr. Rex Loop Player 286 286 287 288 289 290 294 Introduction About File Formats Adding a Loop Creating Sequencer Notes Slice Handling Dr.Rex Synth Parameters Connections 241 NN-19 Sampler 242 242 243 244 247 248 251 253 Introduction General Sampling Principles About Audio File Formats About Key Zones and Samples Automap Samples NN-19 Synth Parameters Play Parameters Connections 295 Matrix Pattern Sequencer 296 Introduction 297 Programming Patterns 303 Example Usage 305 RPG-8 Arpeggiator 306 306 309 313 314 Introduction Using the RPG-8 RPG-8 Parameters CV connections Tips and tricks 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 315 ReBirth Input Machine 316 Introduction 316 Preparations 317 Routing 365 Menu and Dialog Reference 366 366 370 386 387 389 389 390 Reason Menu (Mac OS X) File Menu Edit Menu Create Menu Options Menu Window Menu (Windows Version) Window Menu (Mac OS Version) Help/Contacts Menu 319 BV512 Vocoder 320 321 323 324 325 326 326 Introduction Setting up for basic vocoding Using the BV512 as an equalizer BV512 parameters Connections Automation Tips and tricks 391 Index 333 The Effect Devices 334 335 335 336 337 339 339 344 351 352 353 353 356 357 358 358 359 360 361 Common Device Features The MClass effects The MClass Equalizer The MClass Stereo Imager The MClass Compressor The MClass Maximizer Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit RV7000 Advanced Reverb RV-7 Digital Reverb DDL-1 Digital Delay Line D-11 Foldback Distortion ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter CF-101 Chorus/Flanger PH-90 Phaser UN-16 Unison COMP-01 Auto Make-up Gain Compressor PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ Spider Audio Merger & Splitter Spider CV Merger & Splitter TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 D Common Operations and Concepts About this manual This is the Reason Operation manual, where all aspects of the program is described in detail. The first chapters deal with general methods and techniques, e.g. how to route audio and how to handle patches etc. Then follows separate chapters for each Reason device. Making Settings Since a large part of Reason is laid out like a "real" effect and synth rack, almost all parameters are designed like their real world counterparts - mixer faders, synth knobs, transport buttons, etc. How to make adjustments to these is described separately for each type of parameter below: About this Chapter This chapter describes some general methods and techniques employed throughout Reason. It also contains some terminology, useful for better understanding of the program and the manual. To make your work with Reason as effective and rewarding as possible, we recommend that you read this chapter. Knobs To "turn" a knob, point at it, click the mouse button and drag up or down (as if the knob was a vertical slider). Dragging upwards turns the knob to the right and vice versa. D If you press [Shift] and drag, the knob will turn slower, allowing for higher precision. You can also adjust the knob precision with the "Mouse Knob Range" setting on the General page in the Preferences dialog. This dialog is opened from the Edit menu (or from the Reason menu if you are running Mac OS X). D To reset a knob to its default value (usually zero, center pan or similar), press [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Win) and click on it. Conventions in the Manual This manual describes both the Macintosh version and the Windows version of Reason. Wherever the versions differ, this is clearly stated in the text. About Key Commands In the manual, computer key commands are indicated by brackets. For example, "press [Shift]-[C]" would mean "hold down the [Shift] key and press the [C] key". However, some modifier keys are different on Mac and PC computers, respectively. Whenever this is the case, the manual separates the commands with "(Mac)" and "(Windows)" indications. Sliders To move a slider, click on the slider handle and drag up or down. D You can also click anywhere on the slider to instantly move the handle to that position. D If you press [Shift] and drag, the slider will move slower, allowing for higher precision. 8 COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS Multi Mode Selectors Some parameters allow you to select one of several modes. There are two different graphical representations of this in Reason: This type of control is also used for some parameters that are not purely "numerical" (e.g. reverb algorithms and synth oscillator waveforms). D For the numerical position displays on the transport and in the Inspector (see page 74), values are changed in the same way, but you first select a value increment (e.g. bars or ticks) by clicking in the corresponding value field. Then you can change the value using the methods outlined previously. This type of multi mode selector consists of a button with the different modes listed above. You can either click the button to step through the modes or click directly on one of the modes to select it. The currently selected mode is indicated by a lit LED. · The position values on the transport panel can also be edited by double clicking and typing a new position. Song position and Left/Right locators This type of multi mode selector is a switch with more than two settings. To change mode, click and drag the switch, or click directly at the desired switch position (just as when adjusting a slider). Buttons On the transport panel there are numerical fields that display the song position (both in bars. beats, 1/16th notes and ticks as well as in hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds), and the Left/Right locator positions. These all function similarly to other numerical values (spin controls or click-drag), but you make changes for one value at a time, e.g. to change the song position from 3.1.1.0 to 5.1.1.0 you click on the bar value and make the desired change. Many modes and functions 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 pressed or not. Tool Tips If you position the pointer over a parameter on a device panel and wait a moment, a tool tip will appear. This displays the name of the parameter and its current value. This helps you fine-tune settings, set several parameters to the same value, etc. Numerical Values In Reason, numerical values are displayed in alphanumeric readouts with "spin controls" (up/down arrow buttons) on the side. There are two ways to change numerical values: D By using the up and down buttons on the spin controls. To adjust a value in single steps, click on its up or down arrow button. To scroll a value continuously, click on an arrow button and keep the mouse button pressed. D By clicking in the actual alphanumeric display and dragging up or down with the mouse button pressed. This allows you to make coarse adjustments very quickly. You can turn off these tool tips by deactivating the option "Show Parameter Value Tool Tip" on the Preferences-General page. COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS 9 Context menus Context menus are "tailored" to contain the relevant menu items only, allowing you to work quicker and more efficiently with Reason. D To bring up a context menu, click with the right mouse button (Windows) or press [Ctrl] and click (if using a single button mouse on Mac). If you are using a Mac with a two button mouse, you may want to set this up so that clicking the right mouse button generates a [Ctrl]-click. This way, you can right-click to bring up context menus. · Functions for associating computer keyboard commands and/or MIDI messages to the parameter (allowing you to remote control parameters from a MIDI device or the computer keyboard). "Empty Rack" Context Menus If you click in an empty section of the rack, the context menu will contain the following items: · A Paste Device item, allowing you to paste any copied or cut devices into the rack. · A duplicate of the Create menu, allowing you to create new devices. Sequencer Context Menus If you click in the sequencer, the context menu will contain items related to editing tracks, clips and events. The available items will differ depending on in which area or lane you click (Track list, Key Edit lane, etc.), and depending on whether you click on an event or not. For example, the sequencer context menus contain functions for inserting or removing bars, deleting tracks, changing or deleting events. Undo The Dr. REX context menu. The contents of the context menu depends on where you click. Basically, the following different context menu types are available: Virtually all actions in Reason can be undone. This includes creation, deletion and reordering of devices in the Rack, parameter value adjustments, editing in the sequencer and tempo/time signature adjustments. You can undo up to 10 actions. D To undo the latest action, select "Undo" from the Edit menu or press [Command]/[Ctrl]-[Z]. The action to be undone is indicated next to the Undo command on the Edit menu. For example, if your latest action was to delete some device(s) from the Rack, the Edit menu will say "Undo Delete Devices". Device Context Menus If you click somewhere on a device in the rack (but not on a control), the context menu will contain the following items: · Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete Device items, allowing you to rearrange and manage the devices in the rack. · A Go To submenu, listing all devices connected to the current device. Selecting a device from the Go To submenu scrolls the rack to bring that device into view. · A duplicate of the Create menu, allowing you to create new devices. · If the device is pattern-based, there will be various pattern functions (Cut/Copy/ Paste, Clear, Shift, Randomize, etc). These affect the currently selected pattern in the device. · If the device uses Patches, there will be functions for managing Patches. · Depending on the device there may also be various device-specific functions available. For example, the drum machine device has functions for manipulating the pattern for the selected drum sound only, etc. Parameter Context Menus If you click on an automatable control (a synth parameter knob, a fader, etc), the context menu will contain the following items: · Functions for clearing and editing the recorded automation data for the control. D To redo the last undone action ("undo the undo operation"), select "Redo" from the Edit menu or press [Command]/[Ctrl]-[Y]. Similarly, the action to be redone is shown on the Edit menu. 10 COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS About Multiple Undos The concept of multiple undos may require an explanation: You can undo up to 10 actions, or in other words, Reason has an Undo History with up to ten steps. Let's say you have performed the following actions: 1. Created a mixer. 2. Created a synth device. 3. Adjusted the Amp Envelope Attack time on the synth. 4. Changed the panning for the synth device in the mixer. 5. Adjusted the playback tempo in the transport panel. After these five actions, the Undo History will look as follows: | UNDO At this point, you still have the option to Redo the tempo change. But if you instead would perform another action (e.g. change the level of the synth device in the mixer), this would become the action at the top of the Undo History - and the Redo list would be cleared. | UNDO | REDO 5. Change level 4. Change pan 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 1. Create Mixer Device (Empty) You can no longer redo the undone tempo change! 5. Adjust tempo 4. Change pan 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 1. Create Mixer Device If you now select Undo, your latest action (the tempo change) will be undone, and moved to a "Redo list": | UNDO | REDO Window Techniques Using more than one Reason Song window You can have several Reason Songs open at the same time. Each will appear in a separate Reason window, complete with rack, sequencer and transport bar areas. Each window can be moved, minimized and resized using standard Mac/Windows procedures. 4. Change pan 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 1. Create Mixer Device 5. Adjust tempo Selecting Undo again undoes the next action in the list (the panning adjustment): | UNDO | REDO 3. Adjust Attack 2. Create Synth Device 1. Create Mixer Device 4. Change pan 5. Adjust tempo If you now select Redo, the last 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 4. Change pan 5. Adjust tempo COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS 11 Views, Panes and Dividers On screen, Reason is divided into different areas or "panes". The most obvious example is the rack and the sequencer area, but you will also find that the right part of the sequencer area can be divided into several horizontal lanes (for editing different aspects of your recordings). By holding down [Shift] while you drag however, you can limit the scrolling direction to horizontal or vertical only. Zooming with the magnification sliders Some areas also allow you to zoom in or out using magnification controls. Either click the "+" or "­" magnification icon to zoom in or out respectively, or click and drag the magnification slider. D Where applicable, different panes can be scrolled and zoomed individually. Detaching the sequencer You can detach the sequencer pane and turn it into a separate window. This allows you to make the sequencer wider than the rack and use the width of the computer screen more effectively. In the sequencer, there are separate view controls for the Key edit lane and the Controller lane. Scrolling and Zooming Reason offers a few different options for scrolling and zooming in the rack and the sequencer. Zooming with the Magnifying Glass tool Another way of zooming in the sequencer is to use the Magnifying Glass tool. This tool lets you zoom in and out both horizontally and vertically just like the magnification sliders do. However, the Magnifying Glass tool offers a few more possibilities. The following applies: D By clicking once in a lane with the Magnifying Glass, you zoom in by the same amount as when clicking the "+" icon on the magnification slider twice. D To zoom out with the Magnifying Glass, click while keeping [Option] (Mac)/[Ctrl] (Windows) pressed. You'll notice that the "+" sign in the Magnifying Glass tool changes to a "-" sign. D If the lane has a vertical magnification slider as well, clicking with the Magnifying Glass will also zoom in/out vertically by the same amount as when clicking the"+" and "-" icons on the magnification slider once. By holding down [Shift] when clicking, you disable vertical zooming. Scrolling with the scrollbars Whenever there is information "outside the screen", horizontal and/or vertical scrollbars will appear. For example, if there are more devices in the rack than can be shown at one time, you will be able to scroll the rack up or down by using the vertical scrollbar to the right of the rack. Scrolling with the Hand tool In the sequencer, you can also use the Hand tool for scrolling the view. Just select the Hand tool and click in a lane, keep the mouse button pressed and drag in the desired direction. Scrolling the Key edit lane with the Hand tool. 12 COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS D You can also click and drag with the Magnifying Glass to create a selection rectangle. The view will then be zoomed in so that the selected area fills the lane. Enclosing these notes in a selection rectangle... ...will zoom in so that they fill the view. Scrolling and zooming with the mouse wheel If you're using a mouse equipped with a scroll wheel, this can be used for the following scrolling and zooming operations: D Scrolling up and down in both the rack and in the sequencer. D By simultaneously holding down [Shift] you can scroll left and right in the sequencer. D By holding down [Command] (Mac)/[Ctrl] (Windows), you can zoom in and out vertically in the sequencer. D By holding down [Shift]-[Command] (Mac)/[Shift]-[Ctrl] (Windows), you can zoom in and out horizontally in the sequencer. COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS 13 14 COMMON OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS 2 D Audio basics About this chapter This chapter contains some useful information about how audio is handled by Reason. Some of it may seem a bit technical, but we recommend that you read it, to get the most out of Reason. Outputs that are currently used have green indicators, available but unused outputs have yellow indicators, and any connections made to unavailable outputs have red indicators. How Reason communicates with your audio hardware Reason generates and plays back digital audio - a stream of numerical values in the form of ones and zeroes. For you to be able to hear anything, this must be converted to analog audio and sent to some kind of listening equipment (a set of speakers, headphones, etc.). This conversion is most often handled by the audio card installed in your computer (on the Macintosh you can use the built-in audio hardware if you don't have additional audio hardware installed). To deliver the digital audio to the audio hardware, Reason uses the driver you have selected in the Preferences dialog. In the rack on screen, this connection is represented by the Reason Hardware device. To send the sound of a device in the rack to a specific output, you route the device output to the corresponding "socket" on the Hardware Interface. This is done by using the patch cables on the back of the rack, as described on page 26. In most cases, you will want to connect a mixer device to the Stereo outputs (outputs 1 and 2). Audio Quality The general audio quality in a computer based synthesizer system depends on two things: D The quality of the software calculating the audio. In our case, this is the Reason DSP (Digital Signal Processing) code. · Reason uses 32-bit floating point arithmetic for all internal audio operations which ensures the highest possible resolution throughout the signal chain. · The program supports 16, 20, and 24 bit audio output. · The program supports sampling frequencies from 22kHz to 96kHz. · A number of digital audio techniques are implemented that reduce the risk of "aliasing", background noise, unwanted distortion and "zipper noise". There is no technical reason why this program should not sound as good as or better than dedicated, professional hardware. D The quality of the hardware playing back the sound. In a PC this is the audio hardware installed. In the Mac it is the built in audio controller or any audio hardware you have installed. Don't be fooled by the "16 bit, 44.1kHz, CD quality" tags. How good some audio hardware actually sounds depends on a number of things, its frequency range and frequency response curve, the signal to noise ratio, the distortion under various circumstances, etc. Furthermore, some designs are more prone to disturbance from the other electronics in the computer than others. Such disturbance might add hum or high pitched noise to the signal. The only advice we can give is that if you are serious about sound, choose your audio hardware carefully! The Hardware device is always located at the top of the rack. (Usually, it is folded showing only a blank panel.) ! If you are using ReWire, Reason will instead feed the digital audio to the ReWire master application (typically an audio sequencer program), which in turn handles the communication with the audio hardware. See the ReWire chapter for details. The Reason Hardware device contains 64 output "sockets", each with an indicator and a level meter. 32 sockets are shown on the main panel, and an additional 32 sockets are shown if the "More Audio" button is activated on the main panel. Each one of these indicators represents a connection to an output on your audio hardware (or a ReWire channel to another application if you are using ReWire). However, the number of outputs available depends on the number of outputs on your audio hardware. For example, if you are using a standard sound card with stereo outputs (or the built-in audio hardware on the Mac), only the first two outputs will be available. In the Hardware device, the indicators are lit green for all currently used outputs. In this case, a standard stereo audio card is used, and only the first two outputs (marked "Stereo" on the device panel) are available. 16 AUDIO BASICS About Sample Rates and Resolutions Sample rate and resolution are properties of digital audio, which determine the quality of the sound. Generally, higher sample rate and resolution result in better audio quality (but also larger audio files and higher demands on computer performance and audio hardware). This table shows some common sample rate/resolution combinations: | Sample rate: 22.05 kHz | Resolution: 8 bit | Comment: Typically used in situations where small file size is more important than audio quality, such as games, some multimedia applications, sound files on the Internet, etc. This is the format used on standard audio CDs. These are formats used in professional studios and high-end recording equipment. About using high resolution audio Reason has the capability to play back samples with practically any resolution. This means that if for instance 24-bit samples are loaded in a sampler or the Redrum, playback of the samples can be in 24-bit resolution as well. If you are using such samples and want Reason to play them back in their original high resolution, proceed as follows: 1. Open the Preferences from the Edit menu or Reason menu, and select the General page. 2. At the bottom of the page, make sure the option "Use High Resolution Samples" is checked. 44.1 kHz 44.1 kHz ­ 96 kHz 16 bit 24 bit To cater for all different situations, Reason supports multiple sample rates and resolutions. This applies to the following areas: Playing back Reason handles all internal audio processing in 32-bit floating point resolution. However, the resolution of the output audio is determined by the audio hardware. That is, if you have a 24-bit audio card, Reason will create audio in 24-bit resolution, and if you have a 16-bit audio card, audio will be in 16-bit resolution. The playback sample rate can be specified in the Preferences-Audio dialog (accessed from the Reason menu or Edit menu depending on whether you are running Mac OS X or not): If this is activated, and if your audio card supports it, Reason will play back high resolution samples in their original resolution. If this option is not activated, Reason will play back all samples in 16-bit resolution, regardless of their original resolution. Exporting audio Reason can export audio, i.e. mix down the song or a section of the song as an audio file (see page 137 for details). When you do this, you will be asked to specify a resolution (16 or 24 bit) and sample rate (11­96 kHz) for the file. If you plan to open the exported file in another application, you should select a format that is supported by the application. If you're uncertain, 16 bit/44.1 kHz is a safe bet. Importing audio When loading samples or ReCycle files into the samplers, the drum machine device 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 sample, etc. Note that the available options on this pop-up menu depend on which sample rates are supported by the audio hardware. Most standard sound cards support 44.1 kHz and various lower sample rates, in which case you should select 44.1 kHz for best audio quality. AUDIO BASICS 1 7 About Audio Levels When playing back in Reason, you should keep an eye on the Audio Out Clip indicator on the transport panel. If this lights up, the audio level is too high, resulting in clipping (digital distortion). The indicator will stay lit for a short moment, to make it easier to spot. General Information Master Tune By default, Reason plays back a "middle A" at 440 Hz, which is the standard tuning in most instruments. However, if you are playing Reason together with other instruments, you may want to adjust the tuning: 1. Pull down the Edit menu (or Reason menu under Mac OS X) and select Preferences... 2. Use the pop-up menu at the top of the Preferences dialog to select the Audio page. 3. Adjust the global tuning with the Master Tune control. If you like, you can adjust this during playback. Note that this affects the tuning of all sound sources in Reason, including the drum machine and loop player. D To remedy this, lower the master level on the mixer (or other device) that is connected to the Hardware Interface, until Audio Out Clipping doesn't light up on playback. You could also use the MClass Mastering Suite combi to ensure that clipping never occurs - see page 335. ! Note that it doesn't matter if the level meters on the individual devices (effects, mixer channels, etc.) "hit the red". 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 high audio quality and virtually limitless headroom. In the Audio Hardware device, the floating point audio is converted to the resolution used by the audio hardware, and that's where clipping may occur. About Latency On any personal computer system, there is a delay between the moment you "ask" 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. If you are using multiple outputs If you are using audio hardware with more than two outputs, you may have different devices connected to different outputs in the Hardware Interface. If the Audio Out Clipping indicator lights up, you should play back the section again while checking the Hardware Interface. Each output socket has a level meter - if the red meter segment lights up, the output is clipping. Lower the output level of the device connected to the clipping output, until no clipping occurs. ! See the "Optimizing Performance" chapter for basic information on adjusting output latency! Why is there latency? Any audio application creates its audio in chunks. These chunks are then passed on to the audio card where they are temporarily stored before being converted into regular audio signals. The storage place for these chunks are called "buffers" (an analogy would be a bucket brigade, where a number of people each have a bucket, and water is poured from one bucket to another to reach its final destination). The smaller the buffers and the fewer they are, the more responsive the system will be (lower latency) However, this will also raise the demands on the computer and its software. If the system can't cope up with moving the data to and from the buffers fast enough, there will be problems that manifest themselves as glitches in audio playback. To make things worse, audio playback always competes with other activities on your computer. For example, under Windows, an output latency setting that works perfect under normal circumstances might be far too low when you try to open files during playback, switch over to another program while Reason is playing or simply play back a very demanding song. If you are using ReWire If you are streaming audio to another application using the ReWire protocol, clipping can not happen in Reason. This is because the conversion from floating point audio happens in the other audio application. See page 123 for more information about using ReWire. 18 AUDIO BASICS What is acceptable? Normally, hardware synthesizers provide you with a latency of 3 to 7 ms (milliseconds ­ thousands of a second), at least if the instrument is targeted towards a "professional" audience. On a regular PC, the latency can vary quite a lot. This is an effect of the fact that computers and their operating systems were created for many purposes, not just playing back audio. For multimedia and games, a latency of a 100ms might be perfectly acceptable, but for playing a musical instrument it is not! · PC audio cards with a MME driver (see later in this chapter) might at best give you a latency of around 160ms. · The same card with a DirectX driver provides at best around 40ms. · A card specifically designed for low latency, with an ASIO driver, or the built-in audio controller under Mac OS X can usually give you figures as low as 2-3 ms. This is just as good as (or better than) dedicated hardware synthesizers! ReWire and Latency When you run Reason as a ReWire slave, it is the other program, the Rewire master that is responsible for actually creating the audio and playing it back via the audio card. This means that it is the master program's latency you will get as a final result. ! When Reason runs as a ReWire slave, what audio hardware you have, what driver you use, and settings you have made in the Preferences dialog are of no importance at all! All audio hardware settings are then instead done in the ReWire master application! For information on ReWire, see "Using Reason as a ReWire Slave". Reducing latency There are a few general methods for making sure latency is as low as possible: D Remove background tasks on your computer. This might be any background utility you have installed as well as networking, background internet activities etc. D Optimize your songs. You might run into situations where you have to raise the Output Latency setting to be able to play back a very demanding song on your computer. Another option would be to actually optimize the song. See "Optimizing Performance" for details. D Get a faster computer. This is related to the point above and only required if you find that you need to increase Output Latency because your computer can't really cope with the songs you try to play. Reason's built in sequencer is not affected by latency! When Reason's sequencer is playing back a song, the timing between notes is perfect! Once playback of a Reason pattern or song is up and running, latency isn't a consideration at all. The computer clocks the audio between the steps and does this with perfect quartz accuracy! The timing is immaculate! AUDIO BASICS 19 PC Specific Information About ASIO DirectX, MME and the Sound Buffer setting There are three ways for Windows to access the audio hardware: All audio operations in Reason are done with floating point calculations (counting with decimal numbers rather than with non-decimal numbers, integers) to ensure the highest possible audio quality. You can get high audio quality on an integer system too, but floating point is effective and accurate when it is available. Intel and AMD processors are fast at floating point mathematics. Some other lower priced processor have taken shortcuts which reduce their performance in this particular aspect. This will have noticeable effect on the performance of the program. Our advice is: Via an MME (MultiMedia Extensions) driver This system has been around since Windows 3.0, and it is this type of driver that is normally installed in the Control Panel and via Plug'n'Play. Most regular sound playback (like when Windows goes "bing" on startup) happens via MME. · Practically all cards come with an MME driver. If your hardware appears in the System part of the Control Panel, you have an MME driver installed. · Using audio hardware via an MME driver gives you the longest latency figures. · Only one program at a time can use audio hardware accessed via MME. If you plan to buy a computer specifically for Reason, you can play it safe and choose an Intel or AMD processor. Alternatively, make sure you select a processor that is renowned for high floating point arithmetic performance! Mac Specific Information Under Mac OS X, all communication with most audio hardware can be handled by the internal built-in audio controller. D Other options may be available as well, mainly for compatibility with all possible hardware/software configurations. Use these only when required. Via a DirectX driver DirectX is a later system developed by Microsoft to provide developers with more efficient routines to access audio. · Not all audio hardware come with DirectX drivers. However, drivers for some hardware are included with DirectX itself. · Using a DirectX driver gives you a shorter latency, between 40 and 90 milliseconds. ! Only use DirectX if you are sure that there is a "certified" DirectX driver installed for your audio hardware. More information about DirectX can be found on Microsoft's DirectX web pages, at www.microsoft.com/directx. Via an ASIO Driver Most audio cards designed for serious music and audio use come with ASIO drivers. · Using a card via an ASIO driver can give latency figures as low as 3ms. · When you use ASIO, only one program at a time can access the card. More information about ASIO can be found on Steinberg Media Technologies' web pages, www.steinberg.net. About processors When you run Reason under Windows, the clock speed of the processor is a major factor determining how many devices you can use at the same time. However, there are other factors that should be taken into account, and one important such factor is "floating point arithmetic performance". 20 AUDIO BASICS 3 D Sounds, Devices and Patches Introduction Please refer to the Tutorial chapters in the Getting Started book for quick-start information on how to create devices and to select sounds and patches. This chapter deals with the following topics: D The procedures and techniques for managing devices in the rack. See below. D Cable routing basics. See "A Quick Note on Routing". D ReFills and Reason file formats. See "About ReFills". D Handling Patches in Reason. See "About patches". D Using the Reason browser. See "Using the Browser". Note that you can enlarge the rack area by clicking its lower edge (the divider between the rack and the sequencer area) and dragging downwards. This will shrink the sequencer area and make more of the rack visible (alternatively, you can detach the sequencer from the rack altogether. This is described on page 12). You can also make the rack fill the window by clicking the maximize button above the scrollbar to the right. The rack maximize button. Creating devices Creating new devices can be done by double-clicking on a device in the Tools window - Devices menu (or by using drag and drop). Alternatively you can select devices from the Create menu. This menu is available both on the main menu bar and on the context menus (see "Context menus"). D The new device is added directly below the currently selected device in the rack. If no device is selected, the new device is added at the bottom of the rack. D When you add a new device, Reason attempts to route it in a logical way. For an introduction to the auto-routing features, see page 26. D A new track will automatically be created in the sequencer, connected to the new device. The track will have the same name as the device. Master Keyboard Input will also automatically be set to the new track, allowing you to immediately play the created device via MIDI (see page 54). D By default, this only applies to instrument devices, not to mixers or effect devices. If you hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) when you create the device, the opposite is true, i.e. mixers and effect devices get new tracks but instrument devices don't. Rack device procedures As you have seen by now, the central part of Reason is the rack. This 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 the rack If the rack contains more than a few devices, the whole rack will probably not "fit" on screen. To scroll the rack up or down, use one of the following methods: D Use the scrollbar to the right of the rack to scroll continuously up or down. D If you're using a mouse equipped with a scroll wheel, you can use it to scroll up or down. D Use the Page Up/Page Down buttons on the computer keyboard to move the view one "full screen" up or down. D Use the Home or End buttons on the computer keyboard to scroll the top or bottom of the rack. D Pull down a device context menu and select another device from the Go To submenu. The rack scrolls to the device you select. You can also create devices by browsing patches - see page 39. When you select a device's sequencer track, Reason will automatically scroll the rack to make the device visible. 22 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES Selecting devices Some operations (e.g. cutting, copying and deleting devices) require that you select one or several devices in the rack. This is done according to the following rules: 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). Deleting devices To delete one or several devices, select them and use one of the following methods: D Hold down [Command] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and press [Backspace] or [Delete]. D Select "Delete Devices and Tracks" from the Edit menu or the device context menu. This will delete the device(s) together with the associated sequencer track(s). You can have devices without associated tracks but it is not possible to have a sequencer track without an associated device. ! If you delete a device connected between two other devices, the connection between these is automatically preserved. D To select several devices, hold down [Shift] and click. In other words, [Shift]-clicking a device selects it without de-selecting any other selected devices. D To de-select all devices, click in the empty space at the bottom of the rack. D To de-select one of the selected devices, hold down [Shift] and click on it. Any other selected devices remain selected. D You can also use the up and down arrow keys on the computer keyboard to select the device directly above or below the currently selected one. When you use this method, Reason will automatically scroll the rack so that the selected device is fully visible. This is a quick way to "step through" the rack. Narrow devices (e.g. half-width devices such as the effects) are ordered left-to-right, i.e. pressing the down arrow key will step through the devices from left to right before moving on the next device row. D If you hold down [Shift] when using the up or down arrow keys, the currently selected device will remain selected. This allows you to select a range of devices. Adjusting a parameter in a device will automatically select it. In other words, you never have to select a device before making settings. ! The Hardware Interface device at the top of the rack cannot be removed. Reordering devices You can rearrange the devices in the rack by moving them, in the following way: 1. If you want to move more than one device at the same time, select the devices. 2. Click in the "handle" area of one of the devices. For full width devices, this is the area to the left and right of the panel (between the rack fittings); for smaller devices you can click anywhere outside the actual parameters. 3. With the mouse button pressed, drag the device(s) up or down in the rack. A thick red vertical line indicates where the device(s) will be positioned. Note that the red line can be to the left of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted before the other device) or to the right of a device (indicating that the moved device will be inserted after the other device). SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES 23 In this example an RV-7 reverb device is moved: In this case, the red line indicates that the reverb device will be inserted to the left of the phaser. Duplicating devices To make a copy of a device in the rack, hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Ctrl] (Windows) and drag it to a new position. D If you hold down [Shift] when you duplicate the device, Reason will attempt to automatically route it, just as when you move devices. See page 26. Cut, Copy and Paste This is the result. Note that the filter device is moved to the left, to fill out the gap. Selected devices can be moved or duplicated using the Cut, Copy and Paste Device functions on the Edit menu or device context menu. For example, this allows you to copy one or several devices (such as an instrument device and all its insert effects) from one Reason Song to another. The following rules apply: D Cut and Copy affects all selected devices, and work according to the standard procedures. That is, Cut moves the devices to the clipboard (removing them from the rack) while Copy creates copies of the devices and puts these on the clipboard, without affecting the rack. D When you Paste devices, these are inserted into the rack below the currently selected device. If no device is selected, the pasted devices will appear at the bottom of the rack. D 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 automatically route it. The rules are the same as when moving or duplicating devices by dragging. Automatic and manual routing is described in the chapter "Routing Audio and CV". In this case, the red line indicates that the reverb device will be inserted to the right of the chorus/ flanger. This is the result. All three devices are moved to the left, to fill out the gap. 4. Release the mouse button. The device(s) are moved to the new position and the other devices in the rack are adjusted to fill up the "gaps". ! Note that if you start to move a device but change your mind, you can abort the operation by pressing [Esc] while keeping the mouse button pressed. D If you hold down [Shift] when you move a device, Reason will attempt to automatically re-route it. See page 26 for more info on auto-routing. ! Moving devices in the rack does not affect the order of the sequencer tracks and vice versa. 24 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES Naming devices Each device has a "tape strip" showing the name of the device. When you create a new device it is automatically named according to the device type, with an index number (so that the first Subtractor synthesizer you create is called "Subtractor 1", the next "Subtractor 2" and so on). If you like, you can rename a device by clicking on its tape strip and typing a new name (up to 16 characters). Note that the mixer channel tape strips show the name of the device directly connected to the mixer! This means that if you have an instrument device routed through an insert effect, the mixer channel tape strip will show the name of the insert effect device (as this is the device directly connected to the mixer channel). In this case, you may want to rename the insert effect device, to indicate the connected instrument. For devices connected to a mixer, the device names are automatically reflected on the vertical tape strips for the corresponding mixer channels (next to the mixer channel faders). Similarly, tape strips below the Return knobs show the names of the effect devices connected to the corresponding Return inputs. The relation between device names and track names When you create an instrument device, it automatically gets a track in the sequencer, with the same default name. Renaming a device will also rename the corresponding sequencer track, and vice versa. Folding and unfolding devices If you don't need to make settings for a device, you can fold it to make the rack more manageable and avoid having to scroll a lot. This is done by clicking the arrow to the left of the device. To unfold the device, click the arrow again. D In rack rows with devices of smaller width, the fold/unfold arrow is placed to the left of the leftmost device and affects all devices in the row. D If you hold down [Option] (Mac) or [Alt] (Windows) and click the arrow of an unfolded device, all devices in the rack will be folded. Conversely, [Option]/[Alt]-clicking the arrow of a folded device will unfold all devices. D For folded devices, no parameters are shown and you cannot make routing adjustments on the backside of the rack as long as the devices are folded. However, if you want to make a connection to a folded device, you can drag a cable to it and hold it there for a moment. This will cause the folded device to automatically unfold and let you make the connection. SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES 25 D Folded devices can be renamed, moved, duplicated and deleted just like unfolded devices. D For devices that use patches, you can select patches in folded mode as well. D Playback is not affected by folding. A Quick Note on Routing ! This section only describes the basics in routing. For detailed descriptions of routing procedures and possibilities, see the "Routing Audio and CV" chapter. Reason allows for extremely flexible routing of audio and control signals between the devices in the rack. Basically, routing can be done automatically or manually: Automatic Routing Auto-routing means that Reason makes all basic audio connections for a device, in one go. As mentioned on the previous pages, auto-routing is automatically performed when you create a new device, and when you move, duplicate or paste devices with [Shift] pressed. If applicable, auto-routing is automatically done in stereo. Creating Mixers D The first created mixer device will be routed to the Stereo inputs on the Hardware Device. Routing a device to the Mixer D When you create an instrument device (synth, sampler, drum machine or loop player) it is automatically routed to the first available mixer channel. This makes it immediately available for use. Routing a Send Effect to the Mixer D When you have a mixer selected and create an effect device, it will be connected as a send effect (to the first free Aux Send/Return). Examples of effects that lend themselves well for use as send effects are reverb, delay and chorus. Routing an Effect directly to a device (Insert) D When you have an instrument device selected and create an effect, that effect will be connected as an insert effect. That is, the signal from the device will pass through that effect and to the mixer. Examples of effects that work well as inserts are distortion, compression and phaser. 26 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES Routing an Insert Effect between the Hardware Interface and another device D If you select the Hardware Interface and then create an effect, the effect will be connected as an insert effect between the Hardware Interface and whatever device was connected to the Hardware Interface inputs (normally the outputs of a a Mixer device). This is the intended way to connect the MClass Mastering Suite Combi, at the very end of the signal chain. Manual Routing To connect devices manually, you need to flip the rack around to see the back. This is done by pressing [Tab] or selecting "Toggle Rack Front/Rear" from the Options menu. Auto-routing Devices after they have been Created Here follows some additional rules about auto-routing devices that are already in the rack: D To reroute a device already in the rack, you can select it and use Disconnect Device and Auto-route Device, both on the Edit menu. D If you delete a device connected between two devices, the connection between the two remaining devices is automatically preserved. A typical example would be if you have an effect device, connected as an insert effect between a synth and a mixer. If you delete the effect, the synth will be routed directly to the mixer. D When you move a device, connections are not affected. If you instead would like the program to re-route the device according to its new location in the rack, hold down [Shift] when you move it. D When you duplicate devices (by dragging) or use copy and paste, the devices are not auto-routed at all. If you would like them to be automatically routed, hold down [Shift] when you perform the operation. On the back of each device you will find connectors of two different types: audio and CV (Control Voltage, used for controlling parameters - see "Using CV and Gate"). Audio inputs and outputs are shown as large "quarter inch" jacks, while CV input and output jacks are smaller. For now, we stick to audio connections. Audio connectors CV connectors ! When the back is shown, you can still navigate in the rack by scrolling, by using the computer keyboard, etc. There are two ways to route audio from one device to another: by connecting "virtual patch cables" between inputs and outputs, and by selecting connections from a popup menu: SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES 27 Using Cables Using pop-up menus 1. Click (or right-click) on a connector. A pop-up menu appears, listing all devices in the rack. 2. Move the pointer to the desired device (the device to which you want to create a connection). A submenu appears, listing all suitable input/output connections. For example, if you clicked on an audio output on a device, the hierarchical submenus will list all audio inputs in all other devices. ! For the cables to be visible, the option "Show Cables" must be activated on the Options menu. See below. 1. Click on the desired input or output jack on one of the devices, and drag the pointer away from the jack (with the mouse button pressed). A loose cable appears. 2. Drag the cable to the jack on the other device. When you move the cable end over a jack of the correct type (audio/CV, input/output) it will be highlighted to show that a connection is possible. 3. Release the mouse button. The cable is connected. If both input and output are in stereo and you connect the left channels, a cable for the right channel is automatically added. D If a device is greyed out on the pop-up menu, there are no connections of the suitable kind. 3. Select the desired connector from the submenu. The connection is created. ! Dragging a cable to make a connection can be aborted by pressing [Esc] while keeping the mouse button pressed. Disconnecting Devices Again, there are two ways to disconnect devices: D Click on one end of the cable, drag it away from the jack and drop it anywhere away from a jack. or D Click on one of the connectors and select "Disconnect" from the context menu that appears. To give a better overview of the connections, the cables have different colors. Connections to or from effect devices are different shades of green, other audio connections are different shades of red and CV connections are different shades of yellow. These cables are green, indicating effect device connections. This cable is yellow, indicating a CV connection. These cables are red, indicating connections between instruments and mixer devices. D You can change an existing connection in the same way, by clicking on one end of the cable and dragging it to another connector. 28 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES Hiding and Showing Cables You can choose whether you want the patch cables to be visible or not, by activating or deactivating the Show Cables item on the Options menu. When the cables are hidden, connectors in use are indicated by a colored dot: About patches A Reason patch contains settings for a specific device. Patches can either be separate files on your hard disk or files embedded in a ReFill - see page 32 for info about ReFills. Nine device types use patches: Checking Connections You can check to which device a jack is connected. This is especially useful if the patch cables are hidden, but it is also practical if you have a lot of cables or if the two devices are far from each other in the rack: D Position the pointer over a connector and wait a moment. A tool tip appears, showing the device and connector in the other end. D Subtractor, Thor and Malström synth patches contain all settings on the device panel. Selecting a patch brings up a new sound, just like when selecting programs or patches on a hardware synthesizer. D NN19 & NNXT sampler patches contain information about which samples are used and their settings (key mapping, tuning, etc.), plus the parameter settings on the device panel. It is important to note that the sampler patch doesn't contain the actual samples only information about which sample files are used. D Redrum drum computer patches contain a complete "drum kit", that is, information about which drum samples are used, together with the parameter settings for each drum sound. Again, the actual samples are not included in the patch, only file references. Also note that Redrum patches are separated from Redrum patterns - selecting a new patch will not affect the patterns in the device. D Scream 4 and RV7000 effect patches contain all settings on the respective device panel. Selecting a patch brings up a new sound, just like when selecting programs or patches on a hardware effect device. D The Combinator (Combi) patch format saves all settings and file references for each device in the Combi, along with the Combinator's own settings; key/velocity zones, modulation routing etc. Any audio or CV routing from/to devices that are part of the Combi is also saved. ! Note that patches for devices included in a Combi are not saved individually - e.g. if a Combi includes a Subtractor, and you have tweaked its settings, these settings will be saved with the Combi, but will not be saved as a separate Subtractor patch unless you do so from within the Combi - see page 30. ! Apart from Combis, patches do not include information about any routing done on the back of the device. SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES 29 About the "Load Default Sound in New Devices" preference On the Preferences - General page there is an option (on by default) to load a default patch when creating a device. There are a number of patches for each device that exist outside category folders in the main Factory Soundbank folder for the device. These will be available on the browse list (see page 40) directly after creating a new device which allows you check out a few sounds for a device without opening the browser. D If you click on the patch name display on the device panel, a pop-up menu will appear, listing all patches in the currently selected folder - see "About browse lists" on page 40). This allows you to quickly select another patch, without having to step through each one in turn. Selecting a patch To select a patch for a device, use one of the following methods: D Click the folder 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, and three buttons (up/down arrow buttons for stepping through patches sequentially, a Folder button to open the browser, and a Save patch button. When you select a patch, the device's parameters will be set according to the values stored in the patch, and the name of the patch will be shown in the patch name display. As with any change you make, this operation can be undone (see page 10). The Patch section of a Redrum device. ! Note: On the panels of the Redrum, NN19 and NNXT devices, there are also other folder buttons, used for loading samples. Make sure you click on the button in the Patch section (next to the patch name display)! D Select the Browse Patches item on the Edit menu or device context menu. Note that the Edit menu 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. D In both cases, the Patch browser dialog appears, allowing you to locate and select the patch, on the hard disk or within a ReFill. Browser operations are described later in this chapter, starting on page 33. D Once you have selected a patch, you can step between all the patches in the same folder by using the arrow buttons on the device panel. Note that switching patches on a device in this way can also change the actual device! See "About browse lists" on page 40. ! Any parameter adjustments you make on the device panel after selecting a patch will not affect the actual patch file (for this you need to save the patch - see below). If referenced samples are missing As described above, patches for the Redrum, NN19 and NNXT contain references to samples. 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. You can then choose to either manually locate the missing files, to have the program search for them or to proceed with missing sounds. For details, see page 41. ! Proceeding without locating or replacing the missing samples results in silent drum sounds and key zones (for the Redrum and NN19/NN-XT, respectively). Saving Patches Saving device settings in a song When you save a Reason song, all settings for all devices are automatically included in the song file - there is no need to save the patches separately. ! It's important to realize that it's the actual settings that are saved in the Song - not references to patches on disk. The next time you open the song, all devices will be set as they were when you saved (regardless of whether you have removed or edited any patches on disk). 30 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES Saving device settings as patches on disk Even though the device settings are stored in the song, you may want to save any settings you have made for a device as a separate patch file. This allows you to use the patch in other songs, and lets you try out other patches in your song without risking to lose your sound. 1. Click the floppy disk button on the device panel. 3. Select the other device of the same type (in the same song or another song). 4. Select Paste Patch from the device context menu or the Edit menu. The settings of the first device (including Redrum and NN19/NNXT sample references) are applied to the second device. ! Note that this operation simply copies the settings from one device to another. Adjusting the settings on one of the devices will not affect the other; neither are the settings connected to any patch file on disk. Initializing Patches You can also select a device and use the Export Patch command on the File menu. 2. In the file dialog that appears, specify a location and name for the patch file and click Save. D Under Windows, the different types of patch files have different file extensions. File extensions are automatically added by Reason when you save. Under Mac OS, file extensions are not needed but it may be a good idea to keep them if you want the saved files to be usable under Windows. D If you have selected a patch, modified it and want to save it with the modifications, you could either save a separate, modified version of the patch (with a new name) or simply overwrite the old patch file on disk. As usual, you will be asked whether you really want to replace the existing patch file. Sometimes it is useful to start with a "clean slate" when creating a synth sound, a drum kit or a sampler patch. This is done by selecting Initialize Patch from the device context menu or Edit menu. This sets all parameters to "standard" values. Initializing NN19, NNXT, Dr. Rex or Redrum devices will also remove all sample file references, allowing you to start from scratch. ! Note that you can save a patch under the same name and location without having the save dialog appear by holding down [Option] (Mac)/[Alt] (Windows) and clicking the floppy disk button on the device panel. Be aware that this overwrites the original patch! ! Note also that you cannot save into a ReFill! This means that if you have opened a patch from within a ReFill, modified it and want to save it, you need to save it as a separate file. Preferably, you should also rename the modified patch file, to avoid confusion. Copying and Pasting Patches between Devices A quick way to transfer settings between devices of the same type is to use the Copy and Paste Patch functions. The result is exactly the same as if you had saved a patch on one device and opened this patch on another device - this is just a quicker method. ! Copying and Pasting settings is possible with all instrument device types, except the Dr. Rex Loop Player. Proceed as follows: 1. Select a patch, and/or make the desired settings on the first device. 2. Select Copy Patch from the device context menu or the Edit menu. SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES 31 About ReFills A ReFill is a kind of component package for Reason which can contain patches, samples, REX files, Soundfonts and demo songs. If you like, you could compare ReFills to ROM cards for a synthesizer. On your computer, ReFills appear as large files with the extension ".rfl". All sounds included with Reason are embedded in two ReFills; "Reason Factory Sound Bank" and "Orkester", which were both copied to the Reason Program folder during installation. Additional Propellerhead ReFills are available for purchase. You can also download ReFills from other Reason users on the Internet, purchase them from other sample manufacturers, etc. | File type Thor Patch | Extension | Description .thor Malström Patch .xwv NN19 Sampler Patch NN-XT Sampler Patch Redrum Patch .smp .sxt Samples (Wave and AIFF files) are compressed to about half their original file size when stored in ReFills, without loss of quality. In Reason, you can use the browser to list and access the embedded sounds and other components within the ReFills, just as if the ReFills were folders on your hard disk. Furthermore, if a song makes use of components from ReFills, Reason will tell you which ReFills are required. .drp RV7000 Patch Scream 4 Patch REX files .rv7 .sm4 .rx2, .rcy or .rex Reason File Formats The following table lists the file formats that you can browse and open using Reason's browser: | File type Song | Extension | Description .rsn Published Song .rps Combinator Patch .cmb Subtractor Patch .zyp This is the main document format in Reason. It contains your music and the setup of the 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"). A published song is a self-contained song intended for playback only. It cannot be changed, its components cannot be extracted and it is not possible to export it as an audio file. The Combinator can store/recall combinations of Reason devices. Combinator patches (Combis) will save all panel settings (as well as sample references if used) for all devices that are part of the Combi. In addition, all routing (audio/CV) between devices in the Combi are included in the patch. This is a patch for the Subtractor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Subtractor patches. Samples .wav or .aif This is a patch for the Thor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Thor patches. This is a patch for the Malström synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Malström patches. This is a patch for the NN19 Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings. This is a patch for the NN-XT Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings. This is a patch for the Redrum drum machine device. It contains information about which drum samples are used, along with all drum sound settings. In effect, a Redrum patch is a stored drum kit. This is a patch for the RV7000 reverb effect, containing all panel settings. This is a patch for the Scream 4 distortion effect, containing all panel settings. REX files are created in another Propellerheads application, the ReCycle loop editor. They contain audio loops chopped into slices, with one slice for each significant beat in the loop. By loading a REX file into the Dr. Rex Loop Player device, you can play back the loop in virtually any tempo (without affecting the pitch), manipulate individual beats in the loop, extract timing info, etc. Note that you can also load REX files into the samplers and the Redrum drum machine. The NN19 Sampler and the Redrum drum machine play back samples, in Wave or AIFF format with support for a large number of resolutions and sample rates. 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 sample, etc. 32 SOUNDS, DEVICES AND PATCHES | File type Soundfont Bank | Extension | Description .sf2 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 multisampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs. The Soundfonts can then be played back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards, thereby effectively turning an ordinary sound card into a sampler. The NN-XT and NN19 Samplers and the Redrum drum machine allow you to browse and load Soundfonts. Regardless of which editing program was used to create them, these banks are similarly and hierarchically organized, with folders for instruments, presets, samples etc. The NN-XT, NN19 and the Redrum lets you load individual samples and presets from a Soundfont bank, but not the complete Soundfont. Using the Browser The Browser is a special file dialog that appears when you open songs or load patches, samples, MIDI or REX files, from within a ReFill or from regular file folders. Apart from standard file folder browsing, the browser dialog offers you several useful functions: D Search for files by name and/or type - see page 39. D Use "cross-browsing" to search for patches belonging to any type of device. For example, you open the browser from a Subtractor device to browse for a suitable patch. But instead of limiting the Browser to show only Subtractor patches, you can chose to browse for any type of instrument patch. If you select a patch with a different format than the device you "started" browsing from, the original device will be replaced by the new device. See page 38. D Create Favorite Lists containing shortcuts to your Favorite files for instant access. See page 40. D Audition instrument patches, audio samples and loops on the fly. D Save shortcuts to various locations on your local drive(s). See page 37.