Control Surface Details

Manual by Anders Nordmark and Fredrik Hylvander
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Propellerhead Software AB. The software described herein is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to any other media expect as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Propellerhead Software AB. Note: Trademarks referred to within the Reason product are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademarks holders are affiliated with Propellerhead Software AB or our products. The referrals to these trademarks do not in any way constitute trademark use. Nor does the use of these trademarks intend to explore the goodwill associated with these trademarks. 2008 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.

Introduction

This document describes the control surfaces and keyboards that are supported in Reason version 4. For information about how to set up and use the Remote functions in Reason version 4, please refer to the Reason version 4 Operation Manual.
Supported Control Surfaces

MPD24 MPD32 MPK49

Important about ReGroove: All descriptions in this manual about control surface parameter mapping to ReGroove parameters imply that the Master Keyboard Input (focus) is set to the Transport Track in the main sequencer. If Master Keyboard Input is set to any other device in the track list, the Regrove parameters wont be accessible from the control surface at that time.

Alesis

Photon X25

Behringer

BCF2000 BCR2000
q About keyboard shortcut variations: If a control surface is said to use keyboard shortcut variations, this means you can switch variations from the computer keyboard and change which parameters are controlled by the knobs, sliders or buttons on the surface. To select a keyboard shortcut variation, press [Ctrl]-[Alt] (Windows) or [Command]-[Option] (Mac) and one of the number keys on the main part of the computer keyboard. The number of variations available depends on the control surface and which Reason device has Master Keyboard Input in the track list. To select the default variation, press [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[1] or [Command]-[Option]-[1]. This is done automatically when you change Master Keyboard Input to another device. Support for new control surfaces will be added continuously. Registered Reason version 4 users will be able to download new Remote drivers from www.propellerheads.se.

UF Series

Doepfer
Drehbank Pocket Control Pocket Dial Pocket Fader Regelwerk

Requirements/Setting up:

Reason will automatically find the MPD24 if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences.

About the controls:

The MPD24 has 16 pads, 6 faders and 8 knobs, plus transport controls.
About the default mapping:
D General mapping The transport controls on the MPD24 are mapped to the corresponding controls in the Reason main sequencer. Pads 13 and 14 select previous and next patch where applicable. Pad 15 selects previous track and pad 16 selects next track in the sequencer. D Mixer 14:2 There are five keyboard shortcut variations: Level and Pan 1-6, Level and Pan 7-12, Level and Send 1-6, Level and Send 7-12 and Level and Send 13-14. When the Level and Pan variations are selected, the faders control the levels and the knobs control the pan. When the Level and Send 1-6 and 7-12 variations are selected, the faders control the levels and the knobs control the Aux 1 sends. When Level and Send 13-14 is selected, faders 1-2 control channels 13 and 14 levels and fader 6 controls Master Level. Knob 12 control channel 13-14 Aux 1 send and knobs 5-8 control Aux 1-4 return levels. D Line Mixer 6:2 There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Level and Pan and Level and Send. When the Level and Pan variations are selected, the faders control the levels and the knobs control the pan. When the Level and Send variation is selected, the faders control the levels and the knobs control the Aux sends.
The Remote codec and mapping for the MPD32 was written by Akai. The files are included with Reason version 4 courtesy of Akai.
Reason will automatically find the MPD32 if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences.
D Redrum There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Level and Pan 1-8 and Level and Pan 9-10. In both variations pads 1-4 select Banks A-D, pads 5-8 select Patterns 5-8 and pads 9-12 select Patterns 1-4. When the Level and Pan 1-8 variation is selected, faders 1-8 control the drum levels, faders 9-16 control the pitches, faders 17-24 control the velocities, knobs 1-8 control the pan and knobs 9-16 control the lengths and knobs 17-24 control the Send 1 amount for drum channels 1-8. When the Level and Pan 9-10 variation is selected, the faders and knobs control the corresponding parameters for drum channels 9 and 10 instead. D BV-512 Vocoder There are three keyboard shortcut variations: Band 1-24, Mod Level 1-24 and Mod Band 25-32. In all variations knobs 1-6 and switches 1-2 control the BV-512 panel parameters. In the Band 1-24 variation faders 1-24 control the levels for bands 1-24. In the Mod Level 1-24 variation faders 1-24 control the mod levels for bands 1-24. In the Band Mod 25-32 variation faders 1-8 control the band levels for band 25-32 and faders 9-12 and 21-24 control the mod level for bands 25-32. D Matrix Pads 1-4 select Bank A-D. Pads 5-12 select Pattern 1-8. Faders1-3 control the Matrix panel parameters. Switch 1 controls Run and switch 2 controls Pattern Enable. D RPG-8 Switches 1-6 and faders 1-6 control the RPG-8 panel parameters. Switches 9-22 control pattern steps 1-12.

D ReGroove The faders control the A1-A8 Groove amount. Encoder Group 1 control A1-A8 Shuffle. Encoder Group 2 control A1-A8 Slide.

BCR2000

The BCR2000 must have firmware v1.07 or later installed - refer to http://www.behringer.com for more info. Before you add the BCR2000 as a control surface in Reason, please make sure that the BCR2000 is set to Device ID 1. This is done in the global setup menu: Hold down the EDIT key and press the STORE key, release both keys and then use Encoder 5 to set the Device ID. Press EXIT to leave the global setup menu. If you connect the BCR2000 via USB, you need to set it to operating mode "U-1": Hold down the EDIT key and press the STORE key, release both keys and then use Encoder 1 to set the operating mode. Press EXIT to leave the global setup menu. If you connect the BCR2000 via MIDI, you need to use two MIDI cables: one from the "IN" port to the out port on your MIDI interface, and one from the "OUT B/THRU" port to the in port on your MIDI interface. Then set the BCR2000 to operating mode "S-3". Reason will automatically find the BCR2000 if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences.
D The following buttons in the right part of the panel are used for global functions: Edit Button: Loop On/Off Store Button: Record Learn Button: Target Previous Track (move master keyboard input one step up in the track list) Exit Button: Target Next Track (move master keyboard input one step down in the track list) Top Left User Button: Rewind Top Right User Button: Fast Forward Bottom Left User Button: Stop Bottom Right User Button: Play D For devices with patches, you can use Button 8 in the upper and lower row to select the previous or next patch, respectively. D For effect devices, Button 7 in the upper row controls the Bypass/ On/Off state. D Where applicable, bottom row encoder 8 controls the master level. D Mixer 14:2 The Preset left/right buttons select which mixer channels should be controlled (channel 1-7 or channel 8-14). Bottom Row Encoder 8 always controls the master level. Bottom Row Encoders 1-7 control levels. Middle Row Encoders 1-7 control pan. Top Row Encoders 1-7 control Aux 1 send levels and Top Row Encoder 8 controls Aux 1 return level. Push Encoders 1:1-1:7 control Aux 2 send levels and Push Encoder 1:8 controls Aux 2 return level. Push Encoders 2:1-2:7 control Bass. Push Encoders 3:1-3:7 control Treble. If you select Push Encoder Group 4, the LED rings around the encoders will serve as peak meters - you cannot use the encoders in this mode. The lower buttons 1-7 control Mute and the upper buttons 1-7 control Solo. D Mixer 6:2 Bottom Row Encoders 1-6 control levels and Bottom Row Encoder 8 is master level. Middle Row Encoders 1-6 control pan. Top Row Encoders 1-6 control Aux Send and Top Row Encoder 8 is Aux Return. If you select Push Encoder Group 1, the LED rings around the encoders will serve as peak meters - you cannot use the encoders in this mode. Lower row buttons control Mute and upper row buttons control Solo.

D The Value Encoder to the left on the PCR panel has four different functions, selected by pressing the buttons V1-V4. Button V1 makes the Value Encoder move the Master Keyboard Input up or down in the track list. This is the default mode. Button V2 makes the Value Encoder select patches for the currently played Reason device. Button V3 makes the Value Encoder select global Remote map variations. (These can also be selected by pressing [Ctrl]-[Alt] (Windows) or [Command][Option] (Mac) and one of the number keys on the main part of the computer keyboard.) Button V4 makes the Value Encoder move the song position pointer. D Buttons L1-L4 control the corresponding Reason transport functions (RTZ, Stop, Play and Record). D Buttons C1-C3 are mapped to New Overdub, New Alternative Take and Loop On/Off, respectively. D When controlling a device that uses patches, buttons A9 and B9 will select the previous/next patch. If no device has Master Keyboard Input (e.g. if you've selected the Transport track), the controls are mapped to additional global functions: D The buttons B1-B9 are mapped to various transport functions: Go to Left/Right Locator, Move song position to prev/next bar, decrease/increase tempo, reset automation override, auto-quantize, click and precount on/off.
D Buttons B4 and B5 are used for "Target Previous Track" and "Target Next Track" (moving the master keyboard input up or down in the track list). D For patch devices, buttons B3 and B6 are used for selecting the previous and next patch, respectively. D When controlling devices with many parameters, keyboard shortcut variations are used.

PCR-M1

The PCR-M1 works just like the PCR-1 when you use it as a control surface with Reason (see above). The only differences are The PCR-M1 can be connected via MIDI instead of USB. In that case, you need a two-way MIDI connection (both MIDI In and MIDI Out) for Reason to be able to auto-detect the keyboard. However, you can always add the PCR-M1 manually. The PCR-M1 has inputs for hold pedal and expression pedal.
D The sliders, rotaries and buttons A1-A8 control the first eight ReGroove Mixer channels (channels A1-A8). The sliders control Groove Amount, while the knobs control Shuffle or Slide depending on the selected global Remote variation (this also determines whether the "A" buttons should control "Use Global Shuffle" or "Pre-Align"). D Knob R9 controls the global shuffle setting, used e.g. for pattern devices such as Redrum. D Mixer 14:2 There are two variations, for controlling channels 1-8 or 9-14, respectively. The sliders control channel levels, the rotaries control pan and the buttons control mute and solo. Slider S9 always controls the master level and Knob R9 controls the Aux 1 Return level. D Line Mixer 6:2 The sliders control the channel levels while the rotaries control pan or aux sends, depending on the selected variation. The buttons are mapped to mute and solo. Slider S9 always controls the master level. Knob R8 controls Aux Return level and button A8 controls Aux Pre/Post. D Subtractor There are two variations. In the default variation, the knobs control filter settings while the sliders control the filter and amp envelopes. In the second variation, the controls are mapped to oscillator, LFO and Mod envelope parameters. D Thor Rotaries R1-R2 and buttons A1-A2 control the two assignable rotaries and buttons on Thor's upper panel. The function of the remaining controls depends on the selected variation. Variation 1 maps the controls to filter 1 and 2, the Shaper and the filter/amp envelopes Variation 2 controls oscillators, LFOs and the mod envelope Variation 3 and 4 control Step Sequencer note, velocity and gate settings for steps 1-8 and steps 9-16, respectively. If one of the two Step Sequencer variations is selected, button B8 controls the Run button and rotary R9 controls the sequencer rate. Buttons B5-B7 control various sequencer run mode parameters. D Malstrm There are two variations. In the default variation, the sliders control filter settings while the rotaries control the Modulators, Shaper, Spread and master level. In the second variation, the rotaries control Oscillator A parameters and the sliders control Oscillator B.

D Redrum The Track Group button to the left selects which drum channels to control (drum 1-8 or drum 9-10). The modes for the Status buttons are mute (dark), solo (green), decay/gate mode (red) and audition drum sounds (orange). To select pattern, press Shift and use the horizontal cursor buttons. To select bank, press Shift and use the vertical cursor buttons. D BV-512 Vocoder The faders control band levels and the Track Group button to the left selects which vocoder bands to control. D Matrix The Status buttons select pattern in dark mode and bank in green mode. Button 8 in green mode controls the Pattern Enable switch. You can also select patterns using Shift+Horizontal Cursor buttons and select banks using Shift+Vertical Cursor buttons. D ReGroove The faders control the A1-A8 Groove amount. Control 1-8 (Pan) control A1-A8 Slide. Control 1-8 (Send 1) control A1-A8 Shuffle.

MK-249C

To be able to use the buttons and knobs on the MK-249C, you need to program them so that they send out the following MIDI messages: button 0: MIDI program change # 00 button 1: MIDI program change # 01 button 2: MIDI program change # 02 button 3: MIDI program change # 03 button 4: MIDI program change # 04 button 5: MIDI program change # 05 button 6: MIDI program change # 06 button 7: MIDI program change # 07 button 8: MIDI program change # 08 button 9: MIDI program change # 09 knob 1: CC 10 knob 2: CC 11 knob 3: CC 12 knob 4: CC 13 knob 5: CC 91 knob 6: CC 93 knob 7: CC 94 knob 8: CC 95 knob 9: CC 73 knob 10: CC 72 knob 11: CC 74 knob 12: CC 71
D When controlling devices with many parameters, keyboard shortcut variations are used.

MK-425C

Reason will automatically find the MK-425C if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences. To use MK-425C with Reason, you need to select preset 4 and make sure this isn't changed from the factory settings. If you have connected the keyboard via USB, Reason will restore preset 4 to factory settings for you - however, note that you need to select preset 4 manually after this is done. You can also restore your MK-425C manually by holding down the + and - buttons when you turn the keyboard on - note that this restores all presets to factory settings, deleting any changes you have made.

The keyboard and performance controls, the eight knobs and the ten keypad buttons are available as control surface items in Reason.
D On the keypad, buttons 4 and 7 are used for Target Previous/Next Track. D Buttons 6 and 9 are used for Select Previous/Next Patch, where applicable. D For effect devices, button 0 controls the Bypass/On/Off state. D When controlling devices with many parameters, keyboard shortcut variations are used.
D Buttons 8 and 9 are used for Target Previous/Next Track (move the master keyboard input up or down in the track list). D For devices with patches, buttons 6 and 7 are used for Select Previous/Next Patch. D For effect devices, button 0 controls the Bypass/On/Off status. D With most Reason devices, the Master Volume Fader (below the display) is mapped to the Master Level. D On the Redrum and Matrix, button 1 steps through pattern 1-8 in the selected bank, while button 2 steps through bank A-D. Button 0 controls the Pattern Enable switch:

MK-449C

Reason will automatically find the MK-449C if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences. To use MK-449C with Reason, you need to select preset 4 and make sure this isn't changed from the factory settings. If you have connected the keyboard via USB, Reason will restore preset 4 to factory settings for you - however, note that you need to select preset 4 manually after this is done. You can also restore your MK-449C manually by holding down the + and - buttons when you turn the keyboard on - note that this restores all presets to factory settings, deleting any changes you have made.

MK-461C

Reason will automatically find the MK-461C if you click the Autodetect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences. To use MK-461C with Reason, you need to select preset 4 and make sure this isn't changed from the factory settings. If you have connected the keyboard via USB, Reason will restore preset 4 to factory settings for you - however, note that you need to select preset 4 manually after this is done. You can also restore your MK-461C manually by holding down the + and - buttons when you turn the keyboard on - note that this restores all presets to factory settings, deleting any changes you have made.
The keyboard and performance controls, the nine faders, the eight knobs and the ten keypad buttons are available as control surface items in Reason.
The keyboard and performance controls, the nine faders, the twelve knobs and the ten keypad buttons are available as control surface items in Reason.
D On the keypad, buttons 4 and 7 are used for Target Previous/Next Track. D Buttons 6 and 9 are used for Select Previous/Next Patch, where applicable. D For effect devices, button 0 controls the Bypass/On/Off state. D Where applicable, Knob 17 (the last knob) is mapped to master level. D When controlling devices with many parameters, keyboard shortcut variations are used.

Control Freak Live

To use the Control Freak Live with Reason, you need to select program 36 and make sure this isn't changed from the factory default settings. You can reset the Control Freak Live to factory defaults - note that this restores all factory presets and removes any changes you have made. To reset, turn the unit on while pressing all four buttons in the lower row ("Shift", "Store", "<-" and "->"). The display will say "Updating Memory".
D Malstrm There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Osc and Filters. The knobs and buttons control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. D NN-19 There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Filter & Env and Mod. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. The buttons control various switch parameters in NN-19. D Dr. REX There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Filter & Env and Osc. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. The buttons control various switch parameters in Dr. Rex. D Redrum There are three keyboard shortcut variations, in which the knobs control levels, pans and pitch, respectively. The selected variation also determines the functions of the buttons: In the first variation, the buttons select pattern and bank, in the second, they control the drum sound mutes and in the third, the buttons are used for auditioning the drum sounds. D BV-512 Vocoder There are three keyboard shortcut variations: Basic, Band 1-16 and Band 1732. In the basic variation the knobs control the panel parameters. In variations 2-3 the knobs control the band levels. Button 1-2 control switch parameters. D Matrix Buttons 1-8 select pattern in the current bank, while buttons 9-12 select bank.
Reason makes use of the sixteen knobs and sixteen buttons. To use buttons 916, you need to hold down the button labeled BUTTONS 9-16 (this is the top right button under the display F.Key 4).
D For devices with patches, buttons 15 and 16 are used for Select Previous/Next Patch. D When controlling devices with many parameters, keyboard shortcut variations are used. D Mixer 14:2 There are four keyboard shortcut variations: Levels, Pans, Send 1 and Send 2. In the different variations the knobs control the respective function for the corresponding channel. The buttons control mutes in all variations. D Mixer 6:2 There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Pans and Sends. Knobs 1-6 control the levels, knob 15 controls Aux Return and knob 16 Master Level, in both variations. Knobs 8-13 control the pans and sends in the different variations. Buttons 1-6 control mute and buttons 8-13 control mute and solo respectively. Button 14 controls Aux Pre/Post. D Thor There are three keyboard shortcut variations: Filters, Osc & Amp and Modulation. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. The buttons control various switch parameters in Thor. Knobs 1 and 2 control Rotaries 1 and 2 and buttons 1 and 2 control Buttons 1 and 2 on the Thor panel D Subtractor There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Filters & Env and Osc. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. The buttons control various switch parameters in Subtractor.

Reason makes use of all encoders, sliders, pads and buttons except for the octave shift buttons. The program will also control the displays on the KONTROL49, showing parameter names and values.
D The main LCD display shows the name of the device currently controlled by the KONTROL49. D The "Setting" and "Scene" buttons are used for Target Previous/ Next Track (move the master keyboard input up or down in the track list). D For devices with patches, the "Message" and "Exit" buttons select the previous/next patch. D The joystick is not mapped to any parameters by default, but you can assign it to any items in ReCycle 2.1 by using Remote Overrides. There are two separate control surface items for the joystick; X-axis and Yaxis. D The Hex Lock and Enter buttons are mapped to Stop and Play on the ReCycle 2.1 transport panel, by default. D The main encoder is mapped to master level, where applicable.

MicroKONTROL

The MicroKONTROL can be connected via USB or standard MIDI connectors. If connected via USB, you need to make sure that both the MIDI In ports are properly selected (one for the keyboard and one for the controls). If connected via MIDI, you only need to select the "Controls MIDI In Port" - make sure the "Keyboard MIDI In Port" is set to "Not selected". Reason will automatically find the MicroKONTROL if you click the Auto-detect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences (a two-way MIDI or USB connection is needed). When you add the MicroKONTROL (manually or using auto-detect), it will automatically be set to a custom mode for use with Reason.
D Mixer 14:2 The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons determine which mixer channels are controlled (1-8 or 9-14). Pad buttons 13-16 select variations, determining what should be controlled by the encoders (pan, send1, send2 or send3). The upper pad buttons serve as mute buttons. D Line Mixer 6:2 The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons determine whether the encoders should control pan or sends. D Thor The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons select variations (Filters Osc & Amp, Modulation, Sequencer 1 or Sequencer 2) for the encoders, sliders and pad buttons. Encoders 1 and 2 control Rotaries 1 and 2 and Pad buttons 1 and 2 control Buttons 1 and 2 on the Thor panel. D Subtractor The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons select variations (Filter & Amp, Osc or Mod) for the encoders, sliders and pad buttons. D Malstrm The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons select variations (Filter, Osc/Mod A or Osc/Mod B) for the encoders, sliders and pad buttons. D NN-XT You can use the pad buttons to play the sampler. They are mapped chromatically from C2 up. D Redrum Only drum sounds 1-8 can be controlled. The "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons select variations. There are four variations: Pitch/Play, Length/Play, Pitch/Pattern and Length/Pattern. In the "Pitch" variations, the encoders control the pitch of the drum sounds; in the "Length" variations they control the length. In the "Play" variations, you can play the drum sounds with the pads. In the "Pattern" variations, the pads are used for selecting pattern and bank. The sliders always control the levels. D BV-512 Vocoder The sliders control the band levels - use the "Hex Lock" and "Enter" buttons to select which vocoder bands to control. D Matrix Pad buttons 1-8 select pattern, pad button 9 controls the Run button, pad button 12 controls the Pattern Enable switch and pad buttons 13-16 select bank. D ReGroove Encoders 1-8 control the A1-A4 Slide and Shuffle. Sliders 1-4 control the A1-A4 Groove amount.

The two codecs are identical in regards to the functions and mapping.
Below, the factory settings for the knobs in preset 1 are listed. You can use these lists to check whether your Oxygen 8 is an "older" or "newer" model. You can also use the lists to reprogram the knobs manually (if you don't want to restore all presets to factory defaults):
| Oxygen 8 | older model | newer model
Knob 1 Knob 2 Knob 3 Knob 4 Knob 5 Knob 6 Knob 7 Knob 8
MIDI CC 10 MIDI CC 11 MIDI CC 12 MIDI CC 13 MIDI CC 14 MIDI CC 15 MIDI CC 16 MIDI CC 17
MIDI CC 74 MIDI CC 71 MIDI CC 81 MIDI CC 91 MIDI CC 16 MIDI CC 80 MIDI CC 19 MIDI CC 02
D BV-512 Vocoder Five variations are used: Ctrls and Band 1-8/9-16/17-24/25-32. In the first variation the knobs control the main parameters. In the other variations the knobs control the levels of the vocoder bands. D Matrix Two variations are used. In the first variation knob1-8 select Pattern1-8. In the second variation knobs 1-4 select Bank A-D.
D Subtractor There are two variations, Filters & LFO and Oscillators. The faders control Amp Env, Filter Env and Master Level in all variations. The buttons and knobs control parameters in the respective parameter groups for each of the variations. D Thor There are five variations: Osc 1&2, Filter 1, LFO & Mod, Amp and Delay & Chorus. The faders control the Rotaries, Osc 1/Osc 2 Balance, Filter 3 Drive, Freq and Res, Delay and Chorus Dry/Wet and Master Level in all variations. Buttons 1 and 2 control Button 1 & 2 in all variations. The remaining buttons and knobs control parameters in the respective parameter groups for each of the variations. D Malstrm There are two variations: Oscillators and Filters. The faders, buttons and knobs control parameters in the respective parameter groups for each of the variations. D Redrum There are two variations. The faders control channel 1-8 levels and Master Level in both variations. Button 1 is mapped to the Run button and button 2 is mapped to Pattern Enable in both variations. The knobs control the channel 1-8 pans or pitches depending on selected variation. D Effect devices - general Only the knobs are assigned to parameters in effects devices. Several keyboard shortcut variations are used in effects with many parameters. D MClass Equalizer There are two variations: Built-in 1 (Low and Para 1) and Built-in 2 (Para 2 and Hi). The knobs control parameters in the respective parameter groups for each of the variations. D Scream 4 Distortion There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Damage & Cut and Body. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. D BV-512 Vocoder Five variations are used. In the first variation the knobs control the main parameters. In the other variations the knobs control the levels of the selected vocoder bands. D Matrix Pattern Sequencer Two variations are used: Pattern and Bank. In the Pattern variation knobs 1-8 select Patterns 1-8. In the Bank variation knobs 1-4 select bank A-D.

Oxygen 49/61

1. Connect the Oxygen 49/61 via USB or MIDI. 2. Select preset 1 and make sure this isn't changed from the factory settings. For Oxygen 8 v2 select preset 10 instead.
D The transport buttons control the corresponding transport functions in Reason. D Keyboard shortcut variations are used for devices with many parameters. D Buttons 8 and 9 selects previous and next keyboard shortcut variation. D Buttons 6 and 7 selects previous and next sequencer track. D Buttons 4 and 5 selects previous and next patch in devices that use patches. D The parameter mapping is identical between the 49 and 61 models. D Note that Fader 9 controls master level on many devices. D Mixer 14:2 There are six keyboard shortcut variations, for controlling channels 1-7 or 814, respectively. The faders control channel levels in all variations, the knobs control pan/Aux1/Aux2 and the buttons control mute and solo. Fader 9 always controls the master level and Knob 8 controls the Aux 1 or Aux 2 Return levels depending on selected variation. D Line Mixer 6:2 The sliders control the channel levels while the knobs control pan or aux sends, depending on the selected variation. The buttons are mapped to mute and solo. Fader 9 always controls the master level. Knob 7controls Aux Return level and knob 8 controls Aux Pre/Post in the second variation.
To use the Ozone with Reason you need to select preset 1 and make sure this hasn't been changed from the factory default settings. You can restore all presets to factory settings by holding down the MIDI/Select button while you turn on the Ozone (note that this restores all presets, removing any changes you have made!). The Ozone must be added manually - it cannot be found by auto-detect.
D Redrum There are three keyboard shortcut variations, determining the function of the knobs. The knobs control Level, Pan or Pitch for channels 1-8 depending on selected variation. D MClass Equalizer There are two variations: Built-in 1 (Low and Para 1) and Built-in 2 (Para 2 and Hi). The knobs control parameters in the respective parameter groups for each of the variations. D Scream 4 Distortion There are two keyboard shortcut variations: Damage & Cut and Body. The knobs control parameters in the respective group for each of the variations. D BV-512 Vocoder Five variations are used: Basic and Band 1-8/9-16/17-24/25-32. In the first variation the knobs control the main parameters. In the other variations the knobs control the levels of the vocoder bands. D ReGroove Knobs 1-4 control A1-A4 Groove Amount and knobs 5-8 control A1-A4 Shuffle.

D Redrum Each column of rotaries corresponds to a drum sound channel on the Redrum. The Bank Left/Right buttons determine which channels are controlled (drum 1-7 or drum 8-10). The lowest row of rotaries controls drum channel levels, with the rotary buttons serving as Solo buttons. The Master Level is on the rotary in the lower right corner. The second lowest row of rotaries controls drum channel pan settings, with the rotary buttons serving as Mute buttons. The Run button is controlled by the rightmost rotary button in this row. There are two modes for the rotaries and rotary buttons in the two upper rows: In "Pattern mode", the top row buttons select pattern and the first buttons in the second row select bank. In "Parameter mode", the rotaries control drum pitch and length, top row buttons trigger the drum sounds and the buttons in the second row control the Decay/Gate switches. To change mode, use the Parameter (Single) Left/Right buttons. D BV-512 Vocoder The rotaries in the lowest row control the basic vocoder parameters. The second highest row rotaries control the band levels. Which bands are controlled (1-8, 9-16, 17-24 or 25-32) is selected with the Parameter (Single) Left/Right buttons. D Matrix Pattern Sequencer The rotary buttons in the second highest row select pattern, and the first rotary buttons in the third row select bank. The rotary button in the lower right corner controls the Run button.
Reason supports the Mackie Control, or (typically) the Mackie Control Universal in "Mackie Control" mode. Reason supports the Mackie Control, or (typically) the Mackie Control Universal in "Mackie Control" mode. If you are using a Mackie Control Universal, you need to select the "Mackie Control" mode of operation: Hold down the SELECT buttons for Ch 1 and Ch 2 and turn on the device - you are then asked which mode of operation to use. Select "Mackie Ctrl" by pressing the corresponding V-Pot. You must connect the Mackie Control using two-way MIDI (both MIDI In and Out should be connected). Reason will automatically find the Mackie Control if you click the Auto-detect button on the Control Surfaces and Keyboards page in the Preferences.
Note: In the mapping descriptions below, the name labels refer to the default Logic overlay. D Global modifiers and modes Pressing the Flip button swaps the functions of the faders and the rotaries. To return to the normal mapping, press Global View (next to the Flip button). Normally, the display shows the name of the currently controlled Reason device. Pressing the Name/Value button will make the display show the names of the Reason parameters controlled by the faders instead. Press the button again to show the device name. Selecting another target device automatically resets Flip state and display mode to default settings.

The controls are named as follows: Two groups of knobs and buttons can be accessed, Group A and B, effectively doubling the amount of controls. The row of assignable knobs are called Knob 1-9 (A or B). The buttons below these are called Button 1-9 (A or B).
D The transport buttons control the corresponding transport functions in Reason. D The X/Y touch pad isn't mapped to any parameters by default, but you can map it freely using Remote Overrides. Note that there are two control surface items for each axis - you can map the touch pad to four different Reason parameters (two for the X-axis and two for the Y-axis). D For effect devices, button 1A controls the Bypass/On/Off state. D Mixer 14:2 There are eight keyboard shortcut variations, determining which mixer channels (ch 1-9 or ch 10-14) and what parameters are controlled. Knobs 1A-5B control either Level, Pan, Send 1, Send 2, Send 3, Send 4, EQ Treble or EQ Bass. Buttons 1A-5B control either Mute, Solo, Aux 4 Pre Fader On/Off or EQ On/Off. In all variations knobs 6B-8B control Aux 1/2/3 Return and knob 9B controls Master Level.

XioSynth

Requirements/Setting up
Although there is no Template onboard the XioSynth for Reason, Reason version 4 ships with Resource files to enable the keyboard to work as a controller for each device in the software. When the XioSynth is set up as a Control Surface in Reason, a Template will automatically be sent to the XioSynth. You will then need to manually save this Template to the XioSynth's memory.
D Subtractor There are two keyboard shortcut variations. The first variation basically controls Osc 1, Filter 1 and LFO 1 parameters. The second variation basically controls Osc 2, Filter 2 and LFO 2 parameters. Some knobs and buttons control the same parameters in both variations. D Malstrm There are two keyboard shortcut variations. The first variation basically controls Osc A, Filter A and Modulator A parameters. The second variation basically controls Osc B, Filter B and Modulator B parameters. Some knobs and buttons control the same parameters in both variations. D Redrum There are four keyboard shortcut variations, Levels, Sends/Pattern, Length and Tone. Knob 11A controls Master Level and buttons 11A and 11B select previous and next patch respectively. D Matrix Button 9-12 and 17-20 select pattern; button 13-14 and 21-22 select bank. D BV-512 Vocoder Knobs 1A-6A and buttons 1A-3A control the panel parameters in all four variations. Knobs 1B-11B control the band levels. Use keyboard shortcut variations to select which vocoder bands to control.

The controls are named as follows: Two groups of knobs and buttons can be accessed, Group A and B, effectively doubling the amount of controls. The row of assignable knobs are called Knob 1-11 (A or B). The buttons below these are called Button 1-11 (A or B).
D The X/Y touch pad isn't mapped to any parameters by default, but you can map it freely using Remote Overrides. Note that there are two control surface items for each axis - you can map the touch pad to four different Reason parameters (two for the X-axis and two for the Y-axis). D For effect devices, button 1A controls the Bypass/On/Off state. D Mixer 14:2 There are eight keyboard shortcut variations, determining which mixer channels (ch 1-10 or ch 11-14) and what parameters are controlled. Knobs 1A10B control either Level, Pan, Aux 1/2/3/4 Return, Send 1, Send 2, Send 3, Send 4, EQ Treble or EQ Bass. Buttons 1A-10B control either Mute, Solo, EQ On/Off or Aux 4 Pre Fader On/Off. In all variations knob 11A controls Master Level. D Mixer 6:2 There are two keyboard shortcut variations. In the first variation knobs 1A-6A control Level and knobs 1B-6B control Pan. Buttons 1A-6A control Mute and buttons 1B-6B control Solo. In the second variation only knobs 1A-7A are assigned to Aux Send and Aux Return. D Thor There are three keyboard shortcut variations. The first variation basically controls Osc 1, Filter 1 and LFO 1 parameters. The second variation basically controls Osc 2, Filter 2 and LFO 2 parameters and so on.

X-Station

If you have a ReMOTE 25 Audio, you can upgrade this to an X-Station - see www.novationmusic.com. To use the X-Station with Reason, you need to connect it via USB or two-way MIDI. Make sure the X-Station isn't write protected: press "Global", make sure the memory protect page is shown in the display and use the "Data/Value" knob to select "off". When you add the X-Station in Reason, you must select the correct MIDI output on the MIDI Output Port menu in the Add Control Surface dialog. Reason will then upload a template to the edit buffer in the X-Station. If you like, you can then save these settings to any template memory location on the X-Station. If you do this, you can also set which template the X-Station should show each time you turn it on: select the saved template, press "Global" and press "Write".
D Reason supports the channel pressure (aftertouch) of the X-Station keyboard, but the result depends on the settings for the controlled device. D The X/Y touch pad isn't mapped to any parameters by default, but you can map it freely using Remote Overrides. Note that there are two control surface items for each axis - you can map the touch pad to four different Reason parameters (two for the X-axis and two for the Y-axis). D The Arp On and Arp Latch buttons are used for Target Previous/ Next Track (move master keyboard input up or down in the track list). D For devices with patches, the Trigger and Repeat buttons select the previous/next patch. D With most devices, the Effects Control knob (in the lower right corner of the panel) controls the master level. However, for the mixers, the master level is mapped to the Amp Velocity fader. D For pattern devices (Redrum and Matrix), you select pattern with the buttons above the sliders (the four Amp Env buttons and the four first Mod Env buttons). The Mod Env F3 button steps through banks. D With a few devices, keyboard shortcut variations are used. D Mixer 14:2 There are six keyboard shortcut variations, determining which mixer channels (ch 1-8 or ch 10-14) and what parameters are controlled. In all variations the Amp Velocity knob controls Master Level, the Mod Velocity knob controls Aux 1 Return and Env3 Velocity controls Aux 2 Return. D Mixer 6:2 There are two keyboard shortcut variations, Pans and Sends. In all variations the Amp Velocity knob controls Master Level and the Mod Velocity knob controls Aux Return. The Amp Env and Mod Env knobs control Ch 1-6 levels. D Thor The Osc 1 Sync and Osc 2 Sync parameters control Rotaries 1 and 2. The Osc Env Depth and Osc LFO Depth parameters control Buttons 1 and 2 on the Thor panel. D Redrum There are three keyboard shortcut variations, Pitch, Length and Pan. In all variations the Effects Control knob controls Master Level and the Amp Env and Mod Env knobs control the drum channel levels. D Matrix Button 9-12 and 17-20 select pattern; button 13-14 and 21-22 select bank.

Windows

Intel Pentium 3 or better. 300 MHz or faster. 256 MB RAM. 2 GB free hard disk space. CD-ROM drive. Windows 2000/XP (or later). 256 color monitor (or better), 800x600 or larger. A 16 bit Windows compatible audio card, preferably with an ASIO or DirectX driver. A MIDI interface and a MIDI keyboard recommended.

About the Audio Hardware

The audio hardware is the computer equipment that converts the digital signals from Reason to analog audio signals (for connection to an amplifier, headphones, or similar). This equipment could be a standard stereo sound card, a USB audio interface, the built-in audio hardware on a Macintosh or some more advanced audio card with several inputs and outputs, digital connectors, etc. Regardless of which, you need to make sure the hardware and its drivers are properly installed:
D If possible, you should use ASIO compatible audio hardware (i.e. audio hardware for which there is an ASIO driver). ASIO drivers generally provide better performance and lower latency (see page 14). D If there is no ASIO driver available, you should make sure your audio card supports DirectX. DirectX is a Microsoft protocol for handling audio and other multimedia aspects. D As a last resort, you could use audio cards that dont support ASIO or DirectX, provided that they are Windows compatible. In this case, Reason will communicate with the audio hardware via MME (Windows Multi Media Extensions). However, most often this results in large latency values (see page 14), making real-time playback of instrument devices difficult or even impossible. Regardless of which type of audio hardware or drivers you are using, you should follow these basic steps: 1. Make sure you have the latest drivers for the audio hardware! Please check the manufacturers web site for the latest versions. 2. Install the audio hardware and its drivers as described in its documentation. 3. Connect the stereo outputs of your audio hardware to your listening equipment (speakers, mixer, headphones or similar). For information about how to use multiple outputs (i.e. more than a stereo output), see the Operation Manual pdf. For now, we stick to standard stereo connections. 4. If possible, test that audio plays back properly with the audio hardware. In the case of audio hardware with ASIO drivers, you will need some test application for this (often included with the audio hardware). If you are using DirectX or MME drivers, you can use Windows Media Player application for this.
If you are using the built-in audio hardware of the Macintosh
In this case you dont need to make any extra settings. Just connect the audio output to your listening equipment (speakers, mixer, headphones or similar) and make sure your Mac plays audio properly.

You must have a working Internet connection to be able to register on-line.
D If you click the Register Now button, your Internet browser will launch and take you to the registration page on the Propellerhead web site. Follow the instructions on the web page. After finishing the registration, click the Continue button in the installation dialog. D If you dont want to register at this point, click the Later button. You can register at any time by selecting Product Registration from the Contact menu (Mac) or Help menu (Windows) in Reason (or by going to www.propellerhead.se/register). This completes the installation and the program is opened, but a new dialog appears named Reason Setup Wizard which will guide you through the basic settings needed to use Reason. This is described in the Setting Up chapter so just leave things as they are for now and go to the next chapter.

About the Sound Banks

The first time you launch Reason, you will be asked to insert the Reason Factory Sound Bank and the Orkester Sound Bank. These each consist of one big file, containing a large number of patches, samples and loops, serving as your main supply of sounds (much like the sound ROM in a synthesizer). These are copied to your hard disk and are required to run the program.

Launching the Program

Now, the Reason files have been installed in a folder on your hard disk. Under Windows, all Reason related items have also been added to the Start menu and possibly you will have a Reason shortcut on the Desktop. 1. Check for any ReadMe files in the Reason folder or on the Start menu, and open and read these. ReadMe files may contain important last minute information that didnt make it into this manual. 2. Launch the program by double clicking the Reason icon (or by selecting the Reason item from the Start menu).

D Setting Up

About this Chapter
This chapter describes the settings you need to make before you can start using Reason. These are necessary in order to get any sounds from the program and to be able to play and control Reason via MIDI.
D If Reason can't find the keyboard you have connected, or if you clicked Don't Use, you will be asked to specify a master keyboard manually. This is done by first selecting a Manufacturer, and then a model. If your model keyboard isnt on this list select Other - see below.
For Reason to auto-detect a device you need two-way MIDI communication! Non-USB keyboard devices without a MIDI input can of course still be added manually. Note that your keyboard model is not necessarily one that Reason knows. This is especially true for older models. You can still use such a MIDI keyboard, by selecting Other from the Manufacturer pop-up.
First run - Reason Setup Wizard
If you followed the instructions correctly in the last chapter, Reason should be running, and the first dialog in the Reason Setup Wizard guide should be open. This only appears the very first time the program is run.

Setting the default song

Every time you start Reason, a simple default song opens. This default song contains a few devices and sequencer data and can be played. Every time you select New from the File menu, a default template song (without sequencer data) is opened, with a few selected devices. This serves as a suitable starting point for creating your own songs. You can however decide exactly what you want the default song to look like, in the following way: 1. Open the Preferences dialog from the Edit menu (or Reason menu if you are running Mac OS X). 2. Use the pop-up menu at the top of the Preferences dialog to select the General page.
3. At the middle of this page, there is a section entitled Default Song. You have three choices: Empty Rack, Built In and Custom.
Select which one you want to use by clicking the corresponding radio button. Empty Rack - This is an empty rack. Well, almost empty, since it contains the Reason hardware interface. Built In - When this is selected, launching Reason will open a basic demo song. Selecting New from the File menu will open a template song with a few devices to start with, but no sequencer data. Note that it is not possible to open these songs by regular means - via the browser - since they are not independent.rns-files, and thus do not reside anywhere in the Reason folder. Custom - This allows you to select a custom default song. Any Reason song can be used, so if you often create songs using the same or similar device setups, you can use a previously created song as the default song. This way, all new songs you create will have the same device setup.
D To select a custom default song, click the Folder icon to the right and browse to the desired Reason song. The name of the selected song will then be displayed in the text box.

D Quick Tutorial

This chapter is a quick introduction to the basics in Reason, laid out as step-bystep tutorials. At the end of the chapter you will also find a guided tour, describing the different areas and devices in the program.
9. Near the top of the rack is a mixer device - make sure this is visible. You may need to scroll the view using the vertical scrollbar to the right in the rack (or the scroll wheel on your mouse, if it is equipped with one).
Before you proceed with the tutorials, you should have connected your equipment and made settings for audio and MIDI as described in the previous chapters.

The scrollbar.

Playing a Song
1. If you havent launched Reason yet, do so. 2. Pull down the File menu and select Open. The Song Browser dialog appears. 3. Navigate to the Reason program folder. 4. Open the Demo Songs folder and select the song Tutorial Song.rns. 5. Click Open. The document window for the song is displayed on screen. This consists of a virtual rack with devices (this song contains four instrument devices and two effects), a sequencer section and a transport panel. 6. Click the play button on the transport panel (at the bottom of the window). Playback starts. If everything is properly connected, you should now hear Reason play!

Finally, lets try tweaking some controls on an actual instrument device, to change the sound. In this example we will use the Subtractor synthesizer device, but all devices have parameters that can be adjusted on the device panels in the same way. Unless you have a very large screen, the Subtractor device isnt visible right now. You could use the scrollbar to scroll the rack down, but heres a quicker way: 14. In the sequencer area (above the transport panel), click on the name Subtractor in the track list to the left. The rack is automatically scrolled to bring the Subtractor device into view. 15. Try adjusting some parameters while the song is playing. You may for example want to tweak the Filter 1 Freq slider, to change the brightness of the synth bass sound.
Normally when you create a new song, you would select New from the File menu. This command opens the default song (see page 105). The built-in default song contains a few devices, but if you have set things up so that the default song is Empty Rack.rns, you can just select New from the File menu, and ignore step 1 - 4 above. See page 105 for instructions on setting up the default song.
5. Pull down the Create menu and select Mixer 14:2. A mixer device is created in the rack.
The reason why you should start with a mixer device, is that all subsequent devices you add will then automatically be connected to a mixer channel.
6. Pull down the Create menu and select Subtractor Analog Synth, and then Redrum Drum Computer. You have now added two instrument devices to the rack. If you look in the sequencer, you will note that two tracks have automatically been added, one for the synthesizer and one for the drum machine. That concludes the first tutorial! Now, lets move on to creating a Reason song from scratch.
Now you could try playing the Subtractor synth live (provided you have a MIDI keyboard or similar hooked up): 7. In the sequencer, click in the In column for the synthesizer track (to the left of the name), so that a keyboard symbol is highlighted. This symbol indicates that incoming MIDI is routed to the track. And since the track is connected to the Subtractor device, any notes you play on your MIDI keyboard will be sent to the synth.
10. In the Browser Locations list to the left, click on Reason Factory Sound Bank. This is one huge ReFill containing a large number of patches and samples that are included with Reason when you purchase it. 11. Double click the folder Subtractor Patches. This contains a number of folders with different sound categories. 12. Open one of the folders, and select a patch. The patch is loaded in the background - you can try out the patch while playing you keyboard without closing the Browser. Try selecting other patches in the Browser to audition them. Click OK to confirm a selection and to close the Browser. D Once you have selected a patch this way, you can step between the patches in the same folder, by clicking the up and down arrow buttons next to the patch display. Alternatively, you can click in the patch name display to bring up a context menu with all the patches in the folder.

Sliders

Buttons
Many modes and functions are controlled by clicking buttons. Most of the buttons in Reason have a built-in LED, indicating whether the button is pressed or not.

Numerical Values

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. 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.

Multi Mode Selectors

Some parameters allow you to select one of several modes. There are two different graphical representations of this in Reason:
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.
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.
This type of control is also used for some parameters that are not purely numerical (e.g. reverb algorithms and synth oscillator waveforms).
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).
The position values on the transport panel can also be edited by double clicking and typing a new position.

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.

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.
You can turn off these tool tips by deactivating the option Show Parameter Value Tool Tip on the Preferences-General page.

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. 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).

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 (Mac). If you are using a Macintosh 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.

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, Groups 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, adding tracks, and grouping, changing or deleting events. See the Operation Manual pdf for details.

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:

Exporting audio

Reason can export audio, i.e. mix down the song or a section of the song as an audio file (see page 106 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.

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 you plan to open the exported file in another application, you should select a format that is supported by the application. If youre 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.

About Audio Levels

When playing back in Reason, you should keep an eye on the Audio Out Clipping 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.

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.

Play and Stop

D To play back from the current song position, click the play button or press [Enter] on the numeric keypad. D To stop playback, click the stop button or press [0] on the numeric keypad. If you click the stop button when the song is already stopped, the song position is moved according to the following rules: If the song position is to the right of the left locator, it is moved to the left locator. If the song position is at the left locator or to the left of it, it is moved to the start of the song. If the song position is at the start of the song, nothing happens.

The Snap on/off button.

About Snap to Grid

The Snap value pop-up.

This means you can always click twice on the stop button in stop mode, to return to the beginning of the song.

Positioning

The Snap to Grid function (from now on called Snap) restricts movement to specific positions. This is especially useful when you are editing in the sequencer (moving material, creating events, etc), but it will also affect the result of moving the song position in the ruler. To set up and activate Snap, proceed as follows: 1. Pull down the Snap pop-up menu and select a value. If you select Bar, you will only be able to move the song position to the beginning of bars. The other options restrict movement to the corresponding note values. 2. Activate Snap by clicking the button next to the pop-up menu.
The song position is indicated by the vertical line with the P marker in the ruler. There are several ways to move the song position: D Use the rewind and fast forward controls on the transport panel. This moves the song position in steps of one bar (from its current position). That is, if you just click once on the rewind/fast forward button, the song position will be moved exactly one bar back or forward. To move the song position several bars, click and hold the mouse button. D Use the transport key commands on the numeric keypad. See the table on page 64. D Click and drag the P marker in the ruler, or click directly in the ruler at the desired song position. The resulting song position takes the Snap value into account, as described below.

D Introduction to the Combinator
What is the Combinator device?
About the Combi patch format
The Combinator saves files in the Combi (.cmb) patch format. When you load a Combi patch, all devices included in the Combi, their corresponding parameter settings and internal audio and CV connections are instantly recalled. The Factory Soundbank includes many preset Combi patches, divided into various categories. There are two basic types of Combis; Instrument and Effect Combis. Effect Combis typically contain a chain of effect processors and are meant to be connected to devices outside the Combi as an insert or send effect. Instrument Combis contain one or several instrument devices, and are meant to be played like standard instrument devices. Instrument Combis can also contain effect devices.
How to create Combinator devices
There are several ways you can create a Combinator device: D By selecting Combinator from the Create menu. This will create an empty Combinator device. D By [Shift]-selecting several devices in the rack and then selecting Combine from the Edit menu. This will create a Combi containing the selected devices. The devices are removed from their original locations in the rack, into the Combinator holder. D By selecting the Create device by browsing patches menu item from the Create menu. This allows you to browse for Combi patches - if you select a.cmb patch a Combinator device will be created, containing the devices saved with the Combi.
The Combinator is 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. Being able to save multiple devices as a Combi enables you to instantly recall any type of setup, however complex, as simply as loading a patch! Some typical applications of the Combinator: D Create split or layered multi-instruments. Add any number of instrument devices (Subtractors, NN-XTs etc.) and play them as a single layered instrument. Instrument devices in a Combi can also be assigned to specific keyboard/velocity zones. D Save instrument/effect combinations. Save an instrument together with your favorite effect(s). D Create multi-effect devices. You can create and save complex effect chains as Combis.

In cases where several selected files (e.g. patches or songs) cannot be loaded, the OK button in the Browser is grayed out.
Cross-browsing patch files
Cross-browsing patches is a powerful feature of the Patch Browser. It allows you to browse for any type of patch (instrument or effect - see below), regardless of which device you opened the Browser from.
About instrument and effect patches
Patches are internally divided into two patch categories in the Browser; instrument patches and effect patches (the Browser knows what type of patch it is). This is because instrument patches and effect patches are fundamentally different - instruments are played, and effects are used to process sound - and you would logically browse for one or the other, but not both. When browsing patches from an existing instrument device, the options on the Show menu are: XXX Patches (where XXX is the device type you opened the Browser from, e.g. NN-XT). All Instruments will show patches for any instrument device.
When browsing patches from an existing effect device, the options on the menu are: XXX Patches (where XXX is the device type you opened the Browser from, e.g. RV7000). All Effects will show patches for any effect device that uses patches, including Combi patches.
Special instances of cross-browsing
There are a few instances when replacing an existing device by browsing might lead to lost connections: D When a device is replaced by another device type, audio connections may be lost. An example is replacing an NN-XT (which can use up to 16 outputs) with a Subtractor (which only has one output). D When a device is replaced by another device type, CV connections on the back panel may be lost. The only connections that are retained between device types are Sequencer Control CV/Gate in.
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 has to be certain rules regarding cross-browsing. D 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. D If you are browsing from any other type of device, these patch types will be loaded into a NN-XT device. D If you are using the Create device by browsing patches function a NN19 (.smp) patch will create a NN19 device and a REX patch will create a NN-XT device.

The Search For text field
This is where you can enter a text string to search for. D You can specify one or several words, whole or partial. If you specify more than one word, the search will show results that match all specified words. Text search is not case sensitive.
Note that you dont have to enter text to use the Search function. Depending on the selected Browser (Patch, Sample etc.), you can also simply search for files of the corresponding type in the selected location(s).

Opening files

When you have navigated to the desired folder (on your hard disk or within a ReFill) and located the desired file, you open it by double clicking it in the file display or by selecting it and clicking the OK button. As described earlier, patches and samples are loaded directly upon selection, so clicking OK doesnt actually open the file, it simply confirms the selection, and closes the Browser dialog.
Note that if you opened a patch after having used cross-browsing (see page 90) or used the Search function (see page 92), the active browse list could contain patches in different formats, and stepping through patches from the device panel could change the device type.

Using Favorites

Favorites provide a way to group and order files that may be physically located anywhere on your local drives. Any file that can be loaded in Reason (songs, patches, samples etc.) can be added to a Favorites folder. Only shortcuts to files are added - the original files arent moved. This is particularly useful for handling patches. By adding the patches you need for a given situation to a Favorite list, you can determine exactly which patches will be selectable for a device, and in what order. You can then sequentially step through these using patch select buttons on your MIDI keyboard or control surface device. See page 94 for a practical example of this. D To add a New Favorite List, click the New Favorite List button. An empty folder is created, named New Favorite List. The Browser list remains unchanged. If you double-click the folder you can type in a new name for the list. D To add a file to the Favorite List, select it in the Browser and drag it to the Favorite List folder. You can also select multiple files using standard selection techniques [Shift] and/or [Ctrl] (Win)/[Command] (Mac) - and drag these into the folder in the same way.

About browse lists

When you click OK to open a file from the Browser, the file and folder list shown at that time is memorized for that device. This is called a browse list. For patches (and to a certain extent samples) this list provides a specific functionality: D The browse list is what applies when changing patches using the Next/Previous Patch buttons on the front panel of a device (or from patch selectors on a control surface). It is also the active browse list that is shown on the patch list opened by clicking in the patch name field for a device. D For samples, the browse list applies when changing samples using the Next/Previous Sample buttons on the front panel of a sampler device.

Sample Rate About 45 In Exported Audio 106 Samples Extracting from Self-contained Songs 102 File Formats 84 Missing 95 Save Song 104 Scrolling 41, 48 Search function 92 Self-Contained Songs 102
Sequencer About 58 As separate window 60 Viewing 59 vs Pattern Sequencers 78 Shift 81 Shuffle 80 Signature 65 Sliders 37 Snap 67 Solo 68 Song Archive 104 Song Information 103 Song Position 67 Songs Creating Default 105 End position 106 Exporting as Audio Files 106 Opening 104 Published 104 Saving 104 Self-Contained 102 Splash Picture 103 Sound Bank CDs 10 Sound Bank see Factory Sound Bank Sound Manager Default Output 13 Soundfont files 85 Splash Picture 103 Startup Song 105 Steps (Pattern) 79 Stop 67
Template Songs 105 Tempo 65 Time Signature 65 Toggle Rack Front/Rear 52
Tracks About 58 Connecting to Devices 62 Creating 61 Deleting 63 Duplicating 62 Moving 62 Naming 61 Routing MIDI to 62 Selecting 61 Transport Panel 64 Tuning 46
Undo 39 Use High Resolution Samples 45
Value Editing (Numerical) 37
Web Site 103 Wheel mouse 42 Windows Multimedia Driver 8

Zooming 41