The Reason Q&A Thread

[mindcontrol]

Thanks project ex

Processing Kong Drums Externally, follow this video and keep the 14 channel mixer, route your external effects to the aux in the mixer e.g eq, stereo imager, reverb. Then turn the aux number on the individual channel on the mixer, also make sure you send the output of each pad on the kong to the channel on the mixer e.g pad 1 send to channel 3-4 etc, oh and remember to turn on bus efx on the individual channels. I'll post up some screenshots as well as a better description on how to do so..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt6ttuM8guI

Here is a video about time stretching.. this guy is great I recommend following this guy's tutorials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01JoCHI--wA

Also you can combine record and reason together so its one super daw lol, and it fits the whole screen and you can route horizontally.. there was a video of that but i lost will find it.

[mindcontrol]

[AllNightDayDream]

Hey, need some help. I think I may be taking a more difficult route than I need to.
I've got this tune where I modulate the master volume of an NN-XT with a subtractor via CV input, but I want to automate it so it's not modulating through the whole track. I figure I could just duplicate the XT without the CV hooked up, but is there a way to automate the CV?

[kejk]

Hey, need some help. I think I may be taking a more difficult route than I need to.
I've got this tune where I modulate the master volume of an NN-XT with a subtractor via CV input, but I want to automate it so it's not modulating through the whole track. I figure I could just duplicate the XT without the CV hooked up, but is there a way to automate the CV?

You can probably automate the amount of the CV signal. Swap this between 0 and 127.

[futures_untold]

Can the CV trim pots on the back of units be automated in Reason 5?

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@Project Ex & Mindcontrol - Thanks for the pics and videos!

[Ongelegen]

Can the CV trim pots on the back of units be automated in Reason 5?

unfortunately you still can't, and i don't know if there is a way around it

[futures_untold]

There is a way around it. Feed a constant noise source (like a square wave) into the Scream 4 device, then take the CV out from the Scream 4's envelope follower output. Use the volume control on your noise source to effect the CV output level from the Scream 4.

[Ongelegen]

Nice one futures

Takes a bit more time, but its not that huge of a workaround

[Ongelegen]

No that I think about the scream way again, i dont think it will work for stuff like pan where u need bipolar knob. Because the master volume is unipolar. So turning it down all the way it will ofcourse stay centered. Turn it up and it will be panned right. Or am i missing something?

[futures_untold]

You're right actually.

Just trying to think of a way around that.

[mindcontrol]

are you guys talking about how the scream and subtractor has one output, being bipolar??

oh and does anyone have record here?

[Ongelegen]

are you guys talking about how the scream and subtractor has one output, being bipolar??

the volume control is unipolar, because it goes from 0-127, and to modulate pan, both left and right u need a bipolar knob, which would go from -63 to 64, the negative values being left and positive being right

[mindcontrol]

this might sound retarded, but you can put a digital delay line in, pan the main input right and the delay left? I don't know...

[Ongelegen]

this might sound retarded, but you can put a digital delay line in, pan the main input right and the delay left? I don't know...

you can't automate the cv input that way

[futures_untold]

Okay, here's a better solution for automating Reasons CV trim pots. This example allows panning to be automated in a bipolar fashion as is required whilst still being able to modulate the depth/strength of the CV signal.

- Create a Combinator.
- Create a line mixer inside.
- Assign the Combinators Rotary 1 knob to the line mixers Channel 1 Pan control.
- Label rotary 1 'Pan' or something similar.

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- Hold the Shift Key on your keyboard and create a Thor (or disconnect Thors audio output from the line mixer if it is still connected).
- On the modualtion bus routing section of Thor, set the following along the top 'bus' or whatever that thing is called???!! ---> Source: CV In 1 ---> Amount: 100 ---> Destination: CV Out 1 ---> - Amount 100 ---> Scale: CV In 2.
- Route Thors CV Out 1 to the Combinators Rotary 1 Input.

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- Create a Malstrom (This can actually be any synth or sampler, but for the sake of this example it is easier if it is a Malstrom.)
- Label the Malstrom 'Noise Source'.
- Route the Malstroms audio output into the Line Mixers channel 1 audio input.
- Initialise the Malstrom to a blank patch (should be a sine wave) and set Oscillator 1 to Square.
- Set the Decay slider on the Malstroms Oscillator 1 section to 127.

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- Right click on the Malstrom and create a dedicated sequencer track for it by selecting 'Create Track for [name of Malstrom]'.
- Create a midi clip on the new sequencer track and draw in a long midi note to trigger the Malstrom constantly. (Make the length of the note the length of the entire track or just the length of the loop markers).
- Press play, the Malstrom should be playing an endless constant tone.

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- Hold down Shift on your keyboard and create a second Malstrom inside the Combinator and label it 'CV source'. (Disconnect the audio output from the line mixer if it has automatically routed itself.)
- Right click on the Malstrom and create a dedicated sequencer track for this new Malstrom by selecting 'Create Track for [name of Malstrom]'
- As above, we need a long midi note to trigger the 'CV source', so copy the midi clip from the first sequencer track onto the new sequencer track.
- Set the sliders on Oscillator 1 ADSR to Attack: 0 ---> Decay: 127 ---> Sustain: 127 ---> Release: 0
- Set all the sliders on the Filter Env ADSR to 0.
- Route the Mod A output on the back of the Malstrom into the CV 1 Input on the back of the Thor.
- Route the Filter Envelope output on the back of the Malstrom into CV 2 Input on the back of the Thor.

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- Expand the Combinators programmer section and select the 'CV Source' Malstrom.
- Assign the Combinators Rotary 2 knob to control the Malstroms Filter Env Sustain control, setting the minimum amount to 31 and leaving the maximum amount on 127. (For some reason I'm at a loss to explain, leaving the min value on 0 doesn't scale the control correctly...)
- Label the Combinators Rotary 2 knob as 'Pan Amount'

In theory, when you play the loop from the beginning, the constant drone from the noise source should be panning left and right equally!

You can use the Mod A section on the Malstrom as the LFO for the pan control.
Rotary 2 on the Combinator modulates the CV level (the amount of LFO signal being sent to the pan control)
You can invert the CV signal being sent from the Mod A section on the Malstrom using the Thor. On Thors modualtion bus routing section, set the left hand 'Amount' level from 100 to -100. Unipolar modulation shapes from Malstroms Mod A section will now track downwards insted of upwards (or left instead of right on the pan control).

For the lazy people amongst us, I've uploaded my .RSN project file for download from http://www.mediafire.com/?ckw5645t1jz5qws
Here's a quick dark ambient drone I made using the Combi setup from the last .RSN ---> http://www.mediafire.com/?czatdy1y63rq1i3

Patrick

[futures_untold]

Using Thor as a 'CV through' device is better than using the Scream 4 as an envelope tracker as it responds instantly to changes.

More info about using Thor as a CV Through device can be found at http://www.reason101.net/101-creative-r ... stable-cv/

[Ongelegen]

Nice one!

[Bazzle09]

Futures, you are on form. Respect for that.

[AllNightDayDream]

Futures, you are on form. Respect for that.

[futures_untold]

A creative technique that may not be obvious when talking about working with CV is to trigger the CV source using midi patterns. This can be used to add rhythmic interest to static sounds like pads much in the same way as ducking and pumping are used for the same purpose.

An example of the technique:

- Create a Malstrom and unroute the audio out cables from the mixer it is attached to. (Alternatively, just switch off the oscillators using the on/off buttons in the top right corner of each osc section).
- Set the Modulator sections to 'retrigger' mode. Every time the malstrom recieves a 'gate on' message, the modulators will restart cycling through the waveshape that they are set to follow.
- Use the sequencer to provide the gate on messages, ie, create a midi pattern which in turn triggers the modulator sections to restart each time.
- Finally, hook up the modulator CV outputs on the back of the Malstrom to the CV inputs of whichever control you want to add a rhythmic element to.

Some examples of where to try this technique:

Volume
Pan pots
Index slider on the wavetable oscillators (Thor & Malstrom)
PWM position (Thor & Subtractor)
Formant control (the 'Shift' control on the vocoder, Malstrom or Thors formant filter)
Filter cut off/filter resonance
Dry/wet control on any effect
Send or return amount on effects
Frequency band input on a vocoder being used as an EQ
Frequency cutoff on a parametric eq
Rate control on any LFO/mod section and the Malstroms Oscillator rate control
Any control on any of the effects units
etc etc etc.

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Another technique involving CV signals is to place a delay unit in the audio chain before the Scream 4 audio input. Changing the length of the delay allows you to delay the CV signal being output by the Scream 4 units envelope follower. Simple waveforms work best here such as saw or square waves. This technique can be used to create HADSRs for example, or simply creatively where the CV signal is modulating a control which 'tracks' the timing of the melody being played.

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Finally in a similar way to the first CV example above, you can use a dedicated sequencer track to trigger a synth which feeds a compressor. The compressor outputs a CV signal each time the compressors threshold is passed.

- Create a synth and sequence a midi pattern for it.
- Route the audio output of the synth into the audio input of the Mclass Compressor.
- Route the CV output on the back of the compressor to whichever CV input you wish to control.

Remember that this is less flexible than the first technique as all it is able to provide is 'on/off' signals. This is good for creating patterns, but not so good when we want the control being modulated to follow the shape of a modulation envelope provided from an LFO etc.

So many techniques, so little time! haha