Reason Rack Plugin 12.7 Operation Manual
DAW | Rack Plugin | Reason+ Rack Extensions
Sounds, Patches and the Browser
A patch contains settings for a specific device. Patches can be either separate files on your hard disk or files embedded in a ReFill (see “About ReFills” for info about ReFills). A Rack Extension often comes with patches embedded within the Rack Extension itself.
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A patch most often includes all parameter settings on the front panel, but not cables and trim pot settings on the back side.
However, a few Rack Extensions have additional parameters on the back panel which are included in the patches.
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A Combinator patch is special in that it contains both settings for the device itself (the Combinator settings) and all settings for all contained devices.
This includes all routing within the combi, and all settings on the back panels as well.
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Patches for devices that use samples (samplers, loop players, drum machines) contain references to sample files on disk.
The samples themselves are not part of the patches.
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Some devices don't have patch support at all.
Should you need to save the state of such a device, put it inside a Combinator device and save a combi patch!
#About the “Load Default Sound in New Devices” setting
If this is activated in the Settings dialog, a default patch is loaded when a device is created. This way, the device is ready for playing right away. This will also determine the default folder when you browse for patches for the device.
If you turn this setting off, new devices will be initialized - parameters are reset to their default values and no samples are loaded in sample-based devices.
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All settings for all devices in your Reason Rack Plugin instances are automatically included when you save the song or project in your DAW host - you don't have to save the patches separately!
Saving patches is useful if you have an instrument or effect setup that you want to use later, in other projects.
Saving is always done by clicking the Save Patch button on the device panel and specifying a name and location for the file in the dialog that appears:
The Save Patch button on a device.
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If you have modified an existing patch and want to save it with the same name (overwriting the old version), press [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and click the Save Patch button.
This only works if the patch was loaded from a file on disk. If the patch was in a ReFill or a Rack Extension, you cannot overwrite it and must save it elsewhere.
You open and close the Browser by clicking the circle button in its top left corner:
It is also opened automatically when you set browse focus to a device. You set browse focus in one of the following ways:
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By clicking the Browse Patch button on a device:
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By selecting Browse from the context menu for a device.
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By selecting a device in the rack and clicking the browse button at the top of the Browser:
Browse focus is indicated by an orange header in the Browser. The device is shown with orange side bars and an orange-colored patch section:
In this mode, the Browser is "locked" to the device and only displays patches compatible with this particular device type. For example, if you set browse focus to an instrument device such as Europa, only instrument patches for this device will be shown.
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To load a patch from the Browser in Browse Focus mode, double click the patch in the Browse list or select it and click the Load button at the bottom of the Browse list.
You can also step up or down in the list of patches shown with the arrow buttons below the list - this will automatically load the selected patch
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To go back to the original patch for a device in this mode, click the Revert button at the bottom of the Browse list.
Note that the Revert button appears only after you have loaded at least one other patch in the device:
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When you're happy with the loaded patch, you clear browse focus by clicking the X button at the top of the browser (or by clicking elsewhere in the rack):
#Why can’t I see all files?
Sometimes, some patches or samples may seem to be missing from a folder, or a folder might look completely empty. Check if the Browser is in Browse Focus mode - is the header orange? Remember, in this mode, the Browser will not show all items, only those that match the selected device. This may mean that only instrument patches or effect patches are shown, or only loops or samples!
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Click the X button to leave Browse Focus mode and see all items again.
#Browser settings
In the Settings dialog are two options for the Browser:
Option
Result
Open with Browser Shown
By default, the Browser area is folded when you open Reason Rack Plugin. Tick this option if you want it to be shown right away.
New devices get browse focus
If this is on when you create a device (and the Browser area is shown), the device will get browse focus, as if you had clicked its browse button. This means that the Browser will automatically go to the default folder for the device and show the right device type (Instrument, Effect, Utility or Player).
When you are browsing patches for an instrument device, you are free to load any kind of instrument patch. For example, if you're browsing patches for a Europa synthesizer, you can load a Radical Piano patch. This will replace the Europa device with a Radical Piano device and load the patch.
Cross-browsing is useful in several ways:
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When you're looking for a sound of a certain type (e.g. a synth bass), you don't have to care about which device to select - you can just search in the Browser and step through the list of patches in the search result.
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You can make Favorite lists with different patches and step through these freely (see “Favorites and Favorite Lists”).
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By using the Instruments and Effects palettes at the top of the browser, you can even cross-browse between devices that don't use patches.
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You can cross-browse Instruments, Effect devices or Players, but you can only do it within category (it isn't possible to replace an effect with an instrument, etc).
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Cross-browsing isn't available for Utility devices.
#Special instances of cross-browsing
There are a few instances when cross-browsing between device types might lead to lost cable connections in the rack:
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Non-standard audio connections may be lost.
An example is replacing an NN-XT, which can use up to 16 audio outputs, with a Subtractor which only has one audio output.
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CV connections on the back panel may be lost.
The only connections that are retained between device types are Sequencer Control CV/Gate in.
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If you encounter such situations and you want to restore the original connections, use the "Undo" function. Browsing back to the original device patch will not restore lost connections.
The Browser when using the Browse Patch button/function on a Subtractor instrument device.
The Browser has the following sections:
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1. Browse focus field
Shown in orange when a device has browse focus. Click the X button to the right to set or clear browse focus.
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2. Navigation field
Shows the name of the current folder. To the left are back and forward buttons, and to the right is an Up button for going to the parent folder.
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3. Search field
Type something and click Search to find patches or samples of that name in the current folder.
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4. Locations and favorites
The column to the left contains shortcuts for going directly to various locations. At the top are the four palettes (Instruments, Effects, Utilities and Players), showing all included devices. In the middle are fixed locations such as the sound banks, and below these you can add your own locations and favorites (see “User Locations and Favorite Lists”).
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5. Browse list
Shows the contents of the current folder, with hierarchical subfolders. If you have made a search or selected a favorite list, this will be a flat file list instead. This is where you select the file to load. Scroll to the right to see more columns, for sorting the list.
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6. Controls
The area directly below the browser list holds buttons for Load, Previous/Next and Revert. If you are browsing samples, there are also audition controls here (see “Browsing samples and loops”).
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7. Info area
Shows information about the selected item. This area can be folded with the arrow button in the left corner.
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When you are browsing patches for an instrument device, you are free to load any kind of instrument patch. For example, if you're browsing patches for a Europa synthesizer, you can load a Radical Piano patch. This will replace the Europa with a Radical Piano device.
#The Device Palettes
Click the shortcuts at the top of the area to the left in the browser to show one of the device palettes. These show icons of all devices in Reason Rack Plugin. At the top you'll find the built-in devices (under "Built-in Devices"); below you'll find all installed Rack Extensions sorted by manufacturer.
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You can fold or unfold a section in the palette by clicking the arrow button next to the manufacturer name.
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Searching when a device palette is shown will find both device names and manufacturer names.
Since most devices have longer names that describe their functionality, you can also search for something like "compressor" or "drum" to quickly get a list of devices of that kind!
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To add a device from the palette, use drag and drop, double click it or select it and click the Create button at the bottom of the Browse list.
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Note that Players can only be added directly above instrument devices in the rack.
#The Sound Banks and fixed Locations
Below the shortcuts to the device palettes you will find the sound banks installed with the program. The sound banks are all ReFills, a kind of component package for Reason which can contain sounds and effect patches, samples, REX files and more:
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Reason Sounds
This is a huge selection of instrument patches, sorted by category. If you for example need an Electric Piano sound, go to the Keys & Chords folder and then into the Electric Piano subfolder for a wide variety of patches for different devices.
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Orkester Sounds
A separate sound bank containing sampled orchestral instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass and more.
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Factory Sounds
Contains patches for all included devices (sorted by device type), samples and REX loops. This is also where you find effect patches.
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Drum Supply
A great collection of modern drum samples and drum kit patches for the Kong Drum Designer. This is an optional download, which can be downloaded from Manage Content on the Window menu in the stand-alone Reason program.
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Loop Supply
Drum and percussion loops in a number of contemporary styles, for use with the Dr Octo REX loop player device or the Nurse REX module in Kong. This is an optional download, which can be downloaded from Manage Content on the Window menu in the stand-alone Reason program.
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Rack Extensions
Most Rack Extensions come with patches that are contained within the Rack Extensions themselves. This virtual location lists all installed Rack Extensions and allows you to browse into them as if they were regular file folders.
A Rack Extension may also contain patches for other devices as well! For example, they often come Combi patches that combine the Rack Extension with stock effect devices, etc.
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Fixed folder locations
To navigate in the file system, there are shortcuts to your user folder and the desktop. These cannot be removed.
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If you have un-synced cloud folders (e.g. in Dropbox) in the Locations and Favorites list you might want to exclude these folders from the Browser indexing, to avoid very long indexing times.
See “Do not index these folders” for more information.
#User Locations and Favorite Lists
#User Locations
User Locations are shortcuts to folders, either on your hard disk or within a ReFill or Rack Extension. It might for example be the folder where you save your patches, or a particularly useful subfolder in the Factory sound bank.
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Add a Location by dragging a folder from the Browse list to the lower part of the left browser section:
Adding a new Location.
You can then click it to quickly navigate into that folder.
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To remove a Location, right-click it and select Delete.
This will only remove the shortcut, not affect the actual folder or its contents.
If a User Location folder has been removed or renamed on disk, Reason Rack Plugin won't be able to find it. It will be shown with a yellow warning triangle in the list.
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If you have un-synced cloud folders (e.g. in Dropbox) in the Locations and Favorites list you might want to exclude these folders from the Browser indexing, to avoid very long indexing times.
See “Do not index these folders” for more information.
#Favorites and Favorite Lists
In the same section as User Locations, you can add Favorites:
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Drag a patch, loop or sample to the lower part of the left browser section to create an alias to it, for instant access.
The Favorite can be used like any other file in the browser.
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To remove a Favorite, right-click it and select Delete.
This will only remove the alias, not the actual file.
It's also possible to create Favorite Lists. These are virtual folders where you can collect aliases to files you like or need to use often:
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Click the + button below the Favorite section:
The “Create New Favorites Lists” button
A new Favorite List is created.
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If you like, type in a name for the list.
You can do this later by double clicking the list and typing.
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Click the Favorite List to select it and show its contents.
At this point, it's empty.
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Navigate elsewhere in the Browser, find the desired files and drag them onto the Favorite List.
Note that you can also add devices from the device palettes:
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When done, click the Favorite List to see the items you have added:
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If you like, you can drag them to reorder them.
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Note that devices can also be included in Favorite Lists, by dragging them from any of the Palettes!
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To delete a Favorite List, right-click it and select Delete. This will only remove the list and the shortcuts in it, not the actual items.
Some devices support loading samples or REX loops (a special audio file format for playing back loops in any tempo). As with patches, you typically can load samples and loops directly from the device panel or from the browser, but there are a couple of things to note:
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A device may have multiple sample browsers.
For example, the Redrum drum machine has ten drum channels, each of which has its own sample browser. When you use drag and drop to load samples, it matters on which drum channel you drop the sample:
Dragging and dropping a sample in Redrum channel 3.
When you click a Browse Samples button, that sets Browse Focus to that particular drum channel on the Redrum device:
Browsing for a sample in Redrum channel 2.
When a sample or REX file is selected in the Browser, audition controls appear below the browse list:
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Click the small triangular Play button to audition the sound - or activate Auto to automatically play back the sounds when you select them.
The slider to the right sets the audition playback level.
The Search function allows you to search for patches, samples and loops:
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Navigate to the folder, or click a Location in the Browser, in which you want to search.
The search will happen in that folder/Location and all its subfolders, so if you e.g. click the Factory Sounds shortcut, you will search the whole factory sound bank.
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Click in the Search field, type in a text and click the Search button.
The search result is shown in alphabetical order, in separate groups. If you search in the Factory Sound Bank the result is divided into “Instrument Patches”, “Effect Patches”, “Other Patches”, “Samples” and “Folders”, with files and folders whose names match the search string.
If there are no search hits, the Browser list is empty.
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To redo the search, type something else in the Search field and click Search again.
You don't have to go back to where you started to do this.
If you scroll to the right in the search result list, you'll see a Parent column, showing the parent folders for each item. To go to the folder for an item, select it, click "Search Result" at the top and select "Go to Parent Folder" from the menu that appears:
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To go back to the search result list, click the Back button:
If you load a patch for a sample-based instrument, and not all samples can be found, the Global Panel will show a Missing Sounds warning:
This may be because the samples have been moved or their folder renamed, etc.
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Click the Missing Sounds warning to open the Missing Sounds dialog:
This lists all samples and loops that couldn't be found.
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Do one of the following:
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If you know where the missing sounds are, go to that folder in the Browser and then click "Search Folder".
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To search all your Browser locations for the missing sounds, click "Search Locations".
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To replace a single sample, select it in the list and click "Replace". Then find the replacement sample in the Browser and double click it.
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When you're done, close the Missing Sounds dialog.
Missing sounds that haven't been replaced will be indicated with an asterisk (*) before the file names in the sample browsers on the device panels.
A ReFill is a kind of component package for Reason, which can contain sounds and effects patches, samples, REX files, SoundFonts and demo songs. If you like, you can compare ReFills to ROM cards for a hardware synthesizer. On your computer, ReFills appear as large files with the extension “.rfl”.
All sounds included with Reason Rack Plugin are embedded in three ReFills named “Reason Sounds”, “Orkester Sounds” and “Factory Sounds”, which were (downloaded and) copied to the hard disk during installation.
Additional ReFills are available for purchase. You can also download ReFills from other Reason users on the Internet, purchase them from other sample manufacturers, etc.
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Samples (Wave and AIFF files) are compressed to about half their original file size when stored in ReFills, without loss of quality.
In Reason Rack Plugin 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 Rack Plugin will tell you which ReFills are required.