Using Reason Rack Plugin as an Instrument

When you add Reason Rack Plugin as an instrument the plugin window opens. When the rack is empty, an overlay is shown with icons of the most popular instrument devices. Either:

Double click an instrument icon to add that instrument,

click "Browse Instruments" to open the Browser with the Instruments palette shown,

or click "Add other device" to add another device from the context menu that appears.

When you have added a device, the popular devices overlay goes away - it is only shown when the rack is empty. Note that the list of popular devices will change over time to include the instrument devices you most often add!

When an instrument device is added, it will automatically receive MIDI input from the track in the DAW host - you should be able to play it from your MIDI keyboard right away.

The output of the added instrument device is auto-routed to the first available output jack on the i/o device at the top of the rack.

Click the arrow to the left to unfold the I/O device.

Click the Flip Rack button on the Global Panel to see the jacks on the back:

A Thor instrument automatically connected to Main Out (1-2) of the I/O device.

#Browsing for patches

Most instrument devices come with patches for quickly changing sounds. There are two main ways to select a patch for a device:

Use the patch name display on the device panel.

Either click and select a patch from the menu or use the previous/next patch buttons next to the display:

Click the Browse Patches button on the device (or select Browse Patches from the context menu).

This opens the Browser, where you can search and navigate the sound banks and folders on your hard drive. Read more in the “Sounds, Patches and the Browser” chapter.

#Adding effects

After having created an instrument and selected a sound for it, you might want to add one or several effects. You can either do this from the Browser or by context-clicking the instrument device and selecting an effect device from the Effects sub-menu:

The effect device is automatically connected, so that the audio from the instrument is routed through the effect:

Adding more effects will connect them in series. You can always click Flip Rack to see how devices are connected on the back side of the rack. Read more in the “Routing Audio and CV” chapter about how to do manual routing of signals, for more complex effect setups!

#Layering instruments

Layering two or more instrument devices is a quick way to create thicker or more complex sounds. To do this in Reason Rack Plugin, simply add another device below the first one (either by clicking Add Device at the bottom of the rack or by using the Browser).

The new instrument devices will be automatically routed to the first free output on the I/O device at the top of the rack:

By default, sum To Main is activated, which means the instruments will be mixed with the first one on the main stereo output to the DAW:

All instruments in the rack will get the same MIDI input, i.e. when you play your MIDI keyboard, all instruments will receive notes and be heard at the same time. For more advanced layering techniques, you can use the Combinator device (see “The Combinator”).

#Using separate audio outputs

If you have layered instruments as described above but want to send them to separate mixer channels in your DAW host, simply turn off sum “To Main” for their outputs on the I/O device. This will send each instrument device to a separate output, and your DAW will be able to receive them on individual channels.

Some instrument devices have multiple outputs themselves. For example, a drum module may have separate outputs for each drum. To route these to individual channels in your DAW host:

Click the Flip Rack button to show the backside of the rack.

If the I/O device is folded, click its arrow button to unfold it so you can see the output jacks.

Scroll down to the instrument device.

Click on a separate output jack on the device, and drag up to the desired output jack on the I/O device.

A cable is shown when you drag.

Release the cable on the jack.

It is now connected. If the output was in stereo and you dragged the left channel, the right channel is automatically connected as well.

Repeat the connection procedure for some more separate output pairs:

Flip the rack around again and make sure sum To Main is turned Off for the separate output pairs.

This sends the signals to the DAW on a separate output channels instead of summed to the main output:

Depending on the instrument, you may also need to make settings on the device itself to assign sounds to that separate output etc. See the documentation for the instrument device.

#Adding Players

Players are special devices that transforms or generates MIDI notes and passes them on to an instrument device. A Player can for example create chords or arpeggios from the notes you play, or generate notes without input, like a sequencer or drum machine.

Players are added from the Browser or from the context menu. They are listed on a separate palette or submenu.

A Player is always added to an instrument device - typically you first select the instrument and then add the Player. In the rack, it sits on top of the instrument device, intercepting incoming MIDI notes and passing them on, transformed in various ways. You can also chain/stack multiple Players:

A Scales & Chords Player in series with a Note Echo Player, controlling an NN-XT sampler instrument.

Most Players have On buttons. When turned off, they will bypass MIDI as if they were not connected at all. There is also a Bypass All button at the top - this bypasses the whole chain of Players.

Read more about the included Player devices in “Working with Players”.

Note that Reason Rack Plugin doesn't send MIDI back to the DAW host. You cannot use a Player as a general MIDI effect for controlling another instrument plugin in the project.

#Using Mixer devices

Although the sum To Main function makes it easy to layer several instrument devices, you may want more control over how they are mixed. This is best achieved by adding a Mixer device in the rack before you add your instruments:

In an empty rack, click the "Add Other Device" button and select the Utilities submenu.

Under Reason Devices, you'll find the Mixer 14:2 and Line Mixer 6:2 - select one of these to add it in the rack.

The output of the Line Mixer 6:2 is automatically connected to the I/O device.

When you now add instrument devices, they will be routed to the Mixer inputs, instead of to the I/O device:

An ID8 instrument and a Monotone instrument added to the rack and auto-routed to the 6:2 Line Mixer.

A Mixer allows you to balance levels of the instruments, mute or solo them and use the Pan controls to place different instruments in different parts of the stereo image. You can also add Send Effects, and the Mixer 14:2 has a basic EQ. Read more about the mixer devices in “Mixer 14:2” and “The Line Mixer 6:2”.

#Detailed control over MIDI note input

In Reason Rack Plugin, all instrument devices receive MIDI notes (as well as a few effect devices and utilities such as the Combinator and RPG-8). However, sometimes you may not want all devices to receive MIDI notes, or you may want to send MIDI notes to effect devices which normally don't receive them.

The solution is to select the devices and select "Combine" from the context menu. This puts the selected devices inside a Combinator. Devices inside a Combinator don't receive MIDI directly from the DAW host - instead, the Combinator receives MIDI notes and distributes them to the devices within. You can use the "Receive Notes" setting in the Combi Programmer section to control this for each device. This section also allows you to create keyboard and velocity splits. Read more about the Combinator in “The Combinator”!

The same is true for performance controls such as Mod Wheel, Pitch Bend, Aftertouch and Sustain Pedal. They are normally only received by devices that receive notes, but there are separate settings in the Combi Programmer for these controls as well.

By creating a mixer device inside the Combinator and mixing instruments there, you create a self-contained multi-instrument, which can be saved as a combi patch and opened in the standalone version of Reason.