Sounds, Patches and the Browser | Reason Studios

Reason 12.7 Operation Manual

DAW | Rack Plugin | Reason+ Rack Extensions

Sounds, Patches and the Browser

#About this chapter

This chapter deals with the following topics:

•

Handling Patches.

See “About patches”.

•

Using the Patch Browser.

See “Using the Browser”.

•

ReFills and Reason file formats.

See “About ReFills”.

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). The devices that use patches are described below. The Mix Channel, Master Section and Audio Track devices can use Insert FX patches saved as Combinator devices. All other Reason devices use either Presets or can only be programmed using the device panel parameters.

#Reason devices that use patches

•

Subtractor, Thor, Malström and Europa synth patches contain all settings on the device panel.

Loading a patch brings up a new sound, just like when loading programs or patches on a hardware synthesizer.

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Dr. Octo Rex patches contain information about what REX files are loaded in each slot, their settings as well as the parameter settings on the device panel.

It is important to note that the Dr. Octo Rex patch doesn’t contain the actual REX files - only information about which REX files are used.

•

Mimic, NN19, NN-XT and Grain patches contain information regarding which samples are used, their settings (key mapping, tuning, etc.) and the parameter settings on the device panel.

It is important to note that the patch doesn’t contain the actual samples - only information about which sample files are used.

•

Redrum Drum Computer and Kong Kit Patches patches contain a complete “drum kit”, that is, information about which drum samples are used, together with the parameter settings for each drum sound.

Again, the actual samples are not included in the patch, only references to files. Also note that Redrum patches are separated from Redrum patterns - loading a new patch will not affect the patterns in the device.

•

Softube Amp and Softube Bass Amp patches contain information about the parameter settings on the device panel, as well as information about used Amp and Cabinet models.

Loading a patch brings up a new sound, just like when selecting programs or patches on a hardware effect device.

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RV7000 MkII, Pulveriser, The Echo, Alligator and Scream 4 effect patches contain all settings on their respective device panels.

Loading a patch brings up a new sound, just like when selecting programs or patches on a hardware effect device.

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The MIDI devices on the Players palette use patches that contain panel settings.

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The Combinator (Combi) patch format saves all settings and file references for each device in the Combi, along with the Combinator’s own settings; key/velocity zones, modulation routing etc.

Any audio or CV routing from/to devices that are part of the Combi is also saved.

Note that patches for devices included in a Combi are not saved individually - e.g. if a Combi includes a Subtractor, and you have tweaked its settings, these settings will be saved with the Combi, but will not be saved as a separate Subtractor patch unless you do so from within the Combi - see “Saving patches”.

Patches other than Combi patches do not include any cable routing information.

#About the “Load Default Sound in New Devices” preference

On the “General” page in Preferences, there is an option (on by default) to load a default patch when creating a device. For some devices, there are a number of patches that exist outside category folders in the main Sound Bank folder for the device. These will be available on the browse list (see “About browse lists”) directly after creating the device, which allows you check out a few sounds for a device without opening the browser.

#Loading patches

Immediately after you have created a new device, the device automatically gets “browse focus”. This means that the Browser is temporarily “locked” to the device and displays patches for the device you just created. Browse focus for a device is indicated by orange side bars in the rack and on the sequencer track - and that the patch section on the device is colored in orange. In the Browser the orange Browse Focus field at the top now shows patches only for the highlighted device in the rack:

To load a patch for a device, use one of the following methods:

For all the patch load methods described below, you can automatically revert back to the original patch, see “The Revert function”.

Double click a patch in the Browser to automatically load it in the device that has browse focus.

Use the up/down arrow keys, or click the Load Previous/Load Next triangle buttons at the bottom of the Browser, to select a patch in the Browser and automatically load it in the device that has browse focus.

Click a patch in the Browser to select it, then click the Load button at the bottom of the Browser, or press [Enter] (not on the numeric key pad).

Drag a patch from the Browser - or from the Windows Explorer (Win) or Finder (Mac) - and drop it on the device panel (or drop it on the device icon in the Sequencer Track List).

Automatic browse focus can be turned off on the General page in Preferences, see “New devices get browse focus”.

If you drop patches for other devices (of the same device type (Instruments or Effects)), the existing device will be replaced by the new device. You can also drag and drop patches onto devices that don’t support patches. In these situations, the new device replaces the current one and the dropped patch is automatically loaded in the new device.

Note that Instrument devices can only be replaced by other Instrument devices. The same goes for Effect devices. Utility devices cannot be replaced using the “drag and drop” method!

Click the Select Patch buttons on the device panel:

The Patch section of the Subtractor device.

Click on the Patch Name display on the device panel to bring up a a pop-up menu which lists all patches in the currently selected folder.

Click the Browse Patch button on the device panel.

This is useful mainly if a device doesn’t already have browse focus. Clicking the Browse Patch button sets browse focus to the device. Then, you can select and load patches as described above.

On the panels of the Redrum, NN19, NN-XT, Kong, Grain and Dr. Octo Rex devices, there are also other Patch buttons, used for loading samples or REX files. Make sure you click on the button in the Patch section (next to the patch name display)!

Select “Browse Patches...” from the Edit menu or device context menu.

This is useful mainly if a device doesn’t already have browse focus. Selecting Browse Patches sets browse focus to the device. Then, you can select and load patches as described above.

Note that the Edit menu reflects which device is selected - in other words, you must select the device for the corresponding Browse Patches item to appear on the Edit menu.

Once you have loaded a patch, you can step between all the patches in the same folder by using the “Select Patch” buttons on the device panel:

If you click on the Patch Name display on the device panel, a pop-up menu will appear, listing all patches in the currently selected folder.

This allows you to quickly load another patch, without having to step through the patches one by one. You can also choose to set browse focus to the device by selecting “Open Browser...” from this pop-up menu.

When you load a patch in any of the ways described above, the device’s parameters will be set according to the values stored in the patch, and the name of the patch will be shown in the Patch Name display.

Any parameter adjustments you make on the device panel after loading a patch will not affect the actual patch file. For this to happen, you need to save the patch - see “Saving patches”.

You can also load patches from a MIDI Master Keyboard or Control Surface - see “Remote - Playing and Controlling Devices”.

#The Revert function

A soon as you have loaded a new patch into a device that has browse focus, the Revert button becomes available at the bottom of the browser list:

The Revert button appears as soon as you load new patches into a device that has browse focus.

The Revert function makes it possible to get back to the patch which was originally in the device - before you started loading new patches. This is very handy if you should change your mind and want your original patch back in your device. The Revert function also works if you have loaded patches for other device types, so called cross-browsing (see “Cross-browsing patch files”).

#If referenced samples are missing

As described above, patches for the Redrum, NN19, NN-XT, Kong, Grain and Dr. Octo Rex contain references to samples or REX files. Just like patches, samples can be independent files on the hard disk or elements within a ReFill. However, if sample files have been moved or renamed after a patch was saved, the sample file references in the patch will not be accurate.

If this is the case when you select a patch, the program will tell you so. You can then choose to either manually locate the missing files, to have the program search for them, or to proceed without the missing sounds. For details, see “Handling Missing Sounds”.

Proceeding without locating or replacing the missing samples will result in silent drum channels, key zones or loop slots (for the Redrum, NN19/NN-XT, Kong and Dr. Octo Rex respectively).

#Clearing browse focus

To clear browse focus for a device, use one of the following methods:

Click anywhere in the rack background.

Click the X symbol to the right on the orange browse focus label at the top in the Browser.

Select another sequencer track (if the rack is not detached).

#Setting browse focus

Apart from when creating and loading patches into a device, browse focus can be set anytime you like. This is very useful if you're working in the sequencer where there are no browse buttons. Or if you want to set browse focus to a non-patch device and replace it with something else.

1.

Select a device in the rack, or a track in the sequencer.

In this example we select a Redrum track in the sequencer. As soon as the track (or device) is selected, the Browser shows the track/device name on a gray background in the Browse Focus field:

2.

Now, click the folder button in the Browse Focus field:

Browse focus is now set to the Redrum device:

3.

Now, you can browse and load new patches into the Redrum device.

4.

When you are done, clear the browse focus by clicking the X button in the browse focus field.

If you are using two Browsers, the one in the Song window and the other in the detached rack window, browse focus can only be set in one of the Browsers at a time.

#Saving patches

#Saving device settings in a song

When you save a Reason song, all settings for all devices are automatically included in the song file - there is no need to save the patches separately.

It’s important to realize that it’s the actual settings that are saved in the Song - not references to patches on disk. The next time you open the song, all devices will be set as they were when you saved it (regardless of whether you have removed or edited any patches on disk).

Note that device samples are not stored with the Song by default. This means that if you edit any Redrum, Kong, Grain or NN19/NN-XT samples in an external application and then open a Song containing devices that use these samples, the sound will be different. It’s possible, however, to store actual device samples together with the Song using the “Self-Contain” feature. See “About Self-Contained Songs”.

#Saving device settings as patches on disk

Even though the device settings are stored with the song, you may want to save any settings you have made for a device as a separate patch file. This allows you to use the patch in other songs, and lets you try out other patches in your song without the risk of losing your original sound. A patch is saved as follows:

1.

Click the “Save Patch” button on the device panel:

2.

In the file dialog that appears, specify a location and name for the patch file and click Save.

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Under Windows, the different types of patch files have different file extensions.

File extensions are automatically added by Reason when you save. Under macOS, file extensions are not needed but it may be a good idea to keep them if you want the saved files to be usable under Windows.

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If you have selected a patch, modified it and want to save it with the modifications, you could either save a separate, modified version of the patch (with a new name) or simply overwrite the old patch file on disk.

As usual, you will be asked whether you really want to replace the existing patch file.

Note that you can save a patch under the same name and location without having the save dialog appear by holding down [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and clicking the “Save Patch” button on the device panel. Be aware that this overwrites the original patch!

Note also that you cannot save into a ReFill! This means that if you have opened a patch from within a ReFill, modified it and want to save it, you need to save it as a separate file in a new location (outside the ReFill). Preferably, you should also rename the modified patch file, to avoid confusion.

#Copying and pasting patches between devices

A quick way to copy device parameter settings between devices of the same type is to use the “Copy Patch” and “Paste Patch” functions. The result is exactly the same as if you had saved a patch from one device and opened it on another device of the same type - this is just a quicker method.

Copying and Pasting settings is possible with all device types that can use patches.

Proceed as follows:

1.

Select a patch, and/or make the desired settings on the source device.

Make sure the device remains selected.

2.

Select “Copy Patch” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu.

3.

Select the destination device of the same type (in the same song or another song).

4.

Select “Paste Patch” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu.

The settings of the source device (including Redrum, NN19, NN-XT, Grain and Kong sample references and Dr. Octo Rex REX loop references) are applied to the destination device.

Note that this operation simply copies the settings from one device to another. Adjusting the settings on one of the devices will not affect the other; neither will the settings affect any patch file on disk.

#Copying Main Mixer Insert FX settings and paste as Combinator patches

You can copy Insert FX settings from Main Mixer channels and paste these as Combinator effect patches - or vice versa. To copy a Main Mixer channel Insert FX setting and paste into a Combinator device, follow the steps below:

1.

Select the desired Mix Channel/Audio Track device in the rack, or the desired Mixer Channel in the Main Mixer.

2.

Select “Copy Channel Settings -> Insert FX” from the Edit menu or device/Mix Channel context menu.

The Insert FX devices with their settings and connections are placed on the computer’s clipboard memory.

3.

Select the desired empty Combinator device in the rack - or create a new Combinator device and select it.

4.

Select “Paste Patch” from the Edit menu or the device context menu.

The Insert FX devices with their settings and connections are pasted into the Combinator device.

To copy an effect patch in a Combinator device and paste it as an Insert FX in a channel strip in the Main Mixer, proceed as follows:

1.

Select the Combinator device which contains the effects you want to copy.

2.

Select “Copy Patch” from the Edit menu or the device context menu.

The Combinator effect devices with their settings and connections are placed in the computer’s clipboard memory.

3.

Select the desired Mix Channel/Audio Track device in the rack, or the desired channel strip in the Main Mixer.

4.

Select “Paste Channel Settings: Insert FX” from the Edit menu or the device context menu.

The Combinator devices with their settings and connections are pasted into the Insert FX section of the selected Mix Channel/Audio Track device.

#Initializing patches and resetting device parameters

Sometimes it is useful to start with a “clean slate” when creating a synth sound, a drum kit or a sampler patch. This is achieved by selecting “Reset Device” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu. This resets all parameters to “default” values. Initializing Mimic, NN19, NN-XT, Dr. Octo Rex, Kong, Grain or Redrum devices will also remove all sample/REX file references, allowing you to start from scratch.

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 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 Reason Studios 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, you can use the browser to list and access the embedded sounds and other components within the ReFills, just as if the ReFills were folders on your hard disk.

Furthermore, if a song makes use of components from ReFills, Reason will tell you which ReFills are required.

#Using the Browser

The Browser when using the File|Open... command.

The Browser is used when you open songs or load patches, samples, audio files, MIDI files and REX files, from regular file folders or from a ReFill.

Open and close the Browser by pressing [F3] or by selecting Show/Hide Browser from the Windows menu.

If you have the rack detached in a separate window, you can have a second Browser in the rack window, see “About using the Browser in the detached rack”.

The Browser can also be resized by dragging the edges of the browser list sideways, as shown in the picture above. Each column in the browse list can also be resized. You can also scroll horizontally and vertically (when applicable) using the scrollbars to the right and at the bottom of the browse list (yellow arrows in the picture above).

Besides standard file folder browsing, the Browser offers several useful functions:

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Search for files by name and/or type - see “Using the “Search” function”.

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Use “cross-browsing” to search for patches belonging to any type of device.

For example, set browse focus from a Subtractor device by clicking its Browse Patch button. Instead of limiting the Browser to show only Subtractor patches, you can choose to browse for any type of instrument patch. If you select a patch with a different format than the device you are browsing from, the original device will be replaced by the new device. See “Cross-browsing patch files”.

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Create Favorite Lists containing shortcuts to your favorite files for instant access.

See “Favorites Lists”.

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Audition audio samples and loops on the fly.

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Save shortcuts to various locations on your local drive(s).

See “Using Locations and Favorites”.

#Opening the browser

Besides pressing [F3] you can use any of the following commands to open the Browser (what file types you can browse for depends on which method you used to open the Browser):

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By selecting “Open” from the File menu.

This opens the Browser where you can select to open a Song (.reason, .rsndemo, .ree, .reedemo, .rltd, .record, .recdemo, .rns, .rps and .rsb).

If no Song document is open on the macOS version of Reason, Reason temporarily opens an empty Song document to be able to show the Browser. When a Song has been loaded, the empty document closes.

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By selecting “Browse Patches” on the Edit menu with a patch based device selected (or by clicking the “Browse Patches” button on the device panel).

This opens the Browser allowing you to browse for and load patches for the selected device, or use “cross-browsing” (see “Cross-browsing patch files”) to select patches for other device types.

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By selecting “Browse Insert FX Patches” on the Edit menu with a Main Mixer Channel or Mix Channel/Audio Track device selected.

This opens the Browser, where you can browse for and load Combinator Effect patches.

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By selecting “Browse Samples” on the Edit menu with a sample based device selected (or by clicking the “Browse Samples” button on the device panel).

This opens the Browser, where you can browse for, preview and load samples in the supported audio formats.

•

By selecting “Browse ReCycle/REX Files” on the Edit menu with a Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player selected (or by clicking the “Browse Loops” button on the device panel).

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for, preview and load REX loops into the Dr. Octo Rex device.

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By selecting “Browse Drum Patches” on the Edit menu with a Kong Drum Designer device selected (or by clicking the “Browse Drum Patch” button on the Drum Control Panel on the device).

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for Kong Drum Patches and supported audio files to load into a slot in the Kong Drum Designer device.

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By selecting “Import Audio File” from the File menu.

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for, preview and load files in the supported audio formats to an audio track in the sequencer. See “Importing audio to the sequencer”.

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By selecting “Import MIDI File” from the File menu.

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for MIDI files to import to instrument tracks in the sequencer. See “Importing Standard MIDI Files”.

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By selecting “Create Instrument...” or “Create Effect...” from the Create menu.

This allows you to browse for and load patches for any device. See “Create Instrument/Create Effect”.

#Browser elements

The Browser when using the Browse Patch button/function on a Subtractor device.

Regardless of what command you used for opening the Browser (Open/Browse Patch/Import Audio etc.), the Browser basically contains the same main elements:

#Browse focus field

This field shows the name of the currently selected device in the rack - or the currently selected sequencer track. The Browse Focus field is orange when a device or track has browse focus - and gray when no focus is set. See “Setting browse focus” and “Clearing browse focus” for more information.

#Root Folder drop-down list

This field displays the name of the currently selected root folder.

Click in the name field to bring up a drop-down list where you can move up in the folder hierarchy.

Search results and Favorites lists, however, are shown as “flat” lists - with no folder hierarchy.

Click on the (arrow) button to the right of the root folder list to move up in the hierarchy one level at a time:

#Back/Forward buttons

These arrow buttons allow you to move between the browser locations opened while browsing, much like pages in a web browser.

#Locations and Favorites list

This list contains shortcuts to various locations. You can manually add any locations (on any drive) to the bottom section of the list. The locations in the upper part of the list are default and cannot be changed. Selecting an item in the “Locations and Favorites” list will open the corresponding folder/ReFill as the root in the main files and folder list - see “Navigating in the Browser”.

In the “Locations and Favorites” list you could also create your own “Favorites Lists”. The “Favorite Lists” can contain shortcuts to your favorite patches, samples or song files - see “Favorites Lists”.

#Search text field

Here you can enter a text string and click Search to search for Song files, patches, audio files and samples. The Search function is described in “Using the “Search” function”.

This is the Browser list, showing the contents of a selected folder - see “Navigating in the Browser”.

#Patch Load section

At the bottom of the Browser list are a buttons for selecting and loading patches:

Click a patch in the Browser list and then click the Load button to load the patch in the device.

Click the triangular Load Previous/Load Next buttons to automatically load the previous/next patch in the device.

Alternatively, press the up/down arrow keys on the computer keyboard.

Click the Revert button to revert to the patch that was originally in the device, before you loaded new patches.

See “The Revert function” for more details.

#Info and Details

The info pertaining to a selected Song file.

The “Info” section at the bottom of the Browser can show Song/ReFill splash images and also information about the item currently selected in the “Files and Folders” list. Exactly what information is shown here depends on the selected file type. For example, samples or REX files contain information about the file format and length of the selected file, while a selected song file can display comments from the author (see “Including Song Information”) etc. If the selected file is part of a ReFill, this will be indicated regardless of the file type.

Click the triangular fold/unfold button at the top left to show/hide the Info and Details section.

Folding the Info and Details section automatically expands the Browse list/device palette downwards.

#Audition section (for audio files, samples and REX files)

This section contains controls for auditioning audio files, samples and REX files - see “Selecting and auditioning samples and REX loops”. For other file types, the “Audition” section is not present.

#Navigating in the Browser

The Browser with browse focus set to a Subtractor device, allowing you to browse for and load Subtractor patches.

When navigating in the Browser, items are shown as a hierarchical list in a selected root folder, just like in your computer’s file browser (Finder on Mac and Explorer on Windows).

All folders and sub-folders within a root folder are shown, but only files of the relevant type (i.e. songs/samples/patches etc.) can be viewed/selected in the Browser. For example, if you have selected to browse samples for a NN-XT device, only audio samples and REX files will be shown in the Browser.

Click on the triangular symbol next to a closed folder to expand it. If the folder contains files of the relevant type, these will be shown.

Double-clicking a folder in the list opens it as the root folder in the Browser.

•

The “Name”, “Type”, “Modified” and “Size” columns show the name of the folder or file, the file/folder type, the modification date and the size (files only), respectively.

•

Clicking on a column header sorts the files accordingly (i.e. alphabetically, by file type, by modification date or by file size).

Click the same column again to toggle between ascending or descending display order.

You can use the “Back/Forward” buttons to move between the different locations you have opened in the Browser.

When you hide the Browser the “location list” is cleared.

Use the up/down arrow buttons on the computer keyboard to step between files in the current Browser list and automatically load them into the device.

Only files will be stepped through, while folders are skipped.

•

The Root Folder drop-down list to the right of the “Back/Forward” buttons allows you to move up in the folder hierarchy when the Browser points to a specific folder location (see “About hierarchic and flat lists” below).

If you want to browse for patches for other devices, click the X button on the orange field to clear the Browse focus from the existing device type.

If you select and load a patch for another device type, the new device will replace the device that previously had Browse focus.

#About hierarchic and flat lists

In certain circumstances the Browser will display a flat list without any folder hierarchy. In such cases there will be an extra “Parent” column displaying the parent folder location for all files. The “Root Folder” drop-down list will then also contain a shortcut to the selected file’s parent folder - the “Go To Parent Folder” item.

The Browser display for flat lists.

Flat lists are shown in the following cases:

•

When the Browser is showing a search result - see “Using the “Search” function”.

•

When the Browser is showing a Favorites folder list - see “Favorites Lists”.

•

When the Browser is showing a browse list stored for a device in a saved song - see “About browse lists”.

#Using Locations and Favorites

To help you to find your files quickly, you can add shortcuts to the folders where you store your samples and patch files etc. By default, the Locations list contains eight fixed locations; the Reason Sounds location, the Reason Orkester Sounds location, the Reason Factory Sounds location, the Rack Extensions location, This PC folder, the Desktop folder and the Song Samples location. You can easily add your own locations below this list if you like.

•

Selecting a Location or Favorite List in the list opens it as the root folder in the Browser.

To add a new Location, select a file, folder or ReFill in the main browser list and drag and drop it in the “Locations and Favorites” list.

Any new Locations will be added below the list of fixed locations. An insertion line is shown to indicate where in the list the new location will placed. Manually added locations can later be reordered by dragging and dropping.

Adding a new Location.

Even though it is possible to add individual ReFills as separate Locations, we strongly recommend that you create a ReFill folder in which you put all your ReFills; then add the ReFill folder as a Location:

The reason for this is that some ReFills (such as the Reason Electric Bass) consist of several ReFill files: one which contains patches and another that contains the samples. If you should add only the patch ReFill as a Location and not the samples ReFill, Reason won’t find the samples that correspond to the patches.

If you don’t want to put all your ReFills in one folder, you can create shortcuts (alias) to the ReFills and put all the shortcuts in a single folder which you then add as a Location.

To remove a Location (or Favorite List), select it in the “Locations and Favorites” list and press [Backspace] or [Delete] - or click the “Remove Favorite” button.

Alternatively, select “Delete” from the context menu.

The default locations cannot be removed.

•

Manually added locations are stored in the Preferences file in the Reason application folder.

If a stored location has been removed or is unavailable, a warning triangle with an exclamation mark is shown before the location name in the “Locations and Favorites” list.

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 Lists

“Favorites Lists” provide a way to group and order files that may be physically located at different places on your local drives. Any file that can be loaded in Reason (songs, patches, samples etc.) can be added to a “Favorites List”. Only shortcuts to the files are added - the original files aren’t moved. You can also add devices to the list.

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 patches using patch select buttons on your MIDI keyboard or control surface device. See “Using Favorites - a practical example”.

We strongly recommend not to put ReFills in Favorite Lists. Instead, use Locations for ReFills, see “Using Locations and Favorites”.

To add a New Favorite List, click the “Create New Favorite Lists” button.

The “Create New Favorites Lists” button

An empty “folder” is created, named “New Favorite List n”. Favorite Lists are always indicated by a star icon. The Browser list remains unchanged.

To rename the “New Favorite List” folder, double-click it and type in a new name.

Alternatively, select “Rename” from the context menu.

To add a file to the “Favorite List” folder, select it in the Browser and drag it to the desired “Favorite List” folder.

You can also select multiple files using standard selection techniques - [Shift] and/or [Ctrl](Win) or [Command] (Mac) - and drag these into the folder in the same way.

Select the “Favorite List” folder to view the currently added files in the Browser list.

The Browser displays all files you have previously dragged to the Favorite List, regardless of file type:

•

When a “Favorites List” folder is selected in the Browser, an additional “Parent column” is shown (just like for Search results), listing the name of the original folder for each file in the list.

•

Files in a “Favorites List” folder cannot be sorted by clicking the column headers. However, they can be reordered by using drag and drop in the Browser list.

To remove files from a “Favorites List” folder, select the folder and then select the files in the Browser list and press [Delete], or select “Delete Favorite(s)...” from the context menu.

This removes the shortcut only - the original file isn’t affected.

To remove a “Favorites List” folder, select it and press [Backspace] or [Delete] - or select “Delete Favorites List...” from the context menu.

#Using Favorites - a practical example

Here follows a practical example of how you can use Favorites for patch files:

You are preparing for a live gig as a keyboard player. You know the songs, and you have chosen suitable patches (in various device formats) for each song.

You want to use Reason, but you want to be able to switch to the correct patch for each song using your MIDI keyboard, and not have to worry about fiddling with the computer during your performance.

Here is how this can be done by using Favorites:

1.

Create a new Reason song.

2.

Create a device, for example a Combinator.

It doesn’t matter which instrument device you choose at this point.

3.

Click the “Create New Favorites Lists” button.

A new folder appears in the list. Double-click it and type in an appropriate name (e.g. “The Band”).

4.

Click the Reason Factory Sound Bank and then expand the “All Instrument Patches” folder in the Browser list.

Now you can start locating the instrument patches you need by navigating in the Browser.

5.

When you have located a patch that you need for the gig, drag it from the Browser list into the Favorites List folder.

If this was a patch in a different format than the instrument you created, a device of this type will replace the original device (see “Cross-browsing patch files”).

6.

Continue to add new instrument patches in the same way until you have all the patches you need.

7.

When you’re done, select the (The Band) Favorites List folder.

All the patches you added are now listed in the Browser list.

8.

Use drag and drop to order the patch files in the Browser list according to the set list.

9.

Double click the first patch file in the (The Band) Favorites List.

The the patch is loaded in the appropriate device.

If you have a MIDI keyboard or control surface with programmable buttons, you can assign a button to “Select next patch” on the device.

Many MIDI keyboards and control surfaces have buttons assigned to patch selection - check the Control Surface Details document for information about your controllers. Alternatively, you can manually assign buttons for selecting patches - see the “Remote - Playing and Controlling Devices” chapter.

10.

11.

At the gig, open the song, and the first patch will be loaded.

12.

When the first song is finished, use the “next patch” button on the device or on your MIDI keyboard and the next patch in the (The Band) Favorites List will be loaded!

#Selecting and auditioning samples and REX loops

For audio files, samples and REX loops you can use the Audition controls in the Browser to preview the audio. This is done in the following way:

Select the audio or REX file in the Browser list and click the triangular Play button.

The file is played back. During playback, the Play button in the Audition section switches to a square “Stop” button - click this to stop playback.

Alternatively, you can click the Auto button to automatically audition the file as soon as you select it in the Browser list.

The selected file is automatically played back. Again, click the Stop button to stop playback.

Adjust the playback level with the slider to the right of the Auto button.

#Selecting multiple files

It is possible to select multiple files in the Browser, by using standard [Shift] or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) selection techniques. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that the selected files can be loaded. There are a number of instances where selecting several files in the Browser file list is relevant:

•

It is possible to load several drum patches (on consecutive pads) simultaneously into the Kong device.

See the “Kong Drum Designer” chapter for details.

•

It is possible to load several samples simultaneously into the NN-XT, NN19 and Kong NN-Nano sampler devices.

See “NN-19 Sampler”, “NN-XT Sampler” and “NN-Nano Sampler” for details.

•

It is possible to load several REX files simultaneously into the Dr. Octo Rex device.

See the “Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player” chapter for details.

•

It is possible to simultaneously import multiple audio files to the sequencer.

See “Importing audio to the sequencer” for more info.

•

You can select several files to add them to a Favorites List in one go - see “Favorites Lists”. Note that this is only possible if a device does not have browse focus!

In situations where several selected files (e.g. patches or songs) cannot be loaded, the Create/Load button in the Browser is grayed out.

#Cross-browsing patch files

Cross-browsing patches is a powerful feature of the Browser. It allows you to browse for any type of instrument patches or effect patches, regardless of which instrument or effect 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, including instrument Combinators, no effects patches are shown in the Browser list.

•

When browsing patches from an existing effect device, including effect Combinators, no instrument patches are shown in the Browser list.

When browsing Insert FX patches for an audio track, Mix Channel or the Master Section, cross-browsing is not possible (you can only load effect Combinator patches).

#Cross-browsing - an example:

1.

You are playing a Subtractor device but feel that the sound isn’t quite what you had in mind, so you click the Browse Patch button on the Subtractor to set Browse focus and check out some other patches.

2.

After browsing Subtractor patches for a while, you still haven’t found the type of sound you wanted, so you click the Root Folder drop-down list and select “Reason Factory Sound Bank” from the list:

From here you can select instrument patches for any device. You decide to browse a folder containing Malström patches.

3.

As soon as you load a Malström patch from the Browser, a Malström device replaces the Subtractor device in the rack.

The sequencer track which was previously assigned to the Subtractor is now assigned to a Malström with the selected patch loaded.

•

The name of the sequencer track and the Mix Channel device (and channel strip in the main mixer) are automatically changed to the Malström patch name.

Note that is only true if you haven’t manually renamed the sequencer track earlier. If you renamed the sequencer track earlier, it will keep this name regardless of what device or patch you load. However, if you delete the custom name, the sequencer track and Mix Channel device will show the patch name again.

You can continue to browse and load patches and play your keyboard to try them out.

Each time you load a patch that belongs to a different device, this device automatically replaces the previous device in the rack.

•

Cross-browsing for an effect patch it works in the same way - loading an effect patch of a different format will replace the current effect device in the rack.

#Special instances of cross-browsing

There are a few instances when replacing an existing device by loading other device patches might lead to lost cable connections in the rack:

•

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 audio outputs, with a Subtractor which only has one audio output.

•

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.

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.

#Create Instrument/Create Effect

These functions allow you to browse for any kind of instrument or effect patches. This is essentially the same as cross-browsing, except that you do not start with an existing device. The “Create Instrument/Effect” functions are very useful if you’re looking for a specific type of sound or effect but don’t know, or don’t care, what devices are used. For example, you might be looking for a “pad” sound or a “delay effect”. Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, you can just load the sound or effect in the required device(s).

1.

Select “Create Instrument...” or “Create Effect...” from the Create menu.

The Browser opens. Depending on your selection, only Instrument Patches or Effect Patches are shown.

2.

When you load a patch, a corresponding device is created automatically.

If you load an instrument device patch, a corresponding sequencer track will also be automatically be created. If an “empty” Mix Channel device isn’t available in the rack, a new one will be automatically created - with its channel strip in the Main Mixer. The instrument device will be automatically connected to the Mix Channel device. Master Keyboard input will be set to the new track so that you can play the patch from your master keyboard. The sequencer track, Mix Channel and channel strip in the Main Mixer automatically gets the name of the loaded patch.

#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 must be certain rules regarding cross-browsing.

•

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 the NN19 device has browse focus, the patch will be loaded into this device.

•

If you are browsing from any other type of device, these patch types will be loaded into an NN-XT device.

•

If you are using the “Create Instrument” function, an NN19 (.smp) patch will create a NN19 device and a REX patch will create a Dr. Octo Rex device.

#Using the “Search” function

The Search function allows you to search for patches, songs, audio files etc. The Search field is always available at the top of the Browser.

Press [Command]/[Ctrl]+[F] to set the Browser focus to the Search field at any time.

Type in a search text and the search results will automatically begin to display in real-time as you type.

•

The search happens in the currently shown folder/location (shown above the Search field) - and in all its sub folders (if any).

The Root folder popup above the Search field shows "Searching <location>" where location is the current search folder. The search looks for items (including folders and ReFills) with matching names. We don't show the contents of a folder with matching name - we show the folder itself.

•

If you like you can change the search location/folder and redo the search in the new location/folder.

#The search result view in the Browser list

•

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.

•

A new “Parent” column also appears, listing the name of the parent folder for each file in the Browser list.

If you select a file in the Browser list, you can pull down the “Root Folder” drop-down list and select “Go to Parent folder” - this opens the parent folder for the selected file:

In this example, selecting the Go to Parent Folder takes you to the “Synth FX” folder

To go back to the search result Browser list, click the Back button:

•

When searching in the Instruments/Effects/Utilities palette, the search result view shows matching devices only, not the manufacturer headings.

When you have navigated to the desired folder (on your hard disk or within a ReFill) and located the desired file, you load it by double clicking it in the Browser list, or by selecting it and clicking the Open/Load/Create/Import button. The name of the button differs depending on what command you used for locating the file.

Once you have loaded a patch into a device (that now has browse focus), you can select and automatically load new patches by pressing the up/down arrow keys on your computer keyboard.

#About browse lists

When you click the Open/Load/Create/Import button 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:

•

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).

•

The browse list is shown as the patch list when you click in the patch name field for a device.

•

For samples, the browse list applies when changing samples using the Next/Previous Sample buttons on the front panel of a sampler device.

#What can a browse list contain?

•

When you load a patch or sample by clicking Load/Create/Import in the Browser, the resulting browse list will include the files contained in all currently open folders in the Browser.

If you open the Browser (set Browse focus) again from the same device, the same file and folder structure is shown.

•

If you save the current song and reopen it, the items in the browse list will be shown as a “flat” list, and the “Root Folder” field will show “Document Browse List”.

In these situations, the Browser will show the “Parent” column, listing the names of the source folders. The “Root Folder” drop-down list will also contain the item “Go to parent folder” for a selected file.

•

A browse list could also be a Search result, or a Favorites List.

Favorites Lists provide a way of controlling/filtering which patches or samples will be available on a browse list for a device - see “Using Favorites - a practical example”!

Note that if you opened a patch after having used cross-browsing (see “Cross-browsing patch files”) or used the Search function (see “Using the “Search” function”), the active browse list could contain patches of different formats, and loading patches from the device panel could change the device type.

#Handling Missing Sounds

Sampler patches, drum machine patches, Dr. Octo Rex patches, and SoundFonts contain references to samples - files on your hard disk. The same is true for songs that contain samples (in sampler or drum machine devices) or REX files. If any of these files have been moved, renamed or removed when you try to open the patch or song, Reason will alert you that files are missing by showing the “Missing Sounds” window. The “Missing Sounds” window also appears if patches in the song are part of a ReFill which has been moved, removed or is not installed on your computer:

The “Missing Sounds” window.

The main display in the Missing Sounds window lists all missing files. The three columns show the following properties:

| Column

| Description

Shows the name of the device in which the missing sound is used, along with a device type icon.

Shows the name of the missing file, along with a file type icon.

Part of ReFill/R.E.

If the missing file is part of a ReFill (or a SoundFont within a ReFill) or a Rack Extension device, this column shows the name of the ReFill/SoundFont/Rack Extension.

Below the main display are four buttons:

Select a file in the list and click the “Download ReFill/R.E.” button to open your web browser and download (and purchase, if necessary) the ReFill/R.E from the Reason Studios website.

Click the “Search Folder” button to automatically search for and find the missing files in the currently selected folder in the Browser.

Click the “Search Locations” button to automatically search for and find the missing files in any of the Locations present in the Browser.

If you have a lot of ReFills and folders in your Locations, the search could take a while.

If you want to abort the search, click the Cancel button in the “Searching...” window:

When you have found the sound you want to replace the missing sound with, double click it or select it and click the Replace button in the Browser:

Replacing a missing sound.

The selected missing sound in the Missing Sounds window now disappears from the window and you can select the a new missing sound to replace.

If you want to replace a missing sound without searching for it, select the missing sound in the list and click the “Replace” button. Then use the Browser to select and replace the sample.

If you like, you could replace missing sounds with new sounds - it doesn’t have to be the original ones. When you save the Patch or Song later on, the new sounds will permanently replace the previous (missing) sounds.

Alternatively, close the Missing Sounds window.

The song or patch will still work, but with sounds missing. This means that sampler patches, drum machine patches and/or loop players will not play back correctly.

On the panels of the concerned devices, missing samples are indicated with an asterisk (*) before the file names:

A Redrum device with a missing sample in one of its slots.

If you want to continue searching for and replacing missing sounds later on, you can open the Missing Sounds window again by selecting “Show Missing Sounds Window” from the Windows menu.

#Reason file formats

The following table lists the file formats that you can browse and open using Reason’s browser:

| File type

| Extension

| Description

.reason or .rns

This is the main document format in Reason. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if you have made the song “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”). Opening a Reason Version 5 (or earlier) song will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Interface to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs in Reason Version 12”).

Reason Demo Song

A Reason Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason program. Reason Demo Songs, Reason Essentials Demo Songs and Record Demo Songs are the only song file types that can be opened when you run Reason in Demo Mode (without authorization). See “Opening a Reason Demo Song”.

Reason Published Song

A Reason Published Song is a self-contained Reason song (created in Version 5 or earlier) intended for playback only. It can only be opened in Reason and cannot be changed. Its components cannot be extracted and it is only possible to export the song as an audio file if you haven’t edited anything. Opening a Reason Published Song song in Reason will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Device to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs in Reason Version 12”).

Reason Adapted Song

A Reason Adapted Song is a song created in a Reason Adapted version. Opening a Reason Adapted Song song in Reason will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Device to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs in Reason Version 12”).

This is the main document format in Propellerhead Record. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Record Demo Song

A Record Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Propellerhead Record program. Record Demo Songs, Reason Demo Songs and Reason Essentials Demo Songs are the only song file types that can be opened when you run Reason in Demo Mode (without authorization). See “Opening a Reason Demo Song”.

Reason Essentials Song

This is a song created in Reason Essentials. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Reason Essentials Demo Song

A Reason Essentials Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason Essentials program. Reason Essentials Demo Songs can be opened and edited in Reason just like a regular Reason Essentials Song.

Reason Limited Song

This is a song created in Reason Limited. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Combinator Patch

The Combinator can store/recall combinations of Reason devices. Combinator patches (Combis) will save all panel settings (as well as sample references if used) for all devices that are part of the Combi. In addition, all routing (audio/CV) between devices in the Combi are included in the patch. Effect Combi patches are also used for Insert FX patches in the Main Mixer.

Subtractor Patch

This is a patch for the Subtractor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Subtractor patches.

This is a patch for the Thor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Thor patches.

Malström Patch

This is a patch for the Malström synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Malström patches.

NN19 Sampler Patch

This is a patch for the NN19 Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings.

NN-XT Sampler Patch

This is a patch for the NN-XT Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings.

This is a patch for the Redrum drum machine device. It contains information about which drum samples are used, along with all drum sound settings. In effect, a Redrum patch is a stored drum kit.

Dr. Octo Rex Patch

This is a patch for the Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device. It contains information about which REX Loops are used, along with all loop and panel parameter settings.

This is a patch for the Kong Drum Designer device. It contains information about what drum samples/modules are used, along with all drum sound settings for all 16 channels. In effect, a Kong Kit Patch is a complete stored drum kit.

Kong Drum Patch

This is a patch for a single Drum channel in the Kong Drum Designer device. It contains information about which drum samples/modules are used, along with all drum sound settings for one single Drum channel.

This is a patch for the RV7000 reverb effect, containing all panel settings.

This is a patch for the Scream 4 distortion effect, containing all panel settings.

This is a patch for The Echo delay effect, containing all panel settings.

Pulveriser Patch

This is a patch for the Pulveriser effect, containing all panel settings.

Alligator Patch

This is a patch for the Alligator gate effect, containing all panel settings.

.rx2, .rcy or .rex

REX files are created in another Reason Studios application, the ReCycle loop editor. REX files contain audio loops chopped into slices, with one slice for each significant beat in the loop.
REX files can be imported to Audio Tracks in Reason and are automatically converted to audio files. By loading a REX file into the Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device, you can play back the loop in virtually any tempo (without affecting the pitch), manipulate individual beats in the loop, extract timing info, etc.

Note that you can also load REX files into the samplers, the Redrum drum machine and Kong Drum Designer.

Audio files and Samples

.wav, .aif, mp3 etc.

Audio files of various formats, resolutions and sample rates can be imported to Audio Tracks in Reason. All sampler devices in Reason can also load and play back samples and audio files in these formats. 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.

The audio file format support differs depending on which computer OS you are using.

In macOS, the following audio file formats are supported:

.wav (not floating point), .aiff (not floating point), .3g2, .3gp, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .mpeg, .mpa, .snd, .au, .sd2, .ac3, .aac, .adts, .amr, .caf, .m4a .m4r and .mp4.

In Windows, the following audio file formats are supported:

.wav (not floating point), .aif (not floating point), .mp3, .aac, .m4a and .wma

The SoundFont format was co-developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Technologies and is used with many audio cards and software synthesizers. SoundFont banks store wavetable synthesized sounds, allowing users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs. The SoundFonts can then be played back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards, thereby effectively turning an ordinary sound card into a sampler.

The NN-XT and NN19 Samplers and the Redrum drum machine allow you to browse and load SoundFonts. Regardless of which editing program was used to create them, these banks are similarly and hierarchically organized, with folders for instruments, presets, samples etc. The NN-XT, NN19 and the Redrum lets you load individual samples and presets from a SoundFont bank, but not the complete SoundFont.

Rack Extension Patch

These are patches for Rack Extension devices. All Rack Extension devices use the same file extension but the patch files contain different data depending on which device was used for creating them.

.fxp and .fxb VST2 patches
.vstpreset VST3 patches

Reason can read the VST2 patch formats fxp and fxb and the VST3 patch format
vstpreset. Provided that the VSTs are installed and detected by Reason, the patches can be opened in the corresponding VSTs.