Reason 13.1 Operation Manual
DAW | Rack Plugin
#Loading and saving patches
Loading and saving patches is done in the same way as with any other internal Reason device, see “Loading patches” and “Saving patches” for details.
#Auto Pump/Trigger/Sidechain mode switch
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Select which mode you want the Sidechain Tool to operate in:
Auto Pump uses the built-in ducking curve synced to an internal clock, which can be set to suitable tempo intervals. The clock is automatically synced to the tempo of the main (Reason/DAW) sequencer.
Trigger mode also uses the built-in ducking curve, but you trigger the ducking either via MIDI notes, from the Sidechain Audio inputs, or from the Trig CV input on the rear panel.
Sidechain mode uses the built-in compressor, for traditional sidechain compression, see “Sidechain mode specific parameters”.
#Ducking curve parameters (Auto Pump and Trigger modes)
The ducking curve display and parameters are common to the Auto Pump and Trigger modes.
Here is where you can shape the curve that ducks the incoming audio.
#Ducking curve presets
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Click to select a ducking curve preset.
You could then edit and adjust each curve preset to your liking, as described below.
#Attack, Hold, Release, Attack Shape, Release Shape and Slide
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Turn the Attack, Hold, Release, Attack Shape and Release Shape knobs to change the ducking curve shape.
Any changes are immediately reflected in the display.
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Alternatively, click the blue square points in the display and drag to shape the ducking curve.
The changes are also reflected by the Attack, Hold and Release knobs to the left of the display:
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Click and drag the Attack/Release Shape curves to change their shapes.
The changes are also reflected by the Attack Shape and Release Shape knobs to the left of the display:
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Turn the Slide knob to slide the entire curve back or forth, to affect the timing of the ducking:
#Ducking Amount
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Set how much you want to attenuate (duck) the incoming audio.
The attenuation (ducking amount) is reflected by the blue shaded area above the curve in the display.
#Auto Pump mode specific parameters
#Rate
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Turn the Rate knob to set the desired repetition rate (time division) of the ducking.
Range: 8 bar, 4 bar, 3 bar, 2 bar, 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 3/8, 1/4, 1/4T, 3/16, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T and 1/32.
#Trigger mode specific parameters
#Audio/MIDI switch
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Select if you want to trig the ducking from an audio input signal connected to the a sidechain input(s) on the rear panel (see “Sidechain Input Left & Right”) - or via MIDI Notes (see “MIDI Trigger”).
#Audio Threshold
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Set the desired Threshold level by dragging the triangular “slider” up/down.
As soon as the audio on the sidechain input on the rear panel reaches above the set Threshold, the orange Trig indicator lights up above the Rate knob.
#MIDI Trigger
To be able to trigger the ducking curve from MIDI Notes, you first have to create a sequencer track for the Sidechain Tool device. In Reason you do that as follows:
1.
Right click the device panel and select “Create track for Sidechain Tool”.
A sequencer track for the Sidechain Tool has now been created in the sequencer.
2.
Make sure the sequencer track has Keyboard Focus (is selected in the sequencer).
The default setting when you switch to MIDI Trigger is “All”, i.e. any MIDI Note# will trig the ducking curve.
If you like you could change this so that only a specific MIDI Note will trigger the curve:
1.
Click the Note triangle and select “Note” from the popup.
2.
Click the Learn button and play the desired note on the keyboard.
3.
When you are satisfied with the selected note, click the Learn button again.
4.
Play the selected note on the keyboard to trig the ducking.
The orange Trig indicator now lights up above the Rate knob.
#Sidechain mode specific parameters
In Sidechain mode Sidechain Tool works as a regular sidechained compressor, i.e. it does not make use of the Ducking Curve function. Instead it uses the Gain, Threshold, Attack Release and Ratio parameters to control the built-in compressor.
#Gain
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Set the ”drive” of the compression with the Gain knob.
This determines how much compression the signal will have in conjunction with the Threshold. Range: ±24 dB.
#Listen
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Click the Listen button to listen only to the sidechain signal (input on the Sidechain Input(s) on the rear panel, see “Sidechain Input Left & Right”).
#Frequency band display
By filtering the sidechain signal you can make the compression more or less sensitive to a certain frequency range. A typical application for this is to isolate the bass frequencies of a kick drum, to have the kick drum trigger the compressor. Another typical application is de-essing - where harsh “S”-sounds in vocal material is reduced or eliminated. E.g. for de-essing you should set the frequency “boundaries” to isolate the offending “S” frequencies as much as possible.
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Click and drag the frequency lines horizontally in the display to set the frequency band of the sidechain signal that should trigger the compressor.
#Threshold
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Set the level at which onset of compression should occur.
When the input level is below the Threshold setting the signal is unaffected. When the input level exceeds the threshold, compression kicks in.
In practice, this means that the lower the Threshold setting (and the higher the Input Gain), the more compression will be applied. Range: -52 dB to 0 dB
#Attack
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Set how quickly the compressor should apply its effect when signals rise above the set Threshold.
If you raise the Attack, the response will be slower, allowing more of the signal to pass through the compressor unaffected. Typically, this is used for preserving the attacks of the sounds. Range: 1ms to 1s.
#Release
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Set how long it should take before the compressor lets the sound through unaffected - after the signal level has dropped below the set Threshold.
Set this to short values for intense, “pumping” compressor effects, or to longer values for a smoother change of the dynamics. Range: 20ms to 5.02s.
#Compression display
This display shows how the signal is being compressed (attenuated) by the sidechain signal over time.
#Ratio
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Set the amount of gain reduction that should be applied to the signals above the set Threshold.
The Ratio can be set from 1:1 (no reduction) to Infinite:1
#Common parameters for all modes
#Send Mode
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Click the Send Mode button if you are using Sidechain Tool as a send effect instead of an insert effect.
This will make Sidechain Tool send out only the processed signal, without any of the unprocessed signal.
#Band Mode
With Band Mode active you can force Sidechain Tool to only duck a certain frequency band of the signal. A typical example would be to have it duck only the bass frequencies when triggered/sidechained from a kick drum.
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Click and drag the blue dot horizontally in the display to define the desired frequency band to duck.
The ducked frequency band is indicated by the shaded blue area in the display.
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Click the triangular button to select “Lo Band” or “Hi Band”.
“Lo Band” ducks low frequencies and “Hi Band” ducks high frequencies.
#CV Input
#Pump Amount (Auto Pump and Trigger modes only)
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Modulate the Ducking Amount parameter by a CV signal patched to this input.
#Attack & Shape (Auto Pump and Trigger modes only)
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Modulate the Attack time by a CV signal patched to the Attack input.
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Modulate the Attack curve Shape by a CV signal patched to the Shape input.
#Hold (Auto Pump and Trigger modes only)
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Modulate the Hold time by a CV signal patched to this input.
#Release & Shape (Auto Pump and Trigger modes only)
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Modulate the Release time by a CV signal patched to the Attack input.
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Modulate the Release curve Shape by a CV signal patched to the Shape input.
#Band Freq
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Modulate the Frequency parameter (when Band Mode is active) by a CV signal patched to this input.
#Trig CV (Trigger mode only)
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Modulate the Trig button (in Trigger mode) by a CV signal patched to this input.
#CV Output
#Trig, Hold, End (Auto Pump and Trigger modes only)
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These outputs send out high Gate CV pulses (in Auto Pump and Trigger modes) according to the graphic on the rear panel.
Trig is sent at the start of the ducking curve, Hold is sent out at the end of the Hold stage and End is sent out when the curve has finished.
#Curve Out & Inverted
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These outputs send out continuous CV signals according to the current ducking curve or compression value.
The Inverted output sends the curve signal values inverted.
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Note that the Curve Out sends negative CV signals and the Inverted sends positive CV signals.
#Sidechain Input Left & Right
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Patch the audio signal(s) you want to control the compressor (in Sidechain mode) here.
If your input signal is in mono, connect only to the L (left) input.
#Input Left & Right
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Patch the audio signal(s) you want to duck/compress here.
If your input signal is in mono, connect only to the L (left) input.
#Output Left & Right
These are the stereo audio outputs.