Reason 13.1 Operation Manual
DAW | Rack Plugin
Rack Extensions are additional rack devices that can be purchased in the Reason Studios web shop at
www.reasonstudios.com/shop and used together with the internal devices in the rack. Rack Extensions can be instruments, effects or utility devices, such as mixers and CV processors. Rack Extension devices are developed by Reason Studios as well as by 3rd party companies.
Rack Extension devices integrate fully with the Reason rack:
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Cables can be connected on the rear panels, just like on the internal rack devices.
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CV signals can be routed like on the internal rack devices.
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Rack Extension devices are combinable with other Rack Extension and internal devices (see “The Combinator” chapter).
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Panel parameters are automatable and remotable.
#Future compatibility
Rack Extensions are Windows and Mac-compatible and will work with any operating system and platform that Reason supports - now and in the future.
#Trial versions of Rack Extensions
You can try out a Rack Extension by going to the Reason Studios web shop at www.reasonstudios.com/shop and using the "Try" function. This gives you a trial license which will last for 30 days (counted from when you clicked the “Try” button). During this time, the Rack Extension is fully operational, with no limitations.
When the trial license expires, the Rack Extension will be removed from the program menus. However, it will remain installed unless you manually uninstall it. Should you choose to purchase the Rack Extension later on, you don't need to download it again.
You can only try a Rack Extension once (one 30-day period).
#Buying Rack Extensions
When you purchase a Rack Extension, a license is automatically written to your Reason Studios user account on the Reason Studios web site. Just like with your Reason license, you can write a Rack Extension license to your authorized computer. You can download and install the Rack Extension on as many computers as you like. However, to use the Rack Extension in Reason you either need your authorized computer or an Internet connection to run with Internet Verification.
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Rack Extension devices are not available when you run Reason in Demo Mode.
If you move to another computer, you can download and install all your Rack Extensions by going to the Devices tab in the Reason Companion app and clicking the "Install all" button. This function is also excellent for making sure you got the latest versions and updates of all your Rack Extensions. Only files that are missing on your computer will be downloaded and installed.
Rack Extensions can be updated, with fixes and additions. Updates are indicated on the Devices tab in the Reason Companion app. Rack Extensions are backwards compatible, meaning that you can open older songs and patches and they will sound the same.
#Rent-to-Own Rack Extensions
An alternative to purchasing Rack Extension licenses one at a time is to use the Rent-to-Own program. To utilize Rent-to-Own Rack Extensions, please go to the Reason Studios web shop at www.reasonstudios.com/shop.
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in Reason 12.7 and later, Rack Extension installation and management is handled completely in the Reason Companion app - not by Authorizer, which is now deprecated.
Whenever you download and install a Rack Extension, from the web shop or your user account, this will be handled by the Reason Companion application. Reason Companion will automatically launch when you Buy, Try or Download a Rack Extension from the Reason Studios web shop.
Reason Companion checks what's already installed on your computer, downloads any missing files and puts them in the correct locations.
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Reason Companion automatically writes Rack Extension licenses to your computer, when applicable.
If you want to check what Rack Extensions are installed on your computer, you need to launch Reason Companion:
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Either select Rack Extensions from the Window menu in Reason or locate the Reason Companion application on your computer and launch it manually.
Reason Companion lists all currently available Rack Extensions on the Devices tab:
The Devices tab in Reason Companion lists the Rack Extension devices currently installed on your computer.
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If you are subscribing to Reason+, the Reason+ Rack Extensions are listed at the top of the Devices tab.
Further down on the Devices tab your purchased Rack Extensions are displayed in the “My Rack Extensions” section.
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You can search for a Rack Extension, by typing in its name (or the first part of the name) in the Filter Rack Extensions box.
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Click the Update all button to update all currently installed Rack Extension to the latest versions.
Note that only the Rack Extensions in the corresponding section (Reason+ Rack Extensions or “My Rack Extensions”) are affected.
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Click the Install all button to install all Rack Extensions displayed on the Devices tab.
Note that only the Rack Extensions in the corresponding section (Reason+ Rack Extensions or “My Rack Extensions”) are affected.
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Click the Update/Install/Uninstall buttons to perform the corresponding actions for individual Rack Extensions.
If you have purchased the Rack Extension (or if it’s included in your Reason+ subscription), you can always reinstall an uninstalled Rack Extension at any time.
Rack Extensions behave just like internal Reason devices, and are listed together with the Reason Studios devices in the Create menu subgroups and on the Device Palette:
The Complex-1 Rack Extension is available from the Instruments palette in the Device Palette and in the Create menu.
The installed Rack Extension devices are sorted in the appropriate subgroups and are listed, per manufacturer, in alphabetical order. However, Rack Extension devices from Reason Studios are always placed first in the list, below the internal Reason devices.
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Unfold the Search section in the Device Palette and click the menu button and make sure the “Show Reason devices” box is selected, since this also determines whether or not to show 3rd-party Rack Extensions:
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To create a Rack Extension device, either select it in the appropriate subgroup in the Create menu, double click or drag and drop from the Device Palette - or select “Create Instrument...” or “Create Effect...” from the Create menu.
The Rack Extension device is placed in the rack and routed according to the standard rules, see “Creating devices”.
If a Rack Extension supports patches, you will find the included patches in the Rack Extension itself. To get there, either click the “Browse patch” button on the Rack Extension device to bring up the Browser. Alternatively, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [F]:
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In the Browser, click "Reason Library” and unfold the ”Rack Extensions" folder.
This lists all available Rack Extensions in alphabetical order:
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Scroll down and unfold the desired Rack Extension folder to browse its patch content.
If you are browsing patches from a Rack Extension device (by clicking the “Browse patch” button on the device panel), patches and folders for that specific device type are displayed in the Browser list right away.
#About missing Rack Extensions
When you open a Reason song from another user, it may have been created with Rack Extensions that you don't have installed - or even own. It might be a song from a friend, or a song that you have made using a Rack Extension with a trial license (that has since expired).
When you open such a song, the following alert appears:
Now, you can choose to open the song without the Rack Extension(s), or go to the Reason Studios web shop and Try or Buy the missing Rack Extension(s). If you click OK, the song opens without the missing Rack Extension(s).
All such missing devices in a song are replaced by generic placeholder devices:
A “Missing Device” placeholder plate for a Rack Extension device, which is currently unavailable on your computer.
The placeholder device itself will be silent. If it's an effect, it will bypass the sound (or be silent, if connected as a send effect).
If you're collaborating with a friend you can safely save the song and send it back. When your friend opens the song, the Rack Extension device will be restored with all settings intact.
#Acquiring missing Rack Extensions
If you change your mind and want to hear the song with the Rack Extension(s) included, you could either download a paid version or a trial version from the Reason Studios web shop:
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Click inside the “View in Companion” area on the placeholder panel to launch the Companion app and from there get to the Reason Studios web shop and Try or Buy the Rack Extension:
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After you have downloaded the (paid or trial) Rack Extension device(s), restart Reason and open the song again.
Now, the Missing Device placeholders have been replaced by the downloaded Rack Extension(s) and the song will sound as originally intended.