A distorted guitar I created with the use of a Scream and a Thor Synth. There are also a few Stereo enhancements that were added. I needed this type of sound for one of the songs I was working on.
Play Example or Download the File: distorted-guitar.zip
[ti_audio media=”251″ repeat=”1″]
Description: This is a distorted guitar I created with the use of a Scream and a Thor Synth. There are also a few Stereo enhancements that were added. I needed this type of sound for one of the songs I was working on, and it fit perfectly in my mix. Maybe you can find a use for it as well.
Features: For the Thor, the Pitch Bend is set to +/- 7 semitones. Mod Wheel controls the Comb Filter (Filter 1) Frequency. The Thor Rotaries and Buttons aren’t mapped to anything, so you can play with those if you like. The nice part of this Combi is the fact that it uses a Scream to control distortion. On the Combi, you can control the following:
Rotary 1: Controls the amount of Distortion of the Scream (along with Parameter 2). The higher you go, the more distortion.
Rotary 2: Controls the Thor’s Comb Filter (Filter 1) Frequency. Lower = more cutoff, Higher = less cutoff.
Rotary 3: Controls the Thor’s Low Pass Ladder Filter (Filter 2) Frequency. Lower = more cutoff, Higher = less cutoff.
Rotary 4: Controls the Thor’s Amp attack and Release. Lower = faster attack/less release. Higher = slower attack/more release.
Button 1: Adds Tape Warmth from the first Scream (Bypasses the Scream or enables it)
Button 2: Turns on the first Stereo Enhancement (Widens up the Hi band greatly and Lo band a little bit). The button enables or bypasses this Stereo Imager.
Button 3: Turns on the second Stereo Enhancement (Widens both the Lo and Hi bands quite a bit). The button enables or bypasses this Stereo Imager.
Button 4: Turns the Guitar Modulation on or off. This is some modulation that was set up on the back of the second scream unit and since it’s controlled by a Matrix, you need to have the song in play/record mode to hear it. Otherwise, you won’t hear anything. So, for example, if you are simply playing the combi without setting the song in motion with the play button, the matrix won’t be triggered and you won’t hear the modulation. This basically adds a certain amount of randomness to the sound, which worked out well for one of my own songs. Otherwise, you can turn it off by pressing this button (keeping the button on).
Usage: Used as a Lead Guitar.
Other Notes: Use the pitch bend wheel to create some pretty realistic string bending (at least to my ears).
Learn how to transfer all settings from one channel in the Reason Mixer to one channel in the Record Main Mixer. With this technique you can properly tranfer any song with any mixer settings from Reason to Record.
As a beta tester, when I got Record I was super excited. I promptly downloaded and installed, and went to open it up. I was salivating by the time all three record windows were opened stacked in front of me on my screen. The “AHHHHH” moment. A halo emanated around my computer. Come on, you know what I mean. I first saw the double rack and was amazed. Then I looked at the main mixer and my jaw hit the ground. Beautiful! A work of art. now I can finally work on making my tracks truly sing.
Then I opened a Reason song. And everything that I had hoped and dreamed got shattered in one swift moment. What? My mixer with 9 tracks and automation applied to the sends, EQ settings, panning, levels got reduced to a measly single track attached to the new main mixer in Record. All my earlier praise now turned to dismay.
I’m sure most of you know exactly what I mean. You’ve been there. You’ve gone through the same agony. So what do you do now? Curl up in a ball? Send Record back to the Props? Well, you could do that. Or you can read this tutorial and learn how to properly transfer all your settings from the 14:2 mixer in Reason into the SSL Main Mixer in Record. It’s not that hard, as you’ll see. But it is a little time consuming, depending how many tracks you have. And I’m not going to undertake doing an entire song mix. What I’ll do is show you how to transfer all settings from one channel in the Reason Mixer into one channel in the Record Main Mixer. Once you have that down, you can do any number of channels, no matter how complicated the song. So let’s get busy.
Before starting, I’ve put together a zip package with the project files. It contains the Reason song with a single channel and the Record version of the same song once it was converted: Download the Project Files.
It should be noted here that if you have not yet done any serious mixing in your main reason mixer, and don’t have any automation set up for any mixer parameters AND don’t have any CV setup for the Pans/Levels on the back of the mixer, then you can safely open the Reason song in Record and delete your main mixer. Then you can select all the (now disconnected) devices, right-click, and choose “Auto-route Device.” This will create Mix Channels for all the devices. Depending on how creative your connections were to begin with, you may find a few devices that require some custom routing after you do this. [thanks to Mattpiper from the Props forum for this excellent tip]
However, if you already have your mix set up with a lot of automation applied to the Reason main mixer device, then read onward, because this article is for you!
First thing, open the Reason song, mixer and all, in Record.
Next, you’re going to have to move any mastering Combinator or devices into the Master Section in Record. Let’s say we have a “Dance” Combinator inserted between the Reason Mixer and the Hardware Interface. Select all the devices in the Dance Combi and move it into the Master Section. Flip the rack around, and move the “From Devices” and “To Devices” cables from the Dance Combi to the same ins/outs of the Master Section. Then delete the audio ins/outs from the dance Combi, and delete the Dance Combi altogether. You don’t need it anymore.
Adding the mastering Combi into the Master Section
Now let’s assume you have a Matrix set up to control the Panning of the channel, and another Matrix set up to control the Level of the channel. You’ll have to flip to the back of the rack, and move the CV inputs from the Reason Mixer to the CV inputs of the Mix channel. Then adjust the pots to the same settings they were at in the Reason Mixer. Level and Pan is done. Note that if you have several channels set up in your song, you’ll have to create the same number of Mix devices in Record.
Pan / Level CV rerouted to the Mix Device
Next, let’s move the Aux Sends/Returns from the Reason Mixer to the Master Section’s Sends/Returns in Record. This is pretty straightforward. Plus in Record you can now set up 8 Aux sends if you want, which is more than enough power. But in the example I’ve provided there was a Reverb and a Delay set up. So we’ll move those over now.
Send / Return cable rerouting to the Master Section
Our last cable job is to move the Lead Audio Cables from the first channel in the Reason Mixer over to the Main L/R input on the Mix Device. You can now flip the rack around. You’re done with the cabling.
Cabling the Main Audio outs from the Lead track to the Input on the Mix Device
Now let’s move to the Record mixer. Press F5 and F6 at the same time to show both the rack and the main mixer in record. If your channels have any settings that ARE NOT automated, but are static for the entire duration of the song (and are different from their default setting), then you can adjust those settings on the main mixer channels in Record. For example, if a channel is set to a level of 90 in the main Reason mixer, and stays at 90 through the duration of the entire song, then you can change the dB level on the Main Record Mixer’s channel to -2.8 dB and leave it there. If the Level stays at 100 for the duration of the entire song in Reason, then you won’t need to change a thing in Record, because the level is already set to 0.0 dB. Make sense so far?
At this point, you’ve probably realized that the new Mixer in Record use decibel values, not midi values. This is a good change, however, it makes it a little difficult to translate levels and send values from the old mixer. So I put together this little chart in PDF format that you can download to see the values. You may not get to use those exact values shown in the chart due to the jumps between values in the Record Mixer, but you can get pretty close. Thanks to Selig on the Props forum for the chart values. Download the Midi to dB Conversion Chart. Note that the chart is also included in the Project Files zip above.
Next, turn the sends 1 and 2 on in the Main Mixer’s Send section in Record. Since the example file has automation set up for these sends, right-click and select Automate. Do this for both sends. However, don’t move to the sequencer just yet. Instead, Look at the other elements on the channel that are automated, and do the same for those as well. So in our example, the solo and level parameters are automated, so right-click and select “Edit Automation” for those two parameters as well.
Turning on and adjusting the Send settingsSelecting "Edit Automation" for all parameters which were automated in the Reason Mixer
One last thing in the Mixer. If you’ve adjusted the Reason Mixer’s EQ settings for Bass and Treble, you’ll have to map that over to the Record mixer as well. The best way to do this is to adjust the HF (High Frequency) and LF (Low Frequency) settings in the EQ section of Record’s main mixer. This is a shelving EQ which controls your bass and treble. Note that it gives you more control over the Bass/Treble settings that you’d find on the 14:2 Mixer in Reason, because it allows you to dial in the proper frequency range to affect. So you’ll have to use your ears for this one. For more on the EQ settings found in the new Record Mixer, you should read Ernie Rideout’s great article: Tools for Mixing: EQ (Parts 1 and 2).
Converting the Treble and Bass EQ settings
Finally, we move to the sequencer. Press F7 on your keyboard to open the Sequencer. Notice that you have the Mixer with all the parameter automation, but since you selected “Edit Automation” for all those same parameters in Record’s mixer, you have all those lanes set up under the Mix Device. Now it’s just a matter of moving the clips from the Mixer into the proper lanes in the Mix Device. To make things easier (if your song is very long), expand the view by dragging the view window along the bottom of the sequencer all the way to the right, or click the “Zoom Out” magnifying glass at the bottom-left in the horizontal scroll view.
Zooming out to see the whole track in view along the timeline
When you move the automation over, some lanes may show “Alien Clips.” To convert the lanes to proper automation, right-click and select “Adjust Alien Clips to Lane.”
Adjusting Alien Clips to Lane
And last but not least, right-click on the Mixer device in the sequencer and select “Delete Track and Device.” You won’t need it anymore. You’ve now converted your Reason song into Record and are free to mix and master your song using the SSL Mixer in Record. The sound should be pretty darn close to the original mix in Reason.
The Final step: Deleting the Mixer
Be sure to save your song as a .record file. You’ll still have the original Reason song saved away which you can open as a reference, as opening Reason songs in Record does not overwrite your Reason song. It leaves it as is. The really nice thing about the Record mixer is that it gives you a wide array of other options which cannot be found on the Reason mixer, such as High and Low Pass filters, Compression, and a Main Compressor you can apply to the overall mix. More Sends, and handling of rotary and button controls for your devices makes this mixer a huge and powerful addition to your Reason software. So go forth and convert. It takes some time, but the more you do it the better you’ll get at it.
What are your experiences with song conversion from Reason to Record? Did you find this helpful? Is there anything I’ve missed? Please comment and let me know.
This post is intended to answer some very common pitfalls that new Reason recruits have when it comes to using the software. Let’s face it, we were all new once, and we all had the same questions. So let’s get all of this out of the way right now so that we never lock our keys inside our cars again.
This post is intended to answer some very common pitfalls that new Reason recruits have when it comes to using the software. Let’s face it, we were all new once, and we all had the same questions. So let’s get all of this out of the way right now so that we never lock our keys inside our cars again.
The Top Ten list below is an attempt to answer the most frequent questions that are heard time and time again, and to help you in the event you get caught up in the program and can’t untangle yourself. Use it as a checklist before posting on the Props forum or elsewhere for answers.
Coming in at number 1 is the Midi In/Out and Audio In/Out question. Reason is Midi In / Audio Out. Plain and simple. You can’t directly record audio into Reason (try using Audacity to do that – it’s a great free audio editor). And you can’t use Reason to output to Midi of any kind. It should be noted, however, that you can record something in Audacity or any other editor for that matter, and then bring the audio into Reason as a sample in one of the Sampler Devices in Reason (the NN-19, NN-XT, Dr. Rex, or Redrum). It should also be noted that if you want to bring audio into Reason, Propellerhead offers “Record” as a solution. As a third and final alternative, you can ReWire Reason as a slave to your favorite DAW, which essentially opens up the possibility of using Reason devices as VSTs within the DAW environment (though they are NOT VSTs per say, they just act like them). This also allows you to tempo synch Reason to other instruments in your DAW environment. You also can’t use Reason to control external midi instruments. It just doesn’t do it. Keep thinking Midi-In/Audio-Out and you’ll be safe in understanding the Reason workflow.
HELP! There’s nothing displayed in the Browser. I can’t see any samples or patches. Did I lose or erase them? Relax, grab a cup of coffee and listen carefully. You didn’t lose them and you didn’t erase them. Chances are that you opened the File Browser from a specific device (from the little folder icon on your device), and you started to navigate through the other folders in the Factory Sound Bank. When you do this, the Browser is only going to report back any samples or patches that can be loaded into the device in question. This is a feature, not a mistake, as it’s meant to keep the browser focussed on only the right areas. For example, let’s say you create an NN-XT and click the patch browser icon — little file icon — to open the Browser again. Then you navigate to the “Combinator Patches” folder. You won’t see anything, because there are no NN-XT patches for the Browser to report back to you. Here’s the fix. Look at the top right side of the File Browser where it says “Shows: NN-XT Sampler Patches.” Click the drop-down and select “All Instruments.” You’ll now see all the Combinator Patches, as well as any other instrument patches that are available. Furthermore, if you select a Combinator Patch after doing this, the NN-XT device you were working with changes to a Combinator automatically. Note that it’s usually a good idea to right-click in the rack and select Create > Instrument or Create > Effect when creating new devices. This way, when the Browser opens you’re not limited to a specific set of patches for a specific device. Note also that the File Browser does distinguish between an instrument and a device, and this is hard-coded into the software. So you can’t truly see all patches and samples at once. You can only see “All Instruments” or “All Effects.”
How come I can’t automate the parameters in an NN-XT or elsewhere, or rather, how do I know what I can and can’t automate? First off, you can automate any parameters that are in the main NN-XT device (Global and Performance controls at the top). You cannot automate any of the parameters you find within the Remote Editor. This is because automation would get out of control. Think about this: if you have 100 samples and each of them have separate parameters within the Remote Editor, that’s way more parameters than your computer could handle if you were to start automating them. So think of this as the price for power. You have complete control over all samples, but you just can’t automate them (note that you can adjust them in real-time and during performances). As for finding out what can and can’t be automated, there are 2 easy ways to figure it out. First, you can right-click on any parameter and look at the context menu. If you see “Edit Automation” and it is available, you can automate it. If you don’t see “Edit Automation” or it is grayed out, then you can’t automate it. Alternately, click on the device in question, then go to Options > Remote Override Edit Mode. You’ll see small blue downward arrows over all the controllable (ie: automatable) parameters. Anything you can control from a controller, you can automate in the sequencer. Once in edit mode, you can click any other device to see their automatable parameters as well.
Why can’t I record anything into “x” device? Why don’t I hear anything? Why is there no sequencer track? This is most likely because you are trying to record parts for a device that is inside a Combinator. By default, when you create a Combinator, the Combinator gets a sequencer track. But devices that are combined within the Combinator do not. If a device is created on it’s own (not part of a Combinator), it will automatically get its own track. To record parts into a device which is nested inside a Combinator, first select the device inside the Combinator (the device you want to record on a sequencer track). Right-click and select “Create track for ‘x'” which will create a sequencer track for the device in question. Then you can go into the sequencer, give the track focus (if you just created it, it will already have recording focus), and start recording parts for it. This goes for all instrument devices, FX devices, and mixers (basically everything except the spiders).
I’m recording via my controller, but nothing is recorded in the track on the sequencer. This could be due to the fact that you didn’t give the right track Recording focus (Enable Recording) on the track in question. First, look to the sequencer and see if anything was recorded. Do you see a clip on any of the tracks that was just generated. If so, that’s the track you’ve been focusing. To enable recording on a sequencer track, click the circle located next to the device thumbnail to the left on the sequencer track. Also, click the track itself to make sure it’s highlighted. Then click record in your transport and start recording. You should be all set.
I added an Arpeggiator and adjusted settings, but it’s not affecting the sound. This is another common pitfall. The Arp is much like the Matrix in that it doesn’t generate any sound, it is used to sequence another sound device, but your parts need to be located on the Arp track, not the sound device track. You probably have your clips on the sound device track in the sequencer. You’ll hear the sound device, but the arp won’t be affecting it. Just move the clips to the Arp track and you’re done. Once your parts are on the Arp track, you’ll hear the sounds. If you want to make the notes permanent, give your sound device track focus in the sequencer, then go to the rack and right-click on the Arp device, and select “Arpeggio Notes to Track.” Don’t forget to delete the clips on the Arp track or delete the Arp device and track entirely, otherwise you’ll be doubling up on the sound.
I can’t load samples or Patches in my NN-XT. The NN-XT is divided into two sections: 1. the top section is the Global Parameter section for the entire device. Here you can load patches, but not samples. 2. The Remote Editor. If you click the tiny drop-down arrow at the bottom left of the device, you’ll open the “Remote Editor” which is similar on the RV7000 Advanced Reverb. Basically, this opens up the sample editor. Here you can load your samples, but not patches. It’s important to note that the NN-XT and NN19 are the only devices where you can load both patches and samples, and it’s important to note the different areas where each can be loaded.
The Matrix doesn’t start or stop where I want it to start and stop. The Matrix can be thought of as a mini-sequencer. It’s monophonic so it will only play a single synth voice if you are connecting the notes via CV to another device. But another area that trips people up is the fact that it is synchronized to the timing and beats of the song tempo when playing in Real-time. It starts and stops based on the bar of your song. It cannot switch patterns between bars. It needs to follow through to the end of a bar before it can adjust to a new pattern. For this reason, it’s important to think through how you want your patterns to play. You can insert up to 32 patterns for each Matrix device, so if you need things to switch differently, it pays to have a plan and insert your patterns as you want them played for a full bar of your song (at least as much as a bar). The other alternative is to speed up the tempo of your song or track as fast as you can. Then the switching can be extremely quick between your patterns. It should be noted that you can have the Matrix start and stop as you wish if you add pattern clips on the Matrix Sequencer track. What I’m referring to here is Real-time use of the Matrix device.
I am not hearing anything from the Vocoder I just inserted. The BV512 Vocoder is a special FX device which requires two sounds: 1. a Source or Carrier and 2. a Modulator. The Carrier signal is Stereo and is used as the main sound source. The Modulator, on the other hand, is monophonic and requires only a single input. If you need to cable a stereo sound into the Modulator, you can do so by spidering the left and right outputs of the sound together in a spider audio merger, and then send the output into the Modulator input. The modulator is what affects the sound. It pays to have a Modulator signal that has a lot of harmonics, while the carrier can be any kind of sound. The best way to see for yourself is to set up a nice lead synth connected to the Mixer. Then record your parts onto the lead’s sequencer track. After this, cable the lead outputs into the Carrier inputs on the back of the Vocoder. Then add a Subtractor and cable the Subtractor’s output into the Modulator input on the Vocoder. Play with the settings on the Subtractor to hear how the Subtractor is affecting your lead. You can get some really nice sounds out of this type of setup, and the Subtractor is a good Modulator with a lot of options. Of course, don’t let that limit you. You can use any sound as a source and any sound as a modulator. So experiment until you find some useful setups. After a while, you’ll instinctively figure out what works best for the Vocoder according to your own tastes.
I lost the data on my hard drive / My hard drive is corrupt / My computer freaked out and I can’t find my songs. This isn’t a Reason pitfall, but it is most certainly important no matter what music you make or what software you use. So I’m adding it here. Make sure you first verify with someone who knows all there is to know about computers (your local IT guy, geek squad, brother-in-law super computer genius, or some other computer freak) that you did indeed lose the data on your hard drive. If that’s the case nothing can help you now. You’ve lost your data. You’ve lost your music and songs, and you’ll need to get a new hard drive or reinstall windows or something along those lines. Once you’re back in business with your computer, go get your backup drive, CD, or DVD media that has all your songs on it and transfer them back onto the computer. Oh wait. You don’t have a backup huh? Well then I think you’ve learned a very valuable lesson here right? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR SONGS. Here’s my strategy. First I have a single folder called “Reason” and under this folder I have subfolders for songs, refills, output, misc, etc. Keep this folder outside the realm of the Reason folder (when you upgrade reason, you wipe out the reason folder, so you don’t want your files wiped out. This prevents that from happening). Back up the entire folder once a month on two different formats (I back it up onto a portable hard disk AND DVD media). The chances of both hard drives crashing and all my DVDs breaking at the same time are astronomically slim (incidentally I keep all the DVDs in a firebox just in case — call me paranoid. That’s ok with me ;-). I back this folder up in both places once each and every month. I even have a reminder setup in my email so I don’t forget. Every first of the month, it takes me about 1 hour. Call that hour an insurance policy against what could take me 5 years to remake all my songs, sounds, etc. and it’s doubtful I could remake it the exact same way twice. So it’s a good bargain if you ask me.
Do you have any pitfalls that weren’t covered here? Do you think there are other “common” ones that weren’t mentioned?
In this project I’m going to demonstrate a few ways you can use Thor’s filters, FX (Delay and Chorus), and LFOs creatively by routing any of your audio sources through Thor. This can be a great way to punch up some drums or create new innovative sounds from any of the synths. So let’s start our exploration.
In this project I’m going to demonstrate a few ways you can use Thor’s filters, FX (Delay and Chorus), and LFOs creatively by routing any of your audio sources through Thor. This can be a great way to punch up some drums from a Redrum, or to create some new innovative sounds from any of the synths. Furthermore, you’re not limited to using only 1 filter. You can connect your audio through a series of Thor devices to gain access to more than 1 filter at a time. So let’s start our exploration.
Basic Audio Filtering through Thor:
Open Reason. In the rack create a Combinator and inside the Combinator create a Thor, initialize the patch, and then create a Redrum underneath. Add a drum kit and create a simple pattern with a kick, high hat and a few other drums. Don’t make it too complex. Use about 4 or 5 drum samples to create the pattern.
With all the hard work done, now we’ll do some routing. Flip the rack around and route the Left and Right audio output from the Redrum into the “Audio In 1” and “Audio in 2” on the Thor.
Basic cable routing to pipe audio through Thor
Flip the rack back around, show the Programmer for Thor, and uncheck all the little green lights in the “note” section (the section that is dark and not light brown). Also, turn the analog osc.1 off, and bypass the Ladder Filter (Filter 1). Then turn off the routing between Osc.1 and Filter 1 (the little red “1” light). In the top device section, set Polyphony and Release Poliphony to “0” and turn off both trigger lights (Midi and Step Seq). The point is that you don’t need any of that mumbo jumbo.
Add a Filter into the third Filter slot of Thor. A Low Pass Ladder or Comb filter works well with Drums, but you can use any filter you like.
At this point, most people will press play and think that they should be hearing something. But we’re not finished yet. We need to reroute the default Thor audio signal. Here’s how to do that: In the MBRS (short for “Modulation Bus Routing Section”) of Thor, in the first row on the left, click on the “Source” and select the bottom-most option “Audio Input > 1” then set the “Amount” column to “100.” Click the “Destination” column and select “Filter 3 > Left In.” On a new row, do the same thing, but for Audio Input 2 as a source and “Filter 3 > Right In” as the destination.
The MBRS at the bottom of Thor
Now press play. You’ll hear the drum pattern, which is routed through Filter 3 in Thor, then to the Chorus and Delay section, and back out to the mixer.
Optionally, you can use the FX (Delay and Chorus), or route the LFO2 to affect any of the parameters in Filter 3 or the FX. One thing I like to do is turn on both the Delay and Chorus. Then in the MBRS section, program the two FX Dry/Wet parameters to the two Rotaries. If you use amounts of +100 for both, then turn the actual Dry/Wet knobs on the FX all the way down, you create a controllable Delay and Chorus effect via the Rotaries. I also use the Mod wheel to control the Filter 3 Frequency or Resonance or both. That way, it’s all controllable. If you want to push it further, you can assign the LFO2 to affect the Frequency or Resonance via one of the Thor buttons. This all gives you a great degree of control over affecting the sound. Download the example file (at the bottom of this post) to see these routings.
The front of Thor, with all routings for the FX and LFO2
First, here’s an example of the original sound:
[ti_audio media=”177″ repeat=”1″]
Second, here’s an example with the audio filtered through Thor (remember, you can adjust the filter to taste):
[ti_audio media=”175″ repeat=”1″]
As an aside, if you’re using Record and have an audio track, you can still route your audio through Thor, by cabling the direct output of the audio track to the Thor inputs 1 + 2 as shown below.
Routing an audio track in Record through Thor
Audio Filtering through a Series of Thor Filters:
By now, you will have noticed that plugging audio through Thor gives you access to the global section (the parts of Thor that are light brown). What if you want the use of more than one filter. Let’s say you want your audio path to move this way: Audio Device > Formant > Comb > Low Pass Ladder? Well, it’s really quite simple. Follow the above directions to set up your first Thor, and then build upon that as follows:
Flip the Rack around. Right-click over Thor and select “Duplicate Devices and Tracks.” Do this one more time. You should now have 3 Thor devices.
Move the “Audio In” cables from the first Thor to the bottom-most Thor’s “Audio Ins” and then cable the “Audio Outs” from that bottom-most Thor into the Thor above’s “Audio Ins.” Finally, cable the “Audio Outs” from the middle Thor to the “Audio Ins” of the top-most Thor.
Flip the rack around again to see the front. Then switch the bottom-most Filter 3 to “Formant” and top-most Filter 3 to “Low Pass Ladder.”
Press Play and adjust the three filters to taste. It might help to bypass the filters on the top two Thors. Adjust the bottom filter, then turn the middle filter on, adjust it, and then finally turn the top Thor filter on and adjust it. That’s all there is to it. 3 filters affecting one sound source.
Routing Thor filters in series to affect a sound source
Example of the Filters in Series:
[ti_audio media=”178″ repeat=”1″]
Audio Filtering separate Drums through Thor:
All of the above is fine and dandy, but what if you don’t want all the Drums filtered the same way. Let’s say, for example, you want the Bass Drum to be filtered by a Low Pass Ladder filter and the High Hat to be filtered through a High Pass in a State Variable filter. Well, without getting too complicated, here’s what you do:
Follow the steps to create a Basic Thor Filter above.
Create a Line Mixer 6:2 and move it to the top of the Devices in the Combinator.
Flip the Rack around, and delete the audio output cables from the Redrum.
Duplicate the Thor device (so you now have two Thor devices under the Line Mixer.
Move the Audio Outputs from the first Thor into the Master Audio Outputs of the Line Mixer.
Cable the Bass Drum Audio Outputs from the Redrum to the first Thor’s Audio Inputs 1 + 2
Cable the High Hat Drum Audio Outputs from the Redrum to the second Thor’s Audio Inputs 1 + 2
Cable the Audio Outputs from the two Thors into Channels 1 & 2 on the Line Mixer.
Routing two separate filters to control the Bass and High Hat Drums
Cable the other Drums into the free channels on the Line Mixer.
Routing all the drums to the Line Mixer
Flip the Rack around again to the front, and then insert the Filters of your choice into the Filter 3 slots of both Thors. Adjust them to taste in order to affect the Bass and High Hat Drums
Example of separately filtered Drums (with a little delay on the High Hat):
[ti_audio media=”176″ repeat=”1″]
Some Final Thoughts:
Finally, just because you filter one sound through the Global section of Thor, this doesn’t mean you can’t use the Thor to generate a sound of its own. This way, you end up merging two sounds together in a kind of layering. If you want to see how this is done, look at the “Synth+Filter – Droid Chatter” Combinator in the example files. You can do some pretty interesting things this way. Additionally, you can take one sound source, split it into two different Thor filters and then route them to two separate channels in the mixer, or back into one channel if you like. A wealth of options and possibilities, for sure.
Example of a Synth Arp + Thor with an Analog Oscillator, both generating sound. The Synth Arp is being filtered through Thor while Thor is generating a sound of it’s own. This creates a layered effect:
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So as you can see, routing audio through Thor is not difficult, but most people miss the step about the Modulation Bus Routing Section. If you remember to reroute the audio signal, you’re golden. That’s it in a nutshell. nothing fancy.
I mainly use Thor’s comb or Low Pass Ladder filter to affect drums and then put it all in a combinator. But that’s just one way you can use Thor. Are there any other ways you Route your audio through Thor? Do you have some creative ideas that I haven’t covered here? Please share them. I’m curious to see how people are using Thor to affect external sources.
These are two Pad sounds based on an FM tutorial I read on the Propellerhead site. However, this sound is completely different from the sound I heard there. I just love the space of the sounds. One is clean, the other is distorted with a moderate dose of noise.
Play Examples or Download the File
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Description: These are two Pad sounds based on an FM tutorial I read on the Propellerhead site. However, this sound is completely different from the sound I heard there. I just love the space of the sounds. One is clean, the other is distorted with a moderate dose of noise.
Two Pad sounds - one clean, the other with noise
Features: The “Apollo Mission” Pad does not have any programming tied to it. It’s pretty much a one-off sound. The “Apollo Mission 2” Pad, however, has a few things going on. First, use the Mod Wheel to control the State Variable Filter (Filter 1) Frequency and Resonance. Turning up the wheel on it’s own will give it a new dimension, not quite as noise-laden, and the Resonance gives it a sweet warbling sound that I really like. Rotary 1 will increase the resonance on the third filter and at the same time reduces the shaper’s effect on the sound. The second Rotary fades the level of Oscillator 3, and removes a good portion of the noise. Turned fully up and you get a completely clean Pad sound. Using Button 1 will make the Pad Growl more. Essentially it Reduces the Pitch of Oscillator 3. You gotta love these FM sounds. They can do so much more than bells with very little effort.
Usage: Used as a Pad or Texture.
Other Notes: Try using a combination of the Mod Wheel and Rotary 1 together. This gives the whole pad a very soft and far away sound. I’m not partial to the sound made if you raise both Rotaries together to full max. So I would stay away from that. It can get to be a little too high-pitch for my taste. But see if you like it (obviously now that I said not to try it, you’ll go ahead and try it. 😉 If you want extra growl, Turn Button 1 on, and then push the Mod Wheel up. This provides a nice growling edge to the sound.
Description: This is one of my signature sounds. I used it for my song “A View from the Edge” found on my Phi Sequence Mount Royal & Fairmount page.
Shock Treatment Lead
Features: Pitch Bend set to +/- 7 semitones. Mod Wheel controls the Formant Filter (Filter 2) gender (positive 100), as well as the level of Oscillator 1+2. Rotary 1 controls the global Delay Time from 142 ms backward by 50% to 72 ms for a very interesting spacey effect which makes the sound get more closed in, as if you’re using a “small space” reverb. Rotary 2 plays around with the X-Y of the Formant Filter (Filter 2).
Usage: Used as either a Lead or a Bass.
Other Notes: Try playing with the BW slider between Oscillator 1 and 2. I find that can generate some nice new sounds.
let’s discuss the possibility of adding a whole new dimension to your sound arsenal by creating Matrix device templates that speed up your workflow. Sound like something that could benefit you? Read on. . .
There is a wealth of devices, patches and samples available in the Factory, Record, and Orkester Soundbanks. And the amount of refills available on the internet grows each and every day. So why are we going to discuss yet another Device Toolbox? Because this one is going to be a little different. Here, I’m going to explore what isn’t in any of the prefab refills provided with the software. Here I’m going to discuss ways in which you can create your own repository of Matrixes. If you extend this idea, you can create your own Redrum devices as well, or how about a complete storehouse of Bass lines and melody lines. It all revolves around the same idea below. So let’s discuss the possibility of adding a whole new dimension to your sound arsenal by creating device templates that will speed up your workflow 10 times over. Sound like something that could benefit you? Read on. . .
Device Toolbox – a multitude of kits
Let’s start by creating an empty document. This document is going to be used to house a variety of matrixes, but no sounds will be generated. So contrary to the way you usually start off a song, you won’t need a mixer or any kind of insert or send effects. Simply start by opening a blank document and off we go.
You should get into the habit of saving your document right off the bat. So let’s do that now. Give the document a name like “Matrix Toolbox” or something you will remember.
Next, create a matrix. Change the switch from Keys to Curve, and Steps to 32. Add in a curve that you use most often. Perhaps a sawtooth or sine-shaped curve. Now switch to the second pattern. Since the Matrix can house up to 32 curves, you may as well maximize the use of the Matrix and use up all those slots. That way when you insert this matrix into your projects, you have 32 choices right off the hop. So add in the next pattern. You can elect to store the Resolution and number of steps along with the pattern settings, but I prefer to leave these as is when creating some general curves (for CV control, such as panning or level control on a mixer channel, for example). This is because using all 32 steps allows you a greater degree of control over the curve. And the resolution will change depending on your song, so change that later when you insert the Matrix into an actual project.
We’re only creating the repository here, so go nuts. Add in a bunch of Matrixes. In my project file I’ve added a lot of random Matrixes, with random notes and curves because this can do wonders for glitch tunes. Use 10 Matrixes tied to the 10 channels of a Redrum and you have an instant glitch kit. So keep adding. When you’re done, save the entire project as an .rns or .record file. Then when you have a song file open that requires some CV control, you’ve got a whole warehouse of Matrixes at your fingertips. Just open up the toolbox, and copy the Matrix into your song file. Don’t forget this can work in reverse as well, so as you work on your song projects, and create new Matrixes with new curves, open up the toolbox file and add the new curve(s) into a new Matrix for later retrieval.
A variety of Matrixes ready to go with nothing more than copy & paste
There are quite a few ways you can use a Matrix. You can have them control a sound device’s LFO, Filter Frequency, Resonance, etc. or you can use the Matrix as a monophonic note player which plays the sound device for you. You can also use it to control many different parameters in a combinator, and you can even control the pattern selection of the Matrix itself via a rotary on a combinator. These are pretty powerful devices. See below for a some suggestions. I’ve also included a ton of pattern variations in a nice little package for you (so all the legwork is done). You can download the file below.
Curves 1-32: Contains Main Curves that can be used for CV control of other devices, with a focus on LFO curves. Most of the main curves here are familiar ones, with Sine, Sawtooth, Pulse Width, etc. Make sure that you switch to Bipolar on the back of the matrix in order to open up the curves to any control which is bipolar in nature (such as controlling the panning of a channel). Switching between Unipolar and Bipolar is a simple way to extend the use of these curves and essentially doubles the amount of curves contained in a single matrix from 32 to 64.
Curves 33-64: More curve fun. This set is more focused on melody and beat than LFO use, but of course you can use any one of these curves to control any CV parameter (LFO, beats, filter frequency, filter resonance, etc).
Buildup Crv: This Matrix uses a sawtooth curve as its basis. You’ll see the same curve in all 32 banks, but each slot adjusts the steps upward incrementally (A1 has 1 step, A2 has 2 steps, etc.). This is more experimental than anything else, but the thought is that you can use this Matrix to slowly build up a pad or any other sound by placing this matrix in a combinator, having the matrix control a sound device, and programming the pattern to a rotary. Then create an automation track for the combi, and slowly bring up the rotary along the length of the sequencer, the sound should build upward incrementally. Of course, you don’t have to use it in a combi, and instead can program the pattern section of the matrix directly in the sequencer, but this would take you much more time as you would have to fiddle with the pattern changes in the sequencer. Try the combi idea first. It’s easier. Then also If you want to create a fade-out “build-down” instead, simply reverse the programming of the Pattern section in the combi’s mod matrix. Simple.
Rnd Crv-Key: This can be used for random curves or random keys. Every pattern in this matrix lasts for 32 steps and is using 1/16th resolution. So the timing and length of the patterns stay the same, however, the patterns themselves are different.
Rnd Step: Same as the Rnd Crv-Key Matrix, however, this time, the Length of the Patterns is also randomized (sequentially from 1 step in Bank A1 up to 32 steps in Bank D8). Try adding this to a combi and programming the pattern section to a rotary. Then in the sequencer create some crazy random vector automation to switch between all the patterns. Or control the rotary on your controller and have some fun spinning the dial for a bit of craziness.
Rnd Res: The same as the Rnd Step Matrix, except the Steps remain constant at 32 for each pattern. What changes here is the Resolution. Be warned that this can get a little chaotic because the Matrix switches in and out of Triplets, which I’ve always found a little jarring. But it’s there to play with.
Rnd All: The granddaddy of them all. This is the “everything-but-the-kitchen sink” of Matrixes. All banks are loaded with patterns, and everything is randomized: Steps, Resolution, Patterns. It’s the whole enchilada. Just be warned, this may create some complete and utter nonsense and may cause aural nausea. But again, it’s fun to tinker.
Rnd 4/4: This Matrix can be used for random curves or random keys. But it’s a lot less random than the Rnd All matrix. As the name suggests, all the notes and curves are completely random, however, the beats are kept to a basic 4/4 structure, and in 4 steps or beats per bar. Bank A1-A8 all use ¼ time, with 4/8/12/16/20/24/28 and 32 steps respectively. Same goes for Bank B1-B8, with the difference being everything is set in 1/8 time. Bank C1-C8 is 1/16 time, and Bank D1-D8 is 1/32 time. I set it up this way because I rarely utilize the ½, 1/64 or 1/128 time unless it’s something very specific. So this can be used in most general circumstances and create a cohesiveness to whatever parameter you’re controlling. At the same time it is still a random controller, so expect the unexpected. If you want to work only within a specific time, then place this matrix in a combi, and assign the pattern section to a rotary which controls only a specific bank (A: 0-7, B: 8-15, C: 16-23, or D: 24-31). If you instead want to work with only a specific amount of steps in different timings, then create a track for the matrix in the sequencer, and program the same numbers in each bank. For example, working with 8-step patterns only, you would program A2/B2/C2 and D2 in the sequencer. This way, all the timing would be different, but the amount of steps for each pattern remains the same.
The real power in this project lies in the fact that you only need to build the toolbox once, and you can reuse it as many times as you like. The more variety you have in the toolbox, the more variety you can insert into your song projects and the more organized you are, the quicker you can do it. So think about applying this idea not only to Matrixes, but how about Redrum patterns, and other things like basslines or melody lines. You can create a whole series of quick beat loops or chord sequences that you can recall at a moment’s notice. Break out and create your own toolboxes to suit your needs.
Do you think this can help you out in your own work? What kinds of other items do you think you can turn into a toolbox? What other matrixes do you have that you’d like to share? Any suggestions for some Matrix patterns that I may have missed? Let me know and I’ll add it into the package.
My task a few weeks ago: To turn Propellerhead Record software into a CD mastering tool. Learn how to master 12 audio tracks in Record. A Record Template file is included.
So my task a few weeks ago: to turn Propellerhead Record software into a CD mastering tool. Keep in mind most of my tracks were already created in Reason and mostly fully formed. I had 12 tracks to master. My results:
Open Record and go into File > Create from Template > Album Mastering. The template opens with the default mastering suite as an insert effect before 10 empty audio tracks. Ok. not great. But just ok. I think what would have made it better here is if there were some reverb already plugged into the master FX sends, with all the sends switched on the master mixer and set to a low value (saving some steps here would do wonders). Though, since you can create your own templates out of anything, it’s not a major issue.
Opening the Record Album Mastering Template
I created two additional audio tracks (I have 12 tracks in total on my new CD project, not 10).
Adding 2 more audio tracks to the template
I updated the master insert effects with the mastering combinator. Under the Master Section, click “Show insert FX” to expand the FX section, and update the empty mastering suite with your own mastering FX. In this case, I used the “Dance” combinator, as I really like the sound that this mastering combinator gives to my own music. I realize that usually this is the last step when mastering the mix, and this may seem kind of backwards, but I find that once I have all the tracks laid out and they are ready to be mastered, I’d rather listen to how these FX work with each track and do all the final adjustments from there. And if you don’t want to do it this way, you can always bypass the Insert FX with the click of a button, toggling the dance combi on and off. A great way to see how it affects each track.
Note: since you can’t insert a combi inside the master section, one way to add the Dance mastering combi in there is to first right-click over the front of the master section and select “Clear Insert FX,” then create the dance combi underneath the master section (hold down shift, so it is not auto connected. Expand it, select all the devices inside it and then drag them into the master section. Flip the rack around and move the blue “To Devices” L and R cables which are still connected to the dance combi to the master sections “To Devices” L and R cables. Do the same for the “From Devices” cables and then delete the now-empty dance combi. Voila, the Dance combi and all connections are inside the master section as Insert FX (see the image below for a look at the back of the rack and the connections.
Back of the Master Section with a Mastering Suite Combi attached
I added two reverbs as send effects I added the “All Plate Spread” and “All Warm Plate” RV7000 units as send FX in the Master Section. I also set the dry/wet amounts very low (setting on 5 for each). This was done to add a little smooth reverb to all my tracks and make them “fit” or “glue” better together (see step 1 above — would have been nice if this step was already done).
Adding the two Reverbs as Send FX
Added each song (wav) file to each of the audio tracks using the File > import audio track on each channel and set them up one after the other in the sequencer timeline.
Note: You can also set your tracks up on top of each other in a stack if you prefer. This is probably a wiser course of action, but as this was my first time using Record to master my CD, I opted to try laying things out on a timeline. The benefit to laying it out sequentially is that you can track the total time of your songs combined. The downside is that it makes for a real pain when it comes to bouncing each song individually to a wav file. There’s a lot of movement of the L / R markers in the sequencer at that stage.
The tracks laid out in series within the Sequencer
Note: it was at this point I realized something. I had one track out of the 12 whose tempo was faster than it should have been. It took me a while, but I figured out that this was the only track that was output from Record, not Reason. When you import an audio track that was produced with record, it understands the tempo data from the file (The track was 100 bpm, while my “CD Mastering” project tempo was 120). If you import a wav file that was created via Reason’s export, it shows “no tempo data” which I still find a little odd.
Soooooooo…. I went to the tempo transport in the sequencer and switched the tempo to 100 for the duration of that one track. Problem fixed.
It was also at this point that I was glad that Record didn’t make the connection and understand the Reason song tempos. Otherwise I’d have to go back and write down the tempo of each of my songs, and then change the transport’s tempo over each song to match. What a pain that would have been.
Update: Mattpiper provided this nice little tip which avoids having to use the Tempo Automation Track: “In Record, you can right-click on any clip and select “Disable Stretch.” Then the clip will not have its tempo affected by the song tempo.” — Thanks Matt!
Disabling Stretch by right-clicking on the audio clip in the Sequencer
Back to my strategy:
Turned on “send 1” and “send 2” for all the audio tracks so the reverbs I set up were audible. Adjusted the send levels for each track to taste.
Adjusting the Send levels in the Main Mixer
Now the hard part: On the Main Mixer I adjusted compression settings for the Master Compressor, as well as for individual tracks. Also adjusted the LPF/HPF on some tracks, though not very much because as I say, all the work was already done in reason, and I didn’t want to go overboard. This process took a few days as I didn’t want to rush it and suffer from ear fatigue when adjusting these settings.
Final adjustments with the Master Compressor
Now the hard part (part 2): listened to each track once or twice and adjusted the volume levels so that they were just below clipping. My intention was to have them all evened out. I got about halfway through and called it quits for the night. Finished it in about 2 nights. For what it’s worth, I find that even if the song shows clipping in Reason or Record here and there (via the clip out light on the transport panel), as long as the clipping light is shown infrequently, and they are short clips, it doesn’t affect the final mixdown or output. Since this is the final adjustment before bouncing, I don’t mind pushing it. If I were still in the mixing stage, I would leave more headroom (about 2-3 dB).
Set up the L/R markers in the sequencer and bounced each song (LOOP) to an audio file individually. Loop is in caps for a reason. Since all the tracks are in the sequencer in sequence (how self-reflexive), each song is really considered a loop by the software. So don’t make the mistake of bouncing the song, otherwise you’ll end up with one huge wav file of the whole CD (of course, this may be what you’re after, but probably not).
It’s times like this I wish I could set up multiple start/stop markers within Record, and bounce them all to individual tracks with one click of a button. But Record just isn’t there yet. Note to props: this would be a great addition! Also, the whole project turned out to be 1.5GB, so it’s not for the feint of heart. But it’s worthwhile to do if it’s going to make all my tracks have a certain amount of consistency across the board.
Now tell me: do you think this is an approach that makes sense? I know we all have different approaches when it comes to mastering, but is there anything you would do differently? Anything you would add or subtract from this process? Any suggestions to improve this process? Would anyone care to share their own process using Record?
If you would like to listen to the final result, all the tracks on the CD can be found here: http://www.phisequence.com
Also, if you would like the template file, I’ve created the one I set up here, with the Dance Combi and Reverbs in the Master Section, as well as all the sends turned on. I also added the extra two audio tracks:
