26 – Automating your Groove

As most of us know, you can’t automate the Re-Groove in any way within Reason and Record. . . or can you? As with all things Reason-esque, there’s usually a workaround or two available for you. And Automating your Re-Groove, though time consuming, can indeed be accomplished. Here’s how.

As most of us know, you can’t automate the Re-Groove in any way within Reason and Record. . . or can you? As with all things Reason-esque, there’s usually a workaround or two available for you. And Automating your Re-Groove, though time consuming, can indeed be accomplished. Here’s how:

ReGroove Mixer Automation Workaround

Let’s assume you have a drum track tied to a Redrum (or as most of you will be going nuts for Kong, let’s say you have a Kong track). The easy way to set this up is the following:

  1. First, decide on a groove. Open up the ReGroove Mixer and then place that groove inside channels 1-8, or however many channels will require your groove movement. For now let’s set up 8 slots with the same groove.
  2. Next, you will need to create the same amount of note lanes for the device which you will be “Grooving.” So create 8 note lanes.
  3. In the case of Redrum, create the drum pattern using the pattern sequencer, and place this pattern on the first note lane for the Redrum (right-click on the Redrum step sequencer and select “Copy Pattern to Track” which places it on the current note lane).
  4. Go to the sequencer and copy the Redrum pattern 8 times. Move each copy to a separate lane in sequence. So, for example, note lane 1 will have the pattern from bar 0-2; note lane 2 will have the pattern from bar 3-4; and so on, right up to the 8th note lane.
  5. Associate a different groove with each note lane from A1 on the first note lane, right up to A8 for the eighth note lane.
  6. Now comes the fun part. On the ReGroove mixer, set up each channel as though it were steps in the step sequencer of the Matrix, except this time you are creating different “grooves” for each step between Channel 1 to Channel 8. If you want to get a better feel for setting this up, loop through each note lane’s note clip and adjust the parameters for the groove as you listen. Let your ear be your guide in this instance.

I hope you see where I’m going with this now. When you play your track forward, the drum beats play in sequence as if they are on a single lane, however, since you set up each lane with a different groove, you are essentially applying different grooves to each note clip and therefore changing the groove as the song progresses and as the note lanes switch from one to the other. Since you can create 32 different groove patterns, you have a 32-step groove sequencer using this method. The only downside is that your sequencer can get pretty cluttered quickly; especially if you split your different drums on different lanes (for example, if you have all your kicks on one lane, and your hi hats on another, and want to provide different grooves for each, you’ll have to create different sets of note lanes for each drum — up to 32 of course).

Still, if you are willing to invest a little time into your track, this ReGroove automation trick might come in very handy to create some further dynamics in your tracks. And you are not limited to applying this to drums only. You can apply this to any set of note lanes for any note-generating devices.


Just a Quick Tip. . . don’t forget your Solos and Mutes!

I just wanted to post this quick video to point out the idea of automating your solos and mutes on your mixer. Often times it’s easy to forget to use your mixer as a creative tool when producing the track. Having some play with the solos, mutes, and other aspects of the mixer can open you up to a lot of creative potential. It’s a great way to add more dynamism to your tracks.


Here’s a file based on Emile’s comment below this post. Emile’s tip is about tying the Noise Oscillator in slot 1 to an Analog Oscillator in slot 2. I kind of ran with it to provide a bit of a strange patch here. But it might spark some ideas. It has to do with modulating the kbd and pitch of the Noise Oscillator to affect the sound of the Analog Oscillator. The file is a zip format file which contains an .rns with the setup. Have a look here: kbd-pitch-idea


Well, that’s it for now. Let me know how these tricks work for you? And if you have any others, please start up a discussion and let us all benefit. Until next time, happy reasoning!

A Word of Thanks. . .

With the latest release of my “Generations” refill, there’s been a flurry of activity on other boards to help me promote it and showcase it to the world. I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to everyone for putting all of this together. Thumbnail and picture credit: Cristóbal Vila (http://vimeo.com/eterea)

Thanks for all the Flowers!
Image credit: Cristóbal Vila

With the latest release of my “Generations” refill, there’s been a flurry of activity on other boards to help me promote it and showcase it to the world. I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to everyone for putting all of this together. I am always humbled when people come together to help out. And you guys have certainly helped me out.

First, a word of thanks to Hydlide. Not only did you do an amazing job on the demo songs for the refill, but you put together a great series of videos to help show off some of the sounds inside the refill. If you missed it, you can find the full article here:

http://evanderheide.demon.nl/reason/reason101+generations.html

Another word of thanks goes out to Lewis for his great interview of yours truly. You did a wonderful job pulling all the elements together for this posting, and even shocked me to see some pictures up there that I thought had long been forgotten. So thanks for that. Those that missed out on the interview can find it here:

http://resonantfilter.blogspot.com/2010/08/10-questions-with-robert-anselmi-of.html

Another great thank you goes out to Robbneu from his Patch-a-day blog. He put together a wonderful testimonial. And his help along the way with some of my constructions was also a huge part of the whole refill process. Here’s what he had to say:

http://reasonpatchaday.blogspot.com/2010/08/reason-101-generations-refill.html

Without all of you guys, this project would never have been completed on time and I want you to know that your help was invaluable. And thanks to everyone else out there who helped me out in one way or another. It does not go unnoticed.

And a word of thanks to everyone out there on all the forum boards that ask so many interesting questions. Without those questions, I wouldn’t have such a great source of inspiration for these tutorials and patches. So thanks to all of you as well. Keep all the questions coming!


What’s in a Name?

Now another thing I’d like to bring up since we’re chatting. Some people have asked me where the moniker “Phi Sequence” comes from. In case you didn’t know, that’s the name under which I do most of my recording and CD/mp3 distribution at http://www.phisequence.com. The name actually comes from the golden rule of proportion, otherwise known as the Fibonacci sequence of numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on. More info about it can be found at the Wikipedia article for the Golden Ratio. The Golden ratio is expressed mathematically as 1.6180339887 (approximately).

There’s also another resource online which shows just how important this concept is, not only for mathematics, but also for music, science, the stock market, life, and nature. This number is a fundamental idea that permeates almost all aspects of physics and life as we know it. Read more about it here when you get a minute: http://www.goldennumber.net/

Also, my thanks to Guidosh at the Sound of Reason community for pointing out this amazing video. It’s a very short introduction to ways in which the Fibonacci sequence of numbers works in our world:

Nature by Numbers from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

25 – No-Nonsense Tips (Part 2)

In this second part, I’m going to provide even more quick tips that can be used as food for thought while you develop your tracks. These aren’t earth-shattering or advanced. They are just some easy tips to help out with some problems you might have or tips that show you a few capabilities you may have missed.

In this second part, I’m going to provide even more quick tips that can be used as food for thought while you develop your tracks. These aren’t earth-shattering or advanced. They are just some easy tips to help out with some problems you might have or tips that show you a few capabilities you may have missed. So let’s jump in.

Tip #1: Did you know this could be Automated? I didn’t.

This is probably the simplest of tips. While I learned about a year ago that you can assign the Destination and Scale Amount parameters from Thor’s Modulation Bus Routing System (MBRS) to a rotary on a Combinator, I completely neglected to realize that you can indeed automate any of the “Amount” parameters directly in Thor. So for example, if you setup a Vibrato in Thor, it would look something like this:

LFO2: 25 > Osc1 Pitch: 100 > ModWheel (Read Thor’s back panel — this is your basic Vibrato).

Great, but now, let’s automate that LFO2 amount so that the vibrato increases or decreases the pitch over time. Easy as easy can be. Simply right-click over the amount parameter on the front of Thor in the MBRS and select “Edit Automation.” Now you can automate the amount directly in the Sequencer. Pretty cool right?

The Amount settings in Thor's MBRS can also be automated
The Amount settings in Thor's MBRS can also be automated

Tip #2: Stealing unused CV from devices that are already there.

This is a great tip, and it’s one I use all the time. Let’s say you have most of the sound sources set up in your track. Now you want to modulate and automate parameters. Instead of creating new devices like the Subtractor, Malstrom, Matrix, etc. to modulate those destinations, why not steal modulation sources from the devices that are already in your track. This saves on CPU, and it means you ultimately have a less cluttered rack with less devices. The only thing you need to be careful about is making things overly complex, as it can get confusing quickly. But this is another trick I use all the time.

For example, if you have a Thor as one of your devices in your rack, you have access to a multitude of CV sources you can use to modulate other parameters and devices. Here’s just a few:

  • Curve 1 in the Step Sequencer
  • Curve 2 in the Step Sequencer
  • LFO 1
  • LFO 2
  • Mod Envelope
  • Amp Envelope

So if any of these are not currently being tapped for use by the Thor sound itself (and even if they are, you can still use them for other purposes), you can enlist them for CV duty anywhere else in your rack. Simply create the CV connection from the back of Thor to the destination CV input in the other device location. If you are using LFO2 or the Global Envelope outputs, then all you need to do is set up the LFO 2 or Global Envelope parameters on the front of Thor and you’re done. If you are using LFO 1 or the Amp envelope, you’ll have to set these up using the CV outputs on the back of Thor, and then setting them up in the MBRS. If using the Curves in the Step Sequencer, you can route the CV from the Curve CV outputs on the back of Thor.

You literally have an amazing supply of CV modulation sources all from one Thor device. So much so, that this may be all you need. You might not need to use the LFO from another Subtractor or the Mod A and B from a Malstrom, and you may not need to add a bunch of Matrix units. With Thor, you can keep everything contained in one location. And chances are that you probably already have a Thor unit in your track already. So save yourself some CPU. That reminds me to put together a tutorial on all the CV possibilities of Thor. hmmm. Perhaps in a tutorial down the road. More to come on this. . .

Tip #3: Add a Scream to shape your sound.

I have to say that this came out of watching Hydlide run through some videos about my latest refill. He had a really solid idea to turn pretty much any drum sound into a punchier kick sound. But this is also a nice trick to try out variations on your own sound and is kind of like the tip I showed you where we added a unison to give things a wider thicker sound. This time however, let’s add a Scream device after any sound source and just play with the settings until it shapes into a sound you like. Something a little beefier or meatier. And it only takes a minute or so.

The other added benefit to doing this is that you have access to a 3-band EQ using the “Cut” section. While this isn’t as powerful as the M-Class EQ, it does a great job for quickly sculpting the sound. So when you’re in a rut, try out a Unison on those thinner synth sounds, but try out a Scream as well, to sclupt your drum and bass sounds.

The Scream can be inserted anywhere as a great sound sculpting tool
The Scream can be inserted anywhere as a great sound sculpting tool

Tip #4: Turn your Combinator buttons into Radio buttons.

This tip came out of a request on the PUF (Propellerhead User Forum) where the original poster wanted to convert the Combinator buttons into Radio buttons. If you don’t know what a Radio button is, it’s ok. You’ve used them everyday in all kinds of software. Here’s a quick rundown: Radio Buttons.

You can download the template for this trick here: radio-buttons. The zip file contains the RNS file (and Combinator) which turns your Combinator buttons into radio buttons. Don’t pay too much attention to the synths at work here. They are just put there at random to highlight the difference in sound when selecting each of the buttons. I didn’t choose them for their stunning sound quality when played together (reset).

Now as all of you know, you can’t change the way the buttons work. They are toggle buttons by design, turning something on or off. So to turn them into a radio button is like taking a two-dimensional object and turning it into a one-dimensional object. It’s going backwards slightly. But there’s a good reason behind it.

To start, you probably want to have the buttons trigger something. In this case, I’ll take something very basic like 4 synths tied to each of the 4 buttons. Pressing one button will trigger its corresponding synth. Pressing another button will trigger the next synth, and so on. So first create a Combinator, and inside create four 6:2 line mixers and four synth devices. And then tie each of the synths to its own line mixer by sending the audio output to channel 1 on each of the four line mixers. Then open up the Combinator programmer, and program the following:

Line Mixer 1:

Rotary 1: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 1: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 2: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 3: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 4: Master Level: 0 / 0

Line Mixer 2:

Rotary 1: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 1: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 2: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 3: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 4: Master Level: 0 / 0

Line Mixer 3:

Rotary 1: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 1: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 2: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 3: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 4: Master Level: 0 / 0

Line Mixer 4:

Rotary 1: Master Level: 100 / 100

Button 1: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 2: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 3: Master Level: 0 / 0

Button 4: Master Level: 100 / 100

You’re pretty much done. Now, the buttons act as rotaries. However, you’ll have to disregard the fact that they light up at all. The fact that they are enabled or disabled means nothing. The only thing that means anything is if you switch from one button to the next. Remember our analogy: we’re taking a 2-dimensional object and turning it into a one-dimensional object. There’s no toggling. It’s a straightforward button to button switch.

The front of the Combinator showing the Programmer and the Line Mixers. The Synths are stacked underneath.
The front of the Combinator showing the Programmer and the Line Mixers. The Synths are stacked underneath.

Also, Rotary 1 acts as a “Reset” button. Turning this rotary to any location will turn all four attached synths on at the same time. The reason I did this is due to the fact that when you start pressing buttons you will only be able to hear one synth at any given time and there was no way to “go back” to having all of the synths on at once. So I programmed the rotary to do this. As any good programmer knows, you should always provide a way to get back to the default. So this was my “Default” — however, if you don’t need it, you can remove the programming behind Rotary 1 if you really want to.


As always, I hope you enjoyed some of these quick tips. They are definitely fun to figure out and dream up. So keep the questions coming, and share some of your favorite tips with the rest of us. Happy Reasoning!

24 – A few No-Nonsense Tips

In this tutorial I’m going to outline some of my favorite quick tips that you can use when you find yourself in a bit of a bind with Reason. Hopefully these little tips open you up to a new way of thinking with the software, or else at least point you in the right direction if you get stumped.

In this tutorial I’m not going to outline any grandiose Combinator or showcase some majorly complex CV routing scheme (though I have a few interesting ones that I may show down the road). Instead, I’m going to outline just some of my favorite quick tips that you can use when you find yourself in a bit of a bind with Reason. Hopefully these little tips open you up to a new way of thinking with the software, or else at least point you into a direction in case you get stumped.

All of the tips below came out of a need I had to get out of jail with the software. In other words, I’d find myself at a standstill unable to go further because I’d locked myself in a hole. Here’s a few ways I found to get out and escape. I hope you find these tidbits useful.

Tip #1: Unison = Stereo (It’s not just big fat sound).

The first tip came out of a post I’d seen on the PUF (Propellerhead User Forum) entitled “Confessions.” In this post, a few people had stated that they never used the Unison device, and didn’t really understand what it was for. “I think it has something to do with fattening up the sound, but I don’t really use it and don’t really know what it’s for.” Fair enough. Here’s what I think:

Yes, it fattens up the sound. But it does more than that. For instance, take any monophonic sound device; The Subtractor and Thor come to mind. If you start playing either device, you can tell it sounds monophonic. In the case of Thor, you can do some clever things like add some Chorus and Delay. Perhaps in the Subtractor, you’ll add some ring modulation or FM synthesis, detune two oscillators together. But here’s the dilemma: you add a Stereo Imager after the device and nothing happens? Why?

This is because the Stereo Imager only works on Stereo audio, and since you have a device which is monophonic, nothing is going to happen. The simple fix: add a Unison device between the sound source and the Stereo Imager. Instantly, you’ve turned your sound into a Stereo audio pair going into the Stereo Imager, which can now effect the sound as you want (point of fact, it’s more of a faux stereo, but it works).

The unison device is there to “Stereo-ize” your monophonic sound. At the same time, it fattens the sound by creating multiple detuned voices out of the audio you send into it. Good enough!

The front of the rack showing the Unison device creating Stereo out of Mono
The front of the rack showing the Unison device creating Stereo out of Mono
The back of the rack showing the Unison setup
The back of the rack showing the Unison setup

Tip #2: Mixer Pan/Level CV automation is holding me back!

Ever automate the level and/or Pan info on your main mixer in Reason or Record and then realize you can’t alter it at all. For instance, if you send a Subtractor LFO to fully automate the level of your track, you end up unable to alter or change the level to fade it in or out right? Whatever is playing in a clip in your sequencer will be affected by the LFO as is. No fade ins, no fade outs, no changes along the way. Same goes for panning.

Here’s a simple tip to allow you to have both. And again it involves inserting a device between the sound source and the mixer. In this case, it’s another line mixer. Insert a 6:2 mixer between your main mixer and the sound source. Then flip the rack around and move the audio cables from the sound source into Channel 1 on the 6:2 line mixer. Then send some audio cables from the main output on the line mixer into the previous channel on the main mixer. Now you can flip back to the front again and right-click on the Channel 1 level knob, select “Edit Automation” and enter your fade-ins and fade-outs. You can also adjust your panning on this line mixer as well. This will affect the panning of the sound source before it gets sent into the main mixer where the CV is affecting the panning. In this case, the panning is combined together.

The front of the rack showing the Line Mixer inserted between the audio signal and main mixer.
The front of the rack showing the Line Mixer inserted between the audio signal and main mixer.
The back of the rack showing the connections for the audio signal.
The back of the rack showing the connections for the audio signal.

There you go. Total control over your mix, even when your mix is being controlled by CV.

Tip #3: While we’re on CV, don’t forget you can automate any CV trim knob on the back of any device

I discussed this tip in full here: #7 – Adjustable CV, but it bears repeating. If you want to control the trim pots for any CV connection (you know, the tiny knobs on the back of your devices into which you send the CV cables), simply insert a Thor device between the CV source and the CV destination. Route the CV into the CV in 1 within Thor, and send it out from CV out 1. Then in the modualtion Bus Routing Section of Thor (MBRS), use CVin1 as a source and CVout1 as a destination. Enter 100 as an Amount, and then use Thor’s Rotary 1 as a Scale (also with an amount of 100). Put everything (source/destination devices as well as the Thor “CV Pass-Through” device) into a Combinator, and program the Combinator’s Rotary 1 to adjust Thor’s Rotary 1.

This means that you’re adjusting the Scale amount value using the Combinator Rotary 1. Essentially, this will have the same effect of adjusting your CV trim pot. Sounds complicated, but it’s really quite simple.

Tip #4: Damn it, there’s no CV connection. But I want to automate it with an LFO!

Enter the Combinator to the rescue. For this trick to work, you have a device which has a parameter you want to affect with an LFO (or any other mod envelope or anything you like) and the device with the LFO which is going to affect it. This couldn’t be easier, but it’s not at first obvious. Here’s what you do:

Put both devices in a Combinator. Flip the rack around. Send the CV from the LFO device into the Rotary 1 CV in of the Combinator. Then flip back around to the front, and open up the Combinator programmer. Select the sound device. In the Modulation Matrix, use Rotary 1 as the Source andthe parameter you want affected in the destination device as the “Destination.”

Now, when the LFO is enabled and running, it gets sent along the CV cable and affects Rotary 1 on the Combinator. Rotary 1 on the Combinator in turn is affecting the parameter on your destination device. In other words, the Combinator Rotary 1 is used as a CV pass-through to affect any parameter you like, not just the ones that have CV slots on the back of the devices.

Tip #5: That nasty bypass click.

Not all glitch sounds are good sounds. Such is life when you are dealing with bypass switches in Reason. Sometimes you’ll get this nasty clicking sound when switching from on to bypass or vice versa. Sometimes you’re lucky and you don’t get it. It’s like Russian Roulette audio-style. This is why I never ever use the bypass switch. And also why I never ever automate it. Instead, here’s a few simple ways to get the same benefit without the horrible clicks.

First off, if you’re using a device that has a dry/wet knob, put it in a combinator and tie the dry wet knob to a button or a rotary. There’s your bypass button.

If, on the other hand, you need to get around bypassing an entire Combinator, try this trick. Inside the combinator create a spider and a second line mixer (assuming you already have a line mixer for the main audio). Then split the audio coming into the combinator, and have one split going to the main line mixer and the other going to the second line mixer. Merge the master outputs of both line mixers in the merge section of the spider, and then back out to the Combinator “From Devices” output. Ensure all your FX and Instrument devices go into channels on the main mixer. Leave the second mixer for the dry signal only, and nothing else.

In the Combinator programmer, program a button to switch between the two mixers. So when the button is off, the master level on the main mixer is at 0, while the master level on the secondary mixer is at 100. When the button is on (lit), the master level on the main mixer is at 100, while the master level on the secondary mixer is at 0. The button now acts as a bypass. When off, the signal is bypassed and the audio goes right through the Combinator unaffected. When the button is on, the Contents of the Combinator are enabled and the sound affected can be heard. Instant bypass without any clicking issues.

The back of the rack with the Bypass setup
The back of the rack with the Bypass setup
The front of the rack with the Bypass setup shown on Button 4
The front of the rack with the Bypass setup shown on Button 4

Keep in mind there are some things that just can’t be stopped on a dime. For instance, changing the delay time or automating changes to the delay time will result in a very distinct sound, almost like a pitch shifting. You just can’t get around this. That’s the nature of audio. So while bypassing most things works without any side effects, other things can still be noticeable. The idea, however, is to minimize the unwanted audio problems as much as you can.


I hope you found these tips useful. I’ll keep posting more as time permits. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts or your own tips here by posting a comment. Happy Reasoning!