Ableton Forum

Hi.

I just got Reason 3 and there seems to be quite a lot to learn. Id just like to ask how you guys use Reason with Live.

Right now Im just using it pretty much like a massive rompler with built in fx, without getting too involved in having to learn about its sequencer or mixer or that cv routing stuff.

I guess what Im trying to ask is- if I dont take time out to learn more about Reason, am I missing out on much?

Thank you please.

womoma wrote:Hi.

I just got Reason 3 and there seems to be quite a lot to learn. Id just like to ask how you guys use Reason with Live.

Right now Im just using it pretty much like a massive rompler with built in fx, without getting too involved in having to learn about its sequencer or mixer or that cv routing stuff.

I guess what Im trying to ask is- if I dont take time out to learn more about Reason, am I missing out on much?

Thank you please.

My advice is just take baby steps and learn as you go.
I prefer Live's sequencer to Reason's and do all sequencing of Reason devices from with Live.
I'd probably learn mastering uses for NNXT / NN19 and DrRex and experiment with imprting soundfonts and your own samples first and learn all the synthesis controls in NNXT & NN19 well.
Then focus on Subtractor and Maelstrom respectively.
Followed by Matrix step sequencing and CV curves etc.
Follow that with FX routing and then delve into mixer / spider cv-gate / audio splitters and mergers.
Then start reverse engineering combinator patches at a later date.
This will gradually enable you to customise sound palettes and audioroutings / fx useage and aid in the design of some rather funky custom Combinators.
Then if you buy 3rd party refills you'll have the skills to utilise much of what's there as raw material to build with from scratch.
I wouldn't be in any rush.
Just learn as you go.
You'd be amazed at how much you pick up in 12 months to 2 years.
So i would suggest usig it as you are now but be open to exploring your options as you go and being up for a bit of experiemtation as you feel more confident.
I found I was under utilising alot of what the Live Reason Combo had to offer until Version 3 and am still amazed by what I can pull out of the two sonically for what it's worth.
Just have fun along the way.

Thanks for your reply. Im quite astounded by how much Reason has to offer in terms of the range of sounds bundled with it.

One more question.

Lets say I have a track in Live which uses Reason with a few devices, do I have to save the Reason file too- then open it from Reason when I open the track in Live?

yes

ebowla wrote:yes

AS Ebowla say's the answer is "YES"
To save confusion I always save the corresponding Reason File with the same project working name as the .als file that I saved for Live.
Just so I know it's part of the same project I'm working on.
All Live files are saved/archived on external F/W drive and all Reason project Files are in the Prop's directory on my Laptop drive anyway.
Helps keep everything in order and saves alot of confusion.

I usually just record audio from Reason into Live as I go along. I don't like having to open everything all the time.

In Reason, the one thing I would recommend looking into is the routing of audio and CV on the back of the rack. There are so many things you can do with modulating one synth with another, vocoding beats, sending audio into Maelstrom and so on...

FaX 01 wrote:I prefer Live's sequencer to Reason's and do all sequencing of Reason devices from with Live.

I agree. I also prefer mixing in Live vs. Reason though. All you need to do is connect the instruments directly to reason's hardware interface in the back section and create x amount of corresponding audio tracks in live. then, using live's audio routing capabilities, you can have these instruments routed to Live's mixer. I would then organize my audio/midi tracks in live side by side for each intstrument they are controlling and monitoring.

The one draw back to doing this is that there is no aux send/return to utilize in reason without the mixer. Of couse you can still utilize Live's though.

drewbixcube wrote:

FaX 01 wrote:I prefer Live's sequencer to Reason's and do all sequencing of Reason devices from with Live.

I agree. I also prefer mixing in Live vs. Reason though. All you need to do is connect the instruments directly to reason's hardware interface in the back section and create x amount of corresponding audio tracks in live. then, using live's audio routing capabilities, you can have these instruments routed to Live's mixer. I would then organize my audio/midi tracks in live side by side for each intstrument they are controlling and monitoring.

The one draw back to doing this is that there is no aux send/return to utilize in reason without the mixer. Of couse you can still utilize Live's though.

Which is where the Combinator and the New Mini Mixer come in dead handy.
Or you use a Master Reason Mixer then pair stereo outs to the Reason rewire outputdevice and back into Live.
You can BTW create dummy clips to control parameters on the mixer effects in the Reason Mixer pre rewire output channels also if you hadn't noticed.
Just so many combinations with this one it's ridiculous.
Don't get me started on Combinator's as effects devices either with the Combi Mod Matrix and dummy clips controlling the Combinator and Internal Combinator devices simulataneously.
I also have a custom Combi where the Maelstrom waveshapers are mapped to tempo rate and waveform shape and control the oscillator waveforms in a Subtractor (sweeping wavetables).
The Sub's outputs are feed into a B512 Vocoder and Ambient field recordings are used as the audio source via a NNXT to vocode against the sweeping wavetables in the Combi patch.
I keep the NNXT outside of the combinator and can trigger various field recordings via midi clips in Reason.
The combi knobs themselves control as stated Shaper A+B WaveShape and Cycle Tempo the other two knobs control the possible number of Subtractor oscillators the Mal waveshapers can sweep through.
Assign filter movements to Mod wheel apply Live effects ala verb or delay and it all gets rather freaky very fast.

now that is what I'm talkin' about!

awesome.

rob.

FaX-01 wrote:

drewbixcube wrote:

FaX 01 wrote:I prefer Live's sequencer to Reason's and do all sequencing of Reason devices from with Live.

I agree. I also prefer mixing in Live vs. Reason though. All you need to do is connect the instruments directly to reason's hardware interface in the back section and create x amount of corresponding audio tracks in live. then, using live's audio routing capabilities, you can have these instruments routed to Live's mixer. I would then organize my audio/midi tracks in live side by side for each intstrument they are controlling and monitoring.

The one draw back to doing this is that there is no aux send/return to utilize in reason without the mixer. Of couse you can still utilize Live's though.

Which is where the Combinator and the New Mini Mixer come in dead handy.
Or you use a Master Reason Mixer then pair stereo outs to the Reason rewire outputdevice and back into Live.
You can BTW create dummy clips to control parameters on the mixer effects in the Reason Mixer pre rewire output channels also if you hadn't noticed.
Just so many combinations with this one it's ridiculous.
Don't get me started on Combinator's as effects devices either with the Combi Mod Matrix and dummy clips controlling the Combinator and Internal Combinator devices simulataneously.
I also have a custom Combi where the Maelstrom waveshapers are mapped to tempo rate and waveform shape and control the oscillator waveforms in a Subtractor (sweeping wavetables).
The Sub's outputs are feed into a B512 Vocoder and Ambient field recordings are used as the audio source via a NNXT to vocode against the sweeping wavetables in the Combi patch.
I keep the NNXT outside of the combinator and can trigger various field recordings via midi clips in Reason.
The combi knobs themselves control as stated Shaper A+B WaveShape and Cycle Tempo the other two knobs control the possible number of Subtractor oscillators the Mal waveshapers can sweep through.
Assign filter movements to Mod wheel apply Live effects ala verb or delay and it all gets rather freaky very fast.

I think I just got served

I prefer Live's sequencer to Reason's and do all sequencing of Reason devices from with Live.

I agree totally, one of the reasons i got turned off of reason ( no pun intended ) ...

even though i liked the synths and stuff....i just couldnt stand the sequencer...

But sounds like you all are a great resource for getting reason sequenced in live...

Completely agree, Live's sequencer is far better than Reason's.

Reason for me is just a whoile lot of fun, wiring different things up and and just tweaking until I get something cool. Then I sequence it from Live, but record it in as Audio. I keep the midi clips though once the audio is recorded.

I really love the NNXT patches that come with Reason, things like the different pianos and strings.

jerry123 wrote:I usually just record audio from Reason into Live as I go along. I don't like having to open everything all the time.

In Reason, the one thing I would recommend looking into is the routing of audio and CV on the back of the rack. There are so many things you can do with modulating one synth with another, vocoding beats, sending audio into Maelstrom and so on...

yes its hard to keep Reason and Live open all the time on a 1mhz G4 iBook at least.. to much CPU use the sound drops out or deteriorates ...
maybe the new Macbook or McbookPro users dont have this truggle anymore?

hey..thanks to all the folk in this thread, i have picked up a couple of really useful things!!!

cheers everybody

bmp