MIDI Out Device

The MIDI Out Device is designed for controlling external MIDI instruments, i.e. instruments that live outside of Reason. These could be other software synths or external hardware instruments that are hooked up to a MIDI interface on your computer.

The MIDI Out Device is treated like any other instrument device in the Reason sequencer, including Note Lanes and automatable controls. One exception, though, is that the MIDI Out Device does not produce any sound of its own; it has to be routed via MIDI Out to an external MIDI instrument.

#Using the MIDI Out Device

#Setting up for controlling an external MIDI instrument

To be able to control external MIDI instruments from Reason it is required that you have installed a MIDI interface on your computer. Refer to the documentation of your specific MIDI interface for installation instructions.

Connect your external MIDI instrument to the MIDI interface on your computer: MIDI Interface MIDI Out to MIDI instrument's MIDI In.

If you want to play and/or record MIDI from your MIDI instrument to Reason, connect your instrument’s MIDI Out to your computer’s MIDI In as well, see “Recording MIDI Controller automation from the controlled MIDI instrument”.

If you are using the same MIDI instrument also as MIDI Master Keyboard for Reason, you will need to set it to “MIDI Local Off”. Otherwise you will get doubled notes when you play your MIDI instrument.

To be able to hear your external MIDI instrument in Reason, connect your instrument’s audio output(s) to the desired audio input(s) of your audio interface. Then, create an Audio Track, select the appropriate audio inputs and make sure the Monitor button on the Audio Track in the sequencer is on.

Create a MIDI Out Device from the “Instruments >” sub-menu in the Create menu or from the Instruments palette in the Browser.

The device is created in the rack and a track is automatically created in the sequencer.

Make sure that the MIDI instrument controlled by the MIDI Out Device device does NOT transmit the MIDI data back to Reason (e.g. via “MIDI soft through” or “MIDI throughput”). This could cause MIDI feedback loops that could result in MIDI overflow in Reason.

Refer to the user manuals for your MIDI instruments for information on how to set the instruments to MIDI Local Off and how to prevent MIDI feedback loops.

Select the desired MIDI Port from the drop-down list to the right of the display.

All MIDI Ports that are currently available for Reason on your computer are displayed in the list.

Click the up/down MIDI Channel arrow buttons to select the MIDI Channel your external MIDI instrument is set to receive on.

The selected MIDI Channel number is shown in the display.

Select the MIDI Out Device track in the sequencer.

Now, you should be able to play your external MIDI instrument from your Master Keyboard.

If you get problems with “hanging” notes, press [!] to send out an “All Notes Off” command on the MIDI port.

The “MIDI: Send All Notes OFF” command can also be found in the Options menu.

#Controlling the sound of your external MIDI instrument

Besides the keyboard note control, you can also control the sound of your external MIDI instrument by using the Pitch (bend) and Mod (wheel) controls, as well as Keyboard Velocity and Aftertouch.

How your sound responds to these controls is totally dependent on how the sound was programmed in your external instrument. For example, Pitch Bend range, Mod Wheel modulation destination, Velocity and Aftertouch modulation need to be defined on your external MIDI instrument.

#Using MIDI Program Change

The Program Change MIDI message is used for selecting the desired sound/program/preset on MIDI instruments that have memory locations for stored sounds. The MIDI Out Device has a dedicated control for this, the Program control.

Click the On button to activate the MIDI Program Change function.

Click the up/down arrow buttons to select the Program number that corresponds to the sound you want to recall on your external MIDI instrument.

As soon as you load your Reason song, the MIDI Out Device will automatically send out the selected MIDI Program Change message on the set MIDI Port. This ensures that your connected instrument will play the correct sound/program/preset.

#Automating MIDI Program Change

If you like, you can automate the Program parameter to change sound/program/preset of your external instrument during playback of your Reason song.

Right-click the Program up/down buttons, or the display, and select “Edit Automation”.

This creates a separate Program Change automation lane in the sequencer track.

Now, you can edit the Program Change lane in the sequencer and insert Program Change automation points wherever you like in your song.

It’s recommended to place the Program Change automation points slightly before the positions where you want the new sound/program/preset to appear in your song. This is to allow for the time it takes to load the new sound in your external instrument.

#A note about MIDI Bank Select

The MIDI Bank Select message is used for selecting specific banks of sounds/programs/presets in MIDI instruments that feature several sound banks.

There is no specific panel control for MIDI Bank Select in the MIDI Out Device. However, you can use the regular MIDI Controller automation described below for inserting Bank Select automation points. MIDI Bank Select normally uses MIDI CC #0 and/or #32. Refer to the MIDI documentation of your specific instrument for details.

Note that MIDI instruments that have several banks of sounds usually expect a Bank Select message to be immediately followed by a Program Change message in order to change the bank and program/preset. In these situations, sending only a Bank Select message - without a subsequent Program Change message - will not change anything.

Note that Reason only sends out MIDI CC data when they actually change. This means that you might have to send a different “temporary” MIDI CC value just before you send the actual MIDI CC value. For example, if you want to resend the value “1” for MIDI CC#32, first send another value (e.g. “0” or “2”) and then send the value “1” immediately afterwards. You can do this by adding and/or moving automation points in the automation clip for MIDI CC#32 in the sequencer, see “Editing parameter automation”.

#Recording MIDI Controller automation

Besides automation of the panel controls, the MIDI Out Device allows you to record automation of MIDI Controllers 0-119. Each recorded MIDI CC# shows up on separate automation lanes in the sequencer and can be edited in the same fashion as regular “internal” parameter automation.

#Recording MIDI Controller automation from the MIDI Out Device

To record MIDI CC# automation from the MIDI Out Device, proceed as follows:

Select the desired MIDI CC# by dragging up/down in the CC display.

Click Record in the sequencer and record the automation by turning the Offset knob.

An automation lane, named according to the selected MIDI CC#, is created on the sequencer track and automation points are inserted as you turn the Offset knob. When you stop the sequencer, the Offset knob displays a green automation frame.

To record automation of another MIDI CC# parameter, select the desired MIDI CC# by dragging up/down in the CC display (the same display as in Step 1 - or the display below it).

The green automation frame around the Offset knob disappears as soon as you select a non-automated MIDI CC#. If you drag back to the automated MIDI CC#, the automation frame appears again around the Offset knob.

Repeat steps 1-2 for every new MIDI CC# you want to record.

A new parameter automation lane is added on the sequencer track for every new MIDI CC# you record.

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You could also draw parameter automation points in parameter automation clips the same way as with internal Instrument devices in Reason, see “Automation editing”.

#Recording MIDI Controller automation from a Remote control surface

If you have a MIDI keyboard or control surface with knobs or sliders, you can use these to control parameters on your MIDI instrument and record automation. This is done using Remote Override Mapping:

Select the first MIDI CC# you want to control by dragging up/down in the CC display.

Right-click the Offset knob and select Edit Remote Override Mapping... .

Move a knob or slider on your controller.

Reason automatically detects which knob/slider you move and assigns this to the selected MIDI CC#:

Knob 1 on the control surface assigned to MIDI CC#7.

Click OK.

You have now mapped that knob or slider to the MIDI CC# you selected in step 2.

Repeat the procedure from Steps 1-4 to assign more MIDI CC# to other knobs/sliders of your keyboard controller.

This way you can map all the controls on your keyboard or control surface to different MIDI CC# if you like.

Note that dragging in the same display to select a new MIDI CC# will not erase the previous assignment(s) - only add an additional MIDI CC#:

When you're done mapping, you can record parameter automation by clicking Record in the sequencer and moving the assigned knobs and sliders on your MIDI keyboard/control surface.

#Recording MIDI Controller automation from the controlled MIDI instrument

If your MIDI instrument has a panel with knobs/buttons/sliders etc. that can send MIDI Controller data, you might want to record the MIDI CC# automation from that panel instead of from Reason or from your control surface. To be able to do this, you have to add your MIDI instrument as a MIDI Control Keyboard in Reason. This can be done as follows:

If you haven’t already, connect a MIDI cable from your MIDI instrument’s MIDI Out to a MIDI In jack on your computer’s MIDI interface.

Make sure you have set your MIDI instrument to “MIDI Local Off” as well as disabled any MIDI “soft thru” so that you don’t get any MIDI feedback loop.

Refer to the documentation of your MIDI instrument on how to do this.

Open the Preferences dialog and click the MIDI tab.

Click the Add Manually button.

Select <Other> from the Manufacturer drop-down list:

Selecting “<Other>” as Manufacturer automatically activates the generic MIDI map, which is designed to detect standard MIDI Note and Controller data, regardless of instrument model.

If your MIDI instrument has a keyboard, select “MIDI Control Keyboard” from the Model: drop-down list.

This way, you will be able to play MIDI Notes from your instrument as well as sending MIDI Controller data.

If your MIDI instrument is a rack instrument (without a keyboard), select “MIDI Control Surface” instead.

Select the appropriate MIDI Input from the “MIDI Input” drop-down list.

Alternatively, click the “Find” button and turn a knob on your MIDI instrument. Reason will then auto-detect the correct MIDI In port and automatically select it.

Click OK.

Now, your MIDI instrument is shown in the “Remote keyboards and control surfaces:” list along with your other assigned control surfaces (if any).

Make sure the “Use with Reason” check box is selected and that the green check mark is present.

Now, select the MIDI Out Device track in the sequencer and click the Record button on the Transport Panel.

If you turn or press a panel control (knob, slider, button, etc.) on your MIDI instrument during recording, each parameter will automatically create a new automation lane and record the corresponding MIDI CC data in a parameter automation clip, just like when you record parameter automation from an internal instrument device:

Parameter automation recording from three knobs on the MIDI Out Device panel.

You might have to edit the parameter automation clips afterwards and set appropriate Static Values etc., see “Editing parameter automation in the Edit Area”.

#Modulating MIDI Controllers from CV signals

The MIDI Out Device features eight CV inputs for routing modulation signals from the rack to MIDI CC# of your choice.

Flip the rack around and connect some modulation sources to the desired CV inputs:

Flip the rack back to the front and click the On button to activate the CV IN section:

CV signals routed to any of the four CV IN pairs are indicated by lit LEDs:

Click to select which CV IN pair to edit:

Drag up/down to select the desired MIDI CC# to route the CV modulation signals to:

Turn the Scale knobs to change the modulation range, from static (0-0) to full (0-127):

Turn the Offset knobs to change the modulation offset (0-127):

The modulation level(s) are shown in the CC Output displays:

Repeat steps 3-6 to assign and set up the other CV IN pairs.

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CV can be bipolar (have negative or positive values) but MIDI CC values are always positive. Any negative CV values will be truncated to zero when converted to MIDI CC. To preserve the shape of e.g. a modulation LFO, you can use the Scale and Offset controls to convert the bipolar CV (going between -127 and +127) to a MIDI CC going between 0 and 127. In that case, set both Scale and Offset halfway up.

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You can also use the Offset knobs for manually setting MIDI CC values without anything connected to the CV inputs.

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The CV Input ON button enables CV inputs. Turn this off if you want to make manual settings, select MIDI CCs etc, without the values being modulated by CV.

#Connections

#Sequencer Control

The Sequencer Control CV In and Gate In inputs allow you to play the MIDI Out Device from another CV/Gate device (typically a Matrix or an RPG-8). The signal to the CV In controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate In delivers note on/off along with velocity. There are also inputs for modulating the Pitch Bend and ModWheel parameters.

#CV In to MIDI CC Out

These eight CV inputs can be used for modulating the desired MIDI CC#. The affected MIDI CC#s are defined on the front panel, see “Modulating MIDI Controllers from CV signals”.

#Tips & Tricks

#Audio recording of MIDI controlled external instruments

At some point you will probably want to record the audio from your MIDI controlled instrument onto an audio track in the Reason sequencer. The example below assumes that you have already recorded the note clips that control your MIDI instrument on an MIDI Out Device track in the sequencer.

Depending on how you are monitoring the audio when you are recording, there will be different audio latency times, see “Recording Latency Compensation”.

If you haven’t already, connect your MIDI instrument’s audio output(s) to the desired audio input(s) on the audio interface you are using with Reason.

Create an Audio Track in the sequencer.

Select the appropriate audio interface input(s) in the “Select Audio Input” drop-down list in the sequencer track list:

Play back the song and adjust the audio level on your external MIDI instrument and/or the audio interface gain.

To be on the safe side, leave around 12dB of headroom below the clipping level (first yellow LED lit on the Input Level Meter on the Audio Track):

You might also have to move (or nudge) the MIDI clips on the MIDI Out Device track back slightly to compensate for any MIDI latency. Alternatively, you could slide all the notes in the clip back using the ReGroove Mixer, see “Using the ReGroove Mixer for MIDI latency compensation”.

If you don’t want to adjust the MIDI notes beforehand to compensate for MIDI latency, you could move all Slice Markers in the audio clip after recording (see the tip below) or try quantizing the audio clips.

MIDI latency mainly occurs in the MIDI interface and in the connected MIDI instruments and is nothing Reason can automatically compensate for. Refer to “Moving clips” for more information.

Make sure the Audio Track is enabled for recording and then click Record in the sequencer to start recording the audio from your MIDI instrument.

When you are finished with the audio recording, click Play to play back the recorded audio.

If you are monitoring your external instrument externally, you will want to mute the MIDI Out Device track so that you don’t get double notes or phasing problems during playback.

If you are monitoring your external instrument only internally in Reason, there is no need to mute the MIDI Out Device track. During playback, the monitor function on the audio track is automatically disabled, and only the recorded audio on the audio track is output.

If you are experiencing problems with MIDI latency, i.e. the audio is recorded a little late in the audio clips, a good thing to try is to quantize the audio clips after recording, see “Quantizing audio”.

If quantizing the audio clip isn’t applicable (e.g. due to playing style or type of sound), open the clip inline, select all Slice Markers and move them slightly to the left in the clip (with Snap off) so that the first note/beat aligns with the clip start. See the last example in “Selecting Slices and Slice Markers” for info about selecting and moving Slice Markers.

#Using the ReGroove Mixer for MIDI latency compensation

If you are experiencing MIDI latency when playing back recorded MIDI notes to your external instrument, you can compensate for this by using the Slide function in the ReGroove Mixer. This way you won’t have to move or nudge the note clip(s) back before recording your external instrument onto an audio track in Reason.

Set up your external instrument according to the descriptions in steps 1-4 in “Audio recording of MIDI controlled external instruments”.

Make sure the Monitor button on the audio track is on.

Assign a ReGroove channel to the MIDI Out Device track.

In this example we use ReGroove channel A1.

Make sure Click is on in the sequencer.

Play back the song and turn the Slide knob in channel A1 of the ReGroove Mixer counter-clockwise until your external instrument plays back in sync with the sequencer click.

Note that the Ticks value you set with the Slide knob is tempo dependent. This means that if you raise the Tempo in the sequencer you will have to set the Slide knob to a lower (more negative) value to maintain the sync - and vice versa.

Before you begin recording onto the audio track there is one important thing to keep in mind:

If there are MIDI notes present exactly on the note clip start position you have to begin the audio recording before the note clip’s start position.

Since all notes in the note clip have been (invisibly) slided back by the ReGroove Mixer, it means that the first notes could be located before (outside) the note clip. To be able to record also these first notes, the audio recording have to begin before the note clip’s start position. If your MIDI Out Device note clip is placed at the very beginning of the song you will have to move all clips forward in the sequencer, so that the audio recording can begin earlier.

Record your instrument onto the audio track.

After recording, the audio should be on the track with perfect timing.