Sounds, Patches and the Browser | Reason Studios

Reason 13.1 Operation Manual

DAW | Rack Plugin

Sounds, Patches and the Browser

#About this chapter

This chapter deals with the following topics:

•

Handling Patches.

See “About patches”.

•

Using the Patch Browser.

See “Using the Browser”.

•

ReFills and Reason file formats.

See “About ReFills” and “Reason file formats”.

A patch contains settings for a specific device. Patches can be either separate files on your hard disk or files embedded in a ReFill (see “Using the Browser” for info about ReFills). The devices that use patches are described below. The Mix Channel, Master Section and Audio Track devices can use Insert FX patches saved as Combinator devices. All other Reason devices use either Presets or can only be programmed using the device panel parameters.

#Patches and references to samples/REX files

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Dr. Octo Rex patches contain information about what REX files are loaded in each slot, their settings as well as the parameter settings on the device panel.

It is important to note that the Dr. Octo Rex patch doesn’t contain the actual REX files - only information about which REX files are used.

•

Mimic, NN19, NN-XT and Grain patches contain information regarding which samples are used, their settings (key mapping, tuning, etc.) and the parameter settings on the device panel. Europa patches and RV7000 MkII patches can also contain references to samples, if the patches use samples.

It is important to note that the patch doesn’t contain the actual samples - only information about which sample files are used.

•

Redrum Drum Computer and Kong Kit Patches patches contain a complete “drum kit”, that is, information about which drum samples are used, together with the parameter settings for each drum sound.

Again, the actual samples are not included in the patch, only references to files. Also note that Redrum patches are separated from Redrum patterns - loading a new patch will not affect the patterns in the device.

•

The Combinator (Combi) patch format saves all settings and file references for each device in the Combi, along with the Combinator’s own settings; key/velocity zones, modulation routing etc.

Any audio or CV routing from/to devices that are part of the Combi is also saved.

Note that patches for devices included in a Combi are not saved individually - e.g. if a Combi includes a Subtractor, and you have tweaked its settings, these settings will be saved with the Combi patch, but will not be saved as a separate Subtractor patch unless you do so from within the Combi - see “Saving patches”.

Patches other than Combi patches do not include any cable routing information.

#About the “Load Default Sound in New Devices” preference

On the “General” page in Preferences, there is an option (on by default) to load a default patch when creating a device. If the “Load Default Sound in New Devices” option is off, the device will be loaded with a basic “init sound” (the same sound as after you have right clicked the device and selected “Reset Device” from the context menu).

#Loading patches

To select and load a patch for a device, use one of the following methods:

Click the “Browse Patch” button in the Patch section on the device panel.

The Patch section has the same basic layout for all patch devices; a Patch Name display, two “Select Patch” buttons (up/down) for stepping through patches sequentially, a “Browse Patch” button to open the Browser, and a “Save Patch” button to save patches.

The Patch section of the Subtractor device.

On the panels of devices that can load samples/REX files, there are also Browse Sample/REX Loop buttons, used for loading samples or REX files. Make sure you click on the button in the Patch section (next to the patch name display) to load patches!

When you click the Browse Patches button on a device, the device automatically gets “Browse Focus” and the Browser opens. A button at the top of the Browser indicates that only patches for the highlighted device in the rack are shown:

Browse focus for a device is indicated by orange side bars in the rack and on the sequencer track - and that the patch section on the device is colored in orange:

The orange Browse Focus indicators in the rack and in the sequencer.

Another way of loading patches is to select “Browse Patches...” from the Edit menu or device context menu of a selected device.

Alternatively, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and click [B].

Once you have loaded a patch, you can step between all the patches in the same folder by using the “Select Patch” buttons on the device panel:

If you click on the Patch Name display on the device panel, a pop-up menu - the browse list - will appear, listing all patches in the currently selected folder.

This allows you to quickly load another patch, without having to step through the patches one by one. You can also choose to set browse focus to the device by selecting “Browse...” from the patch display pop-up menu.

When you load a patch in any of the ways described above, the device’s parameters will be set according to the values stored in the patch, and the name of the patch is shown in the Patch Name display.

Any parameter adjustments you make on the device panel after loading a patch will not affect the actual patch file on the computer. For this to happen, you need to save the patch - see “Saving patches”.

For all the patch loading methods described above, you can automatically revert back to the original patch, by clicking the Cancel button in the Browser.

You can also load patches from a MIDI Master Keyboard or Control Surface - see “Remote - Playing and Controlling Devices”.

For more details about browsing patches and searching for sounds, please refer to “Browsing patches for a device” and “Filtering in the Browser”.

#If referenced samples are missing

As described above, patches for the Mimic, Grain, Europa (User Wave sample), Redrum, NN19, NN-XT and Dr. Octo Rex devices contain references to samples or REX files. Just like patches, samples can be independent files on the hard disk or elements within a ReFill. However, if sample files have been moved or renamed after a patch was saved, the sample file references in the patch will not be accurate.

If this is the case when you select a patch, the program will tell you so. You can then choose to either manually locate the missing files, to have the program search for them, or to proceed without the missing sounds. For details, see “Handling Missing Sounds”.

Proceeding without locating or replacing the missing samples will result in silent patches, drum channels, key zones or loop slots (for the Redrum, NN19/NN-XT, Kong, Grain and Dr. Octo Rex).

#Saving patches

#Saving device settings in a song

When you save a Reason song, all settings for all devices are automatically included in the song file - there is no need to save the patches separately.

It’s important to realize that it’s the actual device parameter settings that are saved in the Song - not references to patches on disk. The next time you open the song, all devices will be set as they were when you saved them (regardless of whether you have removed or edited any patches on disk).

Note that device samples are not stored with the Song by default. This means that if you edit any Redrum, Kong, Mimic, Grain, Europa (with a User Wave sample) or NN19/NN-XT samples in an external application and then open a Song containing devices that use these samples, the sound will be different. It’s possible, however, to store actual device samples together with the Song using the “Self-Contain” feature. See “About Self-Contained Songs”.

#Saving device settings as patches on disk

Even though the device settings are stored with the song, you may want to save any settings you have made for a device as a separate patch file. This allows you to use the patch in other songs, and lets you try out other patches in your song without the risk of losing your original sound. A patch is saved as follows:

1.

Click the “Save Patch” button on the device panel:

2.

In the Save File dialog that appears, specify a location and name for the patch file and click Save.

In Reason 13, the Save File dialog defaults to the “User Library” folder in the “Reason Studios” folder in the local Music folder on your computer, but you can of course choose another destination folder if you like.

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Under both Windows and macOS, the different types of patch files have different file extensions.

File extensions are automatically added by Reason when you save. This is useful, especially if you saved the files on a Mac and want to be able to open them on a Windows computer.

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If you have selected a patch, modified it and want to save it with the modifications, you could either save a separate, modified version of the patch (with a new name) or simply overwrite the old patch file on disk.

As usual, you will be asked if you want to replace (overwrite) the existing patch file.

Note that you can save a patch under the same name and location without having the save dialog appear by holding down [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and clicking the “Save Patch” button on the device panel. Be aware that this overwrites the original patch!

Also note that you cannot save into a ReFill! This means that if you have opened a patch from within a ReFill (like the Factory Sound Bank), modified the patch and want to save it, you need to save it as a separate file in a new location (outside the ReFill). Preferably, you should also rename the modified patch file, to avoid confusion.

#Copying and pasting patches between devices

A quick way to copy device parameter settings between devices of the same type is to use the “Copy Patch” and “Paste Patch” functions. The result is exactly the same as if you had saved a patch from one device and opened it on another device of the same type - this is just a quicker method.

Copying and Pasting settings is possible with all device types that can use patches.

Proceed as follows:

1.

Select a patch, and/or make the desired settings on the source device.

Make sure the device remains selected.

2.

Select “Copy Patch” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu.

3.

Select the destination device of the same type (in the same song or another song).

4.

Select “Paste Patch” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu.

The settings of the source device (including Mimic, Europa, Grain, Redrum, NN19, NN-XT, and Kong sample references and Dr. Octo Rex REX loop references) are automatically applied to the destination device.

Note that this operation simply copies the settings from one device to another. Adjusting the settings on one of the devices will not affect the other; neither will the edits affect any patch file on disk.

#Initializing patches and resetting device parameters

Sometimes it is useful to start with a “clean slate” when creating a synth sound, a drum kit or a sampler patch. This is achieved by selecting “Reset Device” from the Edit menu or from the device context menu. This resets all parameters to “default” values. Initializing Mimic, NN19, NN-XT, Dr. Octo Rex, Kong, Grain, Europa (if it uses a User Wave sample) or Redrum devices will also remove all sample/REX file references, allowing you to start from scratch.

#Using the Browser

#Browser overview

Example of the Browser when using the Browse Patch button/function on a Subtractor device.

The Browser is used when you load patches, samples, audio files, MIDI files and REX files, from regular file folders or from ReFills.

Open and close the Browser by pressing [F9], or by holding [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and pressing [F] - or by selecting Show/Hide Browser from the Windows menu.

The Browser will open without Browse Focus.

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You can also open the Browser by clicking the Browser button at the top of the Reason song window.

The Browser will open without Browse Focus.

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You can close the Browser by clicking the Browser button again.

This is the same as clicking the Close/Cancel button in the Browser.

With a patch based device selected in the rack, hold down [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and press [B].

This opens the Browser allowing you to browse for and load patches for the selected device.

With a sample based device selected, select “Browse Samples” on the Edit menu (or click the “Browse Samples” button on the device panel).

This opens the Browser, where you can browse for, preview and load samples in the supported audio formats.

With a Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player selected, select “Browse ReCycle/REX Files” on the Edit menu (or click the “Browse Loops” button on the device panel).

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for, preview and load REX loops into the Dr. Octo Rex device.

With a Kong Drum Designer device selected, select “Browse Drum Patches” on the Edit menu (or click the “Browse Drum Patch” button on the Drum Control Panel on the device).

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for Kong Drum Patches and supported audio files to load into a slot in the Kong Drum Designer device.

Select “Import Audio File” from the File menu.

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for, preview and load files in the supported audio formats to an audio track in the sequencer. See “Importing audio to the sequencer”.

Select “Import MIDI File” from the File menu.

This opens the Browser, allowing you to browse for MIDI files to import to instrument tracks in the sequencer. See “Importing Standard MIDI Files”.

When opening and browsing for Reason song files, the regular OS “Open” window is normally used instead.

Besides standard file and folder browsing, the Browser offers several useful functions:

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Search for files by name, type, category, and tags - see “Filtering in the Browser”.

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Use “cross-browsing” to search for patches belonging to any type of device.

For example, set browse focus from a Subtractor device by clicking its Browse Patch button. Instead of limiting the Browser to show only Subtractor patches, you can choose to browse for any type of instrument patch. If you select a patch with a different format than the device you are browsing from, the original device will be replaced by the new device. See “Browsing patches for a device”.

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Audition audio samples and REX loops on the fly. See “Previewing samples and REX loops”.

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Save shortcuts to various locations on your local drive(s).

See “Shortcuts”.

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Create Favorite Lists containing shortcuts to your favorite files for instant access.

See “Favorite Lists”.

#A note about Browser indexing

To keep track of all your files at all times, the Browser needs to continuously index your files. The first time you open the Browser after having installed Reason, the indexing could take a while, especially if you have a lot of files (samples etc.) on your computer. The following symbols are used to show how the indexing is progressing:

When the indexing is completed, the symbols will disappear.

#Important notes about where to store your files so that Reason can find them

To avoid that the Browser should “choke” from scanning a huge amount of irrelevant files, some folders are blacklisted by Reason, i.e. the Reason Browser won't look in those folders.

#Blacklisted folders on Mac

The following folders are disregarded by Reason on Mac, so make sure you don't store any Reason related content/files in these:

Macintosh HD/System

Macintosh HD/Applications

Macintosh HD/Library

Note! Even though "Macintosh HD/Library" is blacklisted, "Macintosh HD/Library/Audio" is explicitly whitelisted, so you can create shortcuts from there.

~/Music/Propellerhead Content/ (in your personal Music folder, where the old Optional Rack Extensions and ReFills in Reason 12 were located)

#Blacklisted folders on Windows

The following folders are disregarded by Reason on Windows, so make sure you don't store any Reason related content/files in these:

C:\Users\<youruser>\Music\Propellerhead Content (in your personal Music folder, where the old Optional Rack Extensions and ReFills in Reason 12 were located)

#Creating a device by browsing patches

If you want a certain sound or effect, the best way is often to add it directly by browsing (instead of first choosing a device and then finding a patch for it).

To add an instrument device, right-click anywhere in the rack or sequencer track list and select "Add Instrument" (or hold [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and press [I]).

This opens the browser in Add Instrument mode, showing only instrument patches:

You can use the category and tag buttons to filter which patches are shown (or type directly into the filter text field to filter by name, category, kind or tag). See “Filtering in the Browser”.

1.

Click a patch in the list to create a new device in the background.

You can audition it by playing your MIDI keyboard.

2.

Select another patch with the mouse or the computer up/down arrow keys to load it instead.

3.

Audition sounds this way until you find one you like.

4.

Press [Return] or click OK to close the Browser, keeping the last loaded patch.

Double clicking a patch in the Item List is the same as selecting it and clicking OK, in one move.

Alternatively, you can press [Esc] or click Cancel to close the browser and remove the created instrument.

#Creating an Effect device by browsing patches

To add an effect device, select the instrument device in the rack and click the + sign at the bottom of the blue frame.

Select “Add Effect...” to open the browser in Add Effect mode.
See “Creating devices” for more information.

Alternatively, right-click anywhere in the rack or in the sequencer track list and select "Add Effect" (or hold [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and press [E]).

The insertion point of the new effect device is determined by where you right-click; often you want to right-click an existing instrument or effect to add a new effect directly after that device.

This opens the browser in Add Effect mode, showing only effect patches.

1.

Select a patch to create its device in the background, then load other patches by clicking or using the computer up/down arrow keys until you find the one you want.

You can audition the effect by playing the instrument it's connected to.

2.

When you're done, close the browser by pressing [Return] or clicking OK.

Alternatively, press [Esc] or click Cancel to close the browser and remove the created effect.

#Creating a Player device by browsing patches

To add a Player to an instrument, select the instrument device and click the + sign at the top of the blue frame.

Select “Add Player...” to open the browser in Add Player mode.
See “Creating devices” for more information.

Alternatively, right-click the instrument in the rack and select "Add Player".

This opens the browser in Add Player mode, which works the same way as the other Add modes (see above).

#Browsing patches for a device

To open the Browser for a specific device, click the “Browse patch” button on the device panel.

Alternatively, right-click the device panel and select "Browse Patches" - or select the device and hold [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and press [B]).

The Patch section of the Subtractor device.

This opens the browser in Patch Browse mode. The orange heading shows which device you're browsing for.

What is shown in the Browser depends on the device you started from:

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If the device had a patch loaded from the Browser (for example with the Add Instrument function), the browser will show the same settings as when the patch was loaded.

This includes Location, Categories, Tags and other filtering settings.

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If the device had no patch loaded (or the default patch), the Browser will show all patches of that kind (e.g. SubTractor Patches).

You can use the Patch Type buttons at the top to switch between showing patches for this device type only or for all Instrument Patches - what we call cross-browsing.

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In Patch Browse mode you can click patches (or use the computer up/down arrow keys) to load them in the background.

When you're happy with what you hear, click OK or press [Return} to close the Browser. Double clicking a patch is the same as selecting it and clicking OK, in one move.

If you want to browse patches for another device in the rack, click the Browse Patch button on that device. The Browser will then automatically switch to show patches for that device instead. This way you don’t have to close the Browser and open it up again.

To go back to the original patch instead, click Cancel or press [Esc].

Tip: When you are browsing patches for a device, its "Home Folder" will be shown in the Locations list to the left. This is a quick way to get to the patches that come with the device, shown in their original folder structure.

#Browsing samples for a device

To load a sample, for example in a sample slot on a drum machine device, click its Browse Sample button.

This opens the browser in Sample Browse mode. In this mode, the browser will only show samples.

It's often most useful to select a sample category (e.g. Drum Samples) here, since you might not want to go through all instrument multisamples and similar:

Click the Drum Samples button in the Category section to refine the list in the Item List to drum samples:

Click samples in the Item List (or use the computer up/down arrow keys) to load the samples in the background.

When you're happy with what you hear, click OK or press [Return] to close the Browser. Double clicking a sample is the same as selecting it and clicking OK, in one move.

To go back to the original sample instead, click Cancel or press [Esc].

#Previewing samples and REX loops

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The Audition controls below the Item List lets you preview the selected sample.

If Auto is on, selecting a sample will automatically play it back:

Adjust the preview volume with the slider.

#Selecting multiple files

It is possible to select multiple files in the Browser, by using standard [Shift] or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) selection techniques. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that the selected files can be loaded. There are a number of instances where selecting several files in the Browser file list is relevant:

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It is possible to load several drum patches (on consecutive pads) simultaneously into the Kong device.

See the “Kong Drum Designer” chapter for details.

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It is possible to load several samples simultaneously into the NN-XT, NN19 and Kong NN-Nano sampler devices.

See “NN-19 Sampler”, “NN-XT Sampler” and “NN-Nano Sampler” for details.

•

It is possible to load several REX files simultaneously into the Dr. Octo Rex device.

See the “Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player” chapter for details.

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It is possible to simultaneously import multiple audio files to the sequencer.

See “Importing audio to the sequencer” for more info.

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You can select several files to add them to a Favorites List in one go - see “Favorite Lists”. Note that this is only possible if a device does not have Browse Focus, see “Using the browser without Browse Focus”.

In situations where several selected files (e.g. patches or songs) cannot be loaded, the Create/Load button in the Browser is grayed out.

#About patch formats and sampler devices

As both the NN-XT and NN19 sampler devices can load patches in the NN19 (.smp) and REX (.rx2/.rcy/.rex) formats, there must be certain rules regarding cross-browsing.

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The basic rule is that the Browser will load such patches into the original device type (the device you opened the Browser from), whenever possible.

Thus, when the patch format is NN19 (.smp) or REX (.rx2/.rcy/.rex) and the NN19 device has browse focus, the patch will be loaded into this device.

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If you are browsing from any other type of device, these patch types will be loaded into an NN-XT device.

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If you are using the “Create Instrument” function, an NN19 (.smp) patch will create a NN19 device and a REX patch will create a Dr. Octo Rex device.

#About browse lists

When you click the Open/Load/Create/Import button to open a file from the Browser, the file and folder list shown at that time is memorized for that device. This is called a “browse list”.

For patches (and to a certain extent samples) this list provides a specific functionality:

•

The browse list is what applies when changing patches using the Next/Previous Patch buttons on the front panel of a device (or from patch selectors on a control surface).

•

The browse list is shown as the patch list when you click in the patch name field for a device.

•

For samples, the browse list applies when changing samples using the Next/Previous Sample buttons on the front panel of a sampler device.

#Other Browse Focus modes

Browse Focus means the Browser has a specific target (indicated by the orange heading background). The most common examples are already described above, but there are some others:

•

Browsing loops for a Dr Octo Rex or for a Nurse Rex module in Kong will open the Browser in Browse REX Loops mode, showing only REX loops (.rx2 files).

•

Browsing for a pad on Kong will open the Browser in a special Browse Drums mode, showing both samples and Kong drum patches (.drum files).

•

Selecting Import Audio File (not available in Reason Rack Plugin) will open the Browser showing only samples and REX loops.

Selecting a file and clicking Import will close the browser and import the file to an audio track in the sequencer, at the current song position.

•

Selecting Import MIDI File (not available in Reason Rack Plugin) will open the Browser showing standard MIDI files.

Selecting a file and clicking Import will close the Browser and import the file to new instrument tracks in the sequencer.

#Using the browser without Browse Focus

Click the Browser button at the top of the Song window (or press [F9], or hold [Cmd](Mac) or [Ctrl](Win) and press [F]) to open the Browser without a specific Browse Focus (as shown by the gray heading):

Here you can see any type of item (as set with the Type buttons at the top). In this mode, patches and samples are not automatically loaded in the background when you select them. Instead you have to explicitly load them.

Here are some examples:

Select a patch and click the Create button (or double click the patch, or press [Return]) to create a new device and close the Browser.

Select a sample and click the Import button (or double click the sample, or press [Return]) to import it to the selected audio track in the sequencer.

Note that this is not available in Reason Rack Plugin.

Select a Reason song and click the Open button (or double click the song, or press [Return]) to open it.

This is useful if you need to open songs inside Rack Extensions or ReFills (since the regular Open Song dialog cannot open these).

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Alternatively, you can use drag and drop to drag an item from the Item List to the rack or sequencer.

When you drag an item out of the Browser, it will automatically fold up to let you see background. This lets you drop to devices or sample slots that were obscured by the Browser. When you drop the item, the browser reappears.

If you change your mind before dropping, you can drag the item back to the browser heading to unfold it again.

You can use drag and drop from the Browse Focus modes too. For example, if you are browsing piano patches for a device and stumble upon a nice bass sound, you can just drag the bass patch into the rack to create a new device. The Browser will remain in Patch Browse mode for your original piano instrument.

#The Locations list

The Locations list to the left in the Browser provides different ways to get to files and folders.

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All Locations shows all files that Reason knows about, in a flat list.

This means all patches, samples and loops in all folders listed in the left column (except the folders under the "Computer" heading). All Locations is often the best starting point for browsing, since you can find all content there, regardless of where the files actually are.

•

User Library is a subfolder in the Music/Reason Studios folder on your computer.

When you save a patch in Reason, this is the default save folder. You can also move existing patches and sounds there, to make sure they are indexed and included in "All Locations".

#Reason Library

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Reason Library shows the built-in sound banks, a subfolder listing all installed Rack Extensions and a ReFills folder:

ReFills is a subfolder in the Music/Reason Studios folder on your computer. Reason Companion will install the optional Drum Supply and Loop Supply ReFills in this folder, and you are also encouraged to move any ReFills you have downloaded or purchased there. This will ensure that they are indexed and included in "All Locations".

•

If you are a Reason+ subscriber, you will continuously get new content in the form of Sound Packs.

You will find these in the Sound Packs location.

•

The Song Samples folder lists samples used in the current song, including self-contained samples.

Not available in Reason Rack Plugin.

•

Shortcuts are aliases to folders and items that you need quick access to.

To add an item as a Shortcut, drag it from the Item List and drop it under the Shortcuts heading.

To delete a Shortcut, right click the folder icon and select “Delete Location” from the context menu.

#Favorite Lists

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Favorite Lists are custom collections of patches, samples or loops.

There are two ways to add items to Favorite Lists:

Drag files from the Item List and drop them on a Favorite List to the left.

Right-click a file in the Item List and select a Favorite List from the context menu:

Adding a patch to the user created “Bells” Favorite List.

The check mark next to a Favorite List means the item is already part of that Favorite List. Selecting it will remove it from the list.

To rename or delete a Favorite List, right click the folder icon and select “Rename Favorite List” or “Delete Favorite List” from the context menu.

We strongly recommend not to put ReFills in Favorite Lists. Instead, use the User Library or Shortcuts Location for ReFills, see “User Library” and “Shortcuts”.

•

The Computer heading holds links to the User and Desktop folders on your computer.

These are not included in "All Locations". Use these for navigating to folders that you want to add as Shortcuts!

#Filtering in the Browser

The key to finding what you want in the Browser is using the filtering section above the item list. This is especially powerful when “All Locations” is selected to the left:

The filtering section.

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You can set up the Browser to show only the Filter text field or the Categories and/or Tags buttons too, using the fold buttons on each section:

The Filter text field, Categories and Tags sections unfolded.

Note that Categories section is not shown if you have selected the “All Types” Type button at the top. However, you can type in the Filter text field and get suggestions of Categories that you could select - it’s just that they won’t show up as buttons in the Browser.

#The Type buttons

The Type buttons at the top of the Browser.

The Type buttons at the top specify which general type of files are listed. These can be set or limited automatically if the browser is in a Browse Focus mode. For example, if you're browsing patches for an instrument device, you will only be able to switch between Instrument Patches and patches for the current device type (e.g. Europa patches).

Note: The MIDI Files type is not available in Reason Rack Plugin.

#The Text (search) field

The Filter text field can be the quickest way to filter the result:

•

Typing something in the Filter text field shows a menu with filter property suggestions.

You can use the arrow keys to go down to a suggestion and press Return to select it. This adds that filter property, shown to the right in the filter Filter text field:

The category “Keys: Organ” selected.

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If you just press Return in the text field (without going down the menu), the browser will show items that match any of the filter properties on the menu.

This is indicated by the filter property "Any":

You can continue writing and adding other properties.

To remove a filter property, click its X button (or use the left/right arrow keys to select it and press [Backspace]).

The properties available on the menu are as follows:

•

The name of the item.

•

For example, whether an instrument is a piano or a synth pad, or whether a sample is a Snare Drum or a Sound FX - different Types have different categories.

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A more subjective description of a sound. All patches and sounds in the Reason Factory Sound library have been manually tagged, to make them easier to search for and filter out.

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This lets you view all items by a certain sound designer.

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This lets you view all patches and samples in a certain Sound Pack.

•

In Rack Extension

This lets you view all patches built into a certain Rack Extension.

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This lets you view all items within a certain ReFill.

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This lets you view all items in a certain folder. If there are multiple folders of the same name, selecting this will show the contents of all these folders.

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For patches, this is the device type (e.g. “Europa Patch”, “Polytone Patch” etc.).
For samples, Kind represents the file format: WAV, AIFF, mp3 etc.

Adding multiple Names, Categories or Kinds will widen the result.

For example, if you filter on “Category: Keys” and “Category: Strings”, you will see both Keys and Strings patches.

Adding multiple Tags will narrow down the result.

For example, if you filter on “Tag: Fat” and “Tag: Analog“ you will only see sounds that are tagged both as "Fat" and "Analog".

#The Categories buttons

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The Category buttons will be different depending on which Type button you have clicked.

If "All Types" is selected, no Category buttons are shown (but you can still filter on categories using the Filter text field).

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In most cases, turning on a Category button will show its sub-categories:

Sub-categories for the “Bass” Category.

Sub-categories for the “Mallets” Category.

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You can choose whether to filter on the main category only ("Bass", "Mallets", etc) or to specify one or more subcategories.

Multiple categories can be activated at the same time.

Note: The "Uncategorized" Category shows all items that have no category (yet). That will initially include all your own existing patches and samples as well as patches in 3rd party Rack Extensions and VSTs.

#The Tags buttons

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The Tags buttons are the same for all Types.

They describe the character of a patch or sample and in some cases technical aspects ("Sampled", "Portamento", etc). The "Staff Pick" tag lists sounds that we at Reason Studios think are extra nice!

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Multiple tags can be activated to narrow down the filtering result.

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It’s also possible to edit and add your own custom tags, see “Adding User Tags”.

Note: Clicking the "Untagged" button will show all items that have no tag(s) (yet). That will initially include all your own existing patches and samples as well as patches in 3rd party Rack Extensions and VSTs.

#Categories and Tags in the Filter text field

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Any activated Category or Tag buttons will be shown in the Filter text field.

You can clear them by clicking their individual X buttons (or clear all by clicking X for the whole text field):

#Editing Categories, Tags and Author

You can change or remove the categorization and tagging of items, and also add categories and tags to your own sounds:

#Editing Categories and Tags

It’s possible to edit (assign and deassign) Categories and Tags for single or multiple files in the Item List.

Here is an example of a single sample assigned to “Sound FX” in the “Misc Samples” Category:

Right click a file in the Item List and select “Categories >” and the desired submenu, then click the Category name to assign (or to deassign if already selected):

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Assigning/deassigning Tags works the same way, except you select the “Tags >” submenu instead.

Here is an example of a selection of samples assigned to different and some common Categories:

Right click one of the selected files in the Item List and select “Categories >”:

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If you have selected multiple files, any Category and/or Tag you select will be applied to all selected files.

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If any of the selected files are already assigned to one or several Categories and/or Tags, this is indicated by a “-” sign to the left of the Category/Tag name.

Selecting such a Category or Tag will assign all selected files to that Category/Tag and the sign will switch to a check mark instead.

To de-assign a file (or multiple files) from a Category/Tag, right click the file(s), select “Categories >” or “Tags >” and click the check mark for the Category or Tag you want to de-assign.

#Editing Categories, Tags and Author in Edit Info mode

If you want to edit Categories, Tags and Author for one or several selected items in one go, you can do that in Edit Info Mode:

1.

Set up the view to show the items you want to categorize and/or tag.

For example, if you want to categorize and tag all patches in a certain folder, navigate there. The items must be part of the indexed locations; if you have custom patches in a folder on your hard drive you need to add that folder as a Shortcut first, see “Shortcuts”.

2.

Right click an item (or one of several selected items) in the Item List and select "Edit Info..."

The Browser switches to Edit Info mode:

Currently set Categories and Tags for the “DS8 Mk IV.thor” patch.

Click in the Author field at the top if you wish to change the name of the Author.

The Category and Tags buttons show the current categorization and tagging of the selected item.

Click the Categories and Tags buttons (to turn on/off) to add or remove categories and tags.

Select other items in the view to see and change their respective Categories and Tags.

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You can press [Shift] or [Cmd](Mac)/[Ctrl](Win) and click to select multiple items, and tag them all in one go.

If they have conflicting settings, those buttons will be shown with white text.

To keep your changes and leave the edit mode, click Save at the bottom at the bottom right in the Browser.

This takes you back to the regular browser view.

#Adding User Tags

It’s also possible to create and add your own custom Tags - User Tags:

1.

Unfold the Filter text field and the User Tags sections:

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Click the “+ Add...” button, type in a new Tag name and then hit [Enter]:

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To add your custom Tag to sounds/patches, right click the sound/patch in the Item List, select “User Tags >” and then select one of your User Tags:

Assigning a sample to the “EBM” User Tag.

You can also create a new User Tag and assign a sound to it in one go, by right clicking the sound and selecting “User Tags > + Assign New Tag...”:

To deassign or User Tags, right click the sound in the Item List, select “User Tags >” and click a check mark to deassign - or click the empty area to the left of the User Tag to assign:

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If you have selected multiple files in the Item List, these files may have both common and individual Tags assigned to them.

In such cases you can edit and reassign according to the description in “Editing Categories and Tags” above.

To delete or rename a User Tag, right click the User Tag button and select “Delete Tag” or “Rename Tag...”:

Note that regular Tags cannot be deleted - only User Tags.

#Other Browser functions

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Above the Item List, you will find back/forward buttons and a path menu for navigating up in the folder tree.

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To the right are buttons for selecting view mode: Flat list or Tree (showing folders).

Different locations have different default view modes when you go there. In some cases you cannot change the view mode (“All Locations” is always a Flat list for example, while the folders under "Computer" will always be in Tree mode).

Right click a file in the Item List (Flat view) and select “Show in Folder” to show the file in its original folder (in Tree view).

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You can sort by columns by clicking the column headings.

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You can resize the columns by dragging the heading dividers sideways.

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The entire Browser window can be resized and moved within the boundaries of the Reason application.

Note: Even though the Browser is shown, you can still edit settings in the rack or sequencer, click transport buttons and so on.

#Back/Forward buttons

These arrow buttons allow you to move back and forth between the Browser locations you have opened during the browsing session, similar to when browsing pages in a web browser.

#Path popup menu

This field displays the name of the currently selected root folder.

Click in the name field to bring up a popup menu where you can move up in the folder hierarchy.

When you're in a top-level location such as All Locations or a Favorite list, the path popup menu cannot be used.

Click on the Up button to the right of the root folder list to move up in the hierarchy one level at a time:

When you're in a top-level location such as All Locations or a Favorite list, the path popup menu cannot be used.

The Info area at the bottom to the left in the Browser shows information about the currently selected file in the Item List, including Name, File Type, File Location, Author, Categories (if categorized) and Tags (if tagged).

If the file is a sample or REX loop, there can also be information about Sample/Loop Length and Tempo (if embedded in the file). Length and/or Tempo will then also be displayed in the corresponding Item List columns.

#Handling Missing Sounds

Sampler patches, drum machine patches, Dr. Octo Rex patches, and SoundFonts contain references to samples - files on your hard disk. The same is true for songs that contain samples (in sampler or drum machine devices) or REX files. If any of these files have been moved, renamed or removed when you try to open the patch or song, Reason will alert you that files are missing by showing the “Missing Sounds” window. The “Missing Sounds” window also appears if patches in the song are part of a ReFill which has been moved, removed or is not installed on your computer:

The “Missing Sounds” window.

The main display in the Missing Sounds window lists all missing files. The three columns show the following properties:

| Column

| Description

Shows the name of the device in which the missing sound is used, along with a device type icon.

Shows the name of the missing file, along with a file type icon.

Part of ReFill/R.E.

If the missing file is part of a ReFill (or a SoundFont within a ReFill) or a Rack Extension device, this column shows the name of the ReFill/SoundFont/Rack Extension.

Below the main display are three buttons:

Select a file in the list and click the “Download ReFill/R.E.” button to open the Reason Companion app and see if the ReFill can be found.

If it can’t be found, click the “Search for the ReFill in the Shop” button to direct your web Browser to the Reason Studios Shop, where you can download (and purchase, if necessary) the ReFill/R.E.

If you have the missing samples somewhere on your computer, put them in a Browser Location (so the Browser can find them), then click the “Search All Locations” button.

Reason will automatically search for and find the missing files in any of the Locations present in the Browser.

If you have a lot of ReFills and folders in your Browser Locations, the search could take a while.

Alternatively, close the Missing Sounds window.

The song or patch will still work, but with sounds missing. This means that sampler patches, drum machine patches and/or loop players will not play back correctly.

On the panels of the concerned devices, missing samples are indicated with an asterisk (*) before the file names:

A Redrum device with a missing sample in one of its slots.

If you want to continue searching for and replacing missing sounds later on, you can open the Missing Sounds window again by selecting “Show Missing Sounds Window” from the Windows menu.

A ReFill is kind of a content package for Reason, which can contain sounds and effects patches, samples, REX files, SoundFonts and MIDI files. On your computer, ReFills appear as files with the extension “.rfl”.

All sounds included in Reason are embedded in two ReFills named “Reason Factory Sound Bank” and “Orkester Sound Bank”, which were copied to the hard disk during installation.

Additional Reason Studios ReFills are available for purchase. You can also purchase ReFills from other sample manufacturers, etc.

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Samples (Wave and AIFF files) are compressed to about half their original file size when stored in ReFills, without loss of quality.

In Reason, you can use the Browser to list and access the embedded sounds and other components within the ReFills, just as if the ReFills were folders on your hard disk.

Furthermore, if a song makes use of components from ReFills, Reason will tell you which ReFills are required.

#Reason file formats

The following table lists the file formats that you can browse and open using Reason’s Browser:

| File type

| Extension

| Description

Combinator Patch

The Combinator can store/recall combinations of Reason devices. Combinator patches (Combis) will save all panel settings (as well as sample references if used) for all devices that are part of the Combi. In addition, all routing (audio/CV) between devices in the Combi are included in the patch. Effect Combi patches are also used for Insert FX patches in the Main Mixer.

Subtractor Patch

This is a patch for the Subtractor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Subtractor patches.

This is a patch for the Thor synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Thor patches.

Malström Patch

This is a patch for the Malström synth device, containing all panel settings. You store your synth sounds by saving Malström patches.

NN19 Sampler Patch

This is a patch for the NN19 Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings.

NN-XT Sampler Patch

This is a patch for the NN-XT Sampler device, containing references to and settings for all used samples, along with panel settings.

This is a patch for the Redrum drum machine device. It contains information about which drum samples are used, along with all drum sound settings. In effect, a Redrum patch is a stored drum kit.

Dr. Octo Rex Patch

This is a patch for the Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device. It contains information about which REX Loops are used, along with all loop and panel parameter settings.

This is a patch for the Kong Drum Designer device. It contains information about what drum samples/modules are used, along with all drum sound settings for all 16 channels. In effect, a Kong Kit Patch is a complete stored drum kit.

Kong Drum Patch

This is a patch for a single Drum channel in the Kong Drum Designer device. It contains information about which drum samples/modules are used, along with all drum sound settings for one single Drum channel.

This is a patch for the RV7000 reverb effect, containing all panel settings.

This is a patch for the Scream 4 distortion effect, containing all panel settings.

This is a patch for The Echo delay effect, containing all panel settings.

Pulveriser Patch

This is a patch for the Pulveriser effect, containing all panel settings.

Alligator Patch

This is a patch for the Alligator gate effect, containing all panel settings.

.rx2, .rcy or .rex

REX files are created in another Reason Studios application, the ReCycle loop editor. REX files contain audio loops chopped into slices, with one slice for each significant beat in the loop.
REX files can be imported to Audio Tracks in Reason and are automatically converted to audio files. By loading a REX file into the Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device, you can play back the loop in virtually any tempo (without affecting the pitch), manipulate individual beats in the loop, extract timing info, etc.

Note that you can also load REX files into the samplers, the Redrum drum machine and Kong Drum Designer.

Audio files and Samples

.wav, .aif, mp3 etc.

Audio files of various formats, resolutions and sample rates can be imported to Audio Tracks in Reason. All sampler devices in Reason can also load and play back samples and audio files in these formats. You can use files of different formats in the same device - one drum sound can be an 8-bit sample, the next a 16-bit sample, etc.

The audio file format support differs depending on which computer OS you are using.

In macOS, the following audio file formats are supported:

.wav (not floating point), .aiff (not floating point), .3g2, .3gp, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .mpeg, .mpa, .snd, .au, .sd2, .ac3, .aac, .adts, .amr, .caf, .m4a .m4r and .mp4.

In Windows, the following audio file formats are supported:

.wav (not floating point), .aif (not floating point), .mp3, .aac, .m4a and .wma

The SoundFont format was co-developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Technologies and is used with many audio cards and software synthesizers. SoundFont banks store wavetable synthesized sounds, allowing users to create and edit multi-sampled sounds in special Soundfont editing programs. The SoundFonts can then be played back in wavetable synthesizers, typically on audio cards, thereby effectively turning an ordinary sound card into a sampler.

The NN-XT and NN19 Samplers and the Redrum drum machine allow you to browse and load SoundFonts. Regardless of which editing program was used to create them, these banks are similarly and hierarchically organized, with folders for instruments, presets, samples etc. The NN-XT, NN19 and the Redrum lets you load individual samples and presets from a SoundFont bank, but not the complete SoundFont.

Rack Extension Patch

These are patches for Rack Extension devices. All Rack Extension devices use the same file extension but the patch files contain different data depending on which device was used for creating them.

.fxp and .fxb VST2 patches
.vstpreset VST3 patches

Reason can read the VST2 patch formats fxp and fxb and the VST3 patch format
vstpreset. Provided that the VSTs are installed and detected by Reason, the patches can be opened in the corresponding VSTs.

File types that can be browsed/opened using Reason’s Browser.

The following table lists the file formats that you normally browse for and open using the regular (OS) browser:

| File type

| Extension

| Description

.reason or .rns

This is the main document format in Reason. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if you have made the song “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”). Opening a Reason Version 5 (or earlier) song will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Interface to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs”).

Reason Demo Song

A Reason Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason program. Reason Demo Songs, Reason Essentials Demo Songs and Record Demo Songs are the only song file types that can be opened when you run Reason in Demo Mode (without authorization). See “Opening a Reason Demo Song”.

Reason Published Song

A Reason Published Song is a self-contained Reason song (created in Version 5 or earlier) intended for playback only. It can only be opened in Reason and cannot be changed. Its components cannot be extracted and it is only possible to export the song as an audio file if you haven’t edited anything. Opening a Reason Published Song song in Reason will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Device to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs”).

Reason Adapted Song

A Reason Adapted Song is a song created in a Reason Adapted version. Opening a Reason Adapted Song song in Reason will retain the original rack configuration, but will route the signals originally connected to the Out 1 and 2 of the Reason Hardware Device to a new Mix Channel (see “About opening Reason Version 5 (or earlier) Songs”).

This is the main document format in Propellerhead Record. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Record Demo Song

A Record Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Propellerhead Record program. Record Demo Songs, Reason Demo Songs and Reason Essentials Demo Songs are the only song file types that can be opened when you run Reason in Demo Mode (without authorization). See “Opening a Reason Demo Song”.

Reason Essentials Song

This is a song created in Reason Essentials. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Reason Essentials Demo Song

A Reason Essentials Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason Essentials program. Reason Essentials Demo Songs can be opened and edited in Reason just like a regular Reason Essentials Song.

Reason Limited Song

This is a song created in Reason Limited. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Reason Intro Song

This is a song created in Reason Intro. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Reason Intro Demo Song

A Reason Intro Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason Intro program. Reason Intro Demo Songs can be opened and edited in Reason just like a regular Reason Intro Song.

Reason Lite Song

This is a song created in Reason Lite. It contains the recordings on all audio, instrument and automation tracks - and the device setup in the rack, along with references to any used instrument samples and loops - or it can contain the actual samples and loops if the song is “self-contained” (see “About Self-Contained Songs”).

Reason Lite Demo Song

A Reason Lite Demo Song is a factory made song intended to demo the sound and features of the Reason Lite program. Reason Lite Demo Songs can be opened and edited in Reason just like a regular Reason Lite Song.