Alright, I have been slacking so this week I am going to give a little bit of an overview on Reason 3.0…. I know, its nothing new, but i figured i would run through a series of quick tutorials of the functions of everything in Reason. alright, lets begin.
Reason is in itself very simple….so easy a caveman could use it 
It is a collection of synths, drum machines, effects, sequencers and a few other goodies… the difference here though is that unlike in realty, you can duplicate your items as many times as you would like (think of a sampler or drum machine crossed with a rabbit!) and use them in any kind of chain you would like… making the possibilities limitless.
I will discuss the ReDrum module this week.
ReDrum
Upon a first glance… ReDrum may seem to you like somekind of limited drum machine made for today’s self proclaimed producer who doesn’t know the first thing about music or how to make it. In other words a rap producer It can be used for simple tasks or you may delve into the deeper functions of ReDrum that break down the barrier between technology and creativity, allowing you to be up and running in a hurry and writing hit songs.
ReDrum Channels
The first thing you will notice about ReDrum is that it has 10 separate channels. Each of these channels may contain a sample of your choice in a number of different formats (.aif, .aiff, .wav, .wave, .rx2, .rcy, or .rex). To load your samples you must click the small button with the file on it that is to the right of the ReDrum channel number.
After you have clicked it you must then choose your file. There all done. You now have a sample loaded in for that channel. You may consider doing this for the rest of the channels…. but wait… all channels are not created equally, The designers of ReDrum have given a few of the channels some alternate abilities. But first I will discuss the functions that are common on all channels.
Common Functions
Above, you will see some of the common controls on the ReDrum module’s panel.
These include the S1, and S2 knobs. These are basically sends. On the rear panel of the redrum unit you can route these send outputs to any location you choose. If you make a ReDrum with Autorouting on just after a mixer it will chain then to the mixers Auxillary section. These are primarily used for reverbs and effects, they are pretty straight forward for anyone who isn’t a COMPLETE noob.
There is a also a L-Pan-R knob. This a a panoramic potentiometer for that specific channel in ReDrum…. If you don’t understand that…. then if you turn it to the left… the sounds comes out of your left speaker… If you turn it right it comes out of your right speaker… if you are working in Mono on a project with Phil Spector… don’t worry about it.
The Level knob adjusts the sound intensity in relation to the rest of the ReDrum Channels… in other words a volume knob.
The Vel Knob controls how the velocity of the sample you have loaded is controled. The farther you turn this knob to the right the more extreme the difference between samples with low and high velocity will become. If turned to the left the velocity will become inverse. Meaning the samples with higher velocity will become lover and the lower velocity hits will become higher.
The last three knobs I will discuss together because they can sometimes all work in conjunction with each other.
The first of these is the Length knob. What this does is determine where your sample will stop playing in relation to the beginning. When all the way to the right in its default location, the entire sample you have loaded will play from start to finish. As you move this towards the left position the sample will stop within a shorter amount of time. It is important to understand that this does not change the amount of time the sample happens in but how much of the sample it plays.
The next function is the switch to the right of the knob. This is the Decay/gate switch. When the switch is in the top position (the Square shape) The sample is played with no change to amplitude, exactly the same way it was before you loaded it into ReDrum. In the bottom position (the triangle shape) The sample is faded out at the end. Pretty simple stuff.
The Pitch knob is the final control in this section. It simply controls the pitch of you sample. Turn it to the left and your sample get lower in frequency and when turned to the right the inverse function occurs… the frequency become higher.
*By using these three functions in conjunction with each other it enables you to create a more natural (or un-natural if thats your thing) sounding drum. If for example you lowered the pitch of the drum, you may shorten the length to tighten up the sound, the envelope switch may also make it sound a little less digital altered.*
Special Channel Functions
Earlier on I told you that all channels were not created equally… I will now discuss this more thoroughly.
First of all Channel 1, 2, and 10 have the special function Tone.
This is specific to these channels because most users choose to use channels 1 and 2 for kicks or snares and ten for cymbals and these filters work on the ranges where the majority of the harmonic content is. The Tone knob is basically just a type of eq or filter. When turned to the left it will accentuate the lows and attenuate highs, while turning it to the right causes the inverse function. Just remember… just because everybody else uses them for that doesn’t mean you have to.
Chanels 6 and 7 both have the above section.
Basically this allows the pitch of the sample to be bent. Think disco toms… yeah i know… god help us. BUT they can be used for other unforseen effects (I like to play with high-hat sounds in these channels). The pitch knob sets how extreme you want the pitch bend to be… left for lower pitch right for a higher pitch. The bend knob determines if you want the bend to bend from low to high (left) or from high to low (Right). The rate knob determines how fast you would like that bend to occur. The vel knob determines the pitch bend’s relation to velocity much in the same way it works in the other channels.
Channels 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 all have a function called the Start knob. The start knob simply put determines where you sample will begin to play from. This can be used to reduce loud transients or achieve other artistic effects.
Alright, thats all for now folks, next week I will discuss the step sequencer/pattern section of redrum and then go through the controls of Subtractor. Live long and prosper.
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