How to Use Reason 3.0

Reason was created by Propellerhead software for working with music on a computer. Although professionals primarily use the software, Reason 3.0 is software that anyone can learn to use with their computer at home. Utilize the powerful recording interfaces of Reason 3.0 to customize your own music, create new songs, or mix other recordings into your own work of art. Work with numerous Propellerhead music samples and create your music from the comfort of your own home or office.

Instructions

Use the Controls in the Reason Interface to Adjust Volume and Settings

1. Click on a knob and drag up to turn the knob clockwise. Drag down to turn the knob counter-clockwise. Hold the "Shift" key to fine-tune or slowly adjust the instrument.

2. Click on the knob and hit "Ctrl" to reset the default setting.

3. Click anywhere on a slider to jump to the setting you want. Like other tools, the slider can be slowly moved by holding down the "Shift" key.

Manage the Rack in Reason 3.0

1. Use the scroll bar to view multiple devices on the rack. Point on the scroll bar, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the scroll bar down the list to view all available devices on the rack.

2. Add a new device by clicking on the Main menu bar or the Context menu. Point to create, then point and select the device.

3. Cut, copy or delete a device by clicking the device from the rack. To delete, just hit the "Del" button on your keyboard or hold down the "Ctrl/Command" key and hit the "Backspace" key.

4. Hit "Ctrl" and drag the device to a new position to create a duplicate device.

5. Hold down the "Shift" key and click "Paste" on the Edit menu to route the pasted device automatically. Reason 3.0 ensures the device’s audio connections are routed.

Use the Composition Power of the Sequencer to Record and Play Tracks

1. Hit the"enter" button on the numeric keypad or click on the "play" button. This will play back any music you currently have on your rack screen. Hit "0" to stop or click the "stop" button with your mouse pointer.

2. Move the P-marker on the sequencer screen to change the position of the song in the sequencer. The P-marker is a small arrow-like tab positioned along the scale in the sequencer.

3. Click on the "Solo" button to mute out other tracks that are not marked as solo. The Solo button is a green circled S.

4. To prepare for a recording, locate the transport panel on the Reason interface. Click inside the Tempo window to adjust the tempo at beats per minute.

5. Move the recording position by clicking on the ruler or moving the P-marker to where you want the recording to begin. Click on the red "Record" button on the screen. Click the "play" button to start your recording. Click "stop" to end the recording, or hit "zero" on your number keypad.

Transfer Contained Song Files

1. Transfer self-contained song files to another computer user. By creating the self-contained song you can share all the necessary files you choose, and leave out the files you do not wish to share.

2. Click the File menu. Song Self-Contain Settings. Select the files to be included in the song file by clicking on each check box next to the desired file. Click "OK."

3. Add information about the song you have created or sampled. This is a useful feature for sharing with other song artists. Click on the File menu to bring up the Song information options. Select Song information to bring up the dialogue window for adding information about a song file. Click on the Web page text box to add the Web page of the artist or song author. Click on "Song Splash" to add a picture from your computer in the song file. Click browse and locate the picture you want to use from your computer.

4. Publish your songs on the Internet for others to listen to. Click the File menu, then select "Publish Song." Name your file and click "save." This is only usable to other Reason 3.0 users. To create an MP3 or burn a CD, you will need to change the file to an audio format. Remove all stereo outputs first. Play your song to ensure that there is no clipping during the playback before you export the audio file. Click the File menu when you are sure your song sounds the way you want it. Click on "Export Song/ Loop as Audio File."

5. Create a song by selecting "New" from the File menu. In the song document window, select "empty rack." This will give you an absolutely fresh start for your virtual instruments and synthesizers. Click "save." Choose AIFF or WAVE for the file format. Click "save." Click on the rate to adjust the audio resolution for the song file. You may leave the default values for stereo settings. Export to a low bit resolution by clicking on the Dither function. Low-level quality sound is improved in this area. After the audio file is created, click "OK."

Resources

• Tips and samples for Reason 3.0