Master Class: All the More Reason

Provided by: Electronic Musician

Propellerhead Software's Reason 4 introduces a new sequencer that has a region-based interface, similar to DAW applications. Clips displayed along the sequencer's timeline represent note and automation data. Regions can be trimmed, spliced, and quickly duplicated. The sequencer has been completely recoded and now features tempo and time-signature automation. Version 4 is more than an update; it's practically a new application, optimized for the speed and capacity of the latest personal computers.

The landscape of Reason 4's sequencer is different from those of its predecessors. Its primary editing pages are still the familiar Arrange and Edit modes, though a new subset of Edit mode has been added: the Clip Editor, which lets you modify note events and automation. Incorporating another layer of editing may sound as though it would be more complicated, but the keyboard shortcuts streamline many tasks. In addition to illustrating key-command functionality in the sequencer, I will discuss various approaches to automation, using the ReGroove quantization system, and adapting pattern sequences.

Get a Handle on Key Commands

The new key commands in version 4 increase the efficiency of recording and editing sequence data, and anyone who has yet to explore the use of Reason's keyboard shortcuts will certainly benefit from them. It is important to know the keys, but developing a feel for the order of keystrokes will help accomplish tasks that normally require navigating through several editing menus.
Experienced Reason users should already be familiar with the Control (Win) or Command (Mac) + A (Select All), + S (Save), + Z (Undo), + C (Copy), and + V (Paste) keys, as well as the Tab (Flip Rack) key. Window-selection keys are also on the keyboard's left-hand side: Control/Command + 1 to view the rack, and Control/Command + 2 to view the sequencer. If you're accustomed to navigating the previous key commands, you should have no problem learning the new shortcuts for selecting the sequencer's editing tools: Q, W, E, R, T, and Y. The G and H keys control the horizontal zoom, the F key toggles the sequencer's Follow feature, and the S key toggles the grid-snap feature.
Your computer's cursor keys let you navigate through the clips in Reason's Arrange and Edit windows. Once a clip is selected, pressing the Enter/Return key (not the Enter key in the numeric keypad) opens the Clip Editor; this action is the same as double-clicking on a clip. To exit the Clip Editor, press Enter/Return again and use the Left or Right cursor keys to move to the next clip in Edit mode (see Fig. 1) or use either the Shift + Tab or the Control/Command + E shortcut to toggle back to Arrange mode.

The process of recording sequences centers around the Enter/Return key and other keys in the keyboard's right-hand area. For example, try using Control/Command + I to add a new instrument, and then use Control/Command + Enter/Return to start recording. Stop the transport by pressing Shift + Enter/Return. Hit Control/Command + K to quantize the clip, and then press Enter/Return to open the Clip Editor. In the Clip Editor, use the cursor keys to navigate through the notes, the Control/Command + Up and Down cursor keys to transpose, and the Control/Command + Left and Right cursor keys to nudge recorded notes.
In the Track List, the Up and Down cursor keys let you scroll through tracks. Track scrolling is useful for quickly switching between patches during a live performance. In addition, it's useful during recording because you can jump to another track and continue to sequence a new part without stopping the transport. With the New Alt and New Dub sequencer features, you don't have to stop and delete a bad take. Pressing the Period key mutes the current take and creates a new lane in which you can record another pass. For a simple overdub, press the Comma key to create a new lane without muting the current take.
If you still aren't comfortable with the concept of switching between clips to edit notes, a simple work-around is to select all clips along a lane and use the keyboard shortcut Control/Command + J to join smaller segments into a single clip. Then use the Enter/Return key to open it directly in the Clip Editor. With some practice, the new key commands will become second nature, and the benefits of using clips will be readily apparent, especially when you use automation.

Automation Clips

Automating parameters is an integral part of sequencing music, one that makes it possible to manipulate various aspects of a performance. In Reason 4, automation data is organized in clips along automation lanes. The easiest way to set up an automation lane is to right-click on the knob or slider that controls the desired parameter, and then select Edit Automation from the contextual menu. You can also activate lanes using either the Automation pull-down menu in the toolbar or the recording parameter automation. If no track exists for an effects device such as a Scream 4, selecting Edit Automation in the contextual menu automatically creates both the track and the lane (see Fig. 2).
You can copy automation clips to other lanes — a feature that's useful for duplicating fader automation to several mixer channels. Although this procedure normally works flawlessly, data copied between different range types will display the Alien Clip warning (a series of dark red stripes overlapping the clip). If that occurs, try using the contextual menu's Adjust Alien Clips To Lane command to make the data conform. Copying the fader automation to a lane controlling EQ gain, for instance, will require adjustment, but copying fader automation to one controlling filter frequency will work without adjustment.