An overview of several ways to use Propellerheads Reason software to perform live music on your laptop. Originally written in 2005, revised 2009.

1. USING REASON
FOR LIVE P.A.
By Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon [acid42]
http://acid42.bluechronicles.net
http://www.twitter.com/acid42
acid42@gmail.com

2. About this guide
• Originally created in 2005
• At the time, only Reason 2.5
• Most principles are still valid however
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3. What is Reason?
• Sequencer
• Virtual synth racks
• Song info: mainly MIDI
• Small song file sizes
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4. What do you need?
• Laptop
• Good soundcard
• MIDI controller
• Good cables
An example of a live setup I used in 2002.
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5. #1. Use Reason as a
sequencer

6. #1. Use Reason as a sequencer
[A] Go Linear. For ultimate control.
– Sequence entire songs.
– Play them from start to finish.
– Problem: Not much variety.
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7. Add variety by:
A) Playing with loop points
– Loop entire song, or
– Loop certain sections by dragging loop Left
and loop Right markers and clicking
“Loop On.”
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8. TIP: Changing loop points
1. Manually dragging the loop indicators with your
mouse (HELL!!!)
2. Typing in the loop start and end measures in the
L and R boxes at bottom right of transport panel,
and then pressing ENTER. (PRONE TO
ERROR!!!!)
NOTE: Wait for box to appear before typing the new
measure number and pressing ENTER. I’ve stopped my
set numerous times by pressing ENTER without looking.
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9. TIP: Changing loop points
3. Positioning your mouse over the measure
numbers and then use these shortcuts
– CTRL + mouse click (for start loop point)
– ALT + mouse click (for end loop point)
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10. Add variety by:
B) Playing live keyboard on top
– Live playing adds energy, spontaneity
– Hence the need for a USB controller of some
sort
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11. Add variety by:
C) Randomly replacing rhythm patterns
– Introduce a Dr.Rex module
– Load a random REX pattern
– Mute your regular rhythm tracks
– See what happens next. Sometimes
accidents produce great results.
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12. #1. Use Reason as a sequencer
[B] Play short repeating grooves.
– Pre-sequence short phrases
(think 16, 32, 64 measures)
– Play with loop points.
Here is an example of a track I made with only two sections, each 16
bars in length. Toggling between sections is the tricky part.
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13. #1. Use Reason as a sequencer
[C] Build it from scratch
• Most radical method. Most stressful.
• Start with basic drum loop
• Build parts as you go
• Spontaneity results in either pure genius
or massive error
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14. #1. Use Reason as a sequencer
[D] Mix pre-made songs like a DJ.
– You can have several songs open at a time
(watch your CPU)
– Match the BPMs of your songs
(Beat matching)
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15. TIP: Beat matching
1. Latency check:
• Make sure your latency
settings are optimized,
otherwise impossible
to match up beats.
• Adjust buffer size
till no dropouts
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16. TIP: Beat matching
2. Visual Beat-matching:
• Watch bottom of transport panel (position
meter)
• Get the beat numbers to match.
Here are 2 songs
with the beat
counters next to
each other for
easier monitoring.
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17. TIP: Beat matching
3. Layered parts: Bonus tip
• Set 2nd song to loop for 8 bars or so
• Use 2nd song's rhythms as a layer over
the 1st song's melodic parts, or vice versa.
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18. TIP: Beat matching
3. Layered parts: Bonus tip
Here, the first song’s kick drum is soloed while the 2nd track is playing.
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19. #2. Use Reason as a
tone module

20. #2. Use Reason as a tone module
• Harness Reason's power with a MIDI or
USB keyboard controller
• Control just one tone module at a time,
(default)
• Or layer several
instruments for
a fat, lush sound
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21. TIP: Layering synths
Taken from ReasonStation.com
1. Go to Preferences >MIDI.
Ensure the correct port is linked to your
keyboard.
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22. TIP: Layering synths
2. Go to “Advanced MIDI"
Select the same port for both Bus A and B
(and C and D, if you want).
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23. TIP: Layering synths
3. Check which MIDI channel your
keyboard is set to send MIDI messages
from (usually channel 1).
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24. TIP: Layering synths
4. In your MIDI interface (top of Reason
rack), select bus A and from the dropdown
arrow beside channel 1, select the
instrument you want to layer (say a
Subtractor 1).
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25. TIP: Layering synths
5. At Bus B, go to channel 1 and select the
next instrument you want to layer (say, a
Pad ).
• Repeat for as many as 4 busses or layers.
Now all MIDI info from your keyboard is routed through the busses and
through a dedicated channel 1 path to all instruments on that channel.
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26. #3. Changing parameters

27. #3. Changing parameters
• Beauty of Live P.A.= full control over all
your sound parameters
• You have built-in effects units to control
your sound.
• Effects, filters, envelopes,
panning, EQ, anything with
a knob or slider!
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28. #3. Changing parameters
[A] TWEAK EFFECTS
• Easiest way to "play" with your sound
• Effects in Reason are built-in, thus stable
• Play around. Experiment.
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29. #3. Changing parameters
[B] ALTER NOTES
• Highlight some sequenced notes,
right-click, and pick
Change Events>
Alter Notes. Choose %
• Randomly changes note
position. New melodies
and rhythms from old.
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30. #3. Changing parameters
[C] TWEAK THOSE KNOBS
• Parameters such as: filter, resonance,
attack, decay, sustain, release.
• Find out what each can do to a sound.
And then play with your sound.
• Some examples…
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31. TIP: Knobs and Filters
Frequency sweeps
• Set the Matrix going with a cool rhythm
pattern on a Subtractor
• Grab the filter FREQUENCY knobs as the
pattern plays.
• Min: gurgle
Max: wide full sound
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32. TIP: Knobs and Filters
Envelope decay variations
• Get a pattern going on a Subtractor
• Grab DECAY slider. (“D”)
• Min: notes are cut short,
Max: wall of
echoing sound.
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33. TIP: Knobs and Filters
Resonance boost
• Grab RESONANCE slider (“R”)
• High resonance w/ short decay:
quick rhythmic blips
• Low resonance: filter
will woof.
• Turn down resonance for
a more even sound.
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34. TIP: Knobs and Filters
Oscillator sync sweeps
• Subtractor:2 oscillators
• Lower the pitch of less dominant oscillator
by a couple of octaves:
metallic
sweep of
the
overtones.
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35. TIP: Knobs and Filters
Waveform crossfades
• Set up an oscillator tuned an octave or two
below the first
• Fade it in and out with Mix knob.
If your synth has a Distortion
effect, tune the second
oscillator to some other
interval (a fifth above the
first oscillator, for instance)
and bring it in with a knob
for a great thickening of the
tone.
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36. #4. Personalized settings

37. #4. Personalized settings
[A] KEYBOARD MAPPING
• Allows you to activate something without using
mouse.
• Options > Edit Keyboard Remote
• Assign QWERTY keys to buttons you’ll need
• Personally, I have set it up so that each mixer
channel mute button, each Redrum pattern
and each Matrix pattern is mapped to a
QWERTY key.
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38. #4. Personalized
[A] KEYBOARD MAPPING settings
ACID42's Keyboard Map:
Mixer Channel mute buttons: 1: Q. 2: W. 3: E 4: R 5: T 6: Y 7: U 8: I 9: O 10: P
Redrum Pattern enable buttons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Redrum Bank A enable: shift + 1
Redrum Bank B enable: shift + 2
Redrum Bank C enable: shift + 3
Redrum Bank D enable: shift + 4
Matrix Pattern enable buttons: 1: A 2:S 3: D 4: F 5: G 6: H 7: J 8: K
Matrix Bank A enable: shift + A
Matrix Bank B enable: shift + S
Matrix Bank C enable: shift + D
Matrix Bank D enable: shift + F
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39. #4. Personalized settings
[B] YOUR OWN DEFAULT SONG
• Save your keyboard
mappings and all
shortcuts as your
"Default Song.rns"
• Start every new song
with "Default Song.rns"
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40. #4. Personalized settings
[C] SONG INFO = USEFUL INFO
• Pressing CTRL+I >
Song Information
window
• Place useful
info for your
performance:
a.) Chords (in “Text in window title”)
b.) List relevant measure numbers where
sections change (in “Text in window title”)
c.) Lyrics even! (in “More information”)
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41. #4. Personalized settings
[D] MAKE FILENAMES USEFUL
• Make it is easy to find songs which can
be beat-matched.
• Put BPM before
song title.
• Put genre
after BPM.
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42. END
Hope this tutorial has been useful. If you have any
questions or comments or even your own tips,
I’d love to hear them. Email me at
acid42@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading!
Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon [acid42]
web: http:/ / acid42.bluechronicles.net
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/acid42
Email: acid42@gmail.com
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43. About the Author
• Acid42 = Lionel Valdellon
• Live P.A. since 2002
[Japan, Brunei, Malaysia, USA]
• Originally from Philippines,
now based in California
• Member of ElectronicaManila
• All Acid42 music = Creative Commons
• Netlabel releases on QED Records
• Web: http://acid42.bluechronicles.net
• Email: acid42@gmail.com
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