Today, we're going to look at using VST instruments and effects inside Reason.
If you've been making music with Reason for a while you know how monumental of a change
that is.
But here's the coolest part - it's really no change at all.
Bringing VSTs into Reason's rack instead invites them to join in on everything we've
always loved about Reason's quick creativity, flexibility, and endless possibility - allowing
you to now get all the sounds you want, and even making music with VSTs in ways only possible
in Reason's modular rack.
The best way to show you what I mean is to make a song together using all of Reason's
rack device types from Reason Devices, Rack Extensions, Players, and now VST instruments
and effects, too.
In order to stay focused on the new VST techniques in this video, we'll move more swiftly through
the Reason tricks and devices we've covered in other videos.
VSTs come in all shapes, sizes, and designed for every stage of the creative process.
Founder and CEO of Output Gregg Lehrman likes to focus their instruments on the initial
spark of creativity.
We always start with, "what is a product that you can sit down and start a track with?"
Anybody who makes music should be able to find inspiration and creativity and that's
really where we start.
So let's do exactly that by starting our idea with some of their instruments.
VST instruments or effects you have installed on your computer will show up in Reason's
browser alongside built-in rack devices and Rack Extensions.
Output's sound libraries run inside the Native Instruments Kontakt Player, which currently
appears in our browser using a default VST logo.
This is how VSTs will look when first installed.
Let's drag the Kontakt Player into the rack and what loads is Reason's new Plugin Rack
Device which houses our VST plugins.
Initially the Plugin Rack Device is very straight forward.
We have a patch browser for any plugins that use standard .fxb and .fxp patches, Pitch
and Mod Wheels… and a display screen also currently showing a default "VST" label.
To open the Kontakt Player plugin window we simply click anywhere on the Plugin Rack Device's
glass display.
Let's load Output's Analog Strings which has some great string and synthesizer hybrid
sounds.
Pluck sounds are a great way to start song ideas so we'll use this one but before we
close our plugin window and get on with the music let's first bring our attention to
the buttons at the top of the plugin window, particularly the Screenshot button.
Back when we scrolled to the Kontakt Player in our Browser, the VST displayed a default
logo.
If we click the Screenshot button and close our plugin window you can see that we now
have a device thumbnail displayed in our browser alongside our other rack devices.
It's also displayed on the Plugin Rack Device's front panel.
Once you take a screenshot of your VST it will appear in all new song documents going
forward.
If you've gotten to know Reason's Players you already know how great they are for writing
and exploring new musical phrases.
Players work with VST instruments the same way they do for everything in the Reason rack.
I'm going to do one of my favorite Note Echo tricks by creating wide parallel harmony
notes which I'll then fit into my song's key by dragging in a Scales and Chords player.
The result of these Players with Output's Analog Strings is a super fun pluck sound
that I can explore…and record.
Let's add to this idea with another Output library perfectly suited to modern sounding
hooks: Exhale.
You're now familiar with the process… we'll drag the same Kontakt Player into
the rack… open it up… and load an Exhale preset.
Exhale is an instrument which maps vocal loops and slices across the keyboard so we can create
our own juggled sample parts.
Like this…
But sound design and creative production isn't limited to just what the VST plugin itself
can do.
We can process VST plugins in our rack just like we would process any rack device.
If I wanted to run this vocal hook through a Rack Extension filter, I just drag it in
below and it cables itself to our Plugin Rack Device.
I'll draw in a little filter automation and suddenly we've got a song building.
But of course, Reason's sequencer automation like this isn't limited to Rack Extensions.
We can automate VST Plugin parameters using the sequencer too.
To demonstrate, let's add another VST instrument to our song.
Serum by Xfer Records is a highly popular synthesizer championed by producers of EDM,
Trap, Pop, and seemingly every other genre these days.
Let's record a part for our song.
If we wanted to automate Serum's built in filter we have three options.
We could of course just click record in our sequencer and start adjusting the filter cutoff
on Serum.
Our automation is captured perfectly in the sequencer.
If you prefer to draw automation points in by hand, you can instead use the Automation
button atop the Plugin Window.
Click it once to activate it and now click the parameter you want to automate.
In this case, that's Filter Cutoff.
Once clicked, a Filter Cutoff automation lane appears in the sequencer ready for you to
draw in automation points.
In the third method, if you like to work with control surfaces you can assign VST plugin
parameters to your control surface using the Remote button and a similar process.
This time click the Remote button to activate the assignment process.
Then click the parameter you want to control.
Reason's Edit Remote window pops up where you can choose your controller and which knob
or fader on it will adjust the plugin's Filter Cutoff.
Now we can record automation using our controller.
To those of you who make music using the front of Reason's rack, automate sounds via the
sequencer, and play instruments using controllers… congratulations.
You've learned everything you need to learn about the Plugin Rack Device and using VSTs
in Reason.
Now to those of you who like to dive deeper into Reason's advanced world of CV modular
routing and the back of the rack, let's take a tour of how the Plugin Rack Device
brings Reason's CV magic to VST plugins.
I'll search my Instruments in the browser for Dune 2 by Synapse Audio.
If you know and love the Antidote Rack Extension also by Synapse Audio, Dune 2's sounds won't
disappoint.
To sequence Dune 2 lets bring in the Korde Sequencer by Lectric Panda and load one of
its pattern presets.
We connect the Korde Sequencer to our Dune 2 VST plugin by flipping to the back of Reason's
rack using the Tab key.
We can drag cables from Korde's Gate and Note CV outputs to the Plugin Rack Device's
Gate and CV Inputs.
Now if I play some chords the Korde Sequencer generates a pattern from those incoming notes
to send to our VST instrument.
I can even drag a Scales and Chords Player above the Korde Sequencer to convert single
notes on my keyboard into colorful chord patterns.
One cool thing about Korde Sequencer, and routing in Reason's rack in general, is
that one device can control many things.
Korde Sequencer has several Gate and CV outputs and several pattern lanes.
That means that if I were to drag in another VST Instrument, like Synthmaster 1, and load
a patch…
I could also connect it to the Korde Sequencer using the same technique.
This time it's the second set of Gate and Note CV cables will go to Synthmaster 1's
Gate and CV input.
I can now program the second pattern lane, which will use the same incoming chords to
generate a bass line.
With our other VST instruments and the drums I've programmed in Kong, we've got something
of a Tropical House vibe going here.
We'll round out this song idea with a top line synth melody.
I know we've been focusing purposely on VST instruments so far in this tutorial but
there are fantastic sounding Rack Extension instruments and effects for Reason - and Blamsoft's
Expanse is one great example.
Let's record a line…
To process this sound further lets bring a VST audio effect into our signal chain by
dragging a Fab Filter Pro-Q 2 beneath Expanse and clicking its thumbnail to open it.
Fab Filter is an EQ plugin typically used in mixing and mastering, thanks to its built
in Spectrum Visualizer and up to 24 bands of EQ that go from subtle… to surgical.
We can easily set up a custom band pass style filter using the Pro-Q 2 but one thing we
can't easily do inside the plugin itself is to sweep these five EQ bands as a group
- and certainly not in a musical or rhythmic way.
This is a perfect job for the Plugin Rack Device's CV Programmer.
You may recognize this style of modulation routing from Reason's Thor Synthesizer or
many other plugins which use a similar method to set up modulation control.
Our first step is to teach the Plugin Rack Device which parameter inside the VST we want
to control.
We do that with the "LEARN" button.
I'll click "learn" on the CV Programmer's first row and our Fab Filter pops up, where
I can select the first EQ band… and click its Frequency knob.
You can see that our CV Programmer has assigned our first parameter correctly to Band 1's
Frequency.
Since we have five bands, we just need to do that a few more times for EQ Band 2, 3,
and so on.
You'll notice each row in the CV Programmer now displays the correct EQ band and also
its "Base Value."
This base value represents where the VST plugin's parameter is currently set.
If I lower the base value of "Band 1 Frequency" on our CV Programmer you'll see the plugin
follow along.
And it works both ways, too… if I adjust the EQ band in the plugin itself, you'll
see the base value update to reflect the new position.
I want to control all of these bands with just one CV signal.
I could use any number of Reason Devices or Rack Extensions to do this but let's use
the Matrix Pattern Sequencer.
I'll drag it beneath my Plugin Rack Device while holding down Shift, flip the rack, and
drag a cable from the Matrix's Curve CV to Modulation CV Input 1 on the Plugin Rack
Device.
If we return to the front of the rack you'll notice that by default each row of the CV
Programmer is set to an incrementally higher CV input jack… but we can reassign all five
of our EQ bands to be controlled by the single CV cable we've connected to CV Input 1.
Let's switch our Matrix to Curve Edit Mode and draw in some stepped CV values.
When we press play now, the Matrix pattern sequencer sends these values to our Plugin
Rack Device, where the CV Programmer then routes them to our plugin's EQ bands.
The result is that our Matrix Pattern Sequencer is moving all five bands of our EQ simultaneously
and most importantly, musically to our beat.
If we want to scale back the range of the modulation signal we can do that with the
Amount slider in each parameter row.
If I adjust them all downward to the same value our sweeping movement continues in lock-step
but you can see we've narrowed the range of that sweeping.
As deep as we went today, we've only scratched the surface of what can happen when you combine
the sounds from VST instruments or effects with the creativity of Reason's Rack Devices
and Rack Extension plugins.
From here though, it's up to you to see which VSTs inspire you, what new sounds they
can make with your Rack Extensions, and just where your music might go.
So have fun!
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét