Phex Reason Bass Guide

Routing devices in reason

One of the most important things to know about making sounds is that the order which you place your devices and effects can matter significantly to the sound that you will ultimately get. Before explaining how and why this is the case, and why Reason is different compared to most other DAW’s when it comes to this, first lets quickly cover some basics to put this into context.

As a producer you are working with sounds which are heard through an audio signal. Different effects can be added to change the characteristics of the sound. In general, all effects have an Input and Output (also known as ‘In’ and ‘Out’). Any sound that you intend for the effect to process needs to go into the Input of the effect, the effect then processes the sound and then the processed sound/signal comes out of the Output of the effect. Refer to below image which demonstrates different devices and how the Input and Outputs connect them all together. As a side note, Malstrom does not have an Input because it is not an effect, it is a synthesizer that generates sound rather than being something that receives sound and processes it.

Audio Example 1 - Distortion before Reverb

In the below example image, the distortion effect has been moved to be last in the chain of effects. Doing this changes the end result that you hear from the processing on your bass because the audio that your distortion effect is receiving has already gone through the reverb and delay effects, meaning that by the time the audio signal reaches the distortion device, you will be distorting all the ambience that gets generated from the reverb and delay as well.

Audio Example 2 - Distortion after Reverb

The important thing to know about Reason is that when you move devices/effects by clicking and dragging them to reposition their order, it will not actually change the routing of the Input/Outputs for your devices to reflect the different order you have placed them in. This means that solely clicking and dragging to move your devices in a different order will have no impact on your sound and is only done for visual organization purposes. This is only the case for Reason and it is due to the way Reason was intentionally designed - this does not apply if you are using other DAWs like Ableton or FL Studio.

Let’s understand why this is the case for Reason. You can press the Tab key and see the routing of the cables that connect the Inputs and Outputs of devices from one to another. The below image demonstrates the cable routing for the bass that was described in the previous image.

But what happens when dragging one of the devices to reposition its order in the combinator? In the below image I have done exactly that by dragging the Scream distortion device to be underneath the Malstrom device. Despite this, you will be able to see that the cable routing for the In and Out of each device has still remained the same as it was before re-ordering the Scream distortion device.

What is required to have the cable routing corrected to reflect the new device order?

Reason is designed to be a rack-based DAW which aims to replicate having physical hardware equipment, and so by understanding what is required to connect devices to each other in Reason, you will also inherently understand a lot about what would be required in a studio with physical equipment in real life.

Process:

1. Change the order of your device visually (this is already done this in the above image by moving the Scream distortion underneath the Malstrom device).
2. Right click the device you re-ordered and click ‘Disconnect Device’.

Let’s understand what has changed as a result of doing this. Refer to the below image.

At its current state you should not be hearing any sound from your bass because currently the audio signal is going from Malstrom into the EQ, then into the Delay, and finally into the Reverb – however the Output of the Reverb is not going out anywhere so the signal stops there. Hypothetically, to hear sound, you could route the Output of the Reverb into the From Devices Input of the Combinator, except doing this would mean that the Distortion device is not receiving any Input and as such would not be used. Instead, continue to the next step to see the correct process in this example.

3. Connect the devices back together by fixing the Input/Output cable routing.

Currently (as can be seen in the above image) the devices are routed so that Malstrom’s Output is going into the EQ device first. Because the Scream Distortion device was moved to be underneath the Malstrom device and the intention is for it to be the first effect that processes the signal, the current routing must be changed so that rather than Malstrom’s Output going into the EQ Input, it goes into the Distortion Input instead. You can easily do this by clicking and dragging the cables from the EQ Input over to the Distortion Input (you will need to drag both the L and the R cables individually).

Next, we want our audio signal to come out from the Distortion device and continue through the rest of our effects. In this example, we need the EQ’s Input to receive the Distortion’s Output. Click and hold on the empty Distortion Output jack for the left channel and drag your mouse over to the empty EQ Input jack for the left channel and then let go of your mouse click. This will connect route the Distortion’s Output into the EQ’s Input (and will likely have automatically done it for both the left and right channels).

After doing this the cabling should look as follows:

Now for the final piece of the puzzle. All that is left is to fix the fact that the Reverb Out does not currently go anywhere (originally the Reverb Out was going into the Distortion Input prior to disconnecting the Distortion device in step 2 of this section).

As the Reverb is now the last device in the chain of devices, the Reverb Output needs to be routed to the ‘From Devices’ Input on the Combinator. This is done by doing exactly as you just did when connecting the Distortion Output to the EQ Input. In this case, click and hold on the empty Reverb Output jack for the left channel and drag your mouse over to the empty left channel ‘From Devices’ jack for the Combinator and then let go of your mouse click.

After doing this the cabling should look as follows:

You should now be able to hear sound from the bass patch again.

Important tip when creating devices:

With the above information in mind, something that is important to know is that when creating a device in Reason, right click an existing device that you want to add your new device after and then add your new device via that right click menu. This will automatically create the device after whichever device you right clicked, and all of the cable routing will automatically be connected from the existing device into your new device, and then from your new device to whichever device comes next in your chain.

For example, in the below image, the order of devices is Malstrom, then Distortion, then a Reverb. I want to add a Phaser device after my Distortion device. This means I need to right click the Distortion device and I can then add the Phaser through that right click menu.

After adding the device, if I flip over to the cable routing view by pressing the Tab key, I can see that my newly device has automatically been routed in between my existing devices.

Modulation

A process that will continuously automatically alter the properties of a sound signal (properties such as pitch, volume, or timbre over time). Modulation helps with the following purposes:

• Create automatic movement in otherwise static sounds,
• Add texture and complexity such as by modulating pitch, filter frequency, or other parameters,
• Is useful in the application of emulating acoustic or real-world sounds by adding slight, randomized changes which mimic the natural variances and inconsistencies of acoustic instruments.

Automation

A process where the user can manually set specific changes to a parameter over time. Unlike modulation which will continuously make changes to a parameter in a loop/endless cycle, automation can be used to create unique, one-time adjustments wherever the user wishes. With this in consideration, automation can of course be duplicated/repeated in a way that makes it loop, and this can somewhat mimic how modulation sounds. Automation helps with the following purposes (including but not limited to):

• Builds and transitions, such as by automating volume or a filter in a way that slowly sweeps up during a build,
• Temporarily increasing reverbs or delays to help fill gaps of space in a song, then reducing them back down so that the effects aren’t too disruptive to the overall mix,
• Creating pitch bends,
• Changing the parameter of a device at specific different intervals throughout a track,
• Much more.

Summary

In summary, modulation is typically ongoing and occurs in a continuous loop whereas automation is intentional and mapped precisely to specific points in a track. While these are two different concepts, it is possible to automate modulation! For example, a bass might have individual dials which a user can adjust to modulate certain parameters. The user could set this dial to a certain parameter and have that parameter endlessly modulate, but it is often also possible to automate that particular dial too so that it changes to different values at different points in your track – hence, you would be automating your modulation.

Important Sections of Malstrom

Becoming familiar with any new device can be overwhelming even at the best of times. To help guide with where to start and which areas to focus on, the below image categorizes sections in Malstrom by importance.

Most Important Sections

This is where you set the fundamentals for your sound. The Osc A is where you set the core sound of your bass. Osc A and B both have their A/D/S/R (Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release) faders, I only ever find that I play around with the A and R faders. Mod B is where you set the volume LFO for your bass sound. Lastly, the Volume dial at the far bottom right controls how loud your Malstrom devices output is and this can alter how your processing/effects impacts your sound.

Secondary Sections

These are not sections that are essential to use but are available and can greatly change the characteristics of your sound. Highly encouraged to use these sections to your advantage.

Example use cases:

• Mod A is almost always used to modulate the pitch or index dial. Doing this can greatly change your sound and also adds another layer of creativity where you can automate a few different parameters in different ways.
  • For example, say your Mod B (which controls your volume LFO noted in the ‘Most important sections’ in the above screenshot) at a synced rate of 1/8. You can set up Mod A to modulate the pitch or index (by turning their dial to the left or right) at a synced rate of 1/4, and the combination of Mod B at 1/8 and Mod A at 1/4 can give a sense of movement to your sound. You could then automate the rate dial of Mod A to also be 1/8 after 16 bars to switch up the sound so that it’s not as repetitive for so long. You can also automate the Curve box in Mod A just the same way to change the curve mode.
• Next to the Mod Wheel in the bottom left, you can increase the index dial and doing so determines how much your Osc A index value will change as you increase the Mod Wheel. This means that you can then automate the Mod Wheel for another layer of control over the index parameter.
• Setting either Filter A or Filter B to one of the comb modes and using a comb filter on your bass.
• Enable Osc B to add a layer to your bass.
• Enable Osc B and keep the graintable on Sine mode – if you have the Shaper section enabled in Malstrom, and you enable Osc B, you can adjust the volume of Osc B to control how much of its signal goes into the Shaper with Osc A. If you increase the gain of Osc B you should find that your sound gets more distorted and saturated. This is not limited to when using the Shaper, the same applies with any other devices too e.g. a Scream Distortion device.

Not Required/Lowest Priority Sections

These sections can be ignored. Once you are more comfortable and familiar with Malstrom it can be worth using the Filter Envelope section at the top right of the bass but otherwise it is really not necessary. An example of how that could be used is to have an envelope that controls the frequency of your comb filter from Filter A or Filter B.

Introduction to Malstrom

Learn basic functionality of Malstrom by creating a Square4 bass.

Beginner Section

Start by creating a combinator device.

Inside the combinator add a Line Mixer 6:2 device. Fact: the 6 represents 6 input channels, the 2 represents stereo (1 left channel, 1 right channel).

Then create the Malstrom device.

Reset the Malstrom device to a fresh preset.

In the sequencer, insert a midi clip and add some notes. Create a loop around the midi clip so that it can continually play while you tweak parameters of the bass.

Back in your Malstrom device, change the Oscillator A graintable to Square4. Because the device was previously reset to a blank patch, you can press the down arrow 3 times to change it to Square4.

By default, the Filter A and Filter B are enabled. Disable them for now.

In the Modulation B section enable the sync button, set the rate to ¼ and then increase the Volume dial.

Set the Oscillator A Index to around 112.

The Index of the graintable plays a crucial role in the overall sound of the Square4 bass sound commonly used in Dubstep.

You can break down the index range into roughly 4 different quarters which each have different sound characteristics. For the classic Square4 sound commonly heard, the last quarter in the range of index values are used.

End of Free Preview

To access the rest of the material from this guide, purchase the Phex Reason Bass Guide and unlock the rest of the topics which can be seen in the Learning navigation panel on the side of this page.

The full guide is a lot more extensive and will further your ability to produce better sounds and ultimately achieve better sounding tracks altogether.

You can purchase the full version of the guide here from the Phex Shop