Incorporating Outside instruments In Reason

Introduction
Several years ago I had my first run in with a software synth. Probably the most famous of software synths the revolutionary, CSound.

It didn't take me long to realize the potential of software synths the moment I heard my first successful .orc and .sco. (The CSound equvilents to instruments and compositions.)

I intentionally backed away from soft synths due to their arcane and often unreliable nature. Waiting with a watchful eye on their progress. Then they went visual. Virtual knobs, sliders, etc. and I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody got it right.

Somewhere during this time I hapt across a free downloadable demo of the Propellerheads "Rebirth" Software. I contacted them immeadeatly and let them know that although I was a more traditional musician who plays the music from a keyboard and couldn't make much use of Rebirth, I would love to see their interpretation of a full on softsynth. So needless to say the day I popped by their web site last year just to see what was going on I had a major goosebump breakout as I say a screen shot from "Reason!"

I have recently purchased the software and can proudly say I was right. This is the big one.

In all of my recent testing and discovery sessions using Reason on Mac and PC I have really only come to one MAJOR con regarding this incredible program. That is its ability to handle direct audio input without leaving the Reason environment. So I have developed a work around and would like to share it with you know in this tutorial entitled;

"Incorporating Guitar and Other Outside Instruments Into the Reason Environment"

Step 1: Record Your Audio
Note: For this method I will recommend creating your outside audio data first. In my opinion try to record to anything you find easiest to flow freely with. Just because we are in the ultra tech computer world do not be afraid to try jamming loosely to an audio cassette or other strange recording devices. The results may surprise you!

Example Method 1

Start with a pencil and paper and make a simple data log of this session.
If you don't know the title yet just try "mymusicmmddyy". So you know everything with that same name is related to this work.

Decide on a tempo and write it down in the data log
Get a simple beat going at the chosen tempo
Route the beat in such a way it won't end up in our output audio data. The beat is simply for you free style audio jam to be in time to your chosen tempo. Thus making it alot easier to bring it all together.
Record your free style jamming. Get nuts, go wild, go as long as you want.

Step 2: Gathering Your Favorite Audio Parts
Carefully screen your performance(s). As you find sections that are true standouts whether because of their amazing perfection or interesting imperfections, get them to your computer.
Once the audio segments are in your computer cut 'em up to the start point of where you want them to start their triggering. Fortunately for this process the end point isn't all that important. Just try to shave off the stuff you know you wont be using. (Note: I know alot of you have big time audio editing software so the chop and save part is easier for you but I like to write my tutorials for the little with "just enough" gear.)
In a special folder named mymusicmmddyy drop in the audio parts naming them as descriptively as possible. As in; "hardguitar1", "Cleanstrat2", etc. For Reason be SURE they have the .wav or .aif suffix. Without those suffixes Reason will NOT open them.

Bringing Your Audio Events Into Reason

In a simple Reason document create a new "ReDrum", drum sequencer module.
Click on the "Browse Sample" folder at the top of each drum instrument
Navigate to your special folder containing the new audio segments or events
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the ReDrum is filled up with a tempo matched collage of your freestyle jamming. Note: Some ReDrum instruments let you adjust the sample start time, and they all allow you to adjust Gate or Decay for each instrument. Be sure to play with both as the results can be pretty interesting.
Reason Jamming With Your Samples

There are two ways of triggering notes from the ReDrum and you can try both. Freestyle them into the midi sequencer through a Keyboard or any external midi controller.
Press them in on the note grid pads of the ReDrum itself. Note: If you are feeling experimental be sure to try the "Alter Pattern", or "Randomize Pattern" by right clicking on any background area of the ReDrum(PC), or Control+Click(Mac).
Continue making new patterns and or sections
Review you data and form it into a masterpiece
Of course "SAVE" regularly as mymusicmmddyy into the same folder where your elements reside!
Closing Thoughts

We all love truly great sampled music but who wants to give away thousands of dollars just to license some old .45 when we can create easily as interesting results completely on our own.

Here are a few more methods of creating your own samples for this process you might find interesting.

Try recording completely esoteric vocals. With now rhyme or reason. Then run them through this process.
Try taking you favorite old song even if it's somebody elses and playing a super slow version of it on your guitar or xinstrument. Then run it through this process but arranging each section so it becomes a totally new song.
Try recording on devices you wouldn't normally record on. Small hand-held tape recorders, VCR decks, etc. Apply this process to them
Take your synthesizer and randomly play notes as you tweek parameter settings (or knobs if you have them), then apply this process.
Go around your residence with a small hand held battery recorder of any quality high or lo and randomly drop stuff, scrape stuff, water hose stuff etc. Then apply this process to the results