Any way for Reason to record Stereo Mix/What You Hear and/or use Integrated Mic as input source?

[challism]

I'm sick of my current method: recording outside of Reason with an app that gives me Stereo Mix/Integrated Mic as an input option, then saving and importing into Reason. It seems the only way I'm able to select an input source from Reason's audio preferences is by using an external interface (and I think even then Stereo Mix/What You Hear/Int Mic don't show up as input options). So I'm really at a loss.

Sometimes inspiration happens and I don't have a mic, or don't want to set one up and risk losing the moment. So I've just been recording outside of Reason and importing. It's a hassle, but it's better than nothing.

I think there's a way to use some kind of 3rd party app like Virtual Audio Cables, but that's also a hassle. I think I got it working at one time.

Any way to do this inside Reason?

[selig]

I don't know if I have the exact solution, but a couple of thoughts.
My hardware (Focusrite and Apollo) do this and "what you hear" audio from the computer (web pages etc) appear at a certain input in Reason.
As for the mic, that's a tough one and I almost would trust the phone recording as the quickest safest method to secure fleeting ideas IMO, if just because you always have it with you. You can easily import from phone to Reason.
Another alternative would be something cheap and non destructible like a Shure SM57 and have it always plugged in - would be less prone to picking up the stereo speakers than the internal mic.
There are lots of options, hope I got the basic premise right - if not, let me know and I'll see what else I can think of.
Capturing inspiration is worth spending the time to get right!

[challism]

I don't know if I have the exact solution, but a couple of thoughts.
My hardware (Focusrite and Apollo) do this and "what you hear" audio from the computer (web pages etc) appear at a certain input in Reason.
As for the mic, that's a tough one and I almost would trust the phone recording as the quickest safest method to secure fleeting ideas IMO, if just because you always have it with you. You can easily import from phone to Reason.
Another alternative would be something cheap and non destructible like a Shure SM57 and have it always plugged in - would be less prone to picking up the stereo speakers than the internal mic.
There are lots of options, hope I got the basic premise right - if not, let me know and I'll see what else I can think of.
Capturing inspiration is worth spending the time to get right!

The phone is a good solution for short recordings. I have an android device and it tends to stretch the audio (must be part of the infamous android latency issue). But I do use the phone when I get hit with inspiration away from the computer. Such wonderful times we live in to have amazing technology at our fingertips.

I've got methods for recording What You Hear/Stereo Mix and the integrated mic, but they are all outside of Reason and I have to save and import them. So neither of these solutions you suggest really solve my issue of wanting to record What You Hear/Stereo Mix directly into Reason or use my integrated mic with Reason. Speaker feedback isn't an issue, as I can use headphones.

Anyway, thanks for the attempt to help me out.

[Heigen5]

Tascam_DR-07X.jpg (543.73 KiB) Viewed 667 times

This is a Tascam DR-07X Digital Stereo Recorder. I can also use it as a mic via an USB. I mainly bought it to do field-recordings, but also to record snippets of my song-ideas. It uses 2 AA-batteries. You can also transfer your wavs on it and use it as a storage device. It cost around 180€.

[challism]

Tascam_DR-07X.jpg

This is a Tascam DR-07X Digital Stereo Recorder. I can also use it as a mic via an USB. I mainly bought it to do field-recordings, but also to record snippets of my song-ideas. It uses 2 AA-batteries. You can also transfer your wavs on it and use it as a storage device. It cost around 180€.

That looks like a great piece of gear. I might have to pick one of those up some day. But this doesn't solve my issue of wanting Reason to record What You Hear/Stereo Mix and also record from the integrated mic. The search continues.

[Heigen5]

Tascam_DR-07X.jpg

This is a Tascam DR-07X Digital Stereo Recorder. I can also use it as a mic via an USB. I mainly bought it to do field-recordings, but also to record snippets of my song-ideas. It uses 2 AA-batteries. You can also transfer your wavs on it and use it as a storage device. It cost around 180€.

That looks like a great piece of gear. I might have to pick one of those up some day. But this doesn't solve my issue of wanting Reason to record What You Hear/Stereo Mix and also record from the integrated mic. The search continues.

Do you mean recording by having having the 'monitor on' and it'd record what you hear?

[mcatalao]

Can you explain exactly what you mean by "record What You Hear/Stereo Mix", because i'm a bit at lost here...

Reason allows you to select any source your audio card exposes in it's driver, and every audio you want to record with reason has to pass through it (even internal audio).

[splitpen]

Can you explain exactly what you mean by "record What You Hear/Stereo Mix", because i'm a bit at lost here...

Reason allows you to select any source your audio card exposes in it's driver, and every audio you want to record with reason has to pass through it (even internal audio).

This, when you make a new audio track and set the input to stereo and input..1,2 for most cases all the input audio from external sources outside reason will input the audio and you can record

[splitpen]

Can you explain exactly what you mean by "record What You Hear/Stereo Mix", because i'm a bit at lost here...

Reason allows you to select any source your audio card exposes in it's driver, and every audio you want to record with reason has to pass through it (even internal audio).

This, when you make a new audio track and set the input to stereo and input..1,2 for most cases all the input audio from external sources outside reason will input the audio and you can record

[selig]

Ok, I guess it depends on what you call the "stereo mix", the audio coming out or Reason or any audio from the computer including web pages/YouTube.
I don't think you mentioned your OS, but to include computer audio on Mac just make an aggregate audio device consisting of your interface and internal mic. This assumes your interface includes loopback, all my recent interface from Focusrite and UAD do this fwiw.
If you mean record the output of reason and a built in mic, you need only to do a REC SOURCE from the Rack View of the master output onto an audio track - there is built in feedback prevention when you do this in Reason, very thoughtful of them!

[mcatalao]

Ok, I guess it depends on what you call the "stereo mix", the audio coming out or Reason or any audio from the computer including web pages/YouTube.
I don't think you mentioned your OS, but to include computer audio on Mac just make an aggregate audio device consisting of your interface and internal mic. This assumes your interface includes loopback, all my recent interface from Focusrite and UAD do this fwiw.
If you mean record the output of reason and a built in mic, you need only to do a REC SOURCE from the Rack View of the master output onto an audio track - there is built in feedback prevention when you do this in Reason, very thoughtful of them!

Yeah, we're on the same page. That's why i stated everything needed to come from the audio card (or in the case of a Mac, the aggregate audio driver). On windows, you can't have aggregated audio drivers unless you instal Asio4All.
But as you also said, using a loopback works out pretty well. Just a point in windows, is that if you're using a loopback to get the audio from windows (youtube, web pages, other programs) you need the card to be multi driver, although i think a lot of brands already do this.

[mcatalao]

On a side note, this thread inspired me to do something to my "singer/songwriter/piano" template and evolve it to a "singer/songwriter/piano/sample everything" template, connectig the master to the sample input, trhough a spider 1:4, and adding the MME driver loopback channels i have configured in My RME, so now with this template i can:

- Record my vocal and piano at the same time (It already did this, just need to arm both tracks).
- Sample and record audio from any reason internal source
- Sample and record audio from any loopbacked MME source
- Sample and record audio from my mic or any other source (guitar trhought the pre-amp inst, for example)

This is quite nice to get stuff going, if i find a nice drummer in Youtube shredding and I get inspired i can pull that really quickly to Reason trhought the mme loopback and be gone. If i want to sample some instrument or my voice trhought the card, i just have to activate monitoring and press the sample button on any devices.

And i can sample any reason source, be it on a song, or while improv on the keys.

So simple! I'm trying to find a caveat, specially with possible feedback but until now it's working nicely!

[selig]

On a side note, this thread inspired me to do something to my "singer/songwriter/piano" template and evolve it to a "singer/songwriter/piano/sample everything" template, connectig the master to the sample input, trhough a spider 1:4, and adding the MME driver loopback channels i have configured in My RME, so now with this template i can:

- Record my vocal and piano at the same time (It already did this, just need to arm both tracks).
- Sample and record audio from any reason internal source
- Sample and record audio from any loopbacked MME source
- Sample and record audio from my mic or any other source (guitar trhought the pre-amp inst, for example)

This is quite nice to get stuff going, if i find a nice drummer in Youtube shredding and I get inspired i can pull that really quickly to Reason trhought the mme loopback and be gone. If i want to sample some instrument or my voice trhought the card, i just have to activate monitoring and press the sample button on any devices.

And i can sample any reason source, be it on a song, or while improv on the keys.

So simple! I'm trying to find a caveat, specially with possible feedback but until now it's working nicely!

I got feedback once (a few years ago, so my previous setup) and decided to sample it and use it in the song I was working on. I avoid unexpected feedback by not using automatic monitoring mode. Tip for your setup - connect Control Room output to the Sample Inputs; you don’t need a spider, you get the same option to sample what you hear, you can also control the level or choose to sample through any FX sends/returns.

[mcatalao]

I got feedback once (a few years ago, so my previous setup) and decided to sample it and use it in the song I was working on. I avoid unexpected feedback by not using automatic monitoring mode. Tip for your setup - connect Control Room output to the Sample Inputs; you don’t need a spider, you get the same option to sample what you hear, you can also control the level or choose to sample through any FX sends/returns.

I have automatic monitoring off, but often use it for, well... Monitoring.

Anyway, that IS a good tip but I'm already using ctlr room to take care of a room reflexion problem, a dip at 50 Hz. Any EQ you put in control room is not printet to the export.

[selig]

I got feedback once (a few years ago, so my previous setup) and decided to sample it and use it in the song I was working on. I avoid unexpected feedback by not using automatic monitoring mode. Tip for your setup - connect Control Room output to the Sample Inputs; you don’t need a spider, you get the same option to sample what you hear, you can also control the level or choose to sample through any FX sends/returns.

I have automatic monitoring off, but often use it for, well... Monitoring.

Anyway, that IS a good tip but I'm already using ctlr room to take care of a room reflexion problem, a dip at 50 Hz. Any EQ you put in control room is not printet to the export.

Are you trying to eq up a null, or eq down a resonance?!?
Or something else?

BTW, it's not the Control Room out that bypasses the export, as whatever is plugged into Hardware Interface 1/2 is what get's exported.
So if you plugged your Control Room outs to Hardware Interface outs 1/2, you WOULD print your EQ, make sense?
Easier way to get the same result may be to split the Master Out signal and send the 'dry' mix to 1/2 for printing and the EQ'd mix to 3/4 for monitoring. Isn't that an even simpler version of what you're currently doing, or have I missed something obvious?

[mcatalao]

I have automatic monitoring off, but often use it for, well... Monitoring.

Anyway, that IS a good tip but I'm already using ctlr room to take care of a room reflexion problem, a dip at 50 Hz. Any EQ you put in control room is not printet to the export.

Are you trying to eq up a null, or eq down a resonance?!?
Or something else?

BTW, it's not the Control Room out that bypasses the export, as whatever is plugged into Hardware Interface 1/2 is what get's exported.
So if you plugged your Control Room outs to Hardware Interface outs 1/2, you WOULD print your EQ, make sense?
Easier way to get the same result may be to split the Master Out signal and send the 'dry' mix to 1/2 for printing and the EQ'd mix to 3/4 for monitoring. Isn't that an even simpler version of what you're currently doing, or have I missed something obvious?

Yes I'm aware of that, but using the CTRL room on 1-2 would kill the purpose, so since reason prints from 1-2 i have my control room fed to fed to 3-4 wich goes to rme's internal mixer 3-4 wich is fed to 1-2 of my RME internal mixer output, on a submix setup where 1-2 from reason is not fed to 1-2 out on the RME totalmix. This way this goes to the monitors treated by the eq but untainted to 1-2.

Totalmix allows submixes, so i have one for composing, another for mixing, another for mastering, another for loopbacks... It's a super versatile card and mixer software.

PS.: I'm trying to eq up a null at 50 and eq down a resonance at 150. The rest of the room is quite accurate, but that dead zone is really nasty. I was going to buy an external EQ for so that had the same curve on reference tracks but you know... money...

Ps2: I'm telling you this routing from the top of my head so i might have something here that doen't make sense... If you want, i can post the routing here.

[selig]

Are you trying to eq up a null, or eq down a resonance?!?
Or something else?

BTW, it's not the Control Room out that bypasses the export, as whatever is plugged into Hardware Interface 1/2 is what get's exported.
So if you plugged your Control Room outs to Hardware Interface outs 1/2, you WOULD print your EQ, make sense?
Easier way to get the same result may be to split the Master Out signal and send the 'dry' mix to 1/2 for printing and the EQ'd mix to 3/4 for monitoring. Isn't that an even simpler version of what you're currently doing, or have I missed something obvious?

Yes I'm aware of that, but using the CTRL room on 1-2 would kill the purpose, so since reason prints from 1-2 i have my control room fed to fed to 3-4 wich goes to rme's internal mixer 3-4 wich is fed to 1-2 of my RME internal mixer output, on a submix setup where 1-2 from reason is not fed to 1-2 out on the RME totalmix. This way this goes to the monitors treated by the eq but untainted to 1-2.

Totalmix allows submixes, so i have one for composing, another for mixing, another for mastering, another for loopbacks... It's a super versatile card and mixer software.

PS.: I'm trying to eq up a null at 50 and eq down a resonance at 150. The rest of the room is quite accurate, but that dead zone is really nasty. I was going to buy an external EQ for so that had the same curve on reference tracks but you know... money...

Ps2: I'm telling you this routing from the top of my head so i might have something here that doen't make sense... If you want, i can post the routing here.

I'm following you, but why not just do what I suggested - is it not the same things but simpler? (Just use a spider to split the master output, adding the EQ to the 3/4 path?)
Trying to EQ a null is like trying to light a black hole - no matter what you throw at it, the damn thing just keeps devouring everything it it's path. Similarly trying to EQ a resonance, while being slightly more effective, doesn't remove the problem - the resonance (not the EQ curve). The resonance frequency is only louder because it is 'echoing' longer than other frequencies.
For some real fun, check out a waterfall display of your studio if you have the time (REW is free, Behringer ECM8000 is CHEAP). It is the most revealing thing you can see, way beyond a frequency plot or impulse response (both of which are also helpful).
Seeing the waterfall graph was what stopped me from trying to solve advanced physics problems with an adding machine…

[challism]

Ok, I guess it depends on what you call the "stereo mix", the audio coming out or Reason or any audio from the computer including web pages/YouTube.
I don't think you mentioned your OS, but to include computer audio on Mac just make an aggregate audio device consisting of your interface and internal mic. This assumes your interface includes loopback, all my recent interface from Focusrite and UAD do this fwiw.
If you mean record the output of reason and a built in mic, you need only to do a REC SOURCE from the Rack View of the master output onto an audio track - there is built in feedback prevention when you do this in Reason, very thoughtful of them!

Yes, Stereo Mix is exactly what you think it is: Any sound coming from your computer's speakers. So basically anything coming out of the sound card. It's also called "What You Hear" on some systems.

You're right, I didn't mention my Operating System. I didn't think it was crucial since this was a Reason specific issue. I'm aware that Mac allows users more control over their audio than Windows. That's actually a great thing about Macs that I like. Anyway, I'm using Windows 11.

Can you explain exactly what you mean by "record What You Hear/Stereo Mix", because i'm a bit at lost here...

Reason allows you to select any source your audio card exposes in it's driver, and every audio you want to record with reason has to pass through it (even internal audio).

What I mean by What You Hear/Stereo Mix is the audio you actually hear your computer making. Doesn't matter from where it is playing, just so long as it is sending noise to your speakers. It's basically like hooking up a recorder to the headphone jack. So Stereo Mix would be recording any sounds your computer is playing. Even if you are simultaneously playing a youtube video, an audio track, a Reason project.. recording Stereo Mix would capture all those sounds.

My sound card is showing Stereo Mix, but Reason isn't seeing it. I can record Stereo Mix from many other programs. I'm not sure why Reason won't let me do it.
My sound card

stereomix.png (33.76 KiB) Viewed 467 times

Reason

reason.png (39.33 KiB) Viewed 467 times

-
Programs that allow me to record What You Hear/Stereo Mix

audac.png (71.3 KiB) Viewed 458 times

fast.png (20.36 KiB) Viewed 458 times

[selig]

yea, this is nothing to do with Reason - This is totally sound card/OS world here.
For example, if I don't have an interface connected, I don't have "loopback", at least on a Mac. With my Focusrite, it comes in on channels 5/6. But with the Apollos it is 37/38!
I don't know if "aggregate devices" are supported on Windows, that is how I got what you asked setup on a Mac.
[without needing additional “routing” software, fwiw!]

[crimsonwarlock]

Maybe this can help: https://vb-audio.com/Matrix/index.htm

[challism]

Maybe this can help: https://vb-audio.com/Matrix/index.htm

Thanks for sharing this. Looks very promising.. and a little overwhelming. I thought there might be some special software that would solve this issue. I've installed it, now I just have to figure out how it works and if it solves this issue for me.

VB.png (55.34 KiB) Viewed 433 times

Edit: Wow, this thing is like using a cruise ship to cross a tiny stream. It seems like way too much for the simple thing I'm trying to do. I'll keep playing with it, but I've got a feeling that I'll likely keep doing it the same tedious way I've been doing it.

Anyway, here is a useful video that shows how to use/configure VB-Audio Matrix

[mcatalao]

I'm following you, but why not just do what I suggested - is it not the same things but simpler? (Just use a spider to split the master output, adding the EQ to the 3/4 path?)
Trying to EQ a null is like trying to light a black hole - no matter what you throw at it, the damn thing just keeps devouring everything it it's path. Similarly trying to EQ a resonance, while being slightly more effective, doesn't remove the problem - the resonance (not the EQ curve). The resonance frequency is only louder because it is 'echoing' longer than other frequencies.
For some real fun, check out a waterfall display of your studio if you have the time (REW is free, Behringer ECM8000 is CHEAP). It is the most revealing thing you can see, way beyond a frequency plot or impulse response (both of which are also helpful).
Seeing the waterfall graph was what stopped me from trying to solve advanced physics problems with an adding machine…

It's not a complete null so as it is just 2 notches it works, at least until i can get someone to help me solving those frequencies.

As for your suggestion, i think i didn't go that route because this way i can still use the Ctrl-room's features, like controling level without touching the fader, or the card's level, or checking returns without the master sound. At the time it made sense to keep that functionality and it also seemed sensible to the eq to be there.

My only issue with Ctrl-Room is that the click is not fed to it, and it seems it's only either on the master, or it is fed to 1-2. I solved that having a Mixer view on the RME for Composing and arranging, and another for mixing. I find it amusing how much tweaking i had to do all these years becaus reason has some many things halfed baked...

That being said, that setup has worked for at least 5 years, now. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

PS.: I've had the room measured (ploted frequency response and waterfall, we even tested the monitors), the problem is that it is a small, low ceiling basement (2,4 m high). Low volume rectangles always have problematic frequendscies.

[crimsonwarlock]

Edit: Wow, this thing is like using a cruise ship to cross a tiny stream. It seems like way too much for the simple thing I'm trying to do. I'll keep playing with it, but I've got a feeling that I'll likely keep doing it the same tedious way I've been doing it.

If you need something simpler, maybe the smallest version of Voicemeeter (on the same website) is an option

[selig]

Edit: Wow, this thing is like using a cruise ship to cross a tiny stream. It seems like way too much for the simple thing I'm trying to do. I'll keep playing with it, but I've got a feeling that I'll likely keep doing it the same tedious way I've been doing it.

If you need something simpler, maybe the smallest version of Voicemeeter (on the same website) is an option

Is this a Windows limitation, because you can do all this without additional software on a Mac via the interface drivers and Aggregate Device in Audio/MIDI Setup?

[crimsonwarlock]

Is this a Windows limitation, because you can do all this without additional software on a Mac via the interface drivers and Aggregate Device in Audio/MIDI Setup?

Yep, Windows has no support for aggregate devices, you need external tools for that.