Roland Cloud and how to (sort of) get it working with Reason
Posted: 28 Dec 2018
I got a subscription to Roland Cloud for Christmas. Unfortunately, Roland Cloud does not work with Reason, due to Reason not supporting VST3 or AU formats (should have read the Roland FAQ before asking for it
)
I hope Propellerhead implements VST3 or AU support in Reason as part of their current VST improvement plan... but in the meantime I needed a work around.
I don't use other DAW's, I've used Reason since version 1 came out (it was the first DAW I ever bought) and that's it. I do own a couple of other DAW's (Garageband, a restricted version of BitWig, Odessi) but I have never used them. I tried to use them as part of the solution I came up with below but found them to be complicated compared to what I was used to.
This is what I came up with and I hope it might help some others with similar issues.
This is done using a Mac.
***
Step One
Download Hosting AU (http://ju-x.com/hostingau.html).
This is a simple, free DAW that allows you to host various plugin format including AU3.
Step Two
Download Soundflower (https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflo ... /tag/2.0b2).
This is a simple, free program that allows you to route audio between applications on the Mac.
Due to the security restrictions in Mojave it is a little more complex to install than I remember the last time I used it... Just make sure you follow the instructions on the webpage linked above.
Step Three
Using Audio Midi Setup (part of MacOS), create an Aggregate Device that includes your Audio Device and Soundflower (I used the 2ch version of Soundflower).
Step Four
Run Hosting AU. In the main window, load an Instrument into Track A (first box under the Track A tab), set the Master output (fourth box under the Master tab) device to be Soundflower. In the Hosting AU menu, make sure "Receive MIDI from is set to "All" (or the specific port if you know what it is).
Step Five
Run Reason. In preferences, make sure the Audio Device is set the the Aggregate Device you created in Step Three.
Step Six
Add an External MIDI instrument to the Reason Rack. Using the drop down menu, set the MIDI device to be Hosting AU.
Program some notes into this MIDI notes for this track into the Sequencer and loop the selection. Press play on the Reason transport controls.
If you have done everything correctly so far, you should see Hosting AU and the AU instrument responding to the MIDI input.
Step Seven
Add an Audio Track to the Reason Rack. Using the Audio Input drop down Menu, select Stereo Input then select the correct Audio Input from the choices below. If you don't know what these are, check the Audio Input section of the Hardware Interface at the very top of the Reason Rack. You should see the VU meters moving on the appropriate Audio Input channels.
Enable Audio Monitoring for the track.
You should hear the sound from the AU instrument hosted by Hosting AU in Reason.
Issues
When using MIDI data from the External MIDI instrument in Reason to record audio from an Instrument hosted in Hosting AU, there is a very small delay before the audio is recorded. This does not happen if playing the instrument from a Controller. If anyone knows how to possibly fix this, I'd appreciate knowing!
Let me know if you try this approach and have any questions. I'll be happy to help.
Best,
Sarge
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
I hope Propellerhead implements VST3 or AU support in Reason as part of their current VST improvement plan... but in the meantime I needed a work around.
I don't use other DAW's, I've used Reason since version 1 came out (it was the first DAW I ever bought) and that's it. I do own a couple of other DAW's (Garageband, a restricted version of BitWig, Odessi) but I have never used them. I tried to use them as part of the solution I came up with below but found them to be complicated compared to what I was used to.
This is what I came up with and I hope it might help some others with similar issues.
This is done using a Mac.
***
Step One
Download Hosting AU (http://ju-x.com/hostingau.html).
This is a simple, free DAW that allows you to host various plugin format including AU3.
Step Two
Download Soundflower (https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflo ... /tag/2.0b2).
This is a simple, free program that allows you to route audio between applications on the Mac.
Due to the security restrictions in Mojave it is a little more complex to install than I remember the last time I used it... Just make sure you follow the instructions on the webpage linked above.
Step Three
Using Audio Midi Setup (part of MacOS), create an Aggregate Device that includes your Audio Device and Soundflower (I used the 2ch version of Soundflower).
Step Four
Run Hosting AU. In the main window, load an Instrument into Track A (first box under the Track A tab), set the Master output (fourth box under the Master tab) device to be Soundflower. In the Hosting AU menu, make sure "Receive MIDI from is set to "All" (or the specific port if you know what it is).
Step Five
Run Reason. In preferences, make sure the Audio Device is set the the Aggregate Device you created in Step Three.
Step Six
Add an External MIDI instrument to the Reason Rack. Using the drop down menu, set the MIDI device to be Hosting AU.
Program some notes into this MIDI notes for this track into the Sequencer and loop the selection. Press play on the Reason transport controls.
If you have done everything correctly so far, you should see Hosting AU and the AU instrument responding to the MIDI input.
Step Seven
Add an Audio Track to the Reason Rack. Using the Audio Input drop down Menu, select Stereo Input then select the correct Audio Input from the choices below. If you don't know what these are, check the Audio Input section of the Hardware Interface at the very top of the Reason Rack. You should see the VU meters moving on the appropriate Audio Input channels.
Enable Audio Monitoring for the track.
You should hear the sound from the AU instrument hosted by Hosting AU in Reason.
Issues
When using MIDI data from the External MIDI instrument in Reason to record audio from an Instrument hosted in Hosting AU, there is a very small delay before the audio is recorded. This does not happen if playing the instrument from a Controller. If anyone knows how to possibly fix this, I'd appreciate knowing!
Let me know if you try this approach and have any questions. I'll be happy to help.
Best,
Sarge