Here Are Some Cool Logic Pro X + Reason Rack Tips

Have an urge to learn, or a calling to teach? Want to share some useful Youtube videos? Do it here!
User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

I've been demoing R11.2 since it came out last week. This is my first R11 experience. While I am not at all impressed by the additions to the core program, I am surprisingly really getting it on with the rack inside Logic. Being a long time user of both, here are some workflow tips that are making the Reason Rack + Logic combo a dream team:


1. You can drag and drop files from Logic's browsers directly to rack instruments, like here, with Redrum:

logic browser dnd.png
logic browser dnd.png (634.5 KiB) Viewed 9155 times

2. You can also drag Logic's loops to Grain (even the green loops work):

grain dnd.png
grain dnd.png (698.39 KiB) Viewed 9155 times

3. You can bypass Reason's browser completely by saving your rack presets as Logic's internal AU presets, and load instruments or presets from Logic's plugin browser instead of Reason's:

logic's preset browser.png
logic's preset browser.png (426.07 KiB) Viewed 9155 times
Last edited by hurricane on 25 Feb 2020, edited 1 time in total.
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

4. If you want to emulate Reason's SSL inside Logic, this is how you do it:


Load the channel EQ and comp and save it as 'default" in logic's internal file dialog:

reason ssl 1.png
reason ssl 1.png (300.44 KiB) Viewed 9147 times

Highlight all your empty mix channels and add the Reason Rack effect plugin:

reason ssl 2.png
reason ssl 2.png (105.65 KiB) Viewed 9147 times

Every channel will now be loaded automatically with the EQ and Comp, all you have to do is add the Master Comp to the stereo bus and you can now mix as you do in Reason.
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

Once you've saved Reason Rack presets to Logic's internal AU presets or channel strips, you can then completely bypass the Rack window and browser and load instruments directly from Logic's browser:

load from browser.png
load from browser.png (273.11 KiB) Viewed 9145 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

You can map your frequently used controls (like freq or res) from any Reason synth to Logic's Smart Controls. Once you have your mappings set, you can scroll through presets and the mappings will remain constant. You can tweak your rack instruments without even having the instrument on screen:

smart controls.png
smart controls.png (1018.67 KiB) Viewed 9137 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

A really easy way to process a track in dual mono or mid/side:


Load the rack plugin as a dual mono instance:

dual.png
dual.png (73.55 KiB) Viewed 9136 times

Click on the star and you can choose to process as dual mono or mid side:

choose.png
choose.png (53.22 KiB) Viewed 9136 times


Now you can load one plugin to process the mid, and a different one to process the sides, or one on the left channel, one on the right, using only ONE instance of the rack:


ms.jpg
ms.jpg (124.72 KiB) Viewed 9136 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

You can also use Logic's Smart Controls with Reason's effects:

smartfx.png
smartfx.png (852.44 KiB) Viewed 9120 times

Once it's mapped, you can close the rack and still modify the effect device through Logic's smart control panel.
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

Those of us who spent some quality time creating reason instrument + VST combis in the Reason app, and are upset because we can't load them in the Rack, well we can create our own Logic combis using Track Stacks. Logic allows us to combine as many instruments as we want, and we can also save them as Stacks which can then be easily accessed in Logic's browser. As a bonus, a few instruments that Reason DAW does not support on the Mac, like Halion and OPX Pro II, can now be used and combined with Reason instruments in Logic.

Highlight all the instruments you want to combine, right click, and create a summing stack:

stacks.png
stacks.png (70.69 KiB) Viewed 9113 times

You can save this combination into Logic's browser:

logic-combi.jpg
logic-combi.jpg (136.56 KiB) Viewed 9113 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

Yonatan
Posts: 1556
Joined: 18 Jan 2015

25 Feb 2020

Thanks for sharing! Inspiring. Have also the R11.2 demo now but have not tried Rack Plugin with Logic yet. Will try out these things.
Tried Rack Plugin in Ableton Live Demo yesterday, but it was not so smart as that demo did not allow to save or export or whatever.

Reason Rack in Logic seem to almost be a match made in heaven. Drag'n"drop so easily.

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

This easy drag n drop from Logic's browsers is really coming in handy.

I'm finding that dragging a sample onto an empty NN-19 is the quickest way to load one shots into a device that makes them instantly ready to play. Using Logic's EXS24 sampler for this requires more clicks. With NN-19 it's just two steps.


The time saving tip is to reset, then save, the empty NN-19 using Logic's plugin preset browser, and then you'll save it as a User Channel Strip so it shows up in the browser:

channelstrip.png
channelstrip.png (76.88 KiB) Viewed 9061 times

Now when you want to create an NN19, you won't have to load an instance of the Reason Rack plugin first, you will simply go to your User Patches folder in Logic's patch browser and click on your saved NN19 patch. This will automatically open the RR plugin with an empty NN19 loaded. All you have to do now is click it open, then drag n drop a sample. The sample will be playable immediately.

dragnplay.png
dragnplay.png (532.57 KiB) Viewed 9061 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

This might be obvious, but you can also drag files from Logic's browser onto the NNXT. Here I am using Logic's search function to isolate the snares in my collection. Too easy:

dnd-nnxt.jpg
dnd-nnxt.jpg (341.53 KiB) Viewed 9057 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

Here is the absolute easiest way to apply pitch variation/instability to a synth without messing around in a mod matrix or anywhere in the synth's guts. Use one of Logic's "players", called "Modulator". There's a preset called "Tuning Drift", and it modulates the pitchbend of any synth you attach it to. All you have to do is set the Output level to your taste (I think somewhere between 3-8% sounds best). Makes Thor and Subtractor come alive, and although there are plenty of ways to do the same inside Reason, in Logic it takes mere seconds, and you don't have to mess with cables. Plus you can swap out the synth with another and the modulation will still be there:



modulator.png
modulator.png (906.29 KiB) Viewed 9007 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

25 Feb 2020

This isn't a tip, but just wanted to point out that you can finally use Cthulhu with your Reason instruments, in Logic. Natively (that is, with no messy workarounds). :puf_bigsmile:

Cthulhu.jpg
Cthulhu.jpg (121.96 KiB) Viewed 8998 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

Steedus
Competition Winner
Posts: 1009
Joined: 31 Aug 2015
Location: Melbourne, AU

25 Feb 2020

These kinds of features / examples are great. Guess it really does showcase what can now be achieved if you're using another DAW besides Reason. I still say congrats to RS, even though it's not an update that appeals to me personally.

User avatar
Timmy Crowne
Competition Winner
Posts: 357
Joined: 06 Apr 2017
Location: California, United States

25 Feb 2020

This is great stuff. I’d vote for this thread to be stickied.

User avatar
EnochLight
Moderator
Posts: 8405
Joined: 17 Jan 2015
Location: Imladris

25 Feb 2020

Timmy Crowne wrote:
25 Feb 2020
This is great stuff. I’d vote for this thread to be stickied.
I would to - in the Tips and Tutorial section of the forum.
Win 10 | Ableton Live 11 Suite |  Reason 12 | i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz | 16 GB RAM | RME Babyface Pro | Akai MPC Live 2 & Akai Force | Roland System 8, MX1, TB3 | Dreadbox Typhon | Korg Minilogue XD

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

26 Feb 2020

I bet you didn't know Logic had its own Beatmapper way before Reason decided to add one. It's called Drummer, and much like Reason's new player, Drummer presents you with various options that let you customize a beat, and it even has its own XY grid that allows you to adjust various parameters, much like Beat Map. When initiated, Drummer auto-creates a region, and as you twiddle with the options, adding or subtracting complexity and parts, you will see the region get updated in real time.
logic beat map.png
logic beat map.png (68 KiB) Viewed 8970 times

Once satisfied with a beat, you can convert this region to a midi region, which you can then drag on over to a Redrum or Kong track to have those devices play the beat, often getting interesting results.

drummerkong.png
drummerkong.png (66.64 KiB) Viewed 8970 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

26 Feb 2020

Those of you used to using Step Editors to program drums, good news is that Logic has one built in. Load an instrument, create a region, double-click on it, and you'll see this:

layout.png
layout.png (32.18 KiB) Viewed 8892 times

It will require a tiny bit of setup work in the beginning, but once it's done you can save it in your template and never have to do it again. In this pic, I've mapped some lanes to my Redrum instance. You can create as many note lanes as you want, can create automation lanes too, and you can even create lanes that link hi-hats:

step editor.png
step editor.png (57.69 KiB) Viewed 8892 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
Alrek
Posts: 27
Joined: 18 Apr 2019

26 Feb 2020

This is godsend Hurricane!

I recently switched to Logic as my DAW (I was just waiting for the Reason Rack to support MIDI out) and all this workflow advices are amazing! Keep it coming :-)

Question: I just tried your hint with the step editor. Hw can I get the lanes to display the drum names instead of the notes?

EDIT: Found it out by myself. It is to the left in the object info sidebar. :redface:

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

26 Feb 2020

Sidechaining. Get used to doing it the Logic way. Just like in Reason, there are many ways to do it in Logic. In this example we'll use Logic's Ultrabeat as a sidechain trigger.

Load up Ultrabeat and select the 'Drag & Drop Samples" preset. This gives you an empty Ultrabeat, and makes it ready for you to drag a sample onto one of its channels. In this example I've loaded a kick on the Sample 01 channel.

So, to create our signal, in Ultrabeat, turn the Sequencer on, then click on Full View in the lower right hand corner. You'll be presented with Ultrabeat's sequencer view:

ultrabeat.jpg
ultrabeat.jpg (165.57 KiB) Viewed 8850 times

1. Program your side chain rhythm.

2. Insert Logic's compressor into the Rack instrument's audio fx channel, then set the side chain input to be your Ultrabeat track.

3. Go to your Ultrabeat mixer channel and set the output to No Out, so that we don't hear the sample.

Now hit the play button, set the comp to give you the sound you want, and trigger your Reason Rack instrument.


sidechain.jpg
sidechain.jpg (330.19 KiB) Viewed 8850 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

26 Feb 2020

So you've cooked up something nice in Grain, and now you want to import that into Logic's Alchemy for further manipulation. First thing you do is bounce your Grain recording in place:


bounce.png
bounce.png (467.3 KiB) Viewed 8837 times

Next, you'll open up Logic's Project Sample browser. This is somewhat like the "Song Samples" section in Reason and it's where all your current project's audio files are stored.


project bin.png
project bin.png (81.55 KiB) Viewed 8837 times

Now all you have to do is open Alchemy, reset it to its default blank state, and drag and drop your grain sample from Logic's sample bin onto Alchemy:


dragtoalch.png
dragtoalch.png (307.17 KiB) Viewed 8837 times


Done!
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

26 Feb 2020

Create Custom Icons For Your Reason Instruments

Want to know how to get these track icons?


customicons.png
customicons.png (433.24 KiB) Viewed 8817 times



Have your Reason instrument open and on screen, then use your mac's screen capture function (Shift,+Command +4) to trace around it and screenshot it as a .png file. The screenshot will be auto-saved to your desktop. Do this for all the devices you want to have icons for. Rename them to their appropriate device if you want, and save them in a folder. Now go into Logic's track inspector, and click on the track icon. Navigate to 'Custom Icons' and either drag all your new icons to the empty space, or use the + sign to navigate to the folder where your icons reside, then highlight them all and add them. Now you have new Reason Instrument icons. :thumbs_up:

addicons.png
addicons.png (169.91 KiB) Viewed 8817 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

27 Feb 2020

BLOCKS!!!.

I bet you didn't know Logic had those too.

Well, it does, and here's how it works.

1. Click the global tracks button
2. You should now see various tracks.
3. Right click anywhere in this section to reveal the check box display.

globaltracks.jpg
globaltracks.jpg (113.39 KiB) Viewed 8768 times


For this example I will uncheck everything except "Arrangement"

4. To create a "block" click on the + sign. A block will automatically be created, and you can resize this, rename it, and color it. A new block will be created every time you hit the + sign, and it will snap to the previous block.

5. Now you can go about arranging your project pretty much like you can in Reason. Command+Click a block to copy it. If you want to temporarily disconnect content from a block, click in the Arrangement label and check 'Suspend Content Connection'. Now you can delete blocks without deleting the content in your project.

blocksht.jpg
blocksht.jpg (70.3 KiB) Viewed 8768 times



Click on the block name to pick a preset name, or to give it a custom name. Then arrange away!

fullblocks.png
fullblocks.png (190.2 KiB) Viewed 8768 times
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

27 Feb 2020

I just want you guys to know I'm not going into too much detail on all of these. My point is just to show you that certain things can be done, and I expect that you'll investigate further by reading the manual or discovering deeper things on your own. For example, you can do so much with the step editor, where if that is your thing, I highly suggest you read the manual or look up tutorials to see how much you can do. Because it's A LOT.
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
hurricane
Competition Winner
Posts: 1722
Joined: 14 Oct 2017

27 Feb 2020

QUICKER ACCESS TO YOUR REASON RACK PLUGIN

If you use your Reason rack regularly, you can go into Logic's preferences and have your most recently used plugins show up in the plugin list before all the others by turning a setting on:

recentplugs.png
recentplugs.png (72.4 KiB) Viewed 8747 times
However, if you want your Rack permanently and first in the plugin list, you can do that by creating a custom folder in Logic's Plugin Manager. Hit the + sign to create a new folder. Drag that folder up to the top of the list, then drag ALL your Reason Rack plugins (which are accessible in the plugin list below this window) to this folder. When you are finished click DONE.

pmrr.png
pmrr.png (42.52 KiB) Viewed 8747 times

In my case, I decided to delete the quick access to Logic's plugins. You don't have to do that, but do that if you want it how I have it in the pic below:


pluginfavs.jpg
pluginfavs.jpg (88.19 KiB) Viewed 8747 times

Notice that the Reason Studios folder is now first in line, and you will no longer have to navigate through subfolders to get to it. You can add all your favorite plugins this way.
Soundcloud | Youtube
Logic Pro | Bitwig

User avatar
geronimo
Posts: 627
Joined: 17 Jan 2015
Location: France

27 Feb 2020

Have you ever tried to open the mono version of ReasonRack ?

Post Reply
  • Information
  • Who is online

    Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests