Reason OCD

[esselfortium]

Nearly every song I write involves some stereo delay with 3 steps on the left channel and 4 steps on the right channel. It's one of the default send effects in my song template, and it almost always works wonders for adding some subtle stereo depth and rhythmic complexity.

How do you set that up exactly? A screen shot or 2 will be cool if possible.

This is how the patch looks:
 
The EQ is hooked up to the delay breakouts, so that delays gravitate slightly toward the midrange as they fade out.
In earlier versions of Reason, I used two DDL-1s for a similar effect, with one of them routed to the left channel and the other routed to the right.

I've attached my default songfile, which contains this whole setup. One look worth 1000 words

 Essel Template 6.0.reason.zip    

[liampatrickingram]

Nearly every song I write involves some stereo delay with 3 steps on the left channel and 4 steps on the right channel. It's one of the default send effects in my song template, and it almost always works wonders for adding some subtle stereo depth and rhythmic complexity.

How do you set that up exactly? A screen shot or 2 will be cool if possible.

This is how the patch looks:

 
The EQ is hooked up to the delay breakouts, so that delays gravitate slightly toward the midrange as they fade out.
In earlier versions of Reason, I used two DDL-1s for a similar effect, with one of them routed to the left channel and the other routed to the right.

I've attached my default songfile, which contains this whole setup. One look worth 1000 words

 

Essel Template 6.0.reason.zip

    

that delay sounds really nice, thanks for posting it

[Raveshaper]

All of my parallels and the original instrument have to be the same color (no color in particular), but the bus for each group of parallels must be the darker shade of that color.

Build all of the sounds from scratch, nearly every time unless it's a patch that I've made and want to use again.

Adjust trim to -6dB on all channels.

Start with kick pattern/drums and the idea/scenario/melody.

Combine every instrument, always.

Save every cool new sound I discover how to make as a patch, name it cryptically so I have to dig around for it.

Do things the weird way until something great happens, then do it weirder until my cpu caps out.

[miahluvdd]

"Global send effects always go to the left of the master section in the rack."

I never even thought about trying to move effects to the LEFT of the master section!!! Amazing the little things you pick up from someone else's workflow.

My drums are always blue and nothing is changed to those light green and blues that the audio tracks default to, because those lighter colors tell me " this is a rough take and needs to be classified"

[MDTerps2015]

- there can be no channels on the mixer, sequencer or rack that have the colour red, EVER

can't stop laughing !

I have been laughing since the first post because 90 percent of what they all said is "ME"

[Faastwalker]

So for a fun little topic - what are a few of the weird things that you are obsessive compulsive about when you are working in reason?

I sometimes don't use a device that I need in the rack because I'm not happy with how it looks next to another device I'm already using!!! :-/ Ugly devices often get Combinated so they are a bit more out of the way

[TheFatControlleR]

Off the bat, I 'read' the channels on the mixer from left to right I dislike the way Reason adds new channels to the right - plus there aren't enough colours available.

Anyhoo, that said, I usually end up spending time at the end of each session sorting out the sequencer lanes and mixer channels into 'zones' and colours, and arranging the rack accordingly, a column per division.

The mixer and sequencer follow the same routine, seq from top to bottom and mixer from left tonight, labels are of my own making and may not mean the same thing to anyone else;

Reference track (wheat)
Drums (orange)
Percussion (brown)
Bass (dark blue)
Sub-bass or alt bass (slate blue)
Lead (kelly green)
Melody (mid green)
Alt LEAD/melody (light green)
Pads (pale blue)
Vox (yellow)

Any automation lanes I like to have red.

I don't like using purple.

The rack is (usually from left to right); vox - drums & perc - bass (and main I/Os) - then the others depend on how many devices with a column for each of the 'zones' on the mixer/seq.

I also, invariably have to start with Redrum using a set from Vengeance, and a instance of Rad piano with the Bill Withers setting, plus one of the Korgs for bass. Unless I'm doing a remix, or reworking a MIDI file, or starting with an idea based on a vocal sample. But within the variety of start up options the format is always the same. Then it all goes to hell.

[I'm rambling, but I'm working on a shite Netbook which is frustrating (PC died last week). Also, I don't have Reason at the moment to check colour names (or even my labelling - haven't run it for a few months now), so all from memory - currently building a new rig.]

[Ecopro]

Great Thread guys!

I never really cared for organization or neatness in any of the 3 Reason views. I would just create a device and wherever it landed, that's where I would leave it, unlabeled, and in whatever color it came with. My now, mediocre but better "neatness" came about since I started collaborating. It's there just to be considerate to others really. I don't care for it myself. When I'm working on my own, music gets done this way, so I don't need to OCD on labels and making everything look pristine. I put all my effort into the 'making of' music, instead of the 'director's cut' of cleanliness. 

Something else I rarely do is to turn on my Midi controller. I'm not a keyboard player, don't know much music theory, so I rely on playing by ear. In this case, it should be editing by ear. I use the pencil and all those mouse tools quite a lot. The Keyboard gets turned on only when I get tired of editing, just to see if anything comes out of my cat-playing, or to experiment with modulating knobs and levers. When something useful pops up, then I start recording my one-finger attempts.

I used to start with pre-made templates, depending on the type of style I wanted to achieve. I don't really do that anymore. I like to start with a blank canvas. I prefer the direction where that takes me. It's full of possibilities, there are no limits and no expectations.
Just me, Reason and a dream. ...oh and coffee, can't forget that.       

[jappe]

I always have to place the cup of coffe within danger range from my mouse. Coffe all over the place today too :s0959: .

Hm, and I don't trust nr 13 when saving a track version.

Oh and ofc: I always nail my rehearsals until I press record.

[jonheal]

Hello.

• All work surfaces clean and dust-free
• Reason window panels sized "just so"
• Tool window perfectly nudged into top-right screen corner
• Complete words and initial caps on any named things
• Stuff wired together next to each other as much as possible
• Save all files so that they open with the same view (Rack)
• Rub left side of nose, blink twice and then cough into left elbow before starting

I AM A FREAK. Please shoot me. Thank you.

[Jagwah]

...I don't trust nr 13 when saving a track version.

Oh good I'm not the only one

[Janvier]

1. Drums on seperate channel
2. Be organised... in the project file only; Point 3 to 8 (My desktop is a mess)
3. Always label devices keeping consistency in name
4. Devices track and mix channel track which are related together same color
5. Clear color for mix channel and audio track, saturated color for groups (wish to have a bigger color palette like in ableton, sometime I struggle to find the proper color which fit together, not a joke lol)
6. Left Rack (under Master Section): auxiliary fx only, Drums first rack, bass second rack, lead third, melody fourth, special fx fifth
7. mix channel goes on top of the rack, while groups goes at the bottom
8. Put notes in the rack when having idea of routing or automation but cannot implement them yet.
9. Avoid the use presets, always start from scratch and always save those presets
10. And the most importatnt of all; Trying hard to keep objectivity by the use of my notebook (real ballpoint pen with real paper), so I can write comments, ideas, things to fix/modify.

[Ecopro]

...I don't trust nr 13 when saving a track version.

Oh good I'm not the only one

Why not? My studio is right under a ladder and I use a black cat as a bass trap.

[Noplan]

Save as... Document 1

[klunky]

I always have to use the same colours for my tracks too. I use red for rhythm guitar though.
I always MUST have any device I'm using inside a combinator. It always nags my brain when I watch a tutorial video and the guy just has everything plastered everywhere with no clean and tidy seperation.

Like you, all devices must be minimized until I'm fiddling with them. All tracks in the sequencer must be in the same order as in the mixer and rack screens ALWAYS!

Also, any time I turn a knob, it must be left on an even number, but normally in intervals of 5. OCD much? Nah, not me lol