Reason 14 & the Rack Extension SDK 5.0.0

I've been progressively disenchanted with Reason because of the lack of full MIDI support and more importantly, lack of (MIDI recording of) expressive playing.

All my Polyphonic Aftertouch or MPE controllers/synths are ignored by Reason-

So... I end up having to use Ableton Live, unfortunately, which has been my long time fallback while waiting for Reason to support something, like when I've waited for Audio IN/Recording, VST Hosting and now still, for proper MIDI routing into/out of VSTs, PolyAT/MPE and... soon MIDI 2.0 and... Video (but that's stretching it).

Anyway, in June of this year, the Rack Extension SDK 5.0.0 was released and I checked its possibilities and I was extremely excited with all the new very interesting and some long awaited features by RE devs!

It wouldn't solve my ongoing gripes with Reason but at least it would allow amazing UX/UI things never possible before on a Rack Extension!

Last week, I finally got some spare time to really put my hands on it and see what I could do with this new SDK and... I'm still smiling :D

SDK 5.0.0 allowed me to finally build a truly and proper (polyphonic) modular instrument, with freely (in-device) connectable cables overlapping "realistic" movable panels

(below an alternative mode, showing audio-rate poly signals, continuous CV-like signals and event/MIDI based signals. Thick cables are poly, thin are mono signals. Like with most modular, all can be mixed. Unlike most modular, all can be polyphonic, so an audio-rate signal can be sent out of the device as CV, all get seamlessly converted/down/resambled)

while also keeping the expected behavior when right-clicking the knobs or ALT+clicking for automation, etc...

The "overlapping" (and faster) drawing also allows something I've been wanting to see on Rack devices for a looong time: Knob LED rings to visually show the incoming modulation deltas.

...oh, and double-clicking knobs to reset them, like most VSTs do, besides Reason's standard CTRL-click.

I've tried to capture, in the video below, most of what I'm talking here while showing what I made so far.

Sorry, it's kinda boring, I know, like all my videos, eh, but it might be the best way to show instead of simple static pictures.

In this even more boring video, it shows 2 devices, the one I worked on 1st, on the left, and the 2nd iteration on the right that also explores yet another new feature of SDK 5.0.0, enabling dynamically-sized devices (like Thor or Dr.OctoRex, etc... that can "expand" and show more of the device).

So, yeah, work-in-progress, not sure what I'll do with it but I'll keep developing what I've been waiting for years to be possible inside Reason.

Maybe when I add all the modules I want, Reason 15 will finally support PolyAT, MPE and MIDI 2.0 ;)

...yeah, right.




ok, now I can pause this fun for a while and go back to my other recent pet-project: porting FM-1 synth/effect engines to the new plugin format for the OG OP-1 ...and eventually do some of my own engines if I come up with something interesting to add to it :D

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Generic MIDI Channel aware Remote Codec+Map

Image
If you have a controller capable of sending MIDI messages on multiple MIDI Channels, like an M-Audio Axiom 's 4 Keyboard zones (so 4 MIDI Channels from the same keyboard) plus the Pads on Channel 10 or an Arturia BeatStep PRO that can send 2 sequences on their own MIDI Channel (1 and 2) and its Drum sequencer on MIDI Channel 10 plus the controller on, say, MIDI Channel 16, etc,  then you certainly felt the need for a MIDI Channel-aware type of Remote Codec like this one. Taking the BSP example, here's how to get its 4 sources of MIDI into Reason with this Remote Codec+Map. Add a Control Surface per MIDI source  with these 3 easy steps: 1)  Add a Control Surface from the " <Other> " Manufacturer and choose the correct " Generic Controller on MIDI Channel __ /< " Model with the MIDI Channel you'll need 2) Give it a proper name, so you know what's the real controller being used with this generic map (that you ...
Read more

Quick Tip: Windows 64bit MIDI virtualization solution

Image
Eh, long time no post :D ...ok, so, Reason 6 is almost around the corner (erm... still 33 days to go...) right? With it, we'll be able to finally go beyond the 3Gb RAM limit of 32bit apps by running the 64bit version of it! What will happen to those that were able to install the 32bit Midi Yoke + MIDI-OX version on Windows 7 64bit OS ? Well, those relying on such solution will get an unpleasant (though expected) surprise: the ports made available by the 32bit MIDI virtualization (aka loopback) driver won't be visible to the 64bit version of Reason. Solution ? Install a proper 64bit version of such MIDI virtualization driver... problem is, there's no 64bit version of Midi Yoke :P So... maybe now's the perfect time to change this, so when Reason 6 comes into your 64bit Windows, you can start using it right away, because this issue is already correctly dealt with :) I've been following the work of Tobias Erichson , namely because of the MIDI ov...
Read more

Arturia SparkLE Remote Codec+Map

Image
Hey all :) I've been asked last week to share my Arturia SparkLE Codec so here it is :) (unofficial) Arturia SparkLE Remote Codec (and partial Map) V1.0.2 ReDrum: Added Drum Channel selection support through the Dial encoder Edit Flam with Select+Loop Button Flam Amount  with  Select+Tempo Encoder Shuffle On/Off through Loop Button Actually, this has been sitting on my Remote projects folder for 2 years now (and far from being alone in there, eh), waiting for me to complete the rest of the Remote Map, because my initial need for it was really just to control Kong, Dr.OctoRex and ReDrum, that's why those are really the ones that got some partial love on the included map. Early this year, due to the improvements added to the ReDrum remoteables s ince Reason 8.2 , I ended up making some editing to support the new ReDrum remoteables :) I'm hoping that anyone wanting to extend it or complete it has enough examples already in the partial map I'm ...
Read more