Tutorial: Usage with Reason 3


	Tutorial: Usage with Reason 3

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Note: This tutorial is for version 3 of Reason.
If you have an older version, use the tutorial for Reason 2.x.

You can use Bome's Mouse Keyboard to control Reason 3. Probably the most useful function is to record melodies/basslines, etc. through Mouse Keyboard. But you can also control Reason's knobs with Mouse Keyboard's knobs, and use e.g. Mouse Keyboard's joystick feature to control Reason's knobs with your Joystick.

Here I describe how to set up Mouse Keyboard and Reason 3 to work nicely together. Files needed:

A virtual MIDI device driver
Bome's Mouse Keyboard 2.00 -- if not already installed

Note: The integration files for Reason are automatically installed with Mouse Keyboard.

1. Get and install a virtual MIDI driver

There are several virtual MIDI drivers available. I suggest one of the following drivers:

Sony Virtual MIDI Router for Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP
(check out this tutorial for installation on Windows XP)
Maple Virtual Midi Cable for Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista
LoopBe1 for Windows 2000/XP
MIDI Yoke for Windows NT/2000/XP
Hubi's Loopback device for Windows 95/98/ME

Install one of them. Follow the installation instructions provided by the respective author. After successful installation, you'll have a set of virtual MIDI devices.

Virtual MIDI port drivers allow MIDI data to be sent directly from Bome's Mouse Keyboard to the MIDI IN port of a MIDI enabled application. Normally, Bome's Mouse Keyboard will accept the direct input of a connected MIDI device, while outputing to the virtual port driver. It is also possible for Bome's Mouse Keyboard to accept input from one virtual MIDI port and output on different virtual port to allow Bome's Mouse Keyboard, e.g. to translate the MIDI communications between two software programs. Bome's Mouse Keyboard may NOT have the same virtual MIDI port driver specified for both input and output, as this will cause a MIDI loop.

Note: The next version of Bome's Mouse Keyboard will ship with built-in virtual MIDI support, so that you can select Bome's Mouse Keyboard directly as MIDI INPUT in, e.g., Reason.

2. Set up Bome's Mouse Keyboard

2.1 Importing the Reason Knob Preset

The Mouse Keyboard installation created a new Knob Preset with a knob setup specifically taylored to work with Reason. The preset is installed in My Documents\Bome's Mouse Keyboard\Presets.

Start Bome's Mouse Keyboard and use the File|Import|Knob Presets menu:

It will ask if you want to overwrite existing Knob Presets, or if you want to append (merge) the Reason Knob Preset with existing presets. Usually you'll choose add, but you may want to erase all your existing knob presets and choose overwrite.

It follows the open file dialog:

Browse to the folder Presets folder in Bome's Mouse Keyboard in My Documents and open Reason3_Knobs.ini.

If everything went fine so far, successful loading is acknowledged with an information box.

Select the Reason knob preset in the menu, Knobs|Preset.
Now, in Mouse Keyboard's main window, you should see 10 knobs like this:

2.2 Selecting MIDI OUT

The MIDI OUT selection is the port where the MIDI data is sent to when playing on the keys of the virtual keyboard.

Here, we select one of the virtual MIDI ports (MIDI Yoke NT: 1) installed in the first step. If you have installed another virtual MIDI port, the list of ports will look slightly different. Just remember which port you selected!

Note: Select none as MIDI IN. If you selected the same virtual MIDI port as MIDI IN, it would be reserved and Reason could not access it!

2.3 Selecting Stay On Top

One last adjustment that's quite useful is to select Stay On Top in Mouse Keyboard. Like that, Mouse Keyboard's windows will stay visible all the time.

3. Set up Reason

Launch Reason's Preferences dialog from the Edit|Preferences menu.

3.1 Verify Play In Background

Reason's Play In Background needs to be activated, otherwise you'll not hear anything when playing from Bome's Mouse Keyboard.

For that, go to the Audio page of Reason's Preferences.

Now check the Play In Background checkbox.

3.2 Set up Bome's Mouse Keyboard as Control Surface

Now switch to the Control Surfaces and Keyboards of Reason's Preferences dialog.

Click the Add button.

In the Add Control Surface window, choose Bome Software from the list of manufacturers.

If you cannot find bome in the list of manufacturers, it's likely that you haven't correctly installed Mouse Keyboard. Try reinstalling Mouse Keyboard version 2 (or above).

If necessary, select Mouse Keyboard from the list of models, and (if you like) edit the name. This name is how the Mouse Keyboard appears in Reason's list of Control Surfaces.

Important: Select a virtual MIDI port as MIDI Input. Use the same that you used as MIDI OUT in Bome's Mouse Keyboard in step 2.2.

Now you're almost done!

After clicking OK in the Add Control Surface window, the Preferences dialog should look like to the right.

Make Bome's Mouse Keyboard your master keyboard by clicking the button Make Master Keyboard. Like that, Bome's Mouse Keyboard will be used for sequencing in Reason's sequencer.

4. Enjoy!

Now everything should be ready!

Click the image to see it in full size.

As you can see painted in the screenshot above, you have great control over Reason from Mouse Keyboard now:

playing on the keys (either with the mouse or with the computer keyboard) will play the currently selected instrument in Reason's sequencer. Make sure to select the respective track for MIDI input (in the far left column).
The Pitch and Modulation wheels will work on the currently selected module in Reason. In the screenshot above, a combinator synthesizer is controlled.
Mouse Keyboard's knobs control Reason's knobs. If the module in Reason has a master volume, the Volume knob in Mouse Keyboard will set that volume. In any case, the knobs Data, and Knob 1 to Knob 8 will control useful settings in Reason. That is dependent which module is currently selected in Reason. Just play around to check it out!
Set up a Joystick and the mouse wheel in Mouse Keyboard so that you can use them in Reason, too! The Volume knob has controller 73, the Data knob controller 74, and Knob 1 to Knob 8 have controllers 75 to 82.

Now happy playing and recording with Bome's Mouse Keyboard and Reason !

Go back to Bome's Mouse Keyboard Tutorials.
Go back to Bome's Mouse Keyboard.

Last modified on June 11th 2007