Reason File Management & Timesaving

[JonH2O]

Ever attempted to do a collaboration within Reason? Did you have an issue with missing files? Perhaps you didn't even attempt to do a collaboration due to knowing nobody possibly has all the refills you've collected over the days that you use in your everyday projects.
Hmm.

Like any computer application, Reason creates & uses a variety of computer files. The following tips offer ideas on keeping these files organized on your system, as well as methods for localizing files so that song projects can be moved to other systems. There are also a few file handling shortcuts that help in case there are problems.

Locations & Favorites List
The path and song browser features two file management fields for various files. The first is the Locations field, which directs Reason toward samples, patches, and Refill file locations. The second field is the Favorites List, where users can place referenced to their favorite sounds and patches. Individual files or entire folders can be dragged into the Locations field, then quickly found by clicking on them in the location list.
The Favorites List is like the bookmarks of a web browser. By Default, there is the "Showcase" list that features some highlights from the Reason Factory Soundbank. Create a new list by clicking on the "New Favorite List" button. Using the browser, find the files you want to have in the list, and drag specific patches, samples, refills, or song files into the "New Favorite List" item. Double-clicking on the list item enables the edit field so that you can customize the list name. As mentioned, you can place song files in the list to organize song projects or playlists for live performances.

File & Patch Search
The Reason File and Patch browser includes a search field to help you quickly locate files without navigating through different directory levels. Try to make the search as efficient as possible by navigating to the directory or ReFill where the item can be located. Set the Search In item to "Current Folder" and find the file you're looking for. You can also search for file extensions like ".cmb" to find all Combinator Patches.

Organizing ReFills
Create a folder called "ReFills" and move your ReFill files into this directory. The ReFill folder can be on any drive mounted on your system, including external FireWire devices and network drives. Reason looks within the application directory for the Factory Sound Band and Orkester ReFills, and these Refills should remain in the application folder. Open the Reason Song Browser by selecting the "Open..." item in the File menu and navigate to the parent directory of the "ReFills" folder. Once this is located, drag the Refills Folder icon into the "Locations" list in the Browser window.

Custom New Song File
When the New Song item is selected in the File menu, the default song is opened. When you get tired of listening to the factory song, you can go to Reason's General Preferences pane and choose an empty rack for your default song. However, there's a better way. Usually, the first few items you'll create in the empty rack are a mixer, a few effects, and perhaps a few sound modules. You can also modify the song information. This saves time in typing the copyright, website, and email information. Save this song file in the Reason application folder so it can be easily located.
Select Preferences/General and click on the radio button labeled "Custom." Click on the file browser button, locate the custom song file saved in the Reason application folder, and click on Open. When you select the "New" item from the File menu, the customized song file will be created.

Project Folders
A Reason song can easily become quite intricate with the use of samples and ReCycle loop files, so it's wise to organize song projects in unique folders. When starting a new song project, create a project folder on your hard drive and save the Reason song file into this directory. All files associated with the song, such as patches and samples, should also be saved in this folder prior to opening them in modules like the NN-XT and ReDrum as it will still be searching for them in your Refills folder.

Saving Duplicate Song Files
You should save copies of each Reason song file as the project progresses. This creates a working history of the song development. If you make drastic changes and later decide they were a mistake, you can revert to an older version. Establish a numbering system to keep the history organized. For example, save the first file as "My Reason Track 000.rns," and increase the digits as the song progresses. Save these files into the project folder. Don't save song files to the desktop and move them. Reason is sensitive to the file paths, and moving files around will cause problems.

Patches & Samples
Patch settings are easily lost, especially when you're making several parameter changes. Since Reason is limited in the number of undo levels it supports, it's wise to save patches. Save these patches in subdirectories of the project folder. A numbering system can be used with patch names so you'll remember when they were created.
Create a sample directory inside the project folder. Reason is sensitive to file paths, so the samples should be in the project directory before they are loaded. If there's a problem, Reason prompts you to find and replace samples. To fix this, move a copy of the sample into the save directory level along with the song file. When Reason opens a song, it will scan the song file directory for the samples.
A self-contained song file includes the samples and loops imbedded in the file. If you're collaborating with another Reason user or moving the track to another computer and if you're using any audio files that are not contained in ReFills, the self-contained option is the easiest way to ensure playback integrity. The resulting song files can be large, however, and having many duplicates consumes disk space.

Questions? Concerns? Inquireies? Wanna Collab? Contact me on myspace.

[JonH2O]

Did anyone find this helpful?

[Buoy]

At 12/31/07 06:49 PM, JonH2O wrote: Did anyone find this helpful?

I would have, if I didn't know it already :P I'm sure other people can have a lotta help from it though.