Introducing The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill

I've had two very different projects consuming some of my free time and yet haven't really been able to spend much time talking about either while posting here. That said, the veil of secrecy has been lifted from one of those projects and I'm finally able to talk about it... The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill.

As you no doubt already know from other sources and posts on the internet, The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill is a new benefit refill put together by a handful of Reason fans and sound designers, including Ben from 3rd Floor Sound, DrDist/Odarminux, Ed who is better known as EditEd4TV, Rob/PhiSequence from Reason 101, and Koshdukai. Proceeds from sale of the refill go to support the children of James and Nicole Benard, who tragically lost their mother to cancer a few months ago.

With no overriding theme, the refill is filled with some interesting tools and sounds from some very capable and creative sound designers. Having been busy with the holidays, I haven't had a chance to spend much time with the completed refill, but what I have seen over the past few weeks as it has come together has been very impressive. There are a number of intriguing patches, samples, and effects from some of the most prolific figures in the Reason community. My own contributions are very meager when compared to the output of the others involved in the refill, but it was an honor to be involved, and I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish together.

Many of you have been very generous with donations to Reason Patch A Day the last couple of weeks and I have been genuinely surprised and truly appreciative of your support. However, if you have any generosity left, I urge you to consider purchasing a copy of The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill. I can say without reservation that I can't think of any better cause, and in addition to the knowledge that you're doing something truly good, you'll also be gaining a great collection of sounds and tools.

Purchase your copy here.

Announcing the Reason Patch A Day Archive Refill, Vol. 2

It is time for me to take my annual, holiday leave of absence, but before I disappear for a couple of weeks I wanted to announce the availability of the Reason Patch A Day Archive Refill, Vol. 2.

As before, the Reason Patch A Day Archive Refill, Vol. 2 collects the patches and samples shared here on the Reason Patch A Day blog. The Volume 2 refill contains patches from September 25, 2010 to today with a total of 513 files, including:

• 54 Bass Patches
  
• 2 Instrument Combinators
  
• 3 Effect Combinators
  
• 10 Effect Patches
  
• 3 Kong Kits
  
• 77 Pad Patches
  
• 141 Percussion Patches
  
• 31 Synth Patches
  
• 33 Samples
  
• 25 Drum Loops
  
• 134 Drum Samples
  

Previous site donors received a handful of additional patches that were not shared on the blog and six months of updates to the Volume 1 refill. To thank site donors for their continued support, the Reason Patch A Day Archive Refill, Vol 2 contains bonus drum samples exported from the Korg iElectribe app loops provided during the last year. As the iElectribe app uses synthesis to create its sound, these samples are unique to the loops provided throughout Reason Patch A Day's last year, and have been provided in the Archive in WAV format for easy use in the NN-19, NN-XT, Redrum, or Kong devices.

So, how do you get a copy? As before, it just takes a donation of $1 or more. If you have donated in the past your donation is greatly appreciated, then and now, but I would ask you to send me a dollar or two again, if you'd like a copy of the latest refill. Remember, most of the refill has already been provided here at no cost. You're just paying for the convenience of having it all in one place, as well as getting a few bonus sounds, while also supporting my work over the last three years.

Donations can be made using the sidebar "Donate" button! Check the upper right side of the block to toss a few dollars in to support the site!

I'll see you all after the holidays! I hope that, regardless of your faith or circumstances, that you find this season warm, joyful, and filled with music.

.952 Malstrom Percussion: Forest For The Trees

As I've written a few times in the past, I've really grown to love Thor. Being naturally skeptical of the "hot new thing," regardless of what form it might take, it took me some time before I was able to really warm up to the "Mighty Thor." Yet, as much as I love Thor's power and flexibility, its Wavetable Oscillator doesn't interest me as much as Reason's older wavetable synth, Malstrom.

Today's patch is another percussion patch using Reason 2.0's Malstrom synth, a woodblock-esque sound given a title to match its sound. Its simple and kind of plain, but with a little reverb and delay, effective.

• Forest For The Trees ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.951 Kong: Matches - Kick 4

And here's another kick drum using Kong's Physical Bass Drum Module for the Matches series of patches.

• Matches - Kick 4 ( Kong Patch )
  

.950 Kong: Matches - Snare 3

Although there are some interesting sounds already on tap in the Matches series of Kong patches, I still don't feel like the series is complete. I like a little more variety and options when I start working with a kit and Matches needs just a few more dedicated sounds.

Today's patch is a new snare, a bit brighter than the previous two shared here, but otherwise fairly similar.

• Matches - Snare 3 ( Kong Patch )
  

.949 Malstrom Bass: Chipotle

Sticking with Reason's Malstrom, but getting away from percussive sounds for a moment, today's patch is a buzzing, deep bass patch.

• Chipotle ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.948 Malstrom Percussion: Cold Coffee

Here's another attempt at a Malstrom percussion hit. It sounds a little more traditional than yesterday's Kinetic Drip having a more typical "thwack" tone.

• Cold Coffee ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.947 Malstrom Percussion: Kinetic Drip

After posting last night's pad, I was sure that I'd be giving Malstrom another chance tonight, creating something a little more pleasing to my ear. And, although I have come back to Malstrom today as I thought I would, I was more interested in using Malstrom to create a shorter, abrupt sound, rather than another pad.

Kinetic Drip sounds like you might expect, given its name. Its a quick, hard blip using Reason's Square*16 and Elektronik waveforms that sounds pretty good with a messy, reverb heavy drum kit, especially when paired with some layered delay effects.

• Kinetic Drip ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.946 Malstrom Pad: Mysterious Package

For some reason, as much as I've come to enjoy and appreciate Malstrom, I have a hard time with its noise-based waveforms. Something about them seems overly harsh to me, which should be expected with simple noise, but I can't seem to massage them into a usable form like I can with the Subtractor and Thor. Of course, its possible (and even likely), that I just haven't given it enough of an effort or spent enough time with it.

Mysterious Package, today's pad patch, is an attempt to spend a little more time with Malstrom's waveforms. The pad is like many of the pads that get posted here in that its a little rough, even abrasive, but with a little coaxing could be smooth and mysterious, if the need calls for it.

• Mysterious Package ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.945 Combinator Effect: Bass Bit

It's been a while since I've put together an Effect Combi, but given how many bass patches I post, it only makes sense that I would gravitate towards an effect that is made specifically for bass sounds. So, today's patch is Bass Bit, which provides a hint of bit reduction via Reason's Scream unit, followed by a little filtering and distortion courtesy of the new Pulveriser effect, and just the faintest bit of echo thanks to Reason's original delay, the DDL-1.

Bass Bit might become a "go to" effect for me, much like Ugly Boy Combinator has been for the last couple of years, but only time will tell if it sees as much use in my own projects.

• Bass Bit ( Combinator )
  

.944 Malstrom Synth: Clutter

Its not that uncommon for a patch to straddle a couple of different categories, but its always a little unsettling for someone like me who suffers with an obsessive need to properly organize them. Clutter, made up of a combination of Malstrom's Pink Noise and Spectral Sweep waveforms, sounds like a synth, but it might also be something else, maybe a strange blip of percussion or even a retro video game sound. I'll stick with "synth," since it was the first thing that sprang to mind, but you could easily find a different location for it in your own obsessively organized patch libraries.

• Clutter ( Malstrom Patch )
  

.943 Thor Bass: Operose

I wanted to take a break from Kong and put together a new bass patch.

• Operose ( Thor Patch )
  

.942 Kong: Matches - Kick 3

Here's an alternate kick drum sound for the Matches drum kit, using the Physical Kick Drum Module in Kong.

• Matches - Kick 3 ( Kong Patch )