Reason: Patch A Day

.977 Thor Pad: Quiescent

2012-01-30T18:14:00.001-08:00

Still unhappy with the results of the last two Thor patches, I thought I'd give it another try. The result is today's patch, Quiescent.

Quiescent ( Thor Patch )

.976 Thor Pad: Fallow

2012-01-29T19:37:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while I post a patch and find myself a little unhappy with it later. Today's patch is an attempt to improve upon yesterday's Suspect Behavior, using different waveform oscillators.

Fallow ( Thor Patch )

.975 Thor Pad: Suspect Behavior

2012-01-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

After last night's noisy FX patch, I wanted to create a more traditional pad sound using Reaosn's Thor synth. The result is tonight's patch, Suspect Behavior.

Suspect Behavior ( Thor Patch )

.974 Thor Pad: The Tide Goes Out On Venus

2012-01-27T17:53:00.001-08:00

One of the things I struggle with, and comment on frequently, is categorizing a patch. Today's patch, The Tide Goes Out On Venus, is a great example of that. It's a wash of noise that fades in and out over time, like a pad, yet its character of sound doesn't really lend itself to being a pad. Its too abrasive and short, more like a synth, and yet....

Well, you get the picture. The Tide Goes Out On Venus is more of a FX sound, at its heart, but I've stuck to a few specific categories since starting Reason Patch A Day. So, I'll call today's patch a pad, and call it a day.

The Tide Goes Out On Venus ( Thor Patch )

Bragware Report: 3 New Tracks, by Nikolai Bonamente

2012-01-26T17:54:00.001-08:00

Reader Nikolai Bonamente (formerly known as 1.44 MB) and I were trading a few emails recently and he let it slip that he's been sticking a PAD sound or two in most of his recent songs. He said:

Just thought I'd let you know your "spicknel" pad is getting an outing in my latest track "Afgan Hound" up on the cloud and "mugwump" is included on the track "times draggin" just below it.

And...

I've just been playing with adding another bassline and string section to "Taratop" and realized it features "Torpidity" really quite prominently!

Nikoali knows how much I enjoy hearing what other people have done with the patches here and was letting me know about his recent tracks as a courtesy, not a quest to get yet another mention here on Reason Patch A Day, but I can't think of any reason not to post his new tracks. This is a blog about making music, after all, so there's always a reason to listen to something new.

Afgan hound by Nikolai Bonamente

Times Draggin by Nikolai Bonamente

taratop by Nikolai Bonamente

Be sure to let Nikolai know what you think about his tracks by leaving him a comment on his Soundcloud page. Thanks, Nikolai!

.973 REX File: Hamstring (84 BPM)

2012-01-26T17:52:00.001-08:00

I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to phone it in tonight. There's too much going on at the moment with work and home that I haven't had time to really sit down with Reason and put together something worth posting or downloading.

So, as a consolation, here's a downtempo drum loop created using the Fingerlab DM1 app. My advice is to drown this in reverb and a little delay to give it a good, dark, moody vibe.

Hamstring - 84 BPM ( REX File )

.972 The Echo: Pogo

2012-01-24T20:11:00.001-08:00

I can't seem to get enough of The Echo. Like Kong, its just fun.

Pogo ( Echo Patch )

.971 Subtractor Synth: Hard Scrabble

2012-01-23T20:10:00.001-08:00

I've been listening to Underworld's "Barking" album, practically on auto-repeat, for the last few days. Their albums tend to do that to me, get lodged in my brain and require repeat listenings again and again, until something finally gets satiated and I move on to something else.

One of the things that I really enjoy about "Barking" is the use of non-traditional sounds in percussive elements, such as blips and synth stabs in place of hi-hats or snares. Today's patch is inspired by some of those same sounds, a quick chime that could fit a number of different roles. Still, it's not quite a percussive tone, so I'm still categorizing this as a synth.

Hard Scrabble ( Subtractor Patch )

.970 REX File: Rainy Night (75 BPM)

2012-01-22T19:14:00.001-08:00

I've posted a couple different loops generated with the Fingerlab DM1 app, including Lower and Rescue. And, in the process, I've complained about DM1's use of samples and its almost slavish devotion to emulating older drum machines, much like many of the iOS apps currently available.

The thing is, whenever I check back in with DM1, I find more to like. Yes, its all sample-based. And, yes, its sample sets are filled with sounds from old, cherished drum machines (including a set based on my beloved Yamaha RX machines!), but they've expanded its sample sets quite a bit from its first release. And, the interface continues to impress me. Despite its fairly minor limitations, its a blast to use, enough that its fun just to mess around in its textured black boxes and screens.

Tonight's loop was created using the "Melodic" sound set which is more chime than drum loop, an almost music box-like sound that makes me curious about what other sounds could be inserted into the Fingerlab DM1 app. Rainy Night is eight bars in length, containing three different bar length patterns. It uses the Fingerlab DM1 app's Overdrive and Delay effects, which are my favorite of the bunch.

Rainy Night - 75 BPM ( REX File )

.969 Subtractor Bass: Pioneers

2012-01-21T20:18:00.001-08:00

Tonight's patch is a dirty, noisy bass created using Reason's original synth, the Subtractor.

Pioneers ( Subtractor Patch )

.968 Commercial Refill Sneak Peek: 1985, Part 2

2012-01-20T19:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Ben from 3rd Floor Sound shared a couple of patches from his 1985 Refill, the Tenderness emulating "Public Tender" and the combined lead patch "Voices Carrying." Today, Ben is providing O.M.D. mimicking "So In Love" and two additional patches that were inspired by and created from some of his more faithful emulations, Massive Organ and Cathedral Monster.

Ben took a few minutes to answer some of my questions about his refill and his process.

This refill is obviously fueled by nostalgia. Were there any particular sounds from the era that stood out for you as being necessary for this refill?

Oddly enough it didn't start out with the nostalgia in mind. I'd just been wandering around 4 or 5 Reason forums and kept seeing the same question in every one: "How do I make "x" sound from song "y?" I always tried to answer these posts, thinking that even if I didn't get it exactly right, I'd be learning as I went. Did that for who knows how long before I realized I loved doing it, so I picked a year at random and checked out the end of the year billboard chart to see what songs were in there. It started becoming nostalgic after I was listening to all these great songs from when I was a kid in order to pick the instruments. You automatically connect them with specific memories and get a little lost in your mind. It becomes even more fun when I finish an instrument and get to try to learn how to play the song -- occasionally well enough that it might be slightly recognizable.

When it came down to it I included every sound from the year that I could make with synths, so there are a few songs that didn't get represented in the refill because they were recorded entirely with guitars, etc. There were also a few that used the same sound as another song, so those didn't get included. Thinking about it now though, there are a couple instruments that had to be there aside from those in the standard ultra-popular songs: the bass (pretty sure it's a minimoog) in Starpoint's Object Of My Desire was one of those. I don't even remember that song being on the radio, but that bass is perfection in the studio version of the song. Another was that clanky synth in John Parr's Naughty Naughty -- the sound just screams 1985. Well, that sound and John's incredible mullet. That was a tough one because it's layered over a bass playing the same notes a good part of the time.

How did you go about creating your emulations for these classic sounds?

It really came down to having a song playing in the background, opening up a Thor with an analog oscillator and finding the basic wave that matched most closely. Sometimes it's instantly apparent that you're listening to a saw with a quick filter on it, for example. From there it's a matter of additional oscillators and little tweaks to get it just right, but sometimes it can be like playing Jenga: sounds are so well blended that if you try to pull one out the others fall apart. There were cases where I brought songs into Adobe Audition (3.0) in order to use the program's spectral frequency display, where you can visually select notes and frequency ranges to delete them. It's not perfect, but it can be helpful when you're trying to hear instruments that were obscured in the mix. You reach a certain point where the stack of Jenga blocks is swaying back and forth, and that's when you move into Reason. Then it's a matter of moving left to right in Thor, oscillators to filters to envelopes and LFOs to effects. When it's done I try to program the Combinator to either have the options I would want or that the instrument came with, assuming I can find out what it was. Sometimes that's a mystery and it's fun to make it do weird things that people won't expect when they bump the Mod Wheel or click a button.

Were there any sounds that you wanted to create, but just couldn't get right? Can we expect to hear them in an update or follow up refill?

Oh there were a bunch of those, and they were nearly all drums. This was just before Reason 5 came out so Kong wasn't available. I played around making drums using Thor off and on, but there's only so much you can do that way. I'll definitely be revisiting 1985 to get that worked out eventually, at which point I'll post it with a really cheap upgrade price.

There was at least one sound that was giving me fits though. The strings in Raspberry Beret. It seems simple, but at the time I could have sworn it was evil. Hopefully I've learned a couple tricks since then that will allow me to hit it just right. I will pin that one down even if I have to... okay, no, I'm not going to go and try locating Prince.

Wow, this got a little long-winded, didn't it? I may need to get out more.

Thanks for giving us a look at your process, Ben, and providing Reason Patch A Day with its first potential kidnapping threat.

3rd Floor Sound - Cathedral Monster ( Combinator )
3rd Floor Sound - Massive Organ ( Combinator )
3rd Floor Sound - So In Love ( Combinator )

If you're interested in learning more about the 1985 Refill or purchasing another refill, including the new Theory Refill, you can find more information at 3rd Floor Sound.

.967 Commercial Refill Sneak Peek: 1985, Part 1

2012-01-19T19:19:00.001-08:00

Almost a full six months ago, I felt the undeniable fatigue of burnout creeping into my work on the blog and I took a break of week or two to try to recharge with my family. When I came back, I promised a few changes, and embarrassingly, never really followed up on them, aside from quickly throwing together a new PAD Challenge.

I'm not sure what held me back from moving forward on a few of the other changes I mentioned, but its certainly past due that I get to them, because there were some neat ideas in that original list, most specifically offering sneak peeks at a few commercial refills making the rounds in the Reason community.

The first commercial refill we'll be looking at here on Reason Patch A Day is 3rd Floor Sound's nostalgic 1985 refill, a part of their Historical Refill Series. Described as "a set based on the instruments used to top the charts over the last 30 years," for those of you who came of musical age in the 80s like I did, this refill is bound to put a smile on your face with surprisingly accurate emulations of sounds you grew up with, as well as patches that more generally mimic the sounds of the time.

Ben at 3rd Floor Sound was kind enough to share a few patches from his 1985 Refill to give you all a peek at what sounds he has in store for you:

3rd Floor Sound - Public Tender ( Combinator )
3rd Floor Sound - Voices Carrying ( Combinator )

Come back tomorrow for a couple of additional patches from the 1985 Refill and a brief Q&A with Ben about his work and what inspired him to create such a focused library of sounds.

Bragware Report: Electro of the Gods, by Nait_Phoenix

2012-01-19T02:58:00.001-08:00

The new year must have everyone feeling more creative. We got a Bragware Report a week ago with TheFatControlleR's Dylan & The Seven Drones, then posted the new track Forgiven from Martin Kremser, and while I was literally preparing the post for Martin's song I received an email from Nait Phoenix telling me he just finished up a new song using a couple of old Reason Patch A Day sounds.

Nait_Phoenix had this to say about his song:

"I used the Norse Gods: Forseti patch for the main melody and the Norse Gods: Hoor patch for the grumbling bass."

Electro of the Gods by Nait_Phoenix

If anyone has any comments or constructive criticism for Nait_Phoenix regarding his new track, I urge you to go to his Soundclick page and let him know what you think. Thanks for sharing, Nait! I look forward to hearing whatever else you come up with in the future.

.966 REX File: Cubes (120 BPM)

2012-01-18T18:50:00.001-08:00

Here's another drum loop created using Korg's iElectribe drum machine app.

Cubes - 120 BPM ( REX File )

.965 Subtractor Bass: Paid In Full

2012-01-17T19:13:00.001-08:00

Today's patch is a fairly simple bass patch, created using Reason's original synth, the Subtractor. Its a fairly quiet synth, thanks to its filter, so its a perfect match with the recently shared Overcooked effect.

Paid In Full ( Subtractor Patch )

.964 The Echo: Riptide

2012-01-16T16:50:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned a few days ago, when I posted the Conga Line Echo patch, I haven't spent as much time with The Echo as I expected to when I saw the first few Reason 6 announcements. I had been clamoring for a more advanced delay effect than Reason 1's DDL-1 and The Echo looked like a dream come true, but when I downloaded and installed Reason 6, I just never got around to messing with it.

That was, as I've been learning, a huge mistake. As powerful as the Pulveriser is, The Echo might be worth the price of the upgrade alone, and the more I use it, the more I'm impressed by its abilities.

Today's patch is called Riptide, thanks to its slightly underwater vibe, a rolling echo effect that doesn't overpower a sound (thanks to its lowered Dry/Wet value), but doesn't hide from notice either. If you want to build up some excitement or interest in a track make sure you automate The Echo's Feedback knob.

Riptide ( Echo Patch )

Bragware Report: Forgiven, by Martin Kremser

2012-01-16T04:11:00.001-08:00

I recently got an email from reader Martin Kremser, letting me know he used a couple of Reason Patch A Day patches on one of his new songs: Forgiven. Martin let me know he used Ba-ba-ba-bass and Iatrogenic on his latest techno song. If the results don't get you moving, you might have to see a doctor.

Martin Kremser - Forgiven [Original Mix] by Martin Kremser

Provide any constructive criticism you might have by leaving a comment on Martin's Soundcloud page.

Thanks for let us know what you've been up to, Martin!

If you have a track of your own that you'd like to highlight on the blog, please send me an email with a link to your track and a description, so I can post it here. I'm always eager to hear what's being done with the patches shared here, so I'd love to hear from you.

.963 Pulveriser: Overcooked

2012-01-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

Reason 6's new Pulveriser effect seems specially built to add a little extra "oomph" to sounds. Or, at least, every time I try to create a new patch for it, that's the effect I get. Today's patch, Overcooked, is no exception and its title gives away its basic sound. Slap this Pulveriser patch over just about any sound, from a drum loop to a synth, and it comes out sounded a little hotter and more aggressive than the sound you had going in.

I created Overcooked while running several drum loops through a Dr. OctoRex and as a result, it works great with a number of rhythm elements. To my ears, it sounds equally useful for kick drums and hi-hats, so don't be shy testing it in a variety of different situations.

Overcooked ( Pulveriser Patch )

.962 The Echo: The Divide

2012-01-13T16:05:00.001-08:00

I wanted to spend a little more time with Reason 6's new delay unit, The Echo, and decided to create something a little more subtle and universal than Conga Line. The Divide, today's patch, might not be as subtle or understated as I had originally planned, but its delay effects aren't completely overbearing or too "in your face."

I actually created The Divide over a simple kick drum loop and was pretty pleased with the results. I'm sure it'll be useful with a number of other sound sources, so experiment.

The Divide ( Echo Patch )

.961 Malstrom Pad: Spicknel

2012-01-12T19:05:00.001-08:00

Its time for another spooky, distant pad.

Spicknel ( Malstrom Patch )

Bragware Report: Dylan & The Seven Drones, by TheFatControlleR

2012-01-11T18:45:00.001-08:00

Threads cycle pretty quickly on the Propellerhead User Forum, but a few weeks ago Ben from 3 Floor Sound was nice enough to draw a little attention to my new archive refill by pointing folks in my direction. Thank you, Ben!

The thread was short and short-lived, but was the internet equivilent of getting a bear hug, with a few people thanking me for my work on the blog and posting about their excitement in getting the refills. Thank you all for showing interest in what I've been doing!

One of the highlights of the thread, however, was a song that FatControlleR put together using patches from the Vol 1 Refill. His efforts can be found in the thread or heard here:

Dylan & The Seven Drones by TheFatControlleR

FatControlleR even put together a video for his track. You can see it below.

FatControlleR was kind enough to outline all of the patches he used in his song, telling me he used the Gravel, Journeyman [Run (off)], Mandible Lullaby, Mantis Prayers, Memory, Metaphor, The Snickers Of Shadows [Run (off)], TwangSlang, and Unfaithful + Heft + UglyBoy instrument patches. On the effects side, he used the Auto-Pan, Campfire, Character Enhancer, Heft (Stereo), Nasal, Shimmering, Spacey, and TapeFlutter effects and Combinators.

As I mentioned to FatControlleR privately, it's always a treat to hear what other people have done with the sounds I've created. Sometimes they sound the same, other things I can't recognize them at all. Thanks for sharing, FatControlleR! It was a lot of fun for me to hear what you've done with my patches.

.960 Sneak Peek: J-Kick #1

2012-01-11T18:29:00.001-08:00

During the holiday break, I posted a link to the The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill, one of the two "top secret" projects that has been occupying my time over the last few months. As I mentioned then, I didn't have the opportunity to spend as much time with it as I would have liked, but I'm still proud of my involvement with the refill and enjoyed working with several, extremely talented Reason sound designers.

With that project revealed, I have just one secret project to steal my time away from the blog, and while I'm not ready to make any announcements about what I've been working on, I thought I'd share an early, sneak peek at what you can expect. So, today's "patch" is actually just a sample from that project: a deep, heavy kick drum.

J-Kick #1 ( WAV File )

Anyone care to offer a guess about what I've been working on? A single kick drum sample isn't much to go on, but the answer might not be much more complicated than what little I've revealed today. More on this particular project later....

.959 The Echo: Conga Line

2012-01-10T19:29:00.001-08:00

Sometimes the toughest thing about creating a new patch every day is trying to figure out what name to give it; balancing that fine line between descriptive and entertaining. I mean, I could name this patch anything at all. I could call it "Ernie," but weeks from now, months from now, when the furthest thing in your mind is checking this blog for a decent description of the patches you've downloaded, you're going to want to be able to just look at its filename and know it'll work in a project you're banging out.

My first thought was to call it was it is. Today's delay, built using Reason 6's new "The Echo" effect, is built specifically for those upper frequency percussion hits like hi-hats, congas, and rimshots. So, my initial impulse was to call it "Hi-hats Only," but not being able to get images of Ricky Ricardo performing down at the Tropicana Club out of my head, I decided to go with the much more colorful Conga Line.

I say this quite a bit, but I actually like today's patch quite a bit. It sounds terrible when used with deeper frequency sounds. A nice, deep kick somehow becomes a clap when you try to push it through Conga Line (which might be useful), but on a shaker or hi-hat or a conga pattern, its perfect for a wide, spacious soundstage.

I can tell I need to spend more time with The Echo. It was the device I was most excited about when the sneak peek videos came out, but strangely I've been ignoring it since getting Reason 6 on my hard drive. That's a mistake. This new device looks (and sounds) like a lot of fun.

Conga Line ( Echo Patch )

.958 Sample/REX File: Vinyl Pop

2012-01-09T18:36:00.001-08:00

During my two week break from Reason Patch A Day, I spent a fair amount of time recording some of my old records and converting them to MP3. I learned a couple of things: 1) I had questionable taste in music as a teenager, and 2) while analog warmth is nice, it's sometimes a little overrated. The pop and hiss of old, dusty records makes getting a clean recording difficult at times, but there are some that fetishize those grainy, dusty qualities. So, today's sample is one of those pops and some hiss, also converted to a REX file for easy slicing and looping.

Vinyl Pop ( WAV | REX File )

.957 REX File: Client (120 BPM)

2012-01-08T18:22:00.001-08:00

It has been a couple of months since I have posted a "Recycled" loop created in my perennial favorite iPad app, Korg's iElectribe drum machine, but the truth is I haven't been spending much time with it lately. Still, blowing the virtual dust off and moving its virtual knobs never fails to entertain me, so here's a new loop using it.

As I've posted a few times before, I have a number of drum machines on my iPad, but the Korg iElectribe app remains one of my favorites. In many ways, its very Reason-esque, so if you have an iPad of your own, I would highly recommend checking it out. It's a lot of fun, and with a little help from Recycle, an excellent addition to Reason.

Client - 120 BPM ( REX File )

.956 Sample: Monobass (Korg Monotron)

2012-01-07T15:51:00.001-08:00

Did you get anything fun over the holidays? While many of us might have had visions of finding a Tempest beneath a giant bow, I've been lusting after the far less complex Korg Monotron, a pocket-sized analog synth that's more toy than instrument. And, although I didn't receive a Monotron, I did get a little money, so earlier this week I managed to pick one up.

If you haven't played around with one, the Monotron is a lot of fun. It has a membrane style keyboard for tapping out a few notes and five tiny knobs for molding your own sounds from its analog synth circuits. It's instantly accessible and I was literally tweaking "patches" within a minute of opening it, still sitting in the parking lot outside the shop.

One of the first noises I created was a very basic synth bass and I found what seemed like the most obvious use for the Monotron. A few days later, I took a turn at twisting the knobs again, but took the time to record the result which I've given the uninspired name of Monobass.

The Monotron has an interesting little LFO circuit which can be used to adjust the pitch or the cutoff, so I recorded my "patch" twice, using both settings. Both of those recordings are provided below, essentially clean, but normalized. The headphone out (and speaker) is pretty noisy, but I did what I could to minimize that noise by cutting the sample down to minimize any dead, but noisy air.

Monobass 1A ( WAV File )
Monobass 1B ( WAV File )

.955 Thor Pad: Walk Softly

2012-01-06T17:04:00.001-08:00

It feels like its been a long time since I've posted a dark and mysterious pad, so when I sat down to build a patch after dinner tonight, that's what I came up with.

With Thor's built-in delay and chorus engaged by default, I don't feel like Walk Softly needs much in terms of processing. Perhaps a little reverb to give it some air, but other than that, it sounds fairly complete "out of the box." Don't forget to play with the Mod Wheel on this one.

Walk Softly ( Thor Patch )

.954 REX File: Beans and Jar 3

2012-01-05T18:57:00.001-08:00

It didn't dawn on me until after I posted yesterday's samples, but the third sample provided should have been provided as a REX loop. So, here you go:

Beans and Jar 3 ( REX File )

Update: I goofed up the link. It should be fixed now. Thanks to reader Darryl Miller for being my link-checker!

.953 Samples: Beans and Jar

2012-01-04T18:44:00.001-08:00

It's good to be back, but rather than wax poetically over the break and what I spent my time doing while away, I thought I'd just get into it.

A shaker is one of the most basic musical instruments possible, with variations of them appearing in almost every culture going back to the Stone Age. So, I thought it was time I created a shaker of my own.

The physical setup couldn't be more simple. I took a few small white beans and dropped them into an empty spice jar. Then, using a rubber band, I attached a contact mic to the jar and shook it while recording directly into my Microtrack II. After several takes, I selected a few of the cleaner sounds, normalized them, and you have the results below.

Beans and Jar 1 ( WAV File )
Beans and Jar 2 ( WAV File )
Beans and Jar 3 ( WAV File )

Introducing The Bernard Childcare Trust Refill

2011-12-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-18T07:42:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-14T19:23:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-13T18:36:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-10T18:48:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-09T18:18:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-07T19:21:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-05T19:58:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-04T18:18:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-03T18:51:00.001-08:00

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

Operose ( Thor Patch )

.942 Kong: Matches - Kick 3

2011-12-01T18:33:00.001-08:00

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 )

.941 Kong: Matches - Hat 4

2011-11-29T20:15:00.001-08:00

And here's another attempt at a hi-hat patch, using Kong's Physical Tom Module.

Matches - Hat 4 ( Kong Patch )

.940 Kong: Matches - Tom 4

2011-11-28T18:53:00.001-08:00

And here's another Tom patch for the Matches series of Kong sounds.

Matches - Tom 4 ( Kong Patch )

.939 Kong: Matches - Tom 3

2011-11-27T17:10:00.001-08:00

Continuing to beef up the Matches series of Kong patches with useable sounds, here is another Tom patch.

Matches - Tom 3 ( Kong Patch )

.938 Kong: Matches - Snare 2

2011-11-26T18:47:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd come back to the Matches series, as the patches felt pretty incomplete, with just the few I've put together so far. Here's a snare patch.

Matches - Snare 2 ( Kong Patch )

.937 Mix and Match Combinator: Dew + SubWide + Simple Pad Enhance + Ambience

2011-11-25T19:31:00.001-08:00

It has been just over ten months since I've shared a Mix and Match patch, but I spent some time yesterday layering effects over a Subtractor pad I like, and the results were worth keeping.

The Mix and Match patches are usually fairly "complete," which runs contrary to my whole philosophy for this site. As I've stated a few times, the point of Reason Patch A Day is to provide you with basic building blocks for creating new sounds. These patches are raw materials for you to manipulate to create sounds that suit you and your projects, so providing a completed sounds rarely happens, but it can be a fun diversion from time to time. Today's Mix and Match pad, for example, works pretty well and could easily be dropped into a number of songs.

Dew + SubWide + Simple Pad Enhance + Ambience ( Combinator )

.936 Kong: Matches - Hat 3 and Kick 2

2011-11-24T06:22:00.001-08:00

For a blog that calls itself daily, I've missed more days than I've posted lately. Sorry about that. Here are two new additions to the Matches series of Kong patches to try to make up for it.

As I'm sure many of you know, its Thanksgiving here in the US, which is probably one of our nation's strangest and most naive celebrations, while simultaneously being its most appropriately American. As is custom, we're supposed to give thanks for the things in our lives, so thank you to all of you for stopping in and continuing to follow Reason Patch A Day.

Matches - Hat 3 ( Kong Patch )
Matches - Kick 2 ( Kong Patch )

.935 Kong: Matches - Hat 2

2011-11-21T18:10:00.001-08:00

Here's another hi-hat for the Matches kit of Kong patches.

Matches - Hat 2 ( Kong Patch )

.934 Kong: Matches - Hat 1

2011-11-20T21:04:00.001-08:00

Surprisingly, Reason's Kong doesn't have a physical hi-hat module. Maybe they weren't able to put a convincing module together or maybe they thought that with Kong's other modules you could create something close enough. When there's a lack of an official module it sometimes makes patch design that much more fun. Trying to create a hi-hat sound, even if I cheated by adding noise, was an interested challenge. I wouldn't necessarily say I nailed it, but it was fun to try.

Matches - Hat 1 ( Kong Patch )

.933 Kong: Matches - Tom 2

2011-11-18T19:09:00.001-08:00

Today's patch sounds a little more like a tom, but maybe only when compared to yesterday's inaccurately named "tom" patch.

Matches - Tom 2 ( Kong Patch )

.932 Kong: Matches - Tom 1

2011-11-17T18:49:00.001-08:00

Toms sounds are often what make or break a kit for me, but when I'm putting together new sounds in Kong, seem to be the area where I spend the least amount of time. I thought I'd remedy that with this series and spend a little extra time on Kong's physical Tom modules.

The result isn't a very convincing tom sound and sounds more like a wood block instrument, but the lack of accuracy doesn't necessarily mean the sound itself is bad. I actually like this one quite a bit, as it certainly provides something different, almost recognizable, but still unique.

Matches - Tom 1 ( Kong Patch )

.931 Kong: Matches - Snare 1

2011-11-15T16:40:00.001-08:00

And here is a light, almost airy snare sound using Kong's physical snare module.

Matches - Snare 1 ( Kong Patch )

.930 Kong: Matches - Kick 1

2011-11-14T20:38:00.001-08:00

It's been two months since I've done anything with Kong, so I thought I'd experiment a little with its modules and see what I can come up with after twisting a few virtual knobs.

Being a big fan of some of the more traditional dance music genres like house and trance, I tend to reach for Kong's "synth" modules when the urge strikes to experiment, but the physical drum modules can be a lot of fun and are definitely inspiring in their own way. Obviously the feel and character of the patches is different when moving from the synth to physical modules, but the opportunities for crafting new sounds are there.

Here's a new kick drum sound, created uses Kong's physical kick drum module, for a new series of drum patches I'm calling Matches. I'm not quite sure where this series of patches will go, based on today's kick, but I do like the sound of this first patch, which I think falls somewhere between that synthetic drum sound and the physical sound Kong's module is trying to emulate.

Matches - Kick 1 ( Kong Patch )

.929 Thor Pad: Negotiation

2011-11-13T19:09:00.001-08:00

Here's a fairly simple Thor pad called Negotiation.

Negotiation ( Thor Patch )

.928 Samples: More Pringles Can Samples

2011-11-12T14:18:00.001-08:00

And here are a few more samples taken from a Pringles can, whacked with a drumstick.

Pringles Can w/ Drumstick 1 ( WAV File )
Pringles Can w/ Drumstick 2 ( WAV File )

.927 Samples: Pringles Can

2011-11-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

As I've slowly returned to something approaching normal, I've spent a little more time with Reason 6 over the last few days, and have been digging through some of my old sample recordings. There are some winners hidden away in my "Personal Samples" folder, or at least, they seem to be winners to me.

I thought I'd share a couple of additional files with you. Today's come from an old Pringles can and the same Get LoFi contact mic I used to record the Dr. Skipper samples I shared the other day.

Pringles Can w/ Contact Mic 1 ( WAV File )
Pringles Can w/ Contact Mic 2 ( WAV File )
Pringles Can w/ Contact Mic 3 ( WAV File )

.926 Malstrom Bass: Classics

2011-11-10T17:35:00.001-08:00

I've spent a fair amount of time here on Reason Patch A Day exploring some less traditional bass sounds, but lately I've been much more interested in traditional, even basic tones. Today's patch, Classics, sounds like you'd expect given its name: a fairly generic dance bass tone.

Classics ( Malstrom Patch )

.925 Samples: More Dr. Skipper Samples

2011-11-08T19:12:00.001-08:00

How much mileage did you think I could milk out of whacking soda bottles with stuff? If you thought it couldn't go much further than yesterday's post, you vastly underestimated me, but don't bother holding out much hope for more than this. Today's post might empty that particular well.

Today's samples were recorded live using a contact/piezo mic I purchased from Get LoFi and my handmade LoFi Fuzz Kit, which I previously used on a few previous posts. The result was recorded into my Microtrack II and each file was trimmed down to remove any silence before or after the actual hit, but otherwise the sounds are provided "as is."

The results are... interesting? The obvious use, as I pointed out with another heavily distorted sample set is an industrial track, but is industrial even a thing any longer? Still, there are other genres out there than could benefit from some distorted blips and crackles, so you might find some use from these. Personally, I like this little collection quite a bit and recommend shifting them up or down in octave, as the results can sometimes be even more fun than playing them "straight."

Dr. Skipper w/ Contact Mic and Get LoFi 1 ( WAV File )
Dr. Skipper w/ Contact Mic and Get LoFi 2 ( WAV File )
Dr. Skipper w/ Contact Mic and Get LoFi 3 ( WAV File )

.924 Samples: Dr. Skipper

2011-11-07T19:20:00.001-08:00

Its that time of year again. No, this isn't a post about the coming holidays. I mean its that time of year for horrible illnesses and roving virus attacks. Given I've been knee deep in phlegm and worse, I haven't had much time for the blog over the last week.

So, given that I haven't had much time in Reason, I thought I'd take a peek at what I've hidden away in my "Personal Samples" folder and share a few with you.

Any of you like Dr. Pepper? Any of you too cheap to pay for the real thing? "Dr. Skipper" is the store brand of Dr. Pepper. Or, at least, it used to be. I think its got a different name now. The point is, an empty soda bottle and a drumstick yields surprisingly decent, surprisingly useful results.

Dr. Skipper w/ Drumstick 1 ( WAV File )
Dr. Skipper w/ Drumstick 2 ( WAV File )
Dr. Skipper w/ Drumstick 3 ( WAV File )
Dr. Skipper w/ Drumstick 4 ( WAV File )

.923 Malstrom Bass: Meant For More

2011-11-05T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a fairly standard, sawtooth bass patch, using Reason's Malstrom synth.

Meant For More ( Malstrom Patch )

.922 RV7000 Patch: Philosophy

2011-11-03T17:10:00.001-07:00

Posting has been a little inconsistent this week, but my interest in Reason's effect devices, new and old, hasn't waned any.

Today's patch, Philosophy, is another look at Reason's RV7000 Advanced Reverb unit, and is one of those deep, long hall reverbs that conjure up thoughts of huge cathedrals or damp, bottomless caves. It was designed with dark, distant pads in mind, but while experimenting with it I realized that it might sound even better when used with rhythmic elements like shakers or hi-hats. Be sure you adjust the Dry/Wet knob appropriately or you run the risk of completely destroying the sounds you're trying to run through it. Rhythmic loops only need between 24 and 36 to get that cavernous sound.

Philosophy ( RV7000 )

.921 Subtractor Pad: Stubble

2011-11-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

I've written, at length, about the Subtractor's limitations for creating evolving, interesting pad sounds, but it might be those very same limitations that have me returning to it again and again to create convincing or complex pads. Today's patch, Stubble, gets pretty close, especially when you layer an interesting reverb over it or run it through a unison effect or delay.

Stubble ( Subtractor Patch )

.920 Thor Pad: Primitive

2011-10-30T17:06:00.001-07:00

I know it's not Halloween yet, but I couldn't let the holiday arrive without mixing up one of my usual spooky pads.

Primitive ( Thor Patch )

.919 REX File: Lower (88 BPM)

2011-10-29T21:16:00.001-07:00

I've shared a number of drum loops in the last year, mostly loops created on my iPad and then converted to the Rex file format with Recycle. Most of these loops were created using the Korg iElectribe app, which is by far my favorite drum machine app due to its flexibility and its drum synthesis capabilities, but there are a couple of other apps that are at least as much fun, if they can't measure up to the iElectribe's power, most notably the Fingerlab DM1 app.

As I mentioned back when I posted the Rescue loop, the user interface of DM1 makes it a blast to use and its built-in effects, a Delay and an Overdrive, are solid. Its biggest limitation is that like most iPad apps, DM1 is sample-based and works better as an emulation of other machines, rather than forging its own ground.

That said, DM1 has a few sample sets that sound or feel unique, such as its EPM kit, one of 14 unique sets that can be found alongside the usual suspects, such as the TR-909 and CR-78. And, I'd be lying if I said that the app hasn't improved dramatically since its first introduction. The latest update provides built-in loop exporting and a handful of new effects which has inspired me to revisit it tonight.

Today's loop, Lower, is a slow, 88 BPM loop using the DM1's EPM kit and a little bit of Overdrive and Delay. The loop is 8 bars long and contains 6 distinct patterns.

Lower - 88 BPM ( REX File )

.918 Pulveriser Effect: Tin Shack

2011-10-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Not nearly as severe as the recent Ghoul Logic patch, Tin Shack seems to have much more in common with the A Little Extra patch, providing just a little more energy and excitement to the sounds passed through it, rather than completely destroying them.

Tin Shack ( Pulveriser Patch )

.917 RV7000 Effect: Bat Cave

2011-10-26T17:57:00.001-07:00

It seems like every time I post a new RV7000 patch I take a few minutes to explain that regardless of how much I use it, I rarely stray far from its presets, and therefore never post any patches for it. I guess that's still true, but my recent experiments with the Pulveriser have renewed my interest in Reason's more advanced effects and the RV7000 seemed like an obvious device to revisit.

The Reason Factory Soundbank has an effect called "Batman," but its a traditional reverb effect, set to the Arena Algorithm. Instead of following in that example, today's Bat Cave is a long, fairly crisp echo effect. You'll probably want to back off on the Dry/Wet setting when you try it out. A little echo can go a long way and Bat Cave is no exception.

Bat Cave ( RV7000 )

.916 Pulveriser Effect: Ghoul Logic

2011-10-25T20:48:00.001-07:00

If yesterday's Pulveriser patch "A Little Extra" was an exercise in restraint, today's download is the complete opposite, a destructive filter that lives up to the name of Reason 6's newest effect. Ghoul Logic takes whatever sound is pushed through it, filters out almost all of its high end, and randomly distributes it across the stereo field. It's a bit like the old Through The Walls Combinator, but the sway and movement of its sounds make it a bit less direct, and to my ears, a little more fun.

As I mentioned Ghoul Logic filters out anything above 126 Hz which makes it completely useless on sounds that are made up of high frequencies, such as hi-hats or most lead synths. Be sure to adjust the Pulveriser Frequency setting if you plan to use it with these kinds of sounds, or better yet, find a different effect. Ghoul Logic is meant to play down in the lower reaches.

Ghoul Logic ( Pulveriser Patch )

.915 Pulveriser Effect: A Little Extra

2011-10-24T18:53:00.001-07:00

Have you upgraded to Reason 6 yet? Although I downloaded a copy the day it was released, I'll admit I haven't spent much time with Reason 6 yet, nor have I spent any time with its shiny new gadgets.

Considering how frantically I've been pleading for a more advanced delay effect you would think The Echo would have grabbed my attention first, and I do have every intention of spending some quality time with it, but what really pulled my attention, at least tonight, was the new Pulveriser effect.

Pulveriser, as its name implies, is capable of all sorts of sonic deviousness, but I used a fairly light touch with tonight's effect. "A Little Extra" sounds just like its name, providing just a little bit of extra oomph to a sound. I've tested it with bass patches, drums, and pads, and it seems well suited for everything. However, given that the effect isn't entirely obvious at first listen, you may need to do some A-B listening to really get what its doing.

A Little Extra ( Pulveriser Patch )

.914 Subtractor Pad: Contour

2011-10-23T18:06:00.001-07:00

If you've been reading Reason Patch A Day for any length of time, you know about my affinity for spacey, distant patches. These patches tend to be a little creepy, sometimes a little noisy, and they often sound more perfect for a horror movie than an upbeat song.

Usually these patches are created using Thor or Malstrom. The Subtractor, given how its characteristics tend toward a more direct, more pronounced sound, is rarely a good fit for these kinds of patches, but I thought I'd do what I can with it tonight, creating something a bit unsettling and dark. Its not as distant or eerie as most of those spacey pads, but its close.

Contour ( Subtractor Patch )

.913 REX File: Decaf (120 BPM)

2011-10-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

I'm phoning it in tonight. Here's another REX loop, created using the Korg iElectribe app and then REX-ed using Recycle.

I'll try to have something a little more interesting for you all tomorrow.

Decaf - 120 BPM ( REX File )

.912 Subtractor Percussion: Subway

2011-10-20T06:10:00.001-07:00

Its been a pretty hectic week and I'm stealing just a few minutes to post today's patch before going into the office. Once I get this up, its on to work, and then to a class I teach occasionally, before coming home again.

Called Subway more for the restaurant sign I can see out of the coffee shop window than an kind of transportation system, today's patch is a pretty simple, but gritty "thump" of sound. Use it like a tom, but with some extreme delay effects and some reverb, and you should get the same effect I was going for when I created it.

I'll start providing same RNS files again, but unfortunately, still haven't spent enough time with Reason 6 to build a new, default template file and really feel at home. Once I have that and can work a little faster, things will get back to normal here. Sorry about the delay.

Subway ( Subtractor Patch )

.911 Malstrom Pad: Torpidity

2011-10-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

I just can't seem to get enough of the Malstrom synth these days. I've used it to create percussion, synths, and pad patches in just the last week and thought I'd put together another pad patch today.

Torpidity is a fairly simple ambient patch, best used when its fine-tuned with EQ, and given plenty of delay and chorus to beef it up.

Torpidity ( Malstrom Patch )

.910 Malstrom Percussion: Inappropriate Kick

2011-10-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

One of the more fun challenges when using a Wavetable synth like Reason's Malstrom is trying to twist various waveforms into uses that don't quite fit what is likely their intended purpose. If you've been reading Reason Patch A Day for a while, you no doubt remember my experiments with the Elektronik waveform, trying to twist it into something I could appreciate. There are a few other waveforms in Malstrom that have had the same treatment, but what about warping a pad waveform into a percussion hit?

Tonight's patch, Inappropriate Kick, is a kick drum sound using Malstorm's Random Filter waveform. I added the Elektronik waveform to give it a little heft. The result, I think, works pretty well.

Try fine-tuning the sound of this kick drum patch by adjusting the Filter Amt.

Inappropriate Kick ( Malstrom Patch )

.909 Thor Pad: Reflection

2011-10-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

And here's a dark, heavy pad created using Reason's Thor synth.

Reflection ( Thor Patch )

.908 Malstrom Percussion: Parasite

2011-10-14T19:42:00.001-07:00

Tonight's patch is a percussive sound, created with Reason's Malstrom synth.

Parasite ( Malstrom Patch )

.907 Malstrom Pad: Sirocco

2011-10-13T20:47:00.001-07:00

Here's a nice, thick Malstrom pad.

Sirocco ( Malstrom Patch )

.906 Malstrom Synth: Telemetry

2011-10-12T18:28:00.001-07:00

Here's another attempt at building a lead synth patch using Reason's Malstrom synth.

Part of the danger in using Malstrom's Modulation section, especially if you've pushed the settings far into the noticeable range, is that you can sometimes get a weird, even goofy kind of cartoon "underwater" sound. You know the sound I'm talking about... the bubble-filled ridiculousness that accompanies any attempt to speak by some cartoon animal suddenly shocked to find themselves underwater. Telemetry has a touch of that sound, but it could almost be considered a charm, if you use it right.

Telemetry ( Malstrom Patch )

.905 Malstrom Synth: Collect Call

2011-10-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

I rarely reach for the Malstrom when I want to build a synth. Searching from the archives of older patches certainly proves that. I think there are just a few lead synth sounds that you can find on this blog that use the Malstrom, which is funny given how much I admire the green-skinned synth for things like basses and pads.

So, today, I decided I would put together a quick and easy lead synth pathc using Malstrom. The results, at least to my ears, are pretty positive and have certainly convinced me that I should spend a little more time with Malstrom, if I plan on creating many more lead synth patches.

Collect Call ( Malstrom Patch )

.904 REX File: Agitation (127 BPM)

2011-10-10T18:34:00.001-07:00

Here's another loop created using the Korg iElectribe app. I'm providing two versions of Agitation tonight, one with a synth beep playing throughout the 4-bar loop, and another version with that beep muted.

Agitation 1 - 127 BPM ( REX File )
Agitation 2 - 127 BPM ( REX File )

.903 Malstrom Pad: Rejuvenated

2011-10-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

I understand how flu shots work, but if the point of such a thing is to keep you from getting sick, it doesn't make sense that it would completely knock you out for 24 hours with chills, fever, and nausea.

Today's patch is in honor of my renewed health. Rejuvenated, like yesterday's Determination patch, is a creepy, distant Malstrom pad.

Rejuvenated ( Malstrom Patch )

.902 Malstrom Pad: Determination

2011-10-07T18:23:00.001-07:00

I'm not finished with lead synth sounds, but I did want to take a stab at my usual, creepy pad sounds. Here's a new one using Malstrom.

Determination ( Malstrom Patch )

.901 Thor Synth: Mugwump

2011-10-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, I wouldn't so quickly call myself cured of my synth building malaise, but I had a blast putting together today's Mugwump patch.

Mugwump ( Thor Patch )

.900 Thor Synth: Bandersnatch

2011-10-05T17:01:00.001-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I've found it a little difficult to create new lead synth sounds lately. I'm not sure why I've had this shift, as synths were the first thing I started creating years ago, when I first started to learn how to make sounds with Reason's synths, but I really struggle with straight synth patches these days.

Today's patch, Bandersnatch, is an attempt to break out of that rut and work out some new lead synth sounds. The result is as smooth or satisfying as you might think, instead sounding kind of nervous and evasive, but Bandersnatch certainly does appeal to me. There is something pleasant in that nervous, twitchiness.

Bandersnatch ( Thor Patch )

.899 Thor Percussion: Mechanoid Appreciation

2011-10-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a clunky, very artificial sounding clap, created using Reason's Thor. The sound could really only charitably be called a clap, so don't get your hopes up too high if you were looking for something a little more natural, but in the right song, with the right kind of vibe, this could be perfect.

This patch screams for reverb.

Mechanoid Appreciation ( Thor Patch )

.898 Thor Bass: Heir Apparent

2011-10-03T17:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a fairly simple, fairly basic bass patch, created using Reason's Thor synthesizer.

Heir Apparent ( Thor Patch )

.897 Thor Pad: Stellionate

2011-10-02T16:49:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a couple of secret projects, in addition to the (more or less) daily patches that I've been posting here, and as a result of those other projects, I've been spending a lot of time with Thor lately, more perhaps than I ever have following its reveal with Reason 4. In the last few years, if you've been following along for that long, you've no doubt seen a number of posts from me professing a newfound love for the "Mighty Thor," but even after all this time, I'm finding more and more to like about it.

I know I approach new instruments with a certain level of mistrust, given that I hate to see extremely capable synths like Subtractor and Malstrom get ignored in the rush to praise the newest, shiniest thing, so my loyalty is difficult to win. However, Thor is every bit the powerhouse people have claimed, and I'm routinely stunned by the quality and flexibility of Thor's different Oscillators. The Multi Oscillator may be my favorite of the bunch and I never fail to create something pleasing to my own ears when I start with it.

Today's patch is a fairly typical pad patch, a little bright and a little distant, nearly ready for use as soon as its loaded, with very little additional processing needed. That doesn't mean slapping a Effect Combinator over it, such as Borealis or Interesting doesn't produce satisfying results, just that the pad sounds good without a lot of help.

Stellionate ( Thor Patch )

.896 Thor Bass: Tractatrix

2011-10-01T19:53:00.001-07:00

I'm not quite ready to give up on the demonstration RNS files, but until I put together a comfortable workspace in Reason 6, I'll be posting patches without them. I suppose I could just use my Record default song, but not yet.

Tractatrix is a fairly basic, gritty bass patch. Often, its these gritty "out of the box" patches that sound the worst when processed with a little extra dirt, perhaps with the ubiquitous Ugly Boy Combinator, but Tractatrix manages to hold up pretty well, considering. Just make sure you don't apply too many delay effects to it, as Thor's built-in Delay is already providing a fair amount of bounce to the patch.

Tractatrix ( Thor Patch )

.895 Malstrom Bass: Ochlophobia

2011-09-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

I have downloaded and installed Reason 6, but haven't had time to get my bearings yet, in terms of setting up a default song or creating a simple, consistent playground. For that reason, there's no RSN file tonight, just a frog's hiccup of a bass patch, put together using Reason's Malstrom.

I actually like Ochlophobia quite a bit. I doesn't do anything revolutionary, but it has an interesting vibe that could inspire a new song or project. Hopefully you'll feel the same way.

Ochlophobia ( Malstrom Patch )

.894 Malstrom Bass: Saboteur

2011-09-29T18:41:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted a Malstrom bass patch. I was going to make a joke about how its probably been a full week or so, but when I went back through the older posts, I saw it's actually been almost two months. That hardly seems possible, given how much I enjoy using Reason's Malstrom to build new basses, so maybe it is time I came back to revisit the green wonder.

Saboteur is a pretty standard bass patch, thanks to the Sine Waveform, but I did try to give it a little more interest and grit by using the Gamenoise Waveform in parallel with the Sine wave. Gamenoise, if you haven't played with it yourself, is a kind of ugly, almost unusable sound that I've been intrigued by lately, probably due to its seemingly unusable aspects. A lot of the "joke" or gimmick waveforms in Malstrom are like that, unusable the first few times you try them, but when tweaked, filled with a surprisingly amount of promise, so if you're trying to build your own patches and run across a waveform that seems useless, slow down the Motion and experiment with the Index setting. You might be rewarded.

Saboteur is paired first with the Subtle Wide Combinator and then the "standard" bass effect Ugly Boy. The combined effect is pretty profound, stretching Saboteur in strange, gritty directions that actually seem to benefit the patch, rather than ruining or obscuring it.

Saboteur ( Malstrom Patch | RNS File )

.893 Malstrom Pad: Rainy Season

2011-09-28T17:51:00.001-07:00

I don't think I've ever really used a rhythmic pad in one of my own tracks, but there's something about them that appeals to me. I wish it was something I could explain, but those strange, pulsating pads certainly catch my ear, even if I'm never sure how to put one in a project.

Today's patch is one of those strange pulsating pads. Typically, it seems that those sorts of patches don't do well with a lot of processing, as delays and reverbs tend to make them a murky mess. Rainy Season, however, seems to thrive with additional effects, so throw everything you have at it and see what sticks. In the sample RNS file provided, I just used the Simple Pad Enhance Combinator, but it sounded great with the Through The Walls Combinator and others, so experiment.

Rainy Season ( Malstrom Patch | RNS File )

.892 REX File: Ginger (120 BPM)

2011-09-26T21:53:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy trying to put together my own submission for this year's PAD Challenge, I've fallen a little behind in getting new patches and sounds posted. Sorry about that.

Today's "patch" is a REX loop, once again created using the Korg iElectribe app, then processed using Propellerheads' Recycle. Like the majority of the drum loops that I post here, Ginger is a fairly generic take on the four-on-the-floor drum loop standard, but I had a little more fun with the effects built into the Korg iElectribe app this time. The first version of Ginger, creatively named Ginger 1, uses the iElectribe's Short Delay effect. The second is processed using the same app's Grain Shifter effect, giving it a slightly more metallic, artificial sound.

I'd say that I'm done posted iElectribe loops, but I just created another one while I was at the park with my son today, so you might see another one on a "slow news day."

Ginger 1 - 120 BPM ( REX File )
Ginger 2 - 120 BPM ( REX File )

PAD Challenge: 5 New Tracks From Nikolai Bonamente

2011-09-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

I poked a little fun at Nikolai Bonamente (formerly 1.44 MB) during one of my recent Challenge update posts, because during last year's Challenge he managed to produce two tracks, while everyone else worked feverishly to come up with just one. My joke was that even if no one else creates a track for the challenge, we'd no doubt have a couple of tracks from Nikolai to fill our ears and time.

Well, as it turns out, not only did Nikolai manage to surpass his output from last year, but he completely blew my good-natured prediction out of the water, writing a whopping FIVE tracks during the week. This is what Nikolai had to say about his efforts over the last week:

Each song was put together roughly over the course of a weekday evening after work with a beer (or two) and a cat climbing over everything. The production isn't fabulous but as I usually compose and then try to spend some time away from the track to lose familiarity before going back to calm everything down that wasn't going to happen in the tome allowed. Most tracks were put together with Robb's PADs and standard Reason soundbank patches - with the exception of the beats on a couple of tracks being from the Rebirth 808 / 909 refill.... oh and I used Peff's fantastic square bass (free from his site) on a couple as well. Each track up on the soundcloud site has track notes regarding which PAD's were included.

Nikolai's trick of inserting comments where each patch from Reason Patch A Day appears is actually really clever and makes listening along a lot of fun.

Here's his first track, Nomad....

2011 PAD challenge NOMAD by Nikolai Bonamente

As you can see from his Comment "signposts," Nikolai used the Chimera - Thor, Nomad - subtractor PAD, and Reductio Ad Absurdum - Malstrom patches in Nomad. Nikolai wrote the following about his track:

This is the last one that was put together on Friday and I think is my favorite of the bunch - it achieves the feel I was going for early this year with Thorong-La and Glide-Plane . While both of these tracks headed off into embellishment land Nomad stays fairly minimal with lots of space and has a sort of lazy drifting lilt that it's name suggests.

2011 PAD challenge NERVE AGENT by Nikolai Bonamente

His second track, Nerve Agent, used the following patches: Ironic is Iconic - Subtractor, Newcomer - Malstrom, Peanut Snap - Sample, Rebop HiHat 6 - Kong, Rebop Snare 4 - Kong, Reductio Ad Absurdum - Malstrom, and Starpower - Thor.

Nikolai had this to say about his track:

An attempt to tweak some acid out of Robbs pads - I've been tooling around with the rebirth refills lately so I wanted something in that general area. This track shows examples of Robb's PADs after a fair degree of tweaking, some nice airly reverb layer percussion and my desire to try sounds that grate a little around the edges in otherwise fairly commercial sounding tracks.

2011 PAD challenge COVER PRICE by Nikolai Bonamente

Again, as you can see from Nikolai's carefully placed comments, the patches Brush - Malstrom, Peanut Snap - Sample, Rebop HiHat 6 - Kong, Rebop Snare 4 - Kong, and Secret Door - Thor (processed through the Veiled effects combinator) make an appearance in Cover Price.

This one came out of nowhere - I think I was a little um tipsy when I knocked it up. In the past I've not been a big beat head, but I'm getting closer so this track again shows experimentation with some of Robb's latest Kong patches.

2011 PAD challenge INFINITE RIM SHOT (short cut to sanity remix) by Nikolai Bonamente

Acrimony - Malstrom, Rebop Kick1 - Kong, Rebop Rimshot 3 - Kong, and Rebop Snare 3 - Kong all make an appearance in Infinite Rim Shot (Short Cut to Sanity Remix).

Nikolai had this to say about Infinite Rim Shot:

The result of 20 minutes playing with the rebop rimshot and delay and reverb - I almost did a minimal track with just that oscillating around for 7 minutes. After a while I thought some more percussion and another screeching PAD would go nicely.

2011 PAD challenge MILKWEED KEEPSAKE by Nikolai Bonamente

And lastly, Milkweed Keepsake uses the following patches: Keepsake - Malstrom, Milkweed - Malstrom, and Rebop Tom 2 - Kong, among others.

Of his song Milkweek Keepsake, Nikolai wrote:

This was heading in the direction ambient drum and bass but then took a big swing elsewhere - another attempt to make spooky left field ambient pads dancable.

A truly Herculean effort, Nikolai! The best part is that we all have five new tunes to listen to because of it, so thanks for submitting all of these to the Challenge.

If anyone has any constructive criticism for Nikolai, please be sure to post a comment or two on his tracks via Soundcloud or leave a message for him in the comments section here.

PAD Challenge: "Original Console Generation" by DJ Mad Wax

2011-09-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

DJ Mad Wax, fellow Denverite Reason user and blogger, left a message stating that he'd be unable to put together a new track for this year's Challenge, but he wanted to share a song he put together a while back that he felt fit the requirements.

Original Console Generation - 150.4.3.162 by vocoderecords

As DJ Mad Wax explained, "Original Console Generation" uses a number of PAD sounds in his track. If he has a moment to let me know which patches he used, I'll post the list here, but this is what he had to say about the track:

I've had zero time to work on this due to work life and family stuff :/ plus my laptop is on the fritz and Reason 5 kept crashing. so I have an alternative if amenable - I'm submitting a song I did last year, but

it was finished and completed in 4 hours, one session
mastered on another day in a two hour session, no changes to the original
it uses almost exclusively Reasonpatchaday sounds, except for the drums and the main bass line.

As always, be sure to check out what DJ Mad Wax is up to over on the excellent City of Bass blog.

PAD Challenge: "Postprandial Somnolence"

2011-09-25T14:41:00.001-07:00

Hopefully it gets better from here. "Postprandial Somnolence" is my entry into this year's PAD Challenge, a dark, beat-heavy tune that gets a decent grove going, but ultimately doesn't really go anywhere.

Postprandial Somnolence by Reason Patch A Day

I have that problem, occasionally. I develop what I think it going to be a good track, then can't figure out what to do with it, once I get it together. Still, despite my disappointment in the track, I am glad to have finished something in time for the Challenge, something I wasn't sure was going to happen. At the very least, I have something I can tweak and polish.

As with most of the tracks I've shared, "Postprandial Somnolence" is comprised almost exclusively of patches and effects that can be found here on Reason Patch A Day. I used the following patches:

Instrument Patches: Bushwhacked, Coiled - Cowbell (not shared here on the blog), Coiled - HiHat 4, Coiled - Wood Block 2, Croup, das Andere, Dull - Bass Drum, Keepsake, Mantis Prayers, Neptune's Rings - Galle Ring, Niche - Snare 4, Norse Gods - Hnoss, Noise FX1 (not shared here on the blog), Rebop - Rim 3, Spectacles, Spectral Winds, Subterranean,
Unguarded

Effect Patches: Atmosphere, Borealis, Drone Chorus, Drum Box - Trip-Hop, Familiar Dream, Interesting, Shimmering, Simple Bass Enhance, Simple Mastering, Simple Pad Enhance, Soulful, Stereo Delay, Subtle Wide

I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else has come up with, so if you have tracks that you were hoping to share, please get them to me.

.891 Thor Bass: Excalibur

2011-09-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

I was going to write about complexity vs. simplicity, but I think Excalibur, an exceedingly simple bass patch, says more than I could and does it much better. So, here it is, a simple bass patch.

Excalibur ( Thor Patch | RNS File )

.890 Subtractor Pad: In The Morning

2011-09-21T18:09:00.001-07:00

Another day, another fairly uninteresting Subtractor patch. It may be time to leave the Subtractor alone for a while and spend some time with other synths.

In The Morning ( Subtractor Patch | RNS File )

Huh.

2011-09-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I certainly didn't see that coming.

I've been promising to post my thoughts about the Reason 6 upgrade for a couple of months now, but for some reason, haven't been able to find the time I've needed to sit down and articulate my opinion. I think it boils down to a confusing mix of excitement and disappointment.

On the one hand, I've been wanting an advanced delay unit in Reason for a few years now. The DDL-1 is probably the most used effect unit in my own tracks, but having access to others delay plug-ins via VSTs or AUs in Logic or Renoise, I've found the trusty, half-rack device wanting at times. Of course, with Reasons rack wiring, you should be able to create any sort of delay you want, but I'll still be welcoming The Echo with wide-open arms come September 30th.

The Alligator Triple Filtered Gate looks interesting and profoundly powerful, but looking at the video, I'm confident that I won't truly "get it" until I have it in my rack and I've twisted a few virtual knobs.

The Pulveriser Demolution Unit looks like a lot of fun, so it should be an interesting upgrade, as well.

Still, there are aspects of the upgrade that make me shake my head a little, specifically the merging of Record with Reason, a product that I've enjoyed quite a bit and I feel wasn't really given time to prove itself.

Its a smart decision, of course. The field of music production software is already confusing, so selling two programs that in many ways feel identical probably wasn't the best tactic for increasing brand awareness or possibly even brand loyalty. Many people felt that Record's biggest feature, the ability to record and edit audio, should have just been included in Reason and with Reason 6 they're getting their wish. But, for those of us who bought into Record and its aluminum dongle, it does feel a little bit like I paid money to be a beta tester.

That probably sounds a little more melodramatic than I intend, but in this case, those skeptical few who didn't purchase Record are actually being rewarded for their patience. The upgrade to Reason 6 for non-Record users, while a bit more expensive than the upgrade path for Reason/Record, saves them money over the path I took, which was to purchase Record (for Reason Users) when it was released. Of course, its not a huge amount, but principal often gets stuck in the throat worse than specifics.

I know, I know, I've had more time to enjoy the Record devices, so maybe that was worth the extra few dollars I paid to the folks at Propellerheads. I've paid them money for things I didn't need in the past (the Electro-Mechanical Refill disc is a great example, considering I already downloaded it for free when I purchased it), so I guess this shouldn't be any different, but I'm still somewhat disappointed in the death of Record.

Maybe that's why the recent announcement put a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I'll likely pay at least as much as I would have for the physical upgrade, but having the option to change that, to get back those few dollars I lost in chasing them down the tangled path of unsupported software, is a profound act of goodwill on the part of our fearless, Swedish software leaders. It feels a little like an apology, but even more, feels like a thank you, which is why I applaud Propellerheads' Pay What You Want scheme.

I suppose my only real conflict now stems from whether or not I want the box. If I'm going to pay the same price for a download as I would for yet another box, do I actually want the box on my shelf? Given that I have all of my other Reason boxes, volumes 1 through 5, on the shelf, along with Record and Recycle, it almost seems like a shame not to get a box for the latest release, even if it is a little less eco-friendly.

.889 Subtractor Pad: Nomad

2011-09-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

I sometimes throw together a new patch in the morning, before running off to work, then sit down to post about it hours later when I'm home again. That experience can be a little jarring as I might leave the house thinking I have something interesting, then return later and find I actually dislike what I had done hours before. Nomad sounded to my ears like a kind of lonely, distant pad, something that could be sweetened further with a little care, but listening to it again... ugh. Its boring and shrill.

Maybe you'll find something more useful in it. It does seem to sound a little better with the Borealis Combinator, but I remain unimpressed.

Nomad ( Subtractor Patch | RNS File )

.888 Sample: Pouched Eggs

2011-09-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Here's a strange one. I spend a fair amount of time cooking on the weekends and on Sunday I was boiling some water to pouch some eggs. The boiling water was causing the small dishes inside the water to rattle a little and the noise was intriguing enough to record.

The sound quality isn't the greatest, given that the battery on my Microtrack II was dead, and I was forced to record it using my phone. If you slice this sample down and make something interesting out of it, I'd love to know about it.

Pouched Eggs ( WAV File )