Reason has a few built-in functions for helping you with step sequences, some of which we've looked at in previous issues in relation to Redrum 's sequencer. Try making a snare build like this using Redrum's built-in sequencer! Unlike some traditional step sequencers, Matrix can't alter the gate length of each step beyond this.Ī bank of Matrices makes a fast and visual way to program Redrum patterns. The half-width gates are held for half the length of the step, which of course varies with the Resolution setting. The double-width gates are 'tied', meaning that the note is held until the next step. You'll also see that some of the gate bars in the picture are as wide as the grid step, and some are only half-width. The five-position switch to the left of the keyboard graphic lets you view different octaves, giving a total range equivalent to MIDI notes C1 to C6. The first thing to note is that the grid only shows a range of one octave at a time. Notes have been added by clicking in the main grid, with corresponding triggers added underneath in the gate track. The screen at the top of the page opposite shows a typical Matrix note sequence. The default setting is 16 steps with 16th-note resolution: a one-bar pattern. The Resolution knob sets how long each step lasts (how fast the pattern plays back), and the buttons above this set how many steps are active (how long the pattern is). Below the note grid the vertical bars represent gate events (note triggers in this case) with the height of each bar determining the velocity.
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The 'X' axis of the grid represent units of time, and when the Matrix is playing back you can see a red marker running along the top of the grid showing the current step. The main central grid represents a sequence of notes, as indicated by the keyboard display running up the 'Y' axis. It's fairly easy to intuit how the Matrix works in this configuration.
#Using sample chops to make patterns series
If you press play at this point, or click the Run button on the Matrix, you will hear the synth play back a series of middle Cs at 16th-note intervals, which is the default pattern. A third output (labelled Curve CV) on the Matrix 's rear panel is left unconnected at this stage. All Reason 's synths and samplers have a Sequencer Control section on the back panel with these inputs.
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The Matrix 's Gate CV output will be connected to the instrument's Gate input, and the Note CV output will be connected to the instrument's CV input. If you add an instrument (such as Subtractor) to the rack, followed by a Matrix Pattern Sequencer, Reason will automatically create two connections (as shown in the screens at the top of the page opposite).
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The Matrix is not just an alternative way to play notes, however it can also be used to generate versatile tempo-sync'd modulation sources that can be connected to many parameters on other devices using Reason 's virtual CV system.
#Using sample chops to make patterns full
Step sequencers are also popular tools for live electronic music, as they allow you to leave the arrangement more flexible than with a full song sequence, and free the hands for shaping sounds rather than playing notes. You can then store pattern variations and chain them on the fly to make an arrangement.
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You often start by setting a few random notes and seeing what happens. They free you from habitual playing patterns, chords and scales, and introduce unpredictability. Although step sequencers can be a slower and more fiddly way of playing synths than a keyboard, they are valuable in that they tend to produce very different results and steer you toward different songwriting techniques. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as for a few months I was forced to use the Matrix step sequencer as my main way of creating music. When I first got Reason, I was in the middle of moving and my MIDI controller keyboard was in storage all I had was Reason running on a laptop. To analogue synth fanatics, the Matrix Pattern Sequencer is one of the highlights of Reason 's toolbox. There are many examples of advanced Matrix applications in the Factory Sound Bank's Combinator patches.