Reason remains a popular DAW with musicians, beatmakers and producers thanks to its impressive library of devices and utilities including the ‘Players’ utilities which are handy tools for generating MIDI sequences, arpeggiators, basslines, scales, chords and more.
Understanding the Reason Drum Sequencer Player:
The Reason Drum Sequencer is a Player Rack Extension that can be dropped onto any instrument device in Reason. The sequencer gives you 8 channels, 8 patterns and 16 steps to work with plus creative tools including shuffle, repeats, probability and per-channel time resolution. Per-step settings include velocity, repeat and probability.
Note that even if you’re not using Reason as your main DAW its well worth considering what Reason’s powerful and easy to use Drum Sequencer Player can do for you when used as a plugin in your DAW of choice.
Watch the Reason tutorial video below to get up to speed with everything you can do with the Drum Sequencer:
00:00 – Overview of the Reason Drum Sequencer Player
01:48 – how to adjust note velocity
03:00 – Adjust shuffle/swing
03:49 – Working with patterns and how to Copy/Paste
05:29 – Creating polyrhythms
08:12 – The random function
08:56 – Humanize a beat
10:01 – Change the playback speed or direction of individual lanes
11:15 – Probability and repeats
16:00 – Using drum sequencer with other VST-plugins
18:15 – Combine Drum Sequencer with other Reason Players
Is Reason Drum Sequencer free?
Drum Sequencer is one of the ‘Player’ utilities that is included with a monthly Reason+ subscription. If you are using Reason without a subscription then you’ll need to purchase Drum Sequencer from the Reason Studios store.
Drum Sequencer is included free if you purchase the Umpf Club Drums Rack Extension.
How to use Reason Players outside of Reason?
Any of Reason’s instruments, effects, devices and players can be loaded in any DAW by using the Reason Rack Plugin.
Fire up an instance of a VST 3/AU/AAX Reason Rack in your DAW of choice and then drag Reason instruments and effects into the Reason Rack screen. Devices are connected in a logical top-to-bottom flow but MIDI player devices can be dragged and dropped to the top of the rack.
For more information on the Reason Drum Sequencer and other MIDI players see the Reason Studios website.
Interested in making beats with Reason? Check out my guide to Reason’s beat making instruments and devices and learn how to make your own drum machines using only Reason’s stock plugins.