Track details

Track definition

The tracks in the sequencer are where you record your audio, note and automation to create your songs. A track is always associated with a device in the rack (except for the Transport track and Blocks track). An icon with a picture of the associated device is shown in the Track List on the left hand side in the sequencer. In the Track List, the name of the associated device is shown, as well as icons and buttons related to the specific track. Each track can incorporate various lane types (depending on track type). To the right of the Track List - on the Edit/Arrangement pane - each track has its own dedicated area for recorded events.

In the picture below, six sequencer tracks are shown. From the top down are the Transport Track (which is always present and cannot be moved or deleted), two audio tracks, two instrument tracks associated with one ID8 instrument device each, and one automation track for a Mix Channel strip.

The relationship between the track, the rack and the Main Mixer

A track in the sequencer is always associated with a device in the rack; i.e. there can never be a sequencer track without an associated rack device (except for the Transport track and Blocks track). Audio Track devices and Mix Channel devices in the rack also have their corresponding channel strips in the Main Mixer. Mixer channel strips can be considered “remote controls” for their corresponding rack devices. Depending on track type, the signal chain differs somewhat. The picture below shows the signal flow in five scenarios with three different track types:

Audio track relationships

An audio track is always associated with an Audio Track device in the rack and its corresponding Audio Track channel strip in the Main Mixer. An Audio Track device can also house insert effects.

In the figure above, the audio track is associated with the Audio Track device in the rack,
which in turn is controlled from the Audio Track channel strip in the Main Mixer. The audio track
features recorded audio and mixer automation.

Instrument track relationships (for internal instruments)

An instrument track is always associated with an instrument device in the rack. The instrument device in the rack is, in most situations, connected to a Mix Channel device in the rack. The Mix Channel device in the rack is controlled from the corresponding channel strip in the Main Mixer. A Mix Channel device can also house insert effects.

In the figure above, the ID8 track is associated with the ID8 instrument device in the rack. The ID8 instrument
device is connected to the ID8 Mix Channel device in the rack, which in turn is controlled from the ID8
channel strip in the Main Mixer. The ID8 track features recorded MIDI notes and parameter automation.

Note that when you create an instrument, the connected Mix Channel device doesn’t automatically get a track in the sequencer. If you want to record Mixer Channel automation, you have to first create a separate sequencer track for the Mix Channel device. See “Automation (non-instrument) track relationships”.

Instrument track relationships (for external MIDI instruments)

If you want to control an external MIDI instrument from the Reason sequencer you have to use the External MIDI Instrument device (“External MIDI Instrument”). The device works as a MIDI router in which you can define which MIDI Out Port and MIDI Channel you want the MIDI signals to be sent to from Reason. Since there is no internal audio involved in this setup, there is no Audio Track device or Mix Channel device present in the configuration.

In the figure above, the External MIDI Instrument track is associated with the External MIDI Instrument device in
the rack. The External MIDI Instrument track features recorded MIDI notes and parameter automation (MIDI CC#)
that is sent via the External MIDI Instrument device to the desired MIDI Out Port and MIDI Channel.

Automation (non-instrument) track relationships

A pure automation track is always associated with a “non-instrument” device, i.e. a device which can’t receive MIDI Note information. Consequently, an automation track can only consist of parameter automation lanes. Examples of non-instrument devices are Mix Channel devices with their corresponding Mix Channel strips, effect devices, mixer devices and Spider Merger & Splitter devices. The picture below shows an example with an automated Mix Channel:

In the figure above, the Mix Channel automation track is associated with the Mix Channel device
in the rack, which in turn is controlled from the channel strip in the Main Mixer.

The picture below shows an example with an automated MClass Equalizer device. Note that no mixer channel strip is involved in this situation since the automation only concerns a non-instrument device and not any Mix Channel device:

In the figure above, the Equalizer automation track is associated with the Equalizer device in the rack.

Master Keyboard Input

The standard way of routing MIDI from a connected MIDI master keyboard or control surface to a device in the rack is to set the Master Keyboard Input in the sequencer. When MIDI is routed to a selected track in the sequencer, the notes and controller data are automatically echoed to the associated device in the rack. However, it is also possible to set Master Keyboard Input from the rack, see “Playing devices from the rack”.

•	Setting Master Keyboard Input to an instrument track is necessary if you want to play notes on an instrument device from your MIDI master keyboard (and control the instrument device parameters via MIDI).

By locking additional MIDI keyboards to separate devices in the rack, you will be able to play and record on several sequencer tracks simultaneously, see “Locking a surface”.

•	Setting Master Keyboard Input to an audio track is only necessary if you want to control the Main Mixer channel strip parameters via MIDI.

•	Setting Master Keyboard Input to a “non-instrument” (parameter automation only) track is only necessary if you want to control the device’s parameters via MIDI.

Besides the standard routing described above, it’s also possible to lock certain rack devices to specific control surfaces. See “Locking a surface” for more details.

If you have several MIDI keyboards/control surfaces locked to individual devices in the rack, it is possible to control and record on several tracks simultaneously!

Setting Master Keyboard Input

To set Master Keyboard Input to a track and its associated device, click the device icon in the Track List.

Master Keyboard Input set to an instrument track.

Master Keyboard Input set to an audio track.

The track gets a gray “arrow” symbol to the left, indicating that the track and associated device has Master Keyboard Input. The track and device will now respond to incoming MIDI data from a connected MIDI keyboard/control surface. By default, setting Master Keyboard Input also automatically selects the track, which is indicated by the gray color of the track in the Track List.

It’s also possible to set Master Keyboard Input and track selection independently from each other by selecting “Separated” on the “Keyboards and Control Surfaces” page in Preferences - see “Preferences – Control Surfaces”.

•	Only one track at a time can have Master Keyboard Input. However, if you have locked additional MIDI keyboards to specific devices in the rack via Remote (see “Locking a surface”), you will be able to play and record these together with the track that has Master Keyboard Input.

The relationship between tracks, lanes, clips and events

A track is the top level in the sequencer Track List hierarchy. A track can consist of one or several parallel lanes. A lane can contain clips, which in turn can contain audio recordings, note events, performance controller events, parameter automation events or pattern events, depending on track type.

An instrument track with four note lanes featuring clips with note events.

•	A device in the rack can never have more than one track in the sequencer.

•	A clip is a “container” for various types of events (audio recordings, note, performance controller, parameter automation or pattern events).

Track types

These are the different track types:

•	The Blocks track

The Blocks track is present at the top of the Track List only when the Enable Blocks function on the Options menu is on. On the Blocks track you can create Block Automation clips to decide which Blocks should play back. Refer to “Working with Blocks in the Sequencer” for more information about the Blocks feature.

•	The Transport track

The Transport track is always present at the top of the Track List and cannot be moved or deleted. The Transport Track can have a maximum of two lanes: one containing time signature automation, and the other containing tempo automation. See “Automating time signature” and “Editing tempo automation” for more details.

•	Audio tracks

An audio track can only have a single audio lane containing clips with mono or stereo audio recordings. However, each audio clip can contain several recordings, i.e. different "takes". You can view and comp these takes in the Comp Editor. See “Audio Editing in the Sequencer” for more details. An audio track can also have parameter automation lanes containing automation for the Audio Track Channel strip parameters in the Main Mixer.

•	Instrument tracks

Devices that can receive MIDI notes, such as the ID8 device, will automatically be assigned a record enabled track when created. On an instrument track you can create a number of separate note lanes that can incorporate clips containing a combination of note and performance controller events. Multiple lanes are perfect if you, for example, are recording a drum track and want to record each drum sound on a separate lane. An instrument track can also have a number of parameter automation lanes that can contain clips with instrument parameter automation events.

•	Parameter automation (“non-instrument”) tracks

Tracks for devices that do not receive MIDI note data (e.g. effects and mixer devices and mixer channels in the Main Mixer) can only contain parameter automation lanes. These “non-instrument” devices are not automatically assigned a track when created. To automate parameters for non-instrument devices you need to manually create a track for these. The number of available lanes is limited by the number of parameters of each device. There can be one lane for each automatable parameter in the device.

Track List elements

In the picture below, a Track List with four different tracks is shown. From the top down are the Transport Track (which is always present and cannot be moved or deleted), an Audio Track associated with an Audio Track device, an Instrument Track associated with an ID8 Instrument device and an Automation Track associated with the Mix Channel device.

The Transport Track in the picture features two parameter Automation Lanes (for Time Signature and Tempo) that have been manually created for the track. The audio track features only a single audio lane. The ID8 1 track features four note lanes and has two parameter automation lanes added. The Mix Channel 1 track is associated with the Mix Channel 1 device and has three parameter automation lanes added.

Depending on track type, the elements shown in the Track List can vary. The only common element for all track types is the "Record Enable Parameter Automation" button which should be enabled when you want to record parameter automation for the associated device. This and the other track elements will be described in detail later in this chapter.

Creating tracks

Regardless of the desired track type, you can always click the Add Track button at the bottom of the Track List and select the desired track type from the pop-up menu that appears:

Creating an audio track

An audio track can be created as follows:

1.	Hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [T]. Alternatively, select “Create Audio Track” from the “Create” menu or from the context menu in the Track List, rack or Main Mixer.

Alternatively, double click the Audio Track device in the Utilities palette in the Browser.

2.	An audio track is created in the sequencer and the associated Audio Track device is created in the rack. The Audio Track device’s channel strip is created in the Main Mixer.

By default, the audio track is set up in mono. You can easily change to stereo by selecting “Stereo Input” in the “Audio Input” drop-down list - see “Selecting audio input(s) and defining mono or stereo”. If you select “Stereo Input”, the Audio Track channel strip in the Main Mixer automatically switches to a stereo channel.

Creating an instrument track

To create an instrument track, you need only create the instrument device. An instrument track is automatically created when you create a device which can receive MIDI notes:

1.	Drag and drop or double click the desired instrument device from the Instruments palette in the Browser.

Alternatively, select the desired instrument type from the “Create” menu.

Alternatively, to select an Instrument patch and automatically load the patch into the appropriate device type, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [I], or select “Create Instrument” from the “Create” menu to bring up the Patch Browser. Under Windows, you can also press [Insert] to open the Patch Browser. In the Patch Browser you can select and preview patches before loading them into the instrument.

2.	An instrument device is created in the rack and the associated track is automatically created in the sequencer.

In addition, a Mix Channel device for the instrument is automatically created in the rack and its channel strip is created in the Main Mixer. All devices are automatically connected. The Mix Channel device automatically adapts its inputs to the created instrument type - if the instrument is in mono, the Mix Channel device will be in mono, and if the instrument has stereo outputs, the Mix Channel device will be in stereo.

Note that no automation track is created for the Mix Channel device. This has to be manually created if you want to automate any of the Mix Channel strip parameters (see “Creating a parameter automation track for a non-instrument device”).

If you want to control an external MIDI instrument, create an External MIDI Instrument device from the “Create” menu or from the Instruments location in the Browser.

An External MIDI Instrument device is created in the rack and the associated track is automatically created in the sequencer. See “External MIDI Instrument” for more details on how to configure the External MIDI Instrument device for controlling external MIDI instruments.

Creating a parameter automation track for a non-instrument device

For non-instrument devices, such as effects devices and Mix Channel devices, you need to manually create a track if you want to record parameter automation. You can do that either by following the description below or by following either of the two last descriptions in “Creating/adding parameter automation lanes”.

The track creation procedure described below also applies if you have manually deleted a track for an instrument device or an Audio Track device and want to create a new track for the device:

1.	Select the device by clicking on it in the rack.

A border around a device in the Rack indicates that it has been selected.

2.	Select ”Create Track for ((patch) name of device)” from the Edit menu or the device context menu.

Note that if a track already exists for the device, this menu item will not be available - a device can only have one track.

•	The new track will be automatically associated with the device and will get the same name as the device.

Another way of creating a parameter automation track is by holding [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and clicking on a parameter on the device panel. Alternatively, select “Edit Automation” from the parameter context menu.

If you press [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) when you create a non-instrument device, this will automatically create an associated automation track for the device.

Short-cut for creating a Mix Channel track or Audio track

A faster way of creating a track for a Mix Channel device, or to create a new audio track (if you deleted the original one), is to go via the corresponding mixer channel strips in the Main Mixer:

1.	Scroll to the Main Mixer and locate the channel strip you want to create a track for.

2.	[Shift]-click the SEQ (Goto Sequencer Track) button at the bottom of the channel strip.

A new track will be automatically created in the sequencer for the selected channel strip.

If a track should already exist for the selected channel strip, [Shift]-clicking the SEQ (Goto Sequencer Track) button will only scroll the corresponding sequencer track into view, not create any new track.

Selecting tracks

Select a track by clicking on it in the Track List.

A selected track gets a darker gray background color.

Selecting a track in the sequencer will automatically scroll the corresponding device into view in the rack.

Double click a device icon in the Track List to automatically reveal the associated device in the rack.

•	Selecting an audio track will set Edit Focus to its channel strip in the Main Mixer.

•	Selecting another type of track (e.g. an instrument track) will set Edit Focus to the Mix Channel belonging to that device group.

See “About Device Groups” for information about device groups.

You can also select the next or previous track in the Track List list by using the up and down arrow keys on the computer keyboard.

By default, selecting a track will automatically set Master Keyboard Input to that track. If you’d rather select tracks independent of the Master Keyboard Input selection, select “Separated” mode in the Preferences menu (“Keyboards and Control Surfaces” page). In “Separated” mode, you can select another track without automatically changing Master Keyboard Input. To change Master Keyboard Input, click the device icon on the desired track in the Track List.

•	It is possible to select several tracks by using the standard [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac), selection techniques.

This allows you to e.g. move or delete several tracks in one go.

•	It is also possible to select several instrument tracks (by using standard [Shift], or [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac), selection techniques) and then edit the Note Clips using the Multi Lanes function, see “Multi Lanes editing”.

Moving tracks

To move a track to another position in the Track List, click on the track handle (the leftmost area of the track) and drag the track up or down.

A red insertion line is shown, indicating where the track will be placed after releasing the mouse button. All clips on all lanes of the track will be moved along with the track.

You can use the same technique to move several selected tracks at once. Use standard [Shift]-select or use [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) to select non-adjacent tracks.

About sorting devices and channel strips according to the track order

Note that the order of the tracks in the sequencer Track List is totally independent from the device order in the rack - and from the channel strip order in the Main Mixer. However, it’s possible to re-order devices and channel strips according to the track order in the Track List:

1.	Select the tracks in the Track List you want to re-order devices and channel strips after.

2.	Select “Sort Selected Device Groups” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu.

The associated devices and channel strips are now re-ordered, in the rack and Main Mixer respectively, according to the order of the selected tracks in the Track List.

Note that the re-ordering only affects the devices and channel strips of the selected tracks - all other devices and channel strips will remain unaffected.

Deleting tracks

The most common scenario would probably be to delete a track together with its associated device(s). However, it’s also possible to delete only the track while keeping the associated device(s) in the rack.

Deleting tracks together with their associated devices

To delete one or several tracks together with their associated devices in the Rack, select the tracks and then select “Delete Track(s) and Device(s)” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu. Alternatively, press [Delete] or [Backspace].

An alert appears which prompts you to confirm or cancel the deletion of the track(s) and device(s).

If you're deleting the track for the Source Device or Mix Channel, and “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” on the Options menu is on, you will be asked if you want to delete the whole device group. If you hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) while deleting, the whole device group will be deleted without the alert.

See “About Device Groups” for more information about device groups.

Deleting tracks only

To delete one or several tracks, select them and then select “Delete Track(s)” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu.

The tracks will be deleted without an alert but you can always use the Undo function. See “Undo and Redo”.

If you delete an audio track, all recordings on that track will be removed!

If you have deleted a track for a device and want to create a new track for the device, follow the descriptions in “Creating a parameter automation track for a non-instrument device” or “Short-cut for creating a Mix Channel track or Audio track”.

Duplicating/copying tracks and devices

As it is not possible for a specific instance of a device to have more than one track, you cannot copy or duplicate only a track. These operations will instead duplicate/copy both the track (including all clips on the track) and its associated device(s) (with all settings). The duplicated/copied devices are really just like separate devices but with the same name and settings as the original devices, although their names will have the extension “Copy” to differentiate them from the original.

To make copies of tracks and their associated devices, complete with all lanes and recorded clips, use any of the following methods:

Note that if “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” on the Options menu is on, the entire device group(s) associated with the track(s) will be copied/duplicated when you perform the procedures described below.

See “About Device Groups” for more information about device groups.

Hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Option](Mac), click on the track handle and drag the selected track(s) to a new position in the track list.

Select the track in the Track List, hold down [Ctrl](Win) or [Cmd](Mac) and press [D].

The duplicated track(s) will be inserted below the original track.

Select “Duplicate Device(s) and Track(s)” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu.

To bring up the context menu, right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac) on the track in the Track List. The duplicated track(s) will be inserted below the original track.

Select “Copy Device(s) and Track(s)” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu.

This allows you to insert the copied track(s) and device(s) by selecting “Paste” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu. The copied track(s) will be pasted below the currently selected track.

Note that if “Auto-group Devices and Tracks” on the Options menu is off, duplicated/copied devices will not have auto-routed audio connections. To hear the duplicated devices, select the device and choose “Auto-route Device” on the Edit menu or context menu. Alternatively, flip the rack around and connect the audio outputs to available (or new) Mix Channel devices. You might also want to mute the original track to avoid double notes.

To duplicate a selected audio track, with all recordings and mixer channel strip parameter settings, including any Insert FX, click the “Alt” or Dub” buttons on the Transport Panel - see “Duplicating audio tracks using the “Alt” function” and “Overdubbing audio using the “Dub” function”.

If you hold down [Shift] and select Paste from the Edit menu or context menu, the copied device(s) will be auto-routed to an available mixer channel. If necessary, an additional Mix Channel will be automatically created.

Coloring tracks

A track can be assigned a color in the sequencer as follows:

To assign a new color to a selected track, select “Track Color” from the Edit menu or from the track’s context menu and then select color from the palette.

The track color is shown in the track background in the Track List. The associated Audio Track device or Mix Channel device in the rack and its corresponding channel strip in the Main Mixer will also be assigned the new color. The selected track color will be reflected in all new clips you record or draw on this track.

If existing clips have the function “Use Track Color” active on the Clip context menu, these clips will also change color - otherwise they won’t. To manually change color of previously recorded clips, refer to “Coloring clips”.

To automatically set a new color for new tracks, make sure the “Auto-color New Sequencer Tracks” box in the Options menu is ticked.

The track color will be automatically selected from the palette when you create a new track.

Naming tracks

Devices (and tracks) get the name of their loaded patch by default, but you can override this by manually renaming:

Name, or rename, a track by double-clicking its name tag in the Track List, typing in a name and pressing [Return].

Note that naming/renaming a track also changes the name of the associated Source Device in the rack (and vice versa). Furthermore, renaming an audio track also changes the name of the associated Audio Track device in the rack as well as its corresponding channel strip in the Main Mixer. If you rename the track of a source device in a device group, its Mix Channel will get the same name. If you want a separate name for the Mix Channel, double-click in the Mix Channel name tag, in the rack or Main Mixer, type in a new name and press [Return].

See “About Device Groups” for more information about device groups.

Folding tracks

To minimize the visible height of the track, and thus allow for a better overview of the tracks in the sequencer, it’s possible to fold tracks.

To fold/unfold a track, click on the small triangle on the track handle.

An unfolded track.

The same track folded.

A folded track will not show the individual lanes in the Track List, and on the Edit/Arrangement Pane the clips are shown as horizontal strips. If the folded track has several lanes, all the clips on the lanes will be shown as vertically stacked strips on the Arrangement Pane. No events in the clips are shown.

Basic clip operations (selecting, moving, copying etc.) are available also for folded tracks, although it is generally better to unfold a track if you want to edit its contents, as this gives you a better overview.

To fold/unfold all tracks in the sequencer in one go, press [Alt](Win) or [Option](Mac) and click on a track handle triangle.

It’s also possible to fold/unfold only the parameter automation lanes on a track by clicking the triangle on the parameter automation tab. See “Parameter automation lane elements” for more details.

Muting tracks

To mute a track means to silence it, so that no data is sent from the track during playback. This can be useful when you are trying out different versions of an arrangement, for bringing elements in and out of the mix during playback.

Note that muting a sequencer track is NOT the same as muting a mixer channel (see “MUTE/SOLO buttons”).

To mute a track, click the corresponding Mute (M) button in the Track List.

Everything present on the track will be muted.

A red “M” button in the Track List indicates that the track is muted.

To unmute the track, click the “M” button again.

Several tracks can have Mute active at the same time, in which case you can unmute them all by clicking the master “M” button at the top of the Track List.

It’s also possible to mute individual lanes and individual clips on a track. Refer to “Muting lanes” and “Muting clips”.

Soloing tracks

To solo a track means that all tracks in the sequencer, except for the soloed track, are muted.

Note that soloing a sequencer track is NOT the same as soloing a mixer channel (see “MUTE/SOLO buttons”).

To solo a track, click the corresponding Solo (S) button in the Track List.

This mutes all other (un-soloed) tracks. Soloed tracks have green S buttons.

Here, the “Filmscore Pad” track is soloed (indicated by the green “S” button).
All other tracks are automatically muted (indicated by red “M” buttons).

To turn solo off, click the green “S” button again.

Several tracks can have Solo active at the same time, in which case you can turn off Solo for all of them by clicking the master “S” button at the top of the Track List.