Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit
Scream 4 is a very versatile stereo in/out sound destruction device, capable of warping any sound literally beyond recognition, but also capable of producing more subtle musical effects. Scream 4 features a wide range of algorithms for distortion and sound mangling which can be combined with an EQ and a resonant “Body” section to provide everything you need to add an edge to your sounds. This effect is most often used as an insert effect.
Unlike most of the other effect devices, Scream 4 features programmable effect presets. Included are a number of factory Patches which can be used as they are or provide you with a good starting point for further tweaking.
Patches use the Windows file extension “*.SM4”. Loading and saving Patches is done in the same way as for instrument devices.
Scream 4 contains three main sections; Damage (distortion and other types of sound destruction), Cut (EQ) and Body (places the sound in a resonant environment - can serve as anything from a cabinet emulator to a wah-wah to completely new special effects) which can be switched on or off independently. The parameters in each section are as follows:
While the specific parameters for the Scream 4 effect device are described below, some features and procedures are common to all effect devices. Please, refer to “Common effect device features” for information about the Input meter, the Bypass/On/Off switch and Signal Flow Graphs on the effect device.
The “Damage” section is where you specify the basic sound mangling algorithm and make settings to inflict the desired amount of damage to the sound. There are ten basic algorithms to chose from, ranging from classic distortion effects to digital-sounding warping and modulation effects.
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Here follows a basic description of the ten Damage Types available, and what parameters the P1/P2 knobs control for each type:
The sliders in the Cut section are tone controls, allowing you to cut or boost the level by up to 18dB in the low, mid and high frequency areas. The Cut section is activated with the Cut button above the sliders.
Move the slider from the middle upwards to boost the level, and from the middle downwards to cut the level of the corresponding frequency area.
The Body section is just what it says - it places the sound in a resonant “body”. Depending on the settings, the result can be similar to a speaker cabinet simulator, an auto-wah effect, or effects with no real-world counterpart. The section is based on 5 basic body types, which simulate how a sound is affected by different physical enclosures. The size and resonance of the Body types can be changed, and the section also features an envelope follower.
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The Body section features an envelope follower for dynamic control of the Scale parameter. The envelope follower analyzes the amplitude of the incoming signal and changes the Scale setting accordingly - the louder the incoming signal the higher the value of the Scale parameter. The operating frequency (or size) range is set with the Scale parameter, and the envelope follower amount is set with the Auto parameter. A typical use for this is auto-wah effects - try Body Type “B” for a pronounced wah effect.
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On the back of the Scream 4 you will find an Auto CV output - this delivers the CV signal from the envelope follower, allowing you to dynamically control parameters in other devices.
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The Master level control should be used when you need to increase or decrease the output level, while retaining the basic character of the effect. It can also be used to balance the level between the distorted sound and the “clean” (unprocessed) sound if the effect is to be switched in and out in the mix.
If the output level is too high, turning down the Damage Control setting would lower the output, but it would also change the character of the distortion, as would changing eq or presence settings.
Simply lowering the mixer channel level (for the channel that Scream 4 is connected to) would also work of course, but this would also mean that the level difference between the unprocessed and processed sound would increase.
So if the clip indicator lights up on the Transport, or if the distorted sound is too loud compared to the normal sound, the solution is to lower the Master output level.
As pointed out elsewhere in the manual, audio out clipping (indicated by the red clip indicator lighting up on the Transport Panel) can only happen in the Reason Essentials Hardware Interface. In other words, you never have to worry about levels passed internally from device to device. However, bear in mind that if you use high Master output settings (or a lot of boost in the Cut section) Scream 4 can quite easily cause audio out clipping - and that is most likely not a distortion effect you want!
The use for this depends on the selected Damage Type. For example, if the Feedback effect is selected, this will control the Size parameter - connect it to the CV Out on a Matrix or synth LFO for strange, flanger-like sweeps.
The use for this depends on the selected Damage Type. For example, if the Scream effect is selected, this will control the Frequency parameter, producing a distorted wah wah sound.
In addition, you find a CV output from the “Auto” (envelope follower) function in the Body section. By connecting this to a CV input for a parameter in another device, the level of the signal going into the Scream 4 will affect that parameter. See below for an example on how to use this.
Don’t restrict yourself to using Scream 4 as a basic distortion stompbox, but try it in as many ways as possible - you may be surprised to find how often Scream 4 can add power, warmth and color to your sounds. Here are some examples:
Scream 4 is ideal for processing drums. Try connecting it as an insert effect to a Redrum device and experiment with the Damage Types and settings.
Remember that you don’t have to route the whole drum kit through the Scream device - sometimes it may be better to route the individual outputs from the bass drum, snare and/or toms to a Spider Audio Merger (see “Spider Audio Merger & Splitter”), connect the merged output of the Spider to the Scream 4 and route this to a separate channel in the Mixer. That way, hi-hats, cymbals and similar are unprocessed.
Raise the Damage Control for more tape saturation distortion, adjust P1 to get the desired brightness and raise P2 if you want a more controlled, compressed sound. If you like, you could also activate the Cut section and use the three-band EQ to further adjust the sound.
You will find that this adds a resonant character to the sound, which will make it more “alive” and help it stand out in a mix. You should experiment with the Body settings to find the character that suits you best. You could also activate the Cut section- if you e.g. find the sound too bassy, just lower the “Lo” slider a bit.
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Adjust the amount of Scale modulation with the pot next to the CV input on the back of the Scream 4, and the speed (and waveform) of the modulation in the LFO section on the sampler device.
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With this type of modulation setup, it’s easy to get lush, dreamy phaser effects. For a more wah wah-like sound, select Body type B and raise the Reso and Scale settings.
The first generations of digital instruments (drum machines, synths and samplers) used 8 or 12 bit sampling and processing, at low sample rates. This “lo-fi” sound is still in high demand, e.g. in hip-hop and R’n’B. Try this:
Some of the algorithms on the Scream 4 Distortion device do not have the expected effect when running Reason Essentials at a sample rate lower than 14 kHz (or exporting to a sample rate lower than 14 kHz). Please use a higher sample rate if your song contains Scream devices.