The Main Mixer in Reason Essentials is a slimmed-down version of the high-end Main Mixer introduced in Propellerhead Record - and now available in Reason. It provides the same outstanding sound quality as the Record and Reason mixer but with fewer sections and parameters. You can have an unlimited number of channels, each with their own eq and insert FX. The Main Mixer also features the same legendary Master Bus Compressor as in the Record and Reason mixer.
The Main Mixer can be viewed as a remote control for Audio Track and Mix Channel devices in the rack. This is where you control levels, make eq and effect settings etc., although the devices themselves “live” in the rack.
When you create a new Audio Track, a corresponding Audio Track device is added to the rack as well as an Audio Track channel strip in the Main Mixer.
The track, device and channel strip all belong together. If you delete the device, the corresponding track and channel strip are also deleted.
A Mix Channel device acts as a host to a source device (e.g. an instrument device). When you create an instrument, a Mix Channel device is automatically added to the rack together with a corresponding Mix Channel strip in the Main Mixer.
You can also create Mix Channels manually, from the Devices tab in the Tool Window, or from the Create menu. This is useful if you need to make manual mixer routings - see “Advanced routing tips and tricks” at the end of this chapter.
The Mix Channel device has inputs to which the source (instrument) device is connected. The Mix Channel device and channel strip will automatically be assigned the name of the connected source device, but this can be changed - see “Naming mixer channels”.
Mix Channel devices will not automatically have a corresponding track in the sequencer created (but the connected source device will). Mix Channel tracks are created manually and used for automating channel strip parameters - see “Automating mixer parameters”.
The Master Section device is always present and is fixed in the rack, just below the Reason Essentials Hardware Interface. This is where all your Audio Track and Mix channels are summed and mixed to stereo, and where you set up your Send effects and Master Insert effects. For descriptions of how to set up and use effects, see “Insert FX” and “Send FX”.
The Master Section track is used for automating Master Section parameters - see “Automating mixer parameters”.
