The channel strip

The channel strip is divided into sections. Mix Channel and Audio Track channel strips have identical parameters. Here is a detailed rundown of the parameters and functions of each section.

Input section

| Parameter	| Description
Gain	This sets the input gain for the channel. Range is +/- 18 dB.
INV (Invert Phase)	This inverts the phase of the input signal to correct phase problems. For example, using multiple microphones during recording can sometimes cause phase-cancellation between microphones picking up the same sound source but at slightly different distances. Phase problems are most noticeable when signals are summed to mono. Out of phase signals are indicated by a lack of lower frequencies and a generally “hollow” sound quality.

EQ section

This is a two-band EQ with high and low frequency shelving bands.

The parameters are as follows:

| Parameter	| Description
EQ “ON” button	Activates/deactivates the EQ.
HF Gain/Frequency	The HF section provides high frequency shelving equalization. Frequencies above the set corner Frequency will be cut or boosted by the set HF Gain amount. The HF Gain control can cut or boost the selected frequency range +/- 20dB and the HF Frequency can be set between 1.5kHz - 22kHz.
BELL mode	When this button is activated, the HF EQ will switch to peaking characteristics. This means it works like a regular parametric EQ band, cutting or boosting the signal around the set frequency. Bell mode has a fixed bandwidth (Q value).
LF Gain/Frequency	The LF section provides low frequency shelving equalization. All frequencies below the set Frequency will be cut or boosted by the set LF Gain amount. The LF Gain control can cut or boost the selected frequency range +/- 20dB and the LF Frequency can be set between 40 Hz - 600 Hz.
BELL mode	This works in the same way as described above, but affects the LF filter.

Insert FX section

The channel strip Insert FX “slot” allows you to load a Combi patch, which in turn can contain any number of effects and other devices. Insert effect devices that belong to the patch are added to the Audio Track or Mix Channel device in the rack.

Insert effects process the whole channel signal, as opposed to Send effects where the effect balance is adjustable. Typical examples of when to use insert effects include compression, distortion and modulation effects such as chorus.

Loading Insert FX patches is done using the patch browser located in the Insert FX section.

Insert effects patches in Combinator (.cmb) format can be loaded.

•	See “Insert FX” for descriptions of how to work with Insert effects.

•	Creating your own Insert FX patches is done in the Combinator in the rack.

The Insert FX section in the channel strip contains the following parameters:

| Parameter	| Description
Patch browser	This is a standard patch browser for channel Insert FX where you can select/save patches in the Combinator Effect patch format.
Edit	This will bring the channel’s rack device into view with its Insert FX container opened, allowing you to edit the effect devices.
Bypass	Bypasses the loaded Insert effect.

FX Sends section

Send effects are global for all channels in the Main Mixer and are connected to the Master Section rack device. Up to 4 Send effects can be used simultaneously. For a description of how to use Send effects, see “Send FX”.

The Send section contains the following parameters:

| Parameter	| Description
FX Send On 1-4	Activates the Send for the channel.
Level 1-4	The Send Level knobs control the amount of channel signal to be sent to the effect connected to the corresponding Send.
PRE button	Send channel output is normally taken post channel fader, so that changing the channel's volume also changes the send level. By activating the PRE button, the send output is taken pre channel fader. In this mode, the send level is independent of the channel fader.

Fader section

The Fader section is used to control the channel level and stereo placement of a channel in the mix. The section has the following parameters:

| Parameter	| Description
Pan L/R	Use this control to set the left/right position of the channel in the stereo field. [Ctrl]-click (win) or [Cmd]-click (Mac) the Pan knob to reset to the default “0” (center position).
Width	Width will only be available on stereo channels. It allows you to control the width of the stereo field for the channel. Normally this is fully on (value 127) which represents full stereo. By decreasing this value the stereo width is narrowed. Turned fully off the channel output will be in mono.
MUTE/SOLO buttons	Note that the Mute and Solo functions in the Main Mixer are NOT the same as Mute and Solo of sequencer tracks (see “Muting tracks” and “Soloing tracks”). Clicking a channel’s Mute button silences the output of that channel. Click the button again to unmute the channel. Clicking a channel’s Solo button silences all other mixer channels, so that you only hear the soloed channel. Several channels can be soloed at the same time, but if this is the case, note that soloed channels can’t be muted with the Mute button. To mute one of several channels in solo mode you simply “un-solo” it. There are also Mute/Solo All Off buttons in the Master Section - see “Master Section Header”.
Channel Fader	The channel fader is used to control the output level of each channel. By adjusting the faders, you can set the desired mix (balance) between channels.
Channel Meter	The meter is a graphical representation of the channel output level. Stereo channels have dual level bars and mono channels one. If the signal level pushes the meter into the red, try lowering either the output level of the device connected to the channel device, or the channel fader itself, to avoid distortion. The meter is a VU meter, taking into account any VU offset set in the Big Meter of the Reason Essentials Hardware Interface - see “The Big Meter”.

About Level/Pan CV

On the back of the Programmer section of a Mix Channel or Audio Track device you will find CV inputs for the channel Level and Pan controls. These allow for automatic level and pan control from sources that output CV signals.

Press [Tab] to flip the Rack around, then click the “Show Programmer” button to access the CV jacks.

Channel Header section

The Channel Header is always visible at the bottom of the channel strip. It contains the following items:

The Edit Focus indicator - When you select a channel, the horizontal strip at the top of the Channel Header lights up orange to indicate edit focus. With several channels selected, the last selected channel will have edit focus.

Edit Focus also reflects the last selected track or Mix device, which is useful when moving between work areas because the channel with Edit Focus will always be in view in the Main Mixer. For example, if you select an ID8 track in the sequencer, the Mix channel to which it is connected will be scrolled into view in the Mixer, and will be given Edit Focus.

The top strip is lit to indicate Edit Focus.

The Remote Base Channel indicator - To the left in the same horizontal strip area a small yellow arrow symbol can be shown. This is the Remote Base Channel indicator which shows which channel is considered the first or base channel when using Remote Control - see “Setting the Remote Base Channel”.

The Remote Base indicator.

The Rack and SEQ buttons allow you to switch to a channel’s rack device or sequencer track directly from the mixer - see “Switching between channels, rack devices and tracks”.

The Channel Header area reflects the selected Track Color (see “Coloring mixer channels”), and allows you to rename the channel by double-clicking on the name (see “Naming mixer channels”).