How to set up VSX in Reason (And create a custom headphone mix)

How to set up VSX in Reason (And create a custom headphone mix)

The Reason Routing is very subjective depending on the audio interface being used so it can be hard to make special VSX workflow busses.

The easiest way to set up VSX in Reason is to put VSX as the last insert on the Master Chain channel.

Go to the 'Master Section' in your Rack Menu, then hit the "Show Insert FX" button (if you don't already see a list of the insert plug-ins on your Master Out). Then simply just load an instance of VSX to the last insert on the chain. 

Some users may want to create a special HP mix and speaker mix with only the headphone mix monitoring through VSX. Users who wish to set this up can do so through a couple different methods.

Mix Channel + Control Room Out

As mentioned earlier, the Reason Routing is very subjective, and is very dependent on the audio interface being used.

• In order to set up a separate headphone mix in Reason, you will need to be using an audio interface that contains at least 4 virtual outputs, and the option to create a separate cue mix, for headphone monitoring. For this example, I will be using the Apollo X4 inteface. 

1. Go to your Reason Preferences Menu, then "Audio". Then make sure your audio interface is selected for the audio device. 

Then hit the "Channels" button in the row with your "Active Output Channels". Make sure to activate enough output channels so that you have at least four outputs. 

2. Your Master Out from Reason will default to the Outputs on Channel 1-2 on your interface. These channels are usually where the master out in your DAW defaults to in regards to monitoring. Some systems will call these "Main/Mon L&R", some will just say "Output 1-2". But generally, whatever is set to Output Channel 1-2 is where you can monitor the master out from your DAW.  

 

           NOTE: If your main monitor outputs for your interface are set to another set of channels, please set them back to Channel 1-2. 

3. Go back to the Rack Menu in Reason. Load a new Mix Channel into your Rack, and hit "Show Insert FX" on the Mix Channel. If VSX is still on your Master Section, move it to the inserts section on your Mix Channel. Otherwise just drag a new instance of VSX onto your Mix Channel Insert FX.

   

4. Hit "TAB" to bring up the connections. Then go to the Master Section and locate the "CTRL ROOM OUT". Click and drag on both left and right outs from here to the "INPUT" on your Mix Chanel, to connect, as shown below. 

Next do the same going from the "DIRECT OUT" in the Mixer Channel to outputs 3-4 on the Audio I/O Rack. 

NOTE: Please note, that upon routing from the "DIRECT OUT" in the Mixer Channel, the Mixer Channel Audio Output will turn blank. This is because the Direct Out breaks the Internal Mixer routing, removing the Mix Channel from Output 1-2 (where the Master out is already routed), so it is only feeding Output 3-4. 

5. Launch the software that is connected to your Audio Interface. (EX: Console for UAD, Maestro for Apogee, etc.) Then go to your Outputs list, and route Outputs 3-4  to your Headphone Cue. 

UAD users will route to the Cue L/R. Then go to the "Cue Outputs" in Console, under SOURCE, select the corresponding cue number and insert your VSX Software into the right headphone out. You will now notice that VSX is only monitoring when listening in your headphones, but not from your speakers. Also you can toggle back to 'Mix' for the source to monitor the same playback as your speakers. 

Apogee users can just open "Maestro" and go to the "Output" tab. Then select "Out 3-4" for the headphone out.