Types of Effects

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Before you can apply effects to the devices, it's a good idea to determine the type of effect you're trying to achieve. For example, if you want to make a drum loop appear as if it is being played in a large parking lot, you would use a reverb effect, as reverb is used to recreate the acoustical environment in which a sound is made. There are many types of effect devices in Reason; the following table briefly explains each type and describes typical uses.

Before you look at the effect devices, take a look at an important three-way function switch that is present on all effect devices. This switch acts more or less like the device's power switch.

Table 5.1. Common Uses for the Effect Devices

Effect	Description	Example of Use
Reverb	Reverbs are used to simulate the environments in which sounds are created. Each environment has its own unique sound, which is created by the reflections of an audio source on the surfaces (walls, etc.) of an environment. These reflections are referred to as "reverberations."	Reverb is added to sounds to simulate the way an instrument or voice would sound in a particular acoustic environment (small room, large room, hall, etc.). You can also use reverb to control the perceived distance between the sound and the listener. Using a small amount of reverb will keep the sound source close to the front; adding more reverb will make the sound appear to be farther from the listener.
Distortion	Distortion occurs when a sound source is amplified to a level at which the sound begins to break up or overdrive sound system or speakers .	Distortion is commonly used by rock 'n' roll guitarists to create a loud, thick guitar sound. A certain the amount of distortion can be a welcome addition to a sound, adding extra bite and character. But be careful: Too much distortion can be unpleasant.
Modulation EffectsFlanger, Chorus, and Phaser	Flangers, choruses, and phasers use oscillators like the ones found in the LFO sections of SubTractor to widen or thicken the sound.	Use these effects when you want to give a device a fuller , or fatter, sound.
Delays and Echoes	Delay and echo devices delaythe audio signal a specified amount of time before playing (and repeating) it.	Use delays and echoes to create interesting timing or doubling effects that help to reinforce the sound.
Dynamics	Controls the amplitude levels of your sound source to make the level more consistent.	Use a compressor on a sound source with extreme changes in volume to make the signal more consistent. Use a limiter to control the maximum level of a sound source and avoid sudden peaks in the audio.
Equalization (EQ)	EQs control the amplitude levels of the different frequencies in a sound source.	Use an EQ when you want to increase or decrease the level of a frequencye.g., to increase the bass of a sound module.
Vocoder	The Vocoder is a unique effect that imposes the frequency Have you ever heard a song characteristics of one device onto another.	where it sounds as if a synthesizer was talking? This was most likely performed with a vocoder effect by imposing a synthesizer's frequency characteristics on a vocal recording.

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