Audio Hardware | Reason 3 For Windows and Mac

Now it's time to make sure that your sound system is set up properly so that you can hear.

Mac users

Since Macintosh computers have built-in sound cards, Mac users just need to make sure they have speakers, headphones, or some other monitoring system attached to their computer and that their computer volume control is not off or set to Mute.

Windows users

Windows PCs come with a range of sound cards, so you'll first need to confirm that your card is playing sound properly, and that speakers or headphones are connected properly to your sound card's audio outputs.

If you are installing a new sound card or other hardware, follow the directions provided in your hardware documentation before installing Reason on your system. This will minimize confusion as you start configuring Reason.

Users with custom hardware

If you are using a multiple audio input-output interface, check any hardware control panels to make sure that the sound is working before installing Reason.

Windows compatibility

It is recommended you use hardware that is ASIO or Direct X compatible. It is possible to use hardware that is Windows compatible using Microsoft multimedia extensions (MMEs), but doing so will limit your use of Reason to rendering audio files at much slower speeds, making real-time playback difficult or impossible.

To set up audio hardware

1.	Make sure your card or interface drivers are up-to-date and follow your hardware system's instructions for installation.
2.	Connect your hardware's stereo outputs to whatever speakers, headphones, or other equipment you plan to use.
3.	If possible, test your hardware setup to ensure that audio works before starting Reason (those using Direct X or MME can test with Windows Media Player).

Tip

If your hardware supports multiple audio outputs, see Appendix A, "ReWire, ReCycle!, ReBirth," to find out how to use Reason in ReWire mode. In ReWire mode you can route all 64 audio interface outputs to tracks in a host application such as Pro Tools, Logic, Digital Performer, Nuendo, or Sonar.