The Redrum Machine

The Redrum Drum Computer is a practical choice as the first addition to your Rack. This device allows you to lay a basic beat for your new song.

Why start with the drums? Writing a beat first can help simplify the writing of bass and melody parts later. On the other hand, it's not the only way to start a song.

Some may want to avoid writing drum parts altogetherif this includes you, Reason's Dr. Rex Loop Player allows you to enhance, or even skip the process of sequencing drums by using breakbeats or drum loops instead (see Chapter 6, "Working with Samplers"). If you plan to have no drums at all, you can use the Reason metronome to keep time in your first tracks (Figure 4.6).

Figure 4.6. The Reason metronome clicks out beats at the selected tempo. To toggle it on or off, just press the Click button.

To create a drum machine

1.	Select Create > Redrum Drum Computer (Figure 4.7). Figure 4.7. Create a Redrum Drum Computer. You'll see a new device in your Rack, and a new track in your Sequencer titled Redrum 1.
2.	Press Tab to look at the back panel, and check that Reason has automatically connected the Redrum to Channel 1 of your Mixer (Figure 4.8). Figure 4.8. Check the Redrum back panel. The Stereo Out jacks of the Redrum Drum Computer should be connected to the Left and Right Channel 1 inputs of the Mixer.
3.	Press Tab again to return to the front panel and look at the Redrum's basic features (Figure 4.9). Figure 4.9. The Redrum Drum Computer front panel