USING THE MPD26 WITH REASON
Reason is a software program that allows for vast control of its parameters. The
problem with having a lot of controllable items is the limit of physical space and the
cost of building hardware controllers that can accommodate hundreds or thousands
of controllers. The people at Propellerheads have developed a way to remap a single
control surface to each of the modules in Reason. This protocol is called Reason
Remote.
We have included all the files necessary to enable Reason to find the MPD26 and map its controls to whatever module
you have selected in the sequencer.
To begin using the MPD26 with Reason, you will need to make sure that you have version 3.0.5 or greater for the Mac or
version 3.0.4 or later for the PC. Please note that the MPD26 is also compatible with Reason 4.
1. To install the Reason Remote codecs and remote maps, run the Reason Remote installer for your particular
computer and it will auto-install the folders into the right locations.
2. After you have installed the Reason Remote codecs, select Preset number 2 – “Reason” – on your MPD26.
Press the [VALUE] dial to load the preset.
!
If you have edited MPD26’s presets and are unable to load the Reason preset, use the supplied Vyzex
Editor to load the Factory Preset Bank and “PUT” or download the factory preset bank into the MPD26.
3. Start up Reason and the software will automatically find the MPD26
controller. Within Reason, click on [Preferences] and look under
[Control Surfaces and Keyboards]. You should see the Akai MPD26
icon with a green check mark. If it is not checked, click the “Use with
Reason” button.
The MPD26 preset for Reason makes use of pad banks A, B and C for playing
notes. With these three pad banks you get a 3-octave range of pitch control.
Pad bank D is configured to be used as a control bank. This pad bank allows
you to use the pads as switches for certain features.
The mapped parameters are shown in the graphic above.
EXAMPLES:
When you are controlling Redrum or Matrix, pads D1-D4 correspond to
the Bank A, B, C, D buttons in the pattern section. Pads D9-12 will
allow you to select between patterns 1-4 and pads D5-8 allow you to
select between patterns 5-8.
The next few pages feature a full table of the mapping functions. Please refer
to this table for information on how the MPD26 controls map to each individual module in Reason. You can always
change how controllers are mapped by modifying the “MPD26.remotemap” file. This will allow you to customize how
Reason and your MPD26 work.
