Psychotic Reaktion: Combining Pro Tools and Reaktor 4

By Joe Gore

Of all third-party programs that can operate as Pro Tools plug-ins, the deepest by miles is Native Instrument's Reaktor 4.

In fact, Reaktor 4 is so deep that it's sometimes hard to get your head around exactly what it does. It's not a virtual instrument so much as an environment in which you can create an infinite number of synths, samplers, effect processors, drum machines, and more. Yet I'd argue that it's not really a do-it-all "Swiss Army" plug-in. Given Reaktor's rapacious processor demands and formidable learning curve, those seeking such straightforward devices as, say, organs, vintage synth clones, or sample-playback modules might be better — or at least more easily — served by the programs that specialize in those things.

But if you're the type of musician that gets your kicks crafting startling new sounds, Reaktor is it. Once you get your bearings, you'll find it hard not to create something exciting every time you power up this mind-bending program. You don't absolutely have to be a tweaker to use Reaktor, but no program comes close to Reaktor when it comes to steaming up the ol' horn-rimmed glasses.

Reaktor ships with dozens of cool ensembles, and there are hundreds more posted in Native Instruments' online user library. ("Ensemble" is Reaktorese for a complete software instrument. The building blocks of ensembles are called instruments and macros, and the most elemental components are modules. When using Reaktor as a plug-in, you'll probably operate chiefly at the ensemble level.)

In fact, Reaktor boasts so many wicked prefab ensembles that some people will opt never to create ensembles from scratch, or even edit extant ones. If you think that category might include you, consider getting Reaktor Session, which can only play preexisting ensembles but costs only $279, compared to Reaktor 4's $499 price tag.

Caveat Tweaker
I've got to warn you that there are some potential obstacles to a fulfilling Pro Tools/Reaktor 4 relationship. Reaktor 4 can still be glitchy when used with Pro Tools. And even when everything is running smoothly, there's no escaping the fact that Reaktor desperately wants to hog your computer's processing resources. You may have to contend with slow response, occasional crashes, and frequent hitting of head against your RAM ceiling. Also, Native Instruments haven't exactly been the first ones out of the gate with RTAS and Mac OS X support. We NI fans had to wait a long time for the Reaktor 4 upgrade, and we're still waiting for RTAS/ Mac OS X support from several key apps.

One more thing: The Reaktor demo (downloadable from http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?reaktor4_us) does not include the RTAS plug-in. So until you fork over the spinach for the full versions, you'll have to audition the program in standalone mode.

This column will look at some of the feats you can pull off with the full versions of Reaktor 4 and Reaktor Session, and includes mp3s of some of the results. Meanwhile, you can scope out some of the ensembles in question in the Reaktor demo's standalone mode.

Actually, creating sounds in standalone Reaktor and importing them later into Pro Tools is a fine and fruitful way to work. So is it even worth the effort to deploy both programs simultaneously?

Well, shuh! Because one of most exciting and productive ways to use Reaktor is to build on top of your Pro Tools audio files, adding cool new textures to extant tracks. And that's where we'll start.

That Poor Little Beat Loop Let's return to our recurring theme of "Just how much damage can we do to one poor little beat loop?" (Here is a copy of the "Poor Little Beat Loop" session.) Once Reaktor is installed, it shows up on the RTAS plug-in menu. Here I've installed it on the practice session's blank audio track. Clicking on the plug-in slot opens a view of Reaktor's default instrument. Also, I synched the Reaktor clock to Pro Tools by selecting "MIDI Beat Clock" from the MIDI menu and clicking on "Reaktor."
Note that Reaktor includes a built-in browser. You can use it to navigate to your ensembles files, or opt for the standard OS browser by clicking on the upper-left-hand corner envelope icon.

Let's add new layers to the beat with a Reaktor ensemble I copped from the user library. I chose PreSkool drum machine because its dark, distorted colors complement our clacky basic beat. (Its creator, who goes by the name Ba, has crafted a number of cool drum boxes.) PreSkool looks like the analog-style step sequencer it is, but it includes a wicked resonant delay, a vinyl scratch effect, and a freaky auto-generated noise percussion function.

Have a listen to a beat I thought sounded good against our building-block loop: PreSkool+Loop.mp3 | PreSkoolAlone.mp3

This too is a step sequencer, but with some complex wrinkles: The sound source is a wave-table synthesizer. That is, the synthesis is derived from sets of tiny audio fragments. And here, the "random" buttons automatically vary the source for ever-shifting colors. Clicking on the little waveform icons reveals the list of waveform sources.
The lower portion of the instrument contains a dizzyingly complex modulation section. You can instantly edit the modulation patterns by "drawing" directly on the "event table" graphics,

At the instrument's lower right is a mixer with effect sends and distortion controls for each synth voice. Below is a discrete delay module. And here's what the dang thing sounds like:
I n t e l e k t+Loop.mp3 | I n t e l e k tAlone.mp3

The patterns are so complex, it's hard to imagine having complete command over their convolutions. And that's just fine! One of the best ways to use Reaktor is to set in motion a complex, randomly mutating ensemble, print its output to audio, and then select the best bits via standard Pro Tools audio editing.

If you're not scared yet, you probably will be when you look "under the hood" at how such an ensemble is constructed. Clicking on the second icon from the left in the upper hand corner of the Reaktor screen reveals the instruments and modules that make up the ensemble.		Click to enlarge
Looks reasonable enough — except that each of these little boxes houses its own complex system of modules. Double-click on any of the components to look under its hood. When the hoods stop opening, you know you're down to most elemental module layer.		Click to enlarge

Sadistic Synths
Now let's scope out a Reaktor synth. I've selected Green Matrix, one of the factory ensembles. You can play it via MIDI keyboard like you would any other soft synth. Just create a MIDI track with the correct input, and route the output to Reaktor. GreenMatrix+Loop.mp3 | GreenMatrixAlone.mp3

Cruel and Unusual Sampling
Reaktor can function as a straight-ahead sampler. It also performs real-time pitch and time shifting à la Ableton's Live. But it really gets intense when it combines those processes with some of the sequencing, signal processing, modulation, and randomization we saw in the earlier ensembles. Here's a blast of inspired audio anarchy courtesy of Rick Scott's Sample Crusher Ensemble. SampleCrusher+Loop.mp3 | SampleCrusherAlone.mp3

Scott's ingenious programming includes a host of self-randomizing modulations — the sounds continually reinvent themselves. You can load any victim sample into this and other Reaktor sample modules by double-clicking on the sample waveform graphic. You can even work simultaneously with large numbers of samples at once — these are called "sample maps" in Reaktorspeak.

Things That Go Mrow-sss-ikikik-thffft In the Night
As you've no doubt gathered by now, Reaktor 4 is heavy stuff. Those willing to plumb its digital depths will be rewarded with unprecedented tones and textures. And the combination of Reaktor and Pro Tools is a marriage made in — well, maybe not heaven, but definitely somewhere with stylish décor and a hipper-than-thou soundtrack.

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