Propellerhead Reason, Installation Manual

SETTING UP

26

Mac OS X

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Select the option that corresponds to the hardware you want to use (the built-in audio 
connectors or some additional audio hardware that you have installed).

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A number of predefined combinations of built-in inputs and outputs will also be available 
in the Audio Card Driver pop-up.

The number of available input(s)+output(s) combinations depends of your computer’s specific audio 
hardware configuration.

Windows

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If you run Reason under Windows, it’s required that the audio hardware supports ASIO 
drivers, otherwise you won’t be able to record any audio.

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Select the option that corresponds to the ASIO hardware you want to use.

If you are using audio hardware for which there is a specific ASIO driver, you should select this.
With an ASIO driver written specifically for the audio hardware, Reason can communicate more or less 
directly with the audio hardware. The benefits are lower latency (see below) and possibly better sup-
port for additional hardware features such as multiple inputs and outputs.

About Latency and other Audio Settings

On the Audio tab, you will find a number of additional settings for audio. The most important ones are 
Buffer Size and the corresponding readouts for Input and Output Latency. 

The Input Latency is the delay between when the audio is “sent” from a connected microphone or 
instrument and when it’s received and detected by Reason. Output Latency is the delay between when 
audio is “sent” from Reason and when you actually hear it. The latencies in an audio system depends on 
your audio hardware, its drivers and their settings.

When you select a driver, its latency values are automatically reported by the audio card and displayed in 
the on the Audio tab in Preferences. Depending on the audio hardware and the driver, you may be able to 
adjust these values. If you experience high latency values, you will need to make adjustments to your 
configuration. 

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If available, use the Buffer Size slider to lower the latency. 

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If the Buffer Size slider is disabled, you may be able to lower the buffer size in the control 
panel for the audio hardware - click the Control Panel button to open this.

For more information, please consult the Reason Operation Manual pdf.