Scream Thor

Nope, you are not reading a typo here. This is just another experiment I have started to work on. So here goes.. a tutorial entry about the Scream Thor patch.

Initially if you look at the Thor patch, it is an awesome synth to play with, yet a lot of people probably haven't found what its full potential is. Personally, I am also to blame here, since the only reasons why I use thor, additionally as a synth, is a mixing device for the chorus effect, or the delay effect. Other then that, it is an additional LFO which has its own unique pattern (where I personally still prefer the Malstrom though as an LFO source). However, I did want to figure out a way to make use of the shaper this time. And I mean, not by it's default usage, but more as an super advanced scream 4 unit kind of deal. There is only one minor problem... the routing.

First of all, lets take a look at how a default thor patch can be routed as a signal handler:

We've probably seen this part before (since I also posted a tutorial a long time ago about how to use thor and its filtertypes). Yet the way I want to approach Thor right now is a bit more 'complicated'. But lets take a close look on how we can use and abuse the filter 3 slot first.

Download Reason 4 RNS file: Simple

In this setup we basicly use the Filter 3, chorus and Delay effects as output. Which can be nice to mix things a bit more. And to be honest, the chorus effect from Thor beats the standard chorus. Unless you use a splitted signal connected to 2 different chorus effects and delay effects making it a manual chorus effect, which will eventually beat the thor chorus effect again. But what makes the thor chorus / delay so great is its easy usage, and the stereo seperation that comes from it.

Download Reason 4 RNS file: Simple 2

So in a way, we are using the following section of thor to blend the signal.

So, that is the basic concept. It uses the signal from the audio input, blends that through filter 3 (which can be influenced by the global envelope amount), passes it on to the chorus and delay. In this case we are only using one section of thor. Yet, there is so much more, but often it is being overlooked. And personally, I won't blame em. Since it requires some thinking.

The above section is the main heart of the oscillators of thor. Placing any oscillator inside thor will utilize the other 2 different filter slots and blends that through an additional shaper, modulation envelope (when programmed) and passes the sound output through the rest (filter envelope, amplitude envelope and amplitude section). Even while the filter 1 and filter 2 slot have an "Audio input", it usually does not work the way you would use the filter 3 slot. Since it does not just pass on the audio signal. There is more to it then just that. When the Thor patch is a part of a combinator patch, it will work. Yet, I want this to be a standalone combinator patch and here is where the problem comes! Default, if you take the filter 3 slot, it uses only the sound output as the source. Not the gate, velocity or what ever. However, with the Filter 1 plus the shaper it becomes a different story.

As you might think it is the Gate Trig of the filter envelope and the amplitude envelope, turning them off should solve the problem. Yet, that is not the case in this matter, since the velocity is not being set nor does anything 'trigger' the filter 1 to actually do something when being a standalone combinator patch. It simply means that the filter 1 is being triggered by something... But what?

After struggling with this one for quite some time, I can only come up with only one explination: The gate. While filter 3 passes on the signal from the audio source directly, the filter 1 slot apperently listens to the gate. If there is no gate, the filter 1 goes to sleep and does nothing. Even while the Gate Trig is disabled on the filter envelope. But since I want to create an "additional" effect from it, in its own "patch", it must be triggered... yet it does not get any by default in a seperate combinator patch. Since the setup I am going with this one is the following:

Combinator 1 contains the instruments, while combinator 2 contains a single thor patch which should 'shape' the sound.

As the combinator can be used as an effect container, and basicly using all kinds of different processors to shape the whole sound itself. It would make things a little bit more interesting if the thor patch could be triggered only by the sound itself .This is not the way it works, by default (unlike with the filter 3 audio in). To solve the main problem I have figured that the gate can be triggered by just playing the step sequencer of thor.

Since the step sequencer itself triggers both the gate, velocity etc. What is really strange about this technique though is that the step sequencer does not have to be triggered constantly. With setting up a step duration of 2/1 does even do the trick (even while the notes are playing 1/16th notes). Luckaly it does not require much work to get the step sequencer in motion. Just setting it on "repeat" will just do the trick nicely.

Yet, what bothers me right now is that the step sequencers gate does have some impact on 'how the signal travels'. This is being caused by the Gate Trigger events of the amplitude envelope and the filter envelope. Since each time the sequencer triggers 'a note' (even while it is only a audio signal connected to the filter 1), it will still trigger the Envelopes on the thor patch which is going to be our "effect combinator". In some point, it might also lead into something interesting in a way while we play a long note, yet the filter is constantly being retrigged. So, in that case we could use a complexed method of having 2 different envelopes. One that plays the instrument, and one that triggers the effect.

To just ignore the whole envelopes to start with, the best settings would be using the following:

- Gate trigger on the filter envelope: off
- Gate trigger on the amplitude envelope: on (I will explain why)
- Attack, both filter envelope and amplitude envelope all the way down (0)
- Sustain, Decay, Release all the way up

Which results into the following setup for our effect combinator (which i have named combinator 2, which is the default name ;)):

This will mostly solve the "gate retrigger" events when it comes to the step sequencer of the effect combinator. The gate trig of the amplitude will be turned on in this case. Because when you turn it off, it will make the sound output gradually die out in the long run (when it was played once). If the song starts with the amplitude envelope gate trigger off, it won't produce any sound at all again, thus we have the same problem as we had without using the step sequencer. Therefor, it is needed to have this one on.

The filter envelope gate trigger is optional. It depends on what lies ahead, and where we want to go with our effect combinator. If we want to "trigger" the filter on a specific step duration, then it is an option to enable it. It can result in some nice 'effect' for instance setting the step speed on 1/32 notes, making the filter retrigger itself really fast.

Last part for now, we need to be making use of the first filter slot, which works similar when we would enable the filter 3 to receive any audio signals. The only difference between the filter 1 is that it does not have any "left" or "right". This is a part which kind of sucks, since we will turn a stereo patch into something mono. However, since it is an effect combi patch, we could make it stereo again, since the output is stereo. But heck, we are just getting into it...

So, with those options set in our effect combinator patch, we should have the following setup as an RNS file:

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Initial Setup for the Scream Thor

While this example will probably sound similar as the previous, since it really does not do that much yet. Since the second combinator, which holds the thor patch, only has a filter attached to it.From this point on, we can use our imagination to our wildest dreams. Since everything that is usually connected as OSC1, OSC2, OSC3 is now externally routed by a single device attached to this combinator patch. So, now next to Analog Osc, or WaveTable Osc.. we now have NN-XT osc, Malstrom Osc, dr Rex osc as an external oscillator. Think of the posibilities here.

The shaper

What makes this setup 'unique' in a way, is that we are able to use a shaper connected to any given instrument we feed to thor. Thus making it turn into a more distortion unit, or sound destruction unit... Call it, Scream thor. Ever wanted to use a thing like "wrap" in a subtractor patch? Here's your chance:

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Initial Setup for the Scream Thor with the shaper

What makes this setup interesting in a way, is that we are able to use ANY device from the reason rack, and attach that to the shaper. Thus creating a whole new bunch of different tricks and effects that we can just roll out of sleeves. Dr Rex? Anyone?

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Scream Thor with the Dr Rex

The next one uses 2 times the same loop, with a different envelope . In a few shaper settings you will find that it gets most of the effect by using 2 different voices based on 2 different pitch controls (Octave wise it works like a charm).

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Scream Thor with the Dr Rex

Or we could just bring in a NN-XT as the source, and make some 'weird' form of distortion with it. So, in a way... it can mess up the sound totally, yet it might give you some nice effects from it the just using a single scream 4 sound distortion unit.

Download Reason 4 RNS File: A different way of distortion

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Sine distortion

By now, I think you get the idea where this is going. It is sometimes a bit hard to just explain in a few words what the shaper inside thor does. Basicly, it comes to shaping the sound output differently based on an algorithm. Kind of what the Scream 4 unit does, but handles it differently. So eventually you should have an additional set of additional "effects" to choose from rather then just limit yourself with the scream 4 sound desctruction unit. Since thor has so much potential when it comes to shaping a sound (using the programmer) it would be a little bit hard to go all the way in depth about what are the different possibilities.

Another option would be for instance, is loading up a standard thor patch. Then add a single parameter: Source Audio 1, Destination Filter 1 Audio inout. Adjust the envelopes like I have discussed earlier on in this article and then turn on the step sequencer. Just as an example, here is a patch called ColorBox Bass (Thor patches -> Bass) and modified it with the mentioned settings

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Colorbox Bass patch abused

Making use of the step sequencer and the filter envelope

Like I said, default when making it more like a stable sound, you want to keep the filter envelope settings at max, with the exception of the attack. Since it results into a dropping effect. However, we could for instance also use the filter envelope and amplitude envelope setting as a 'trigger' to make the sound go 'on and off'.. sort of. Just as an example, here is something 'glitchy'

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Trembling filter effects

Getting back to stereo

One method to make it stereo wise a bit effective would be using a chorus effect or Delay effect. Or... take two different thor patches that handle the left and right signal differently. With the next example I have changed the filter frequencies of left and right, and it uses a different shaper on the left and right signal. Which makes it amuzing to listen to. However, using a mixer in combination with panning would probably be more ideal in this case (where I am sticking with a splitter merger at this point).

Download Reason 4 RNS File: Stereo effects

Even though I have only touched the surface with this whole different usage of Thor, I think it will probably start to make sense by now. There are a lot of different options to explore using this method. Just to name a few: LFO, Modulate Envelope, Filter 3, Step Sequencer Curve 1 etc... Just use your imagination on this one. Since I could basicly hand out everything on a silver plate, I think I will leave most of the modifications and ideas up to you guys!

Have fun!