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Welcome back to another article about Propellerhead Reason. In this article, I want to mainly focus on elements that are the so-called lo-fi sounds, how to create low fidelity or artifacts you can create inside Propellerhead Reason itself. While since Reason 9.5 we have access to VST plugins, there are some plugins that mainly focus on to getting that specific feeling. In terms of default Rack devices, it just comes down to understanding what Lo-Fi is. How it got there in the first place. So we are able to mimic its behaviors. However, there are some default Rack Extensions in Reason (like AudioMatic) which can be helpfull tools to reshape the sound. So let's dive right into it... shall we...

What is Lo-Fi

To understand what Lo-Fi is, we need to go back to the mid-60s and 70s. Tools that were used back in the days weren't that sophisticated. Simply because artists or record companies did not have the budget to get A-Quality equipment for their recordings and such. This often leads to an additional artifact of the sound itself. Artifacts that were created would be:
- Analog Noise generated by wrong wiring or bad resistors
- Tonal differences like the sound would be muffled (and not that crystal clear like what you would get for a Hi-Fi recording set)
- Tape distortion (because a lot of recording studios had to rely on old-school DAT-tapes or 8-Tracks)
- Humidity

And so on.

As you might realize is that in the digital realm we usually do not have these type of issues. However, things got a lot different when the EMU SP-1200 came around. Since it is still a classic and it is often being used just because it has this 'lo-fi' quality to it.

What is the EMU SP-1200

The EMU SP-1200 (where a renewed model is being displayed above) is a drum machine that has a specific character to the sound. Some people call it 'that lo-fi character'. While in theory, it is a 12-bit render of the sound output. The SP-1200 is a sampler and is analog by output, but digital internal (because of samples). The output is rendered on 12-bit with a maximum frequency range of 26kHz. If you think about that and compare that with the digital realm we have today, most of the recordings are done on 24-bit with a maximum output of 48kHz. This means that we will need some form of bit-rate reduction to get a similar feeling from the sound output.

Tape recordings used to be Lo Fi

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Low fidelity usually came from tape recordings. The most obvious route would be recording a part of a song (let's say an instrument) on an 8-track. This would, later on, get merged by multi-track recording it again. While tape usually wasn't the perfect method to record things. The downside with tape recordings and re-recording them is that it usually meant this would come with the obvious amount of clarity loss. While the problem was noticeable, there are some music artists that deliberately used this technique to create a warm, fuzzy feeling on top of the sound itself. This would later be known as the tape effect, or tape compression. Later in time, tape was used in different ways to create creative effects. From a digital realm the effects we know of would be chorus and flange. Because in theory this would be using two tape decks with the same recording but in the end one recording gets speed up / slowed down in a specific way (thus flange and chorus was born). It is important to know how this technique was originally developed since if we want to re-create it, we need to understand the source material. Hence I am bringing it up.

Here is an old school tape recorder.

Analog Synthesizer

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We most likely know this one (at least, most of us do I think). Noisy synthesizers are synths that are created with transistors, resistors and some bad wiring that comes with it. The problem with analog synthesizers is that in time they loose their quality in the long run. This is due to condensation of the print. Rusty components. Loss in quality of the components etc. Ever used an old school transistor radio back in the 80s? I suggest you turn it on and compare it with your modern stereo set. I think you partially get the point I am trying to make. The case and point is though, due to these artifacts these synthesizers are often being used to get that specific artifact from the sound output. It often results in to this noisy output from time to time, depending on the synth itself and its quality. Now, let me just say: analog synths do not sound like crap. Some of them just have that warm fuzzy feeling on the sound which makes them unique. Even better, in the digital realm we try to emulate these classic type of synths.

Lo Fi Compressors

This may become a bit dodgy, but I will bring this one up while I am writing down this complete article about Lo Fi audio. Compressors in the analog realm have a huge impact on how the sound gets processed in the end. Yep, compressors aren't just something we shove in our EDM Productions because they sound cool. Compressors were originally used to compress an analog sound also. The down side with some of the cheaper compressors (aka: the tube compressors) is that they usually create a lot of heat. This reduces the sound output while using then. Creative artists sometimes miss-used them to make them totally overheat, then process the sound through the compressors just to get 'that' type of sound out of it. The results: a compressed sound that sounds like someone is putting a little bit dust on the track. Different technique, different result. But knowing it exists, that is what matters.

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How do we create Lo Fi this in Propellerhead Reason?

By now you know what Lo Fi is all about. It is a sound artifact that creates sound quality reduction by default. There are different techniques that are applied in what we have:

- Tape Compression (Scream 4)
- Tube Compression (Scream 4, FET Compressor, MooTube Compressor)
- Tape effects (Chorus / Flanger, or the Echo)
- Pitch tuning (Polar, Audio Track)
- Bit crushing (Scream 4, Bitcrush from Blamsoft)
- Noise and drift in Synthesizers (any synth that has a noise oscillator and allows a form of drift in the oscillator)
- Overall (Audiomatic)

Since these are different techniques that can be applied in different ways, I will try to break them down one by one and explain what to look for in certain specific situations. The problem here lies in what we want to try to achieve over here. And because the techniques aren't that simple (since we are used to make things crisp and clear) I thought I would extend this article with a couple of Reason 9 example files while doing so. Also make note: I am mainly sticking to Reason native devices while doing so. Sometimes I may look at Rack extensions that are helpful. In this article I will not touch VST plugins in reason.

How to get a low fidelity sound using tape compression

With in Propellerhead Reason we could use a Scream 4 distortion unit to mimic the idea of tape compression. The main problem with the effect by default is that it usually takes away too much. To overcome this issue is to use the Scream 4 unit in a parallel setup. However, while using the Scream 4 on the Tape setting it will also create audio cancelation.

There are two settings in the scream 4 unit that reverse polarity. These settings are: Tape Compression and Tube Compression. In some cases you need to invert the incoming audio when using this type of effect as a send effect.

Sometimes using the reverse polarity will also give certain elements an additional punch factor that was totally unexpected. Trial on error is usually the case to fact check what suits your needs with this type of compressor. In short, I have found that the following setups work quite nicely:

• Drums using the default Scream 4 as a send effect (= parallel). The send amount will then determine how much of that effect is applied
• Acoustic instruments like pianos or guitars work best when having the inverted audio chain going through the Scream 4 unit, or have the scream 4 unit inverted again (this creates warmth)
• Adding a touch of tape compression has a nice effect on Vocal tracks

One thing I would not recommend: using the Scream 4 Sound destruction unit as a master unit setup. If you do, be very careful about the amount of effect you apply to it. This type of set up is served best per track element, not as an overall effect on everything. Yeah, nitpicking here.

How to setup a Tube compressor

A similar trade with the tape compressor also happens with the tube compressor. Make note, these are two different type of effects. Tape compressor has a more heavy compressed feeling to it, while tube compressors usually add warmth to the mix. In the following example file I am using Tube as a dirt element on top of the sound. The tube compressor is applied as a send effect. A send effect since Reason 6 is attached to the main Master Section as displayed in the following picture:

If you still use an older version of reason (eg: propellerhead reason 5 and before that) you can use the Scream 4 inside the Mixer 14:2 aux chain. It kind of does a similar thing. The thing with send effects or auxiliary is that these type of buses run in parallel next to the original channel. So in theory, we are setting up a parallel tube compressor in this type of context.

In comparison you can examine the following file. I am posting this as a zip file, but it contains a Reason 9 song file. By default these type of files are pretty large, by compressing them they are becoming much smaller in size. I hope that makes sense why I am doing that.

Note: I might add that tube compression using the Scream 4 is not the 'best' method to do tube compression or emulate its effect. It does however apply a nice warm dirt element on sound output itself, making you believe your using old equipment. These type of settings work pretty well on percussion elements or bass lines. Sometimes they may work on vocal (but that is going to be a bit trial on error).

The big trade with settings like tube and tape is that these two settings reverse the polarity of the audio chain. Meaning in a parallel universe you are deliberately creating audio cancelation. Audio cancelation can be your friend in cases like these because low fidelity also means: low in audio. So there for in these type of cases loss of audio is good! Shall I bring up mix in mono again and why I don't always use it? Never mind, I covered that.

The thing is however, using the reverse polarity and reverse that (ok..!?) you get a whole different meaning to what tube compression should be all about. Since in theory we are adding the tube distortion on top of the sound output, not getting rid of the audio cancelations that would normally take place (still follow? I hope you do).

To invert the audio chain we can use Thor to do this. The set up is as followed:

Audio input gets a value of negative 100 and that becomes the audio output. Meaning... everything that is positive becomes negative and everything that is negative becomes positive. Thus we are reverting the polarities of the incoming audio.

The thing with this technique however is that it can go in two different directions:

As you can see in the above picture there are two different ways you can manipulate the audio chain while inverting the signal. Either you invert it first and then let it go through a Tube compressor. Or if you throw the audio through a tube compressor and then invert it. The result will be character wise different. So a tube compressor (or tape compressor) in this context can be used in 3 different ways as an send effect.

In the following zip file you can find two example files that have the inverted chain setup in the two above mentioned ways. While you may not hear any difference, there is a subtle difference in the way that the tube compressor is handled. Only thing you need to know at this point there is a fundamental difference between the two mentioned setups.

While the original file uses audio cancelation by default, you may hear a different output compared to the the last set. The audio signal becomes louder because we are adding the tube effect with out the inversion on top of it. So in theory we are just adding 'dirt' on top of the sound output. Which can be good from time to time. Especially if we want to create a lo fi sound.

Alternative route to Tube Compression would be using the MooTube Compressor from McDSP

Tape Compression in Propellerhead Reason

The next method is quite similar as the previous method. Tape compression can be created by using a Scream 4 set on tape. The benefit behind this set up however is that you are able to set the amount of compression that takes place. Since the Parameter 2 sets the compression amount. The speed setting (parameter 1) is how fast the tape compressor responses.

It shares the same trade as the previous one. It inverts the audio, therefor when making the compression pretty heavy this will also mean it drops of the audio pretty fast. Sometimes this is exactly the sound you want to mimic that lo-fi compression. Because it sounds like a crappy compressor. Sometimes it is that type of compression you really need just to make it work. On a personal level (just because I am biased): I love this type of compression in a parallel setup.

The benefit behind this tape compression set up are as followed:
- it compresses the sound (by audio canceling it)
- it add dirt on the sound (determined by the amount of damage applied to it)
- it can focus on a different EQ stage using the body section

When it comes to the first setup: Parameter P1 and P2 are going at full for me (127).
To create dirt, the Damage control just goes up
To set up an EQ stage i usually pick the body type A, B and C for warmth and D and E for dark and deep

These are personal preferences (because I am biased and being unprofessional by saying this). But since this is partially more becoming a personal blog and I am addressing my personal opinion about things... here is my personal opinion. And I am personally not afraid to address my personal opinion about things.

You can download the following Reason 9 song file using the following link:

Tube and Tape in parallel

While the above two sections are all about setting up the sound using a send effect (or auxiliary). You can also mimic the same behavior using a parallel insert effect. It kind of works the same since in theory a send effect works with a separate output bus in parallel. The major difference between a send and an insert is that a send is (often) used on different channels at the same time, while an insert is (usually) used on a single track.

Inside the insert effect you will need to apply a splitter to split up the audio in to two different paths, the dry signal and the processed signal (tube or tape). These two signals get merged together again inside a mixer 6:2 or mixer 14:2 (inside the insert effect). When done so, you have full control on how much of the dry signal you want, and how much of the wet signal you want. In theory this would be different then having a send. Because a normal send (I am not referring to the 'pre send' here) would determine how much of the wet signal you want on top of it. The benefit behind an insert is that you have full control on how to balance the two. However... this is more time consuming to set things up.

When it comes to Lo-Fi, it gives a lot of control on 'how much' of that effect you want to apply to it.

EMU SP-1200 and Hip Hop drum machines

When it comes down to mimic the drum machines of the old school EMU SP-1200 we'll need two different things to adjust the sound output to get that specific effect going. Since it is defined by the specs of this classic drum machine:
- 12 bit
- 26kHz

To create those classic type of Hip Hop grooves we'll need two things to get this going: a bit crusher and a filter. The bit crusher is quite obvious since we have a few of these to our disposal:
- The Scream 4 set to Digital
- Resampler from Blamsoft
- Bitcrush from kHz
- Beatcrush from Nucleas soundlab

While there are plenty of options to choose from (and I am not even talking VSTs here, since there are tons of those), I will focus mainly on two of them: The Scream 4 and Resampler. The choice of the scream 4 unit is pretty obvious because everyone can use it. Resampler on the other is a different thing. Since personally I on this one and second I have a feeling to does the job pretty well in to bit-crushing. Additionally the resampler comes with different algorithms so it is becomes more like a swiss knife tool for bit crushing your sound.

Scream 4 and digital

The Scream 4 has 2 major settings that have an influence on how the digital artifact takes place:
- Resolution
- Rate

The resolution is known as the bit depth. As far as the bit depth goes it ranges from 16-bit till 1-bit. Since we want to have an artifact that sits around the range of 12-bit (because EMU SP-1200) the dial of the resolution goes around the 96 setting. The Rate is known as bit-rate. This determines the frequency range the output can have. The maximum output range if 48 kHz (this is by estimate) and the minimum frequency range lies around the 6kHz (again, this is an estimate). To get a similar touch for the maximum frequency range that the EMU SP-1200 would have lies around 80-90 range. Again, this is an estimate.

The digital effect can be applied in different ways. It kind of depends on how it needs to be served. When it comes to mimic the MPC play style, I prefer this effect as a send effect with in the insert effect chain. So the effect will only be applied to this specific instrument we are dealing with. The benefit by using the send effect in the insert effect chain is that you can set the bit-rate and bit-depth per instrument different. Some instruments may require just a little bit more of a cleaner sound to prevent the whole sound turn in to an 8-bit rendered track. This is not what we are after. We are after making it lo-fi. So different settings might be required to get things done right.

The send to insert effect could be looking as followed:

The instrument in this case is a Kong Drum designer. The instrument gets fed through the insert. Inside the insert effect you can see a Mixer 6:2. This one is used to turn the insert in to an additional send effect (but a stand alone send effect only for this particular instrument that is). The Aux amount on the mixer 6:2 will determine how much send is being applied to this patch. And last the scream 4 unit is applied inside the send return.

The benefit behind this type of set up is that you are able to control the amounts with different settings:

- Aux is the amount of bit crushing that goes on top of the sound. Also make note we are keeping the dry signal and this path goes in parallel. So you can mix the amount of bitcrushing
- The Rate can be changed
- The resolution can be changed

So to program out insert effect in this typical context we could use the rotaries to control the Aux, the rate and the resolution with 3 different rotaries like the following:

Make note, this image is an edit. Since in no way on earth can you make it look like the above. It is just to show how the Line Mixer and the Scream 4 are programmed like.

Bitcrush reduces the sample rate and the bit depth. Turning the sound in to a lower rendition of the sound output. Best ways to use bit crushing effects (and making them noticeable) is by using bass drums, hi-hats or straight sine waves. On those sounds the artifact will be most noticeable by the human ear that that effect is there.

Bitcrusing using Resampler

Resampler is just one of those effects that make things easier to get things done. Because the resampler has the settings for bit rate and resolution in bits and frequencies. Thus you can pin point the 12 bit range pretty fast. Same thing could be said about the frequency. While at the same time, this device comes with different settings for Algorithm.

For down sampling you have : Classic, Modern
For the bit rate you have : Scrunch and Scatter

Each of these settings come with 6 different type of algorithms. So there is plenty of different types of bit crushing effects you can apply to it using this device.

The major reason why I sometimes jump to this device (instead of the others) is because of the wide variety of bit crushing that can take place. With the scream 4 unit it always sounds like the scream 4 unit. With the kHs bitcrusher it just sounds like the kHs bitcrusher. While this device does not have this problem.

I thought I would just bring this device on the table while writing an essay about lo-fi. Since it sits nice in this realm.

Lo Fi el Audiomatic

If there is one device that does Lo-Fi with a touch of ease then this would be the place to be. AudioMatic is a device that got introduced in Reason 7. This device is kind of like the instragram on music. Or as I would call it a set of wide range of effects in one handy device. A single preset usually does a wide range of different effects in series. When it comes to creating lo-fi sounds then this would be the place to be if you have no idea what you are doing.

And if you really know what your doing then this device would do a lot for you to create lo fi effects. There are a few settings that come to mind that scream lo fi right of the bat. These are:
- Tape
- Bright (but this needs further processing)
- Radio (because... radio)
- Mp3 (because rate reduction)
- Cracked (a bit like a bit crusher on steroid)
- Gadget
- Circuit
- Wash (I will plug this one in here too)

The biggest problem with most of these presets is that they will sound terrible when you transform the sound all the way and put the whole thing to wet. When it comes down to these presets you want them subtle (dry / wet goes around 30-ish) and the transform kind of depends on which preset you are choosing. The major issue with presets like these is that transform is like twisting 4 knobs at the same time. So it is kind of hard just to tell like these are the settings you want to get that type of effect. Because there is just way too much to cover.

While audiomatic is a multi effect processing tool, you might need to further process the audio output further just to get that specific low fidelity sound output you are looking for. Whether you are going for that old school transistor radio sound, or a bit more modern mp3 style-ish. It all depends what you are looking for.

These sounds are made for diffusion

This kind of brings me to the next subject matter on what you can do to make Lo Fi work. The following technique requires a lot of experimenting, headaches, aspirins and so on. But once you nailed it, you can re-use it later. A lot of old school recordings where created in specific rooms for specific reasons. Just to mention one type of room: Abbey Road Studio. It was the home studio recording studio of the Beatles. The room composition is unique and has its own character when it comes to generating that type of sound. The walls have an impact on how the sound travels over time (keep that in mind).

To mimic room composition, we have tools like a Reverb to get things done. Since reason 8 we were treated with the RV-7000 MK2. Which contains convolution reverb. And this is something we can use to make up our own unique room composition while doing so.

When it comes down to lo-fi and reverb, in a lot of times you want to damp the reverb pretty heavy and drop the hi-eq while doing so. This avoids any higher frequencies to bleed through. The thing with lo fidelity at some extend is that you want to avoid any higher frequencies to come through. Thus Hi Eq emphasis on a reverb tail is something you most definitely want to avoid in these cases.

The benefit by increasing the Damp and dropping the Hi Eq on the RV-7000 reverb is that it will also act as a sound muffler while doing so. Call it a 'creative filter' at best. But with a reverb tail that comes with it. Diffusion on the reverb can play an important role in this type of reverb. So either go with Hall, Arena or Convolution Reverb while using it in this context. The size of the reverb may vary (depending on how big the sound needs to be).

Analog synth recreation to mimic lo fidelity

This kind of brings me to the last subject matter on lo-fi. While some people believe that lo-fi is done by placing the right plugins at the right places. Believe it or not: those people are wrong. Lo fi isn't always about plugins to make it sound right. From a synthesizer perspective (without plugins or effects) you can get that specific vibe going on. It comes down to crafty synthesizer building, muffling the sound here and there (LP filter for the win!), use some noise oscillators to make it feel like its old, and some FM-generation just to make it sound noisy as hell. I could just end this paragraph with Subtactor, Subtactor, Subtactor, Subtactor. But I won't... If you look at what old school synthesizers did back in the days, they were based on old school transistors. Thus, the sounded like crap to modern standards. Old transistors comes with flaws. And if you know what they are, you can rebuild them even with out having magical plugins to do your thing. Lo fidelity is all about making it sound old. And old means 'it does not sound as clear as a 44kHz CD recording'. I think we already got that part. But I thought I could just emphasize this point one more time (just to get this over with).

When you look at Thor as a synthesizer you have 3 filters to your disposal. So one filter could be used to get that analog feeling going on (drift, eg LFO to filter frequency). The second filter could be used to add that additional resonance tremolo (LFO to Resonance) and the last could be used to muffle the sound just a notch (LP24 filter and cut it down to 20kHz or something). Just to make it feel like an old school analog sound you could use 2 oscillators as a sound source and the third could be a random noise generator. Just to get that additional noise spark going on.

Thor patch example in Reason

In the following example I will use Thor the polysonic synthesizer in Reason to mimic the idea that it is a bit noisy and doesn't sound as clear as we normally would do. Also the clarity will vary per note. The first main elements will be the oscillators. The way I love to set things up in this type of context is using two main oscillators to carry the sound. While the third oscillator is going to be a Bandwidth noise oscillator.

The bandwidth oscillator has the benefit in this case that is a blend between a sine wave (noise mod all the way to 0) and a white noise (mod all the way up to 127). What is even more interesting to know is that the contour of this noise oscillator will change in pitch while pressing different keys (this is happening due to the sine wave is a part of this type of noise). By playing noise it gets more interesting while playing different keys because the output will be different per note In comparison, playing the noise oscillator on white noise will always sound exactly the same (unless you process it different).

For the filter layer I using a filter to KBD set up for Filter 1, Filter 2 and Filter 3. The last filter (Filter 3) will have a different KBD setting (keyboard tracking on the filter). This will prevent the whole filter from opening up all the way (does it will always sound a tiny bit more muffled then normal).

The last element I have added to the Thor patch is using the LFO to make sound a tiny bit more analog. This would be similar as a setting called drift. The benefit behind these type of setups is that the sound will never play the exact same note while pressing the exact same key. Different options would be using the key to velocity (to add an additional layer on velocity level) or use something like Midi Note to manipulate a different setting (so in pitch the sound will vary).

Propellerhead Reason 9 demo song file

Before finishing up this essay (its probably a tldr type of text anyway) I am providing a Reason 9.5 file that uses most of the major elements that I have been discussing in this entire article. Going from bit crushing some elements in the percussion to tape distortion on top of certain instruments. To be honest, I made this song in 15 minutes so it might not sound 'that awesome'. But that is not really the point I am trying to make. The thing you will notice once you start by-passing most of the effects is that regarding to clarity there will be a huge difference.

In conclusion

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While there are a lot of different options to play with to make something clear sounding more low fidelity in Propellerhead Reason I must admit I haven't even touched everything yet. There are plenty of different other options (especially when it comes to audio manipulation that is). The most important part about now is that this article might give you some more clarification on what Lo-Fi is. In short: Lo-Fi is the exact opposite of Hi-Fi. And a lot of people have a lot of mixed / different opinions on what lo-fi is, and what it should be doing. So therefor, I made this complete article. I will also add that everything in this article isn't 100% balls on accurate (yeah, let me just be political correct on that one too).

Lo Fi requires experimentation just to get 'that typical' sound going. If you are uncertain, check some old school records from the 70s (since lo-fi was normal back in those days). The sound output should be unique, your own and classic. Keep that in mind.

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I couldn't find a better way to end this classic tail.

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