Disclaimer The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Native Instruments GmbH. The software described by this docu- ment is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments GmbH, hereinafter referred to as Native Instruments. “Native Instruments”, “NI” and associated logos are (registered) trademarks of Native Instru- ments GmbH. Mac, Mac OS, GarageBand, Logic, iTunes and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows, Windows Vista and DirectSound are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trade marks are the property of their respective owners and use of them does not im- ply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. Document authored by: Adam Hanley, Jan Ola Korte Software version: 6.2 (08/2017) Contact NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH Schlesische Str. 29-30 D-10997 Berlin Germany www.native-instruments.de NATIVE INSTRUMENTS North America, Inc. 6725 Sunset Boulevard 5th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90028 USA www.native-instruments.com NATIVE INSTRUMENTS K.K. YO Building 3F Jingumae 6-7-15, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 Japan www.native-instruments.co.jp NATIVE INSTRUMENTS UK Limited 18 Phipp Street London EC2A 4NU UK www.native-instruments.co.uk © NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, 2017. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Welcome to REAKTOR ................................................................................................6 1.1 System Requirements ................................................................................................................. 7 1.2 REAKTOR Modes: Full, Player and Demo ..................................................................................... 7 1.3 The REAKTOR 6 Documentation .................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Manual Conventions ................................................................................................................... 12 2 Getting to Know REAKTOR ..........................................................................................13 2.1 The Interface at a Glance ........................................................................................................... 13 2.2 The Toolbar ................................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.1 Transport ................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 Info Hints ................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Audio Input & Output Level Meters ............................................................................ 18 2.2.4 System Info ................................................................................................................ 19 2.2.4.1 Changing the Sample Rate ........................................................................19 2.3 Play Mode vs Edit Mode ............................................................................................................. 20 2.4 File Types and Hierarchy ............................................................................................................. 21 2.5 Third-Party and Protected Content ............................................................................................. 25 3 Setting Up REAKTOR ..................................................................................................27 3.1 Audio Settings ............................................................................................................................ 27 3.2 MIDI Settings .............................................................................................................................. 32 4 REAKTOR as a Plug-in ................................................................................................36 4.1 Editing Ensembles and Automatic Saving .................................................................................. 37 4.2 Resolving a Broken Ensemble Link ............................................................................................. 41 5 Browsing and Loading Ensembles ...............................................................................45 5.1 The REAKTOR Browser ................................................................................................................ 49 REAKTOR 6 - Getting Started - 4 Table of Contents 6 Instrument Basics ......................................................................................................56 6.1 A/B View ..................................................................................................................................... 57 7 Snapshots and Presets ..............................................................................................58 7.1 Snapshots vs Presets ................................................................................................................. 58 7.2 Recalling Snapshots ................................................................................................................... 58 7.3 Storing Snapshots ...................................................................................................................... 60 7.4 Presets ....................................................................................................................................... 62 8 Controlling REAKTOR .................................................................................................66 8.1 MIDI Learn .................................................................................................................................. 66 8.2 Connection Manager ................................................................................................................... 67 8.3 MIDI Clock .................................................................................................................................. 74 8.4 Synchronization using Ableton Link ............................................................................................ 75 8.4.1 Connecting to a Network ............................................................................................ 76 8.4.2 Joining and Leaving a Link Session ........................................................................... 76 9 Getting Deeper into REAKTOR .....................................................................................78 Index ........................................................................................................................79 REAKTOR 6 - Getting Started - 5 Welcome to REAKTOR 1 Welcome to REAKTOR REAKTOR is a visual programming environment based on modules and wires, allowing you to create any musical tool imaginable. Its many uses include music creation, digital art, instru- ment and effects building, as well as scientific applications. REAKTOR 6 builds on a long history of legendary products, from GENERATOR to REAKTOR 5, representing the foundation of NI as a company, and as a brand—the future of sound. Welcome to REAKTOR 6 Known for its unrivalled sound quality, REAKTOR is the complete toolkit for creating instru- ments and effects with high-quality DSP components. The included content allows you to look behind the curtain and explore the state-of-the-art technology at the core of many of our prod- ucts. REAKTOR 6 - Getting Started - 6 Welcome to REAKTOR System Requirements From playing and combining pre-built instruments and effects and building your own tools with its extensive Library to creating custom DSP algorithms, REAKTOR suits musicians, builders, and programmers alike. Based on a hierarchical structure with a coherent interface, REAKTOR is optimized to facilitate all of these use cases. This means that you can approach REAKTOR level by level, making yourself familiar with its deep functionality one step at a time. The REAKTOR 6 documentation adapts this approach, guiding you through the different levels of functionality in a clear and comprehensible manner. The Getting Started and Diving Deeper documents cover all basic functions and settings in REAKTOR, while the tutorials and instruc- tions provided in Building in Primary and Building in Core make creating your own musical tools more accessible than ever before. REAKTOR is fortunate to be supported by a large community of experienced users who actively share their Ensembles in the REAKTOR User Library on our website. There are thousands of REAKTOR Ensembles available, ready to be played, combined and modified—a great source of inspiration, both musically and technologically. We invite you to join this vibrant community and are looking forward to seeing and hearing your new creations! 1.1 System Requirements Your computer system needs to meet certain requirements in order to run REAKTOR. For the latest REAKTOR system requirements and compatibility information visit: www.native-instruments.com/reaktor6specifications 1.2 REAKTOR Modes: Full, Player and Demo What you can do with the REAKTOR version installed on your computer depends on which mode REAKTOR is running in. This mode depends on the license you