A common question people have in regard to using Reason in Rewire mode is, how do you automate controls within a Reason instrument/rack from your host/master software (eg. ProTools)? If you’ve asked this question, but never figured out the answer, this is for you! That’s the good news. The bad news, it’s quite a painful process!

The following instructions came from the Propellerhead website and guide you through the whole thing.

When you record automation for the Reason devices proceed as follows:

1. Create a MIDI track in the mixer application and make it ready for recording.

2. Open the menu or dialog where you select a MIDI input for the track.

You should find the current Reason devices listed among the MIDI inputs as well.

3. Select the device you want to automate.

4. Now you have set things up so that the MIDI track in the mixer application receives data from the Reason device.

5. Start recording in the mixer application and switch to Reason.

6. Move the appropriate parameters on the device panel in Reason.

7. When you're done, stop recording and check the MIDI track in the mixer application - your parameter changes have now been recorded as MIDI controller data.

8. Route the MIDI track to the device and play back the track - the parameters will change according to the recorded automation.

There is a workaround though, that can greatly simplify this process.

1. Create your MIDI track and Rewire Reason into your host application.

2. Go to the Reason screen and create your instrument. If you want to automate the faders, knobs, and sliders as you perform the track, go ahead and create a sequencer track as well. If you prefer to write the automation after you've performed the track, simply wait to create the sequencer track.

3. Arm Reason for recording and record the audio (and automation moves if you want).

4. If you didn't record the automation, you may now create the sequencer track, arm Reason to record again, hit record, and perform the automation moves.

5. Go back to your host application. Set up an Audio track, setting the input of the track to an available bus. Set the output of the MIDI track that has your Reason instrument on it to the same bus as the input of the audio track.

6. Arm your audio track for recording, and start recording. The sounds from the MIDI track will be recorded as audio in your host application with all the accompanying automation moves.

Just make sure before you record the audio version of your MIDI track that you've performed all the automation moves and MIDI edits you want to make. After the MIDI has been rendered as audio, the only way to change anything is to go back to Reason and make note or automation edits, and re-render the MIDI as audio.

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