Q: "How do I use ReWire-compatible programs with Pro Tools?"

A: Here's how, according to Digidesign ReWire Guru Keith Crusher:

1. In your Pro Tools session, create a new stereo aux track (File>New Track>Stereo Aux Input Track).

2. Switch to the Mix window (Windows>Show Mix) and click on the insert for the track. The insert is one of the five buttons in the dark gray area at the top of the track. The insert drop-down menu will open.

3. From the multi-channel plug-in menu, choose whichever ReWire or software synthesizer plug-in you want to use. We'll use Reason Adapted for this example.

4. The ReWire plug-in window will open and Reason Adapted will launch in the background. (If it doesn't, you may need to launch it manually.)

5. Next to the words "Reason Adapted for Digidesign" will be a box that says .

6. Click on the box, and from the drop-down menu choose "Mix L/Mix R." This tells the plug-in that you're going to route the main mix outputs from Reason to this stereo aux track in Pro Tools.

Now any audio that is playing in Reason Adapted will play through this track in Pro Tools.

To record the output from a ReWire plug-in:

1. In your Pro Tools session, create a new stereo audio track.

2. Switch to the Mix window, click on the input tab on the new stereo audio track, and from the drop-down menu choose "bus>bus 1-2" (or any available bus).

3. Click on the output tab of the stereo aux track that contains your Reason

4. Adapted plug-in, and from the drop-down menu choose "bus>bus 1-2."

5. Record-enable the audio track, then press Record and Play on the Transport bar. Any audio coming from Reason Adapted will now be recorded on the audio track.