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

A: We'll use Reason for this example, but the process works essentially the same for most other ReWire applications.

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. Now, from the multi-channel plug-in menu, choose "Reason Adapted for Digidesign" (or whichever ReWire or software synthesizer plug-in you want to use).

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

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

How to record the output from Reason Adapted:

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

4. 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.

How to play Reason's synthesizers or samplers using your MIDI keyboard:

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

2. In the Mix window, click on the output tab of the MIDI track, and from the drop-down menu choose "Reason Adapted>Subtractor" (or whichever Reason synthesizer or sampler you want to play).

3. Switch to Reason Adapted and load a sound into the synth or sampler that you want to play.

4. Switch back to Pro Tools, record-enable the MIDI track, and play your keyboard. You should now hear the Reason Adapted synth playing through the stereo aux track in Pro Tools.

Try this if you can't hear anything from Reason Adapted:

1. First, make sure the volume is up on the stereo aux track where Reason Adapted is inserted.

2. If you still have the output of the aux track routed to a bus, you may need to switch it back to your stereo main outputs. If the aux track output is routed to a bus going to an audio track for recording, you must have the audio track record- enabled in order to hear Reason Adapted through that track. You only need to bus the output of the aux track to an audio track when you're going to record audio - at all other times it should be routed to your main stereo outputs.

3. Check the ReWire plug-in window to be sure that you have "Mix L/Mix R" selected in the plug-in's input selection box.