Reason Studios Live Looping Sampler Instruction Manual

Reason Studios Live Looping Sampler

Specifications

Audio I/O	IN L/R main inputs; OUT L/R main outputs
External FX loop	SEND L/R and RTN L/R (placed inside the FX path before GUARD and GOVERN)
Ring delay output	DLY L/R (ring network output on its own)
Voice outputs	V1, V2, V3 (stereo pairs) plus 3V (summed voice output)
CV inputs (by function)	GATE & TRIGGER IN: NOTE, GATE-style inputs for recording/playback/control; LVL & MOD IN: continuous inputs for level/modulation; LOOP SLICE & SPEED IN: window/slice/speed/bend parameters
CV outputs	REC, PLAY, EOL, POS, SL PH, SLS (recording/playback state, end of loop, playhead position, slice phase, slice count)
Loop buffer length	BARS: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 2, 3, 4 bars
Loop window playback	Window SIZE, OFFSET, WIN Q (with REV for backward playback)
Voices	Up to three note-triggered readers of the same buffer, with per-voice envelopes and outputs
Ring delay network	Four independent rings with FEED sources (INPUT, LOOP, VOICES) and per-ring controls (SYNC/FREE, TIME, SEND, REGEN, XFEED)
Diffuse/Spiral processing	DIFFUSE: allpass-based diffusion with per-ring SIZE and AMOUNT; SPIRAL: pitch shifting in the recirculation path with PITCH, X, and FB

Quick Setup & Use

1. Connect stereo audio to IN L/R and monitor OUT L/R (or use the FX send/return and ring output DLY L/R as needed).
2. Set BARS to the loop length you want to record.
3. Start playback on the Reason transport. Press REC to arm and begin recording at the next bar line (or use F-REC for immediate recording).
4. Press REC again to overdub; press again to end the overdub pass.
5. Use PLAY (if needed) to start playback of the recorded loop and CLEAR to wipe the loop buffer (faded then wiped).
6. Shape what plays back with LOOP SHAPE: adjust SIZE and OFFSET; optionally enable WIN Q and use REV for reverse.
7. Play the loop as an instrument using the PLAY and SLICE controls (e.g., choose Pitch or Slice mode, then set slice parameters like SLICES, MODE, and SENS).
8. Route audio into the ring delay network by setting FEED amounts for INPUT, LOOP, and/or VOICES, then adjust ring behavior using each ring’s SYNC/FREE, TIME, SEND, REGEN, and XFEED.
9. Control the processed return to the main output in FX RETURN using MIX, and stability via GUARD and GOVERN (and choose MODE as Send or Inject).

Overview & signal flow

Refrain is a live looper and a slice instrument built around a single shared loop buffer, with a four-ring delay network behind both. Audio enters, is recorded to the buffer, and leaves by three routes that run in parallel: the dry input path, the loop playback path, and the voice path when the loop is being played from the keyboard. Any of the three can be fed into the ring network, and the network’s output is mixed back at the end.

The chain in order

Stage	What Happens
Input	Stereo audio arrives at IN L/R. It reaches the output directly through DRY and is written to the loop buffer whenever the device is recording or overdubbing.
Loop Buffer	One buffer, wrapped to the length set by BARS. DECAY attenuates it slightly on every pass, while WINDOW determines which part of it is read back.
Voices	Up to three note-triggered readers of the same buffer, either pitched or sliced. Each has its own envelope and its own pair of back-panel outputs.
Ring Network	Four delay lines fed by the FEED sends. They cross-feed each other and can be diffused and pitch-shifted within their own feedback.
FX Return	The ring output comes back through MIX, with GUARD and GOVERN keeping high-feedback settings under control. MODE selects Send or Inject.
Output	Main stereo output, plus separate send/return and delay outputs and three voice pairs on the back panel.

Two halves, one buffer
It is worth being clear about this because it explains most of the panel. The looper half and the instrument half are not two samplers — they read the same recording. Record a bar of guitar and you can simultaneously let it loop, play slices of it from the keyboard, and feed both into the delay rings. Changing the window or the decay affects what the voices read, because there is only one buffer to read.

Device type
Refrain declares itself an instrument and accepts notes, so Reason creates a sequencer track and a note lane automatically. The looper half still behaves as an effect on the audio inputs — the instrument identity is about how the device is played, not about what it processes.

Recording: the transport
The transport occupies the centre of the panel below the round display: five buttons, three lamps, two toggles and four mode switches.

Buttons

Button	Control Function
REC	With the transport running, the first press arms recording and it begins at the next bar line. With the transport stopped, or with F-REC on, recording begins immediately. Recording ends automatically after the number of bars set by BARS, and playback begins. A further press starts an overdub pass; pressing again ends it.
PLAY	Starts and stops playback of the recorded loop. It does not erase anything.
CLEAR	Empties the loop buffer. The buffer fades out and is then wiped rather than cut, so pressing it during playback does not create a click.
RESET	Returns the playhead to the start of the loop. With SYNC on, the reset is quantised to the transport rather than taking effect instantly.
MUTE	Mutes the loop output. While muted, incoming notes are dropped rather than queued, so releasing MUTE does not produce a burst of stacked voices.
BEND	Enables the SPEED wheel to the right of the transport. With BEND off, the wheel does nothing. With BEND on, the wheel bends playback speed and pitch together, like a hand on a reel.

Mode switches

Switch	Function
SYNC	Quantises RESET to the transport instead of applying it immediately.
E-STP	Early stop. Allows a recording take to end before the bar count is reached. With E-STP on, pressing REC while recording stops the take and trims the loop to the quarter note where you stopped. With E-STP off, the REC press is ignored and recording continues for its full length. If you do not stop early, the BARS setting applies either way.
Q-OVR	Quantise overdub. Overdub passes snap to the bar grid rather than starting immediately when the button is pressed.
F-REC	Free record. Bypasses the arm phase. With the transport running, REC starts recording immediately instead of waiting for the next bar line. It does not change the loop length; BARS still determines where recording stops.

Lamps
REC lights while audio is being written. ARMED lights between pressing REC and recording actually starting— the waiting state. PLAY lights during playback. A fourth lamp, NOTE ON, sits in the FX panel and flashes on every note the device receives; it is repeated on the folded front panel so you can see note activity with the device collapsed.

Shaping the loop
The LOOP SHAPE panel on the lower left decides how long the loop is, how it ages, and which part of it plays back.

Length and ageing

Control	Function
BARS	Sets the loop length to 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 2, 3, or 4 bars. Set it before recording. It applies to every take, including free-record takes. F-REC changes when recording starts, not how long it runs. The only way to end a take before the selected length is E-STP.
DECAY	Controls the attenuation applied to the buffer on every pass. At zero, the loop repeats indefinitely at full level. As DECAY is increased, each pass becomes quieter, causing overdubs to gradually bloom and dissolve. This is a destructive process that rewrites the buffer rather than acting as an output fader.
FADE	Sets the fade time applied at the loop boundary, softening the seam where the end of the loop meets the beginning.
XFADE	Sets the crossfade length at the loop join. Longer settings help hide the splice on sustained material, while shorter settings preserve crisp transients.

The window
The three window controls are the most expressive part of the looper. Rather than always playing the whole loop, Refrain reads back a movable section of it. They govern loop playback; the keyboard voices have their own region controls in the LOOP panel and are not affected by these.

Control	Function
SIZE	Controls how much of the loop plays, from the entire loop down to a short fragment. Small values turn the loop into a stutter effect.
OFFSET	Controls where the selected section sits within the loop. Sweeping OFFSET scrubs through the recording without changing the playback tempo.
WIN Q	Window quantise. When enabled, the window snaps to musical divisions so scrubbing stays in time. When disabled, the window moves freely.

Direction & Mode

REV
Plays the loop backwards.

MODE
Loop mode: Play, Overdub or Solo. Sets what the REC button does on its next press and how new material is combined with what is already in the buffer.

The window does not affect the voices
SIZE, OFFSET and WIN Q shape loop playback only. The keyboard voices read the same buffer but through their own region controls — LOOP L, START and END in the LOOP panel. You can therefore scrub the loop with OFFSET while the slices you are playing stay exactly where they are, and the two can be automated independently.

The loop display

The round display is a live picture of the buffer and the ring network.

Display Element	Function
Pinwheel	Shows the loop divided into sixteen sectors. The bright sector indicates the playhead, which sweeps clockwise from the top once per loop.
Head Dot	Shows the canonical position when it differs from the playhead. It is visible when the window has moved playback away from the loop’s own timeline.
Rim Markers	Shows slice boundaries in Slice mode. The markers light red as voices trigger them, indicating which slice each key triggered.
Voice Bars	Up to three bars show where each sounding voice is reading from within the loop.
Ring Satellites	Four numbered circles around the display represent the delay rings. Each shows its own playhead and uses the colour assigned to that ring on the fold-out panel.
State Dot	Located at the top centre. Its colour follows the device state, including idle, armed, recording, playing, and overdubbing.

Playing the loop: Slice, Play and Pitch
The right-hand column turns the recording into an instrument. Refrain plays up to three voices at once, each an independent reader of the loop buffer.

PLAY panel

Control	Function
PLAY	Play mode. Pitch maps the whole loop across the keyboard, transposed from ROOT. Slice assigns one slice per key from ROOT upward.
PERF	Performance mode. On Note starts a voice when the key is pressed. Real Time keeps voices locked to the running loop position, so a key press drops you into the loop where it already is.
VOICE	Selects voice allocation: Poly, Mono, Legato, or Retrigger.
LOOP	Turns voice looping on or off. When off, a voice plays its slice once and stops. When on, the slice repeats for as long as the key is held.
RT-MD	Real-time loop mode. Sync ties the voice loop to the transport, while Free lets it run at its own length.
LN-RT	Sets the real-time loop length when RT-MD is set to Free.

SLICE panel

Control	Function
MODE	Auto places slice points at detected transients. Manual divides the loop evenly.
SLICES	Sets the number of slices, up to sixteen. In Auto mode, this is the maximum number of slices the detector will produce.
SENS	Sets transient sensitivity for Auto mode. Higher values detect more, smaller slices, while lower values detect only strong hits.
FREEZ	Freezes the current slice map. It prevents the slice map from being recomputed when the buffer changes underneath it, which is essential when overdubbing while playing slices.

PITCH panel

Control	Function
PITCH	Selects the pitch algorithm. Tape couples speed and pitch like a tape machine. Time holds the length while pitch changes. Pro provides a higher-quality version of the same concept with greater CPU usage.
GRAIN	Sets grain density for the Time and Pro algorithms: Sparse, Medium, or Dense. Sparse is looser and more audibly granular, while Dense is smoother and uses more CPU.
SPEED	Controls slice playback speed, independent of pitch where the selected algorithm allows it.
ROOT	Sets the key that plays the loop at its recorded pitch and defines the bottom of the slice map. It is displayed as a note name.

Character and Loop

CHARACTER
Three controls that age the playback rather than changing its pitch or timing directly

Control	Function
DRAG	Creates slow, uneven speed variation, producing the feel of a mechanism that is not quite keeping up.
WOW	Creates faster periodic pitch modulation, producing the classic tape wobble. Small amounts can loosen a loop that sounds too rigid.
T-PRO	Controls the level of Time/Pro processing in the signal, allowing you to blend the algorithm’s character instead of applying it completely.

LOOP
The voice-side equivalent of the window. These four set which part of the buffer the note-triggered voices read, independently of SIZE and OFFSET in LOOP SHAPE — those two govern loop playback and do not reach the voices.

Control	Function
LOOP L	Sets the loop length for the voice readers, separate from the buffer length set by BARS.
START	Sets the starting point of the region that the voices read.
END	Sets the ending point of the region that the voices read.
V REV	Plays every voice backwards. This operates independently of the loop’s own REV control.

Envelope
The ENVELOPE panel shapes each voice as it is triggered. It applies to the note-triggered voices, not to the loop playback itself

Control	Function
ATAK	Sets attack time. At zero, slices start instantly, which is suitable for drums. Longer settings turn the same material into pads.
REL	Sets release time after the key is lifted. Long release combined with Poly voice mode allows slices to overlap into each other.
PORTA	Controls portamento. In Mono and Legato modes, it sets the glide time between successive notes.
FORMA	Controls formant shift. It moves the spectral envelope independently of pitch, allowing transposed material to retain or deliberately change its original character.

Mix Output and FX Return

MIX OUTPUT

Control	Function
VOLUME	Sets the level of the loop playback.
DRY	Sets the level of the live input passed directly to the output.
VOICES	Sets the overall level of the three note-triggered voices.
V MIX	Controls how much of the voice signal reaches the main mix.
V SEND	Controls how much of the voice signal is sent to the FX return path.

FX RETURN
The return stage is where the ring network comes back into the signal, and where its stability is managed

Control	Function
MIX	Controls the amount of processed signal returned to the output.
GUARD	Provides soft limiting inside the FX path. Lower values engage earlier and more firmly, helping prevent very high feedback settings from overwhelming the mix.
GOVERN	Controls the level governor across the FX path. Works with GUARD: GUARD catches peaks, while GOVERN holds the overall level.
CLR	Clears the FX tails without affecting the loop buffer.
MODE	Send runs the FX path in parallel with the dry signal. Inject places the FX path in line, so the processed signal replaces rather than supplements the dry signal.

Why GUARD and GOVERN exist
The ring network is designed to be pushed into feedback. Rather than limiting what the feedback controls can be set to, Refrain lets them run and gives you two controls over what happens when they do. If a patch pins rather than blooms, lower GUARD before lowering REGEN — you will usually keep more of the character that way

The ring delay network
Press SHOW in the FX panel to drop the fold-out panel below the device. It carries four independent delay rings and everything that feeds and shapes them.

FEED
Three sends decide what goes into the network. They are independent, so you can delay the live input while leaving the loop dry, or the reverse.

Control	Function
INPUT	The live audio at the inputs, before it is recorded.
LOOP	The loop playback. Full by default.
VOICES	The three note-triggered voices.

RINGS
Each of the four rings has the same five controls. Ring colours match the satellites around the loop display.

Control	Function
SYNC / FREE	Determines whether the ring’s delay time follows the transport or is set freely in milliseconds.
TIME	Sets the delay time. When synced, it uses a note division from 4/1 down to 1/32. When free, it uses a time value in milliseconds.
SEND	Controls how much of the feed bus enters this ring.
REGEN	Controls feedback within the ring. Higher values create longer tails; above about 90 with cross-feed, the network becomes self-sustaining.
XFEED	Controls how much of this ring is fed into the other rings.

OUTPUT

Control	Function
XFEED Mode	ALL routes every ring into a shared bus so all four rings hear each other. CHAIN passes each ring only to the next in the sequence 1→2→3→4→1, creating an ordered cascade rather than a wash.
MIX	Controls the dry/wet mix for the whole network. At zero, the rings are silent.
WIDTH	Controls the stereo spread of the four rings.
ROTATE	Continuously rotates the rings through the stereo field. The four dots below show their current positions.

Diffuse and Spiral
Two processors sit inside the ring feedback, so they act once per repeat rather than once on the output. That is what makes them build over a tail instead of simply colouring it.

DIFFUSE
A chain of allpass sections running fully wet inside every ring’s feedback loop. Because an allpass has flat magnitude, it smears the repeats in time without removing energy — a delay becomes a reverb tail without the tail getting shorter.

Control	Function
DIFFUSE	Enables the diffusion stage.
SIZE	Scales the diffusion section lengths. Small values create a tight ambience, while large values create a long smear. The sections add their own delay, so increasing SIZE moves the echo grid slightly later.
AMOUNT	Controls how strongly the repeats are smeared. High settings blur discrete echoes into a continuous wash.

SPIRAL
A pitch shifter in the recirculation path. Each pass through the loop shifts by the same interval, so repeats climb or fall in steps rather than sitting at one pitch.

Control	Function
SPIRAL	Enables the stage.
PITCH	Controls the pitch shift per pass, in semitones either side of centre. Centre is unity and bypasses cleanly.
X Shift	Controls the pitch shift applied to the cross-feed hops, affecting the signal moving between rings.
FB Shift	Controls the pitch shift applied to the ring’s own feedback. With FB on and X off, a single ring spirals away on its own. With both on, the whole recirculation shifts. With neither on, the shifter has no input and bypasses.

Order of processing
Spiral runs first, then Diffuse — the smear works on already-shifted material. Both affect only the delay repeats: the dry loop and the voice outputs reach the mix unshifted and undiffused.

Back panel: audio

Section	Connection	Function
AUDIO IN/OUT	IN L/R	The main inputs.
AUDIO IN/OUT	OUT L/R	The main outputs.
AUDIO IN/OUT	SEND L/R	Forms part of an external effects loop inside the FX path.
AUDIO IN/OUT	RTN L/R	Forms part of an external effects loop inside the FX path.
AUDIO IN/OUT	DLY L/R	Provides the ring network output on its own for separate processing or mixing.
VOICE OUTPUTS	V1	Individual stereo output for Voice 1.
VOICE OUTPUTS	V2	Individual stereo output for Voice 2.
VOICE OUTPUTS	V3	Individual stereo output for Voice 3.
VOICE OUTPUTS	3V	Provides the summed output of all three voices. Use when you want the voices routed separately from the loop.

The send/return pair is worth knowing about: it places an external device inside Refrain’s own FX path, before GUARD and GOVERN, so whatever you patch in is subject to the same feedback management as the internal rings.

Back panel: CV
CV is grouped by function rather than by panel section, so a patch cable goes where the job is rather than where the knob is.

GATE & TRIGGER IN
Gate-style inputs, for remote control and sequencing of the device itself.

NOTE	Note pitch	Play the slice map or pitched loop from a CV sequencer instead of a note lane.
GATE	Note gate	Pair with NOTE.
REC	Record button	Trigger recording from a clock or a pattern.
PLAY	Play button	Start and stop playback remotely.
CLR	Clear button	Wipe the buffer on a cue.
RESET	Reset	Force the playhead back to the start.
MUTE	Mute	Gate the loop in and out rhythmically.
REV	Reverse	Flip playback direction under sequencer control.
FREEZE	Freeze slices	Lock the slice map at a chosen moment.
BEND	Bend active	Arm the speed bend without touching the wheel.

LVL & MOD IN
Continuous inputs for the level and envelope controls.

VOL	Loop volume	Duck the loop under a lead.
DRY	Dry mix	Fade the live input independently.
FX	FX mix	Swell the effect return.
PL LVL	Play level	Shape playback level per pass.
SLI VOL	Voice volume	Modulate the voices without touching the loop.
CLR	Clear FX	Momentary clear of the FX tails.
ATAK	Attack	Soften voices as a phrase develops.
RELS	Release	Lengthen tails under an envelope follower.
PORTA	Portamento	Vary glide across a performance.
FORM	Formant	Sweep formant against pitch.

LOOP SLICE & SPEED IN
The window and slice parameters under CV. This is where the most productive modulation lives — an LFO on WIN OFS turns a static loop into a moving one without any change of pitch or tempo.

DECAY	Loop decay	Ride the ageing of the buffer.
WIN S	Window size	Open and close the played fragment.
WIN OFS	Window offset	Scrub through the loop in time.
WIN SYNC	Window quantise	Switch between free and snapped scrubbing.
SLICE	Slice select	Step through slices from a sequencer.
SLI OFS	Slice offset	Shift the whole slice map.
SLI SPD	Slice speed	Modulate playback speed of slices.
BEND SPD	Speed bend	Bend speed and pitch from an external source.

CV OUT
Outputs for driving the rest of the rack from Refrain.

REC	Recording state	Light something, or gate another device while recording.
PLAY	Playback state	Run a sequencer only while the loop plays.
EOL	End of loop	A trigger every time the loop wraps — the most useful socket here.
POS	Playhead position	A ramp across the loop, for sweeping anything in sync.
SL PH	Slice phase	Position within the current slice.
SLS	Slice count	The number of slices currently mapped.

The factory patch bank
Patches are browsed from the selector at the top right of the panel, or from the strip on the front when the device is folded. The categories are numbered so that the plainest starting points sort first.

Preset No.	Preset Name	Description
01	Basics	Init Loop, Clean Loop, Loop Plus Delay, Dry Slicer, and Free Record. These are neutral starting points for building your own sounds.
02	Ambient	Long tails, heavy diffusion, slow envelopes, and high regeneration held in check by the governor.
03	Rhythmic	Tempo-locked ring patterns, cross-fed chains, gates, and stutters.
04	Slice and Perform	Keyboard-playable slice kits, transient chops, reverse slicing, formant pads, and grain clouds.
05	Pitch and Motion	Spiral shifts up and down, octave ladders, tape wow, and portamento leads.
06	Experimental	High feedback, rotation, and deliberate instability. These settings sit close to the point where GUARD and GOVERN start working, intentionally.

No factory patch stores a held transport button. Loading a patch never starts recording, starts playback, or clears your buffer.

Parameter reference

Panel labels grouped by section, with the full parameter name as it appears in Reason’s automation and Remote lists.

MIX OUTPUT

Control	Function
VOLUME	Volume
DRY	Dry Mix
VOICES	Voice Volume
V MIX	Voice Mix
V SEND	Voice FX Send

FX RETURN

Control	Function
MIX	FX Mix
GUARD	FX Guard
GOVERN	FX Governor
CLR	Clear
MODE	FX Mode — Send / Inject

LOOP SHAPE

Control	Function
XFADE	Crossfade
WIN Q	Window Quantize — Off / On
REV	Reverse
MODE	Loop Mode — Play / Overdub / Solo
BARS	Loop Bars — 1/4 to 4
DECAY	Decay
FADE	Fade Time
SIZE	Window Size
OFFSET	Window Offset

TRANSPORT

SYNC	Reset Sync
E-STP	Early Stop
Q-OVR	Quantize Overdub
F-REC	Free Record
MUTE	Mute
BEND	Bend Active
SPEED	Speed Bend
CLEAR	Clear
RESET	Reset
REC	Record
PLAY     ENVELOPE	Play
ATAK	Attack
REL	Release
PORTA	Portamento
FORMA	Formant
SLICE
MODE	Slices Mode — Auto / Manual
SLICES	Slices Count
SENS	Transient Sens
FREEZ	Freeze Slices
PLAY
PLAY	Play Mode — Pitch / Slice
PERF	Perf Mode — On Note / Real Time
VOICE	Voice Mode — Poly / Mono / Legato / Retrigger
LOOP	Voice Loop Mode — Off / On
RT-MD	Loop RT Mode — Sync / Free
LN-RT	Loop Len RT

PITCH

Panel	Parameter Name	Description / Options
PITCH	Pitch Mode	Tape / Time / Pro
GRAIN	Grain Density	Sparse / Medium / Dense
SPEED	Slice Speed	—
ROOT	Root Note	—
CHARACTER	Panel label / Parameter name	—
DRAG	Drag	—
WOW	Wow	—
T-PRO	T/P Level	—
LOOP	Panel label / Parameter name	—
LOOP	L	Loop Length
START	Start Point	—
END	End Point	—
V REV	Voice Reverse	—
FEED (fold-out)	Panel label / Parameter name	—
INPUT	To Delay: Input	—
LOOP	To Delay: Loop	—
VOICES	To Delay: Voices	—
RINGS 1–4 (fold-out)	Panel label / Parameter name	—
SYNC / FREE	Ring Free 1–4	—
TIME	Ring Rate 1–4 (synced) / Ring Ms 1–4 (free)	—
SEND	Ring Send 1–4	—
REGEN	Ring Feedback 1–4	—
XFEED	Ring Cross-Feed 1–4	—

CHARACTER (fold-out)

Panel	Parameter Name	Description / Options
CHARACTER (fold-out)	Panel label / Parameter name	—
DIFFUSE	Diffuse On	—
SIZE	Diffuse Size	—
AMOUNT	Diffuse Amount	—
SPIRAL	Spiral On	—
PITCH	Spiral Pitch	—
X	Spiral X	—
FB	Spiral FB	—
OUTPUT (fold-out)	Panel label / Parameter name	—
XFEED	Cross-Feed Mode	Global / Chain
MIX	Delay Dry/Wet	—
WIDTH	Ring Pan Width	—
ROTATE	Ring Pan Rotate	—

Performance notes

CPU
Refrain’s cost is dominated by what is moving, not by what is switched on. A device sitting idle with nothing recorded is close to free: the delay section detects that its feed has been silent for longer than the longest ring delay and stops processing entirely until signal returns.

• Rings that are switched off cost nothing. The ring processing, including Diffuse and Spiral, is skipped for any ring whose enable is off.
• Diffuse and Spiral are the most expensive stages when engaged, and both run per ring. Four rings with both stages on is the heaviest configuration.
• The Pro pitch algorithm with Dense grains costs noticeably more than Tape. Use Tape where the tape-style pitch/speed coupling is wanted anyway.
• Folding the device stops all panel drawing. If you have many instances, fold the ones you are not editing.

Getting the most from the window
The window controls reward automation more than any other part of the device. A slow LFO on WIN OFS with WIN Q on gives you a loop that rearranges itself in time; the same LFO with WIN Q off gives glitch. Both are a single cable on the back panel.

Working with high feedback
The Experimental patches deliberately sit near instability. If a setting pins rather than blooms, the order to reach for controls is: lower GUARD first (it engages the soft limiter earlier), then GOVERN, then REGEN. Dropping REGEN gets you stability quickest but also loses the most character.

Overdubbing while playing slices
If you play slices from the keyboard while overdubbing, turn FREEZ on. Without it the slice map is recomputed as the buffer changes, and the key that played a snare a moment ago may not any more.

Refrain Live Looping Sampler. Doodov Digital Design. Rack Extension for Reason.

Troubleshooting

• Can’t start recording on the next bar: Check whether F-REC is enabled. With F-REC on, REC starts recording immediately instead of waiting for the next bar line.
• Recording length not ending when expected: Ensure E-STP is enabled. With E-STP on, pressing REC while recording stops early and trims to the quarter note; with it off, that press is ignored and recording runs its full length.
• Loop gets “overwhelming” or unstable in the FX path: Use GUARD and GOVERN. Lower GUARD to engage the soft limiting earlier, and use GOVERN to hold overall level. If needed, reduce ring feedback REGEN (dropping REGEN yields stability fastest, but can lose character).
• Slice playback changes while overdubbing: Turn FREEZ on when playing slices from the keyboard during overdubbing. Without FREEZ, the slice map is recomputed as the buffer changes.
• MUTE silences incoming notes unexpectedly: While MUTE is engaged, incoming notes are dropped rather than queued, so releasing MUTE won’t produce stacked voices.
• Reset seems misaligned with transport: Enable SYNC if you want RESET to be quantised to the transport rather than taking effect instantly.