Reaktor/Tutorials/Reaktor as effects processor/Recommended hardware

Recommended hardware

An ideal live or studio setup for using R effects is to use a mixer to monitor and process your audio, treating R and your computer as a hardware effects unit patched into the mixer's effects sends. Using a mixer allows you to hear the R effects either by themselves or mixed with the external audio sources they're processing, so you can keep your effect ensembles as full-wet processors. I always bring the R/computer outs into their own pair(s) of mixer channels, rather than the mixer's effects returns, so the processed signal (and any R sound sources) can be further processed by hardware effects using the mixer's additional effect sends.

A tabletop or footpedal MIDI controller is a great addition to any R studio. As a guitar player, I prefer footpedals, and I want lots of continuous-controller pedals as well as switches, or inputs for hooking up additional pedals. I use a Roland FC-200, and it's ideal, offering six pedal inputs in addition to the included switches and pedal. Once your MIDI system is configured properly, it's wonderful to simply control/?-click on any R panel control, choose MIDI Learn from the contextual menu, wiggle the controller you want to use, and see the control move in response.