ReWire
ReWire is a Mac OS X library developed by Propellerhead software that allows you to route computer-generated audio from a ReWire synth such as Live™ or Reason™ directly into an audio track in Digital Performer's virtual mixing environment, right alongside the MIDI and hard disk audio tracks in your project. The ReWire synth acts as a "virtual instrument" that streams its audio output into Digital Performer, allowing you to apply real-time effects processing and automated mixing within the Mixing Board window, with very accurate timing throughout the whole process. ReWire also supports basic transport control, allowing you to play, stop, rewind, shuttle, set loop points, and so on, in either Digital Performer or the ReWire synth.
Setting up ReWire
To set up ReWire:
1.) Install the ReWire synth.
2.) Test the ReWire synth. After installing the ReWire synth, it is a good idea to open it independently of Digital Performer to test and make sure that the installation was successful. To do so, quit Digital Performer so that it is not running, and then open the ReWire synth by itself. Play a few demo songs in the ReWire synth to confirm that it is functioning properly on its own.
3.) Quit the ReWire synth.
4.) Launch Digital Performer. ReWire requires that you open Digital Performer first, before launching a ReWire synth.
5.) At this point, you should see the ReWire synth inputs in Digital Performer's audio input menus. These inputs are supplied by ReWire, even when the ReWire synth is not currently open as an application.
6.) Before you launch the ReWire synth, do one of the following:
7.) Create a stereo Aux track, give it a valid (currently active and therefore not italicized) audio output assignment, and then assign the ReWire synth main Mix (L/R) as its audio input
— OR —
Do the same thing using regular stereo audio track AND record-enable or input monitor-enable the track.
Either one of these two procedures activates Digital Performer as a ReWire destination for the ReWire synth. If you don't do so, the ReWire synth will not "see" Digital Performer as an audio output destination, and you'll see an alert window when you launch the ReWire synth. If this happens, you need to quit the application, assign an input in Digital Performer as described above, and then relaunch.
The audio output assignment for the ReWire track in Digital Performer can be any destination you want: a pair of audio outputs on your MOTU audio interface, the speaker output on your computer, a Digital Performer virtual bus, etc.The only requirement here is that it must have a currently valid output assignment (one that is displayed in normal text, rather than italicized text).
8.) After assigning a the ReWire input to at least one audio track in Digital Performer as described in the previous step, launch the ReWire synth.
That's it. When the ReWire synth plays, you'll now see its audio output present on the Mixing Board channel strip for the track it's assigned to. In addition, you'll hear its output on the ReWire synth track's playback destination.
MIDI output
Once audio is flowing as described in the previous section, any ReWire instruments (such as a synth module in Reason) should appear as MIDI output destinations in the MIDI output assignment menus for Digital Performer's MIDI tracks. This allows you to use your ReWire instrument like a sound module, where you sequence MIDI in a Digital Performer MIDI track, and trigger the ReWire instrument.
Publishing ReWire device MIDI inputs/outputs to other CoreMIDI-compatible software
Digital Performer publishes ReWire MIDI inputs and outputs to all CoreMIDI-compatible software. This means that while Digital Performer and a ReWire application are running together, you can send MIDI data to the ReWire application from any CoreMIDI-compatible software. Similarly, you can send MIDI data to any CoreMIDI application from the ReWire instrument as well.
Multiple ReWire audio outputs
Some ReWire-compatible applications provide multiple audio outputs. You can access them in the Instruments tab in the Bundles window.
Synchronization and transport control
ReWire provides inter-application synchronization and transport control between applications. This means that you can play, stop, rewind, locate and otherwise manipulate the transport controls in either program and both the ReWire synth and Digital Performer will remain in perfect synchronization with each other.
Tempo control
Here are a few things you should keep in mind about controlling tempo. You can change the playback tempo of both the ReWire synth and Digital Performer from either program, as long as you have Digital Performer's tempo slider set to tempo slider mode.
When Digital Performer is operating under tempo slider mode, when you first open a the ReWire synth file that has a different tempo setting, Digital Performer's tempo slider will jump to the tempo of that the ReWire synth file. If desired, you can then re-adjust the tempo in either program.
If you have Digital Performer's tempo slider set to Conductor Track mode, Digital Performer's Conductor track governs the tempo and the tempo cannot be changed in the ReWire synth.
Plug-in processing on ReWire synth inputs
You can apply Digital Performer real-time effects processing, as well as third party plug-ins, to your ReWire synth audio by simply adding plug-ins as usual to the ReWire tracks in Digital Performer's Mixing Board.
Renaming ReWire synth inputs
If the ReWire synth input names in Digital Performer's audio input menu are not to your liking, you can rename them as desired with the Bundles window in the Studio menu.
Quitting the ReWire synth
ReWire does not allow Digital Performer to quit while the ReWire synth is open. If you try to do so, you'll see an alert window that informs you that you must first quit the ReWire synth.