Installing the Behringer X-Touch in Propellerheads Reason

This walkthrough is based on Windows 10 with Reason 10 and I’m using the awesome codec from Jäexx that makes the integration much better.
It does assume you have some general PC knowledge, so if you are not sure about that I hope you will manage.

I can’t give any guarantees about the end result, but for me this worked just fine. This walkthrough will have 3 parts. The first is about re installing Reason. The second about installing the codec and the third handles adding the X-Touch itself.

1. Re installing Reason.

I’m not sure if this is needed in every situation, so you might want to skip this step and first try without it. (since it is some work to get everything installed again).

After my first try I found out that the Jäexx codec was not working as he intended it to work. (some buttons were not doing what they were supposed to do)
We had a little conversation about my issue and Jäexx pointed out there might be some mappings to other controllers that I made previously (USB keyboard etc.) that were blocking his to be used.
Unfortunately there was (to my best knowledge) no way of telling what was the issue, so I ended up having to re install Reason.

I’m not going to explain this in detail, but the steps are not too difficult.

1. Note your Reason settings (parameter) etc. Since you will have to re set them.
2. Uninstall Reason from the add/remove program app.
3. Go to the explorer and check for the program files folder and delete all references to Propellerheads / Reason etc.
4. Do the same for the program data folder (it might be hidden in your explorer, so you have to ‘unhide’ it in the explorer options.)
5. Also delete the user folder C:\USERS\_USERNAME_\AppData\Local\Propellerhead Software
6. After that you can download Reason from your account page on the reason website.
7. If you have added any reason plugins, you have to re install those too via the authorizer. (sync your licence)
8. If you start up Reason for the first time, make sure you either have the X- Touch disconnected OR disable the automatic adding of control surfaces. (if you forgot this, you have to delete the X Touch manually in Reason)
9. Add the extra locations and soundbanks etc. that are not ‘stock’.
10. Set the parameters to your preferences. (noted in step 1)

Now Reason is re installed and you can proceed to step 2.

2. Installing the Jäexx codec.

By default the X-Touch uses the Mackie protocol to connect to Reason. However, there is a lot more to it than ‘just’ adding the X-Touch in Reason as a Mackie control.
If you do it like this, you only get basic functionality and a lot of the buttons are mapped wrong.
So in comes the Jäexx custom mapping and codec.
They fix a lot of the ‘issues’ and add functionality that was not included in the Reason files.
First you will have to download the files from the Jäexx website:

http://www.Jaexx.com/blog/reason-custom-behringer-x-touch-remote-map-layout/

Before you add the Behringer X-Touch to Reason, you ‘should’ install the codec  from Jäexx first. (if you have already added it, just delete it in Reason)

1. Once the file is downloaded, you have to unzip it.
2. It will contain a folder 2 MJ Enhanced Universal Control with a folder Remote that holds 2 folders: Codecs  and Maps

3. Open another instance of explorer and go to C:\ProgramData\Propellerhead Software\Remote  (by default this ProgramData folder is hidden, you might have to make hidden folders visible)
4. Here you see the same 2 folders. (Codecs and Maps)

5. For the sake of security, I would backup the content of these folders to some other location on your harddrive.
6. Next I will start with the Codecs folder and open the Jäexxversion to navigate to Codecs\Lua Codecs\Mackie
7. Here you will find 2 files. Copy them. (CTRL + C)

8. Next go to the same path in the ProgramData…. Tree and past them (Windows will ask you to overwrite the files, that is ok)
9. After that you have to do the same for the content of the Jäexx version of the Remote\Maps\Mackie folder and copy the remotemap file to its ProgramData counterpart. (you can skip the store.ds)

9. Now that you have overwritten the old files in both ProgramData folders with the Jäexx files, you are good to go.

3. Add the X-Touch to Reason

1. Start up Reason (don’t add control surfaces automatically)
2. Go to Edit > Preferences  > Control Surfaces
3. Click Add manually

4. Search for the manufacturer Mackie and Model Control
5. You can name it whatever you want.
6. Next set  the input and output both to X-Touch (not the midi version, those are the midi ports on the back of the X-Touch)

7. Then click OK.
8. Finally you probably want to lock the X-Touch to the SSL mixer surface (called ‘Master section’ and you can do this under Options > Surface locking
9. It might be a good idea to do this last step in your default song too, so you don’t have to lock the X-Touch every time.

You can check if all went well by testing the mapping of the buttons. They should be as shown in this image (taken from the Jäexx website with permission).

With my first try the buttons on the right were not working properly, so that might be a good indicator if things went allright.