Native Instruments
Reaktor 6
Hosts and builds modular instruments, effects and sequencers, from ready-made Ensembles and Blocks racks to custom Primary and Core signal-processing structures.
GUI Screenshot
From My Notebook
The page is ready. Listening notes, favorite settings, and experiments will live here.
The Overview
An instrument platform and a construction environment
REAKTOR 6 is not a single synthesizer with one fixed filter or envelope panel. An Ensemble can contain instruments, effects and sequencers with their own interfaces and signal paths. Instruments organize those designs at the Primary level, Modules provide their building blocks, and Macros group structures. Core Cells support deeper custom DSP work.
Patching without building every module
Racks offer another workflow: arrange prebuilt Blocks and connect them directly in the panel. Their connections are mirrored in Structure view, so a simple performance layout and a wiring view can represent the same patch. This supports modular sound design without requiring a custom oscillator or filter implementation first.
Presets and playing
Snapshots recall panel settings within an Ensemble, while external presets provide another recall format. The loaded design determines the available synthesis controls, MIDI response and sonic character. Begin by loading a suitable Ensemble or Rack, explore its snapshots, and use Info Hints to understand its controls. Only enter Edit or Structure work when the musical goal requires changing the architecture rather than the existing panel settings.
Source: Manual, Getting Started: “File Types and Hierarchy,” pp. 21–25; “Using Ensembles and Instruments,” pp. 51–54; “Using Racks,” pp. 61–63.
The Controls
Browser, toolbar and scope
Use the Side Pane/Browser to locate Ensembles and Rack content. The toolbar Snapshot menu recalls a state across the Ensemble; an individual Instrument Header snapshot menu affects that instrument's settings. Check this distinction when a multi-instrument design changes more than expected.
EDIT switches between playing and structural editing. Info Hints reveals documentation when hovering over controls; this is particularly important because panel labels and behavior belong to the loaded design, not to a universal REAKTOR synth. The toolbar's Sample Map Editor appears when the Ensemble contains suitable sampler modules, while Player and Recorder provides audio-file playback and recording utilities.
Instrument panels and recall
A/B View selects alternate panel layouts where the instrument supplies them. It is not inherently an A/B sound-comparison switch: one layout may expose settings, another a simplified performance interface. Minimize hides a panel; MIDI/OSC indicators show control activity and Polyphony Info reports voice use where provided.
Snapshots are embedded in the Ensemble and can be recalled with program changes. Presets are external and can be saved in Play mode; creating snapshots requires Edit mode because they modify Ensemble data. Save the appropriate file type for the work: an Ensemble for the full construction, a preset for its external recall state, or a Rack for a Blocks patch.
Blocks racks
Open the Library tab and drag Blocks into the Rack, or call up the search box to find them by name or function. Compact View hides ports and wires, Ports View leaves ports visible, and Ports and Wires View exposes patch connections. Connect an output on a Block's right to an input on another Block's left. Double-click a connected input to remove its wire. Show Structure offers an additional wiring overview for larger patches.
MIDI, transport and levels
Right-click a panel control and choose MIDI & OSC Learn, then move the hardware control. Connection Manager lists mappings and recently received messages, supports drag-and-drop assignments and can update activity with Auto. Enable the hardware's MIDI input before learning.
The standalone Transport controls playback and tempo; the plug-in follows host transport instead. Input/output meters include level sliders, with red overload indicators. System Info displays CPU and processing sample rate, and the Power button controls the engine. Raise internal processing rate only when its quality benefit justifies the extra load. Specific oscillator, filter and effect settings must be learned from the selected Ensemble or Block's own panel documentation.
Source: Manual, Getting Started: “The Toolbar,” pp. 14–20; “File Types and Hierarchy,” pp. 21–25; “Using Ensembles and Instruments,” pp. 51–54; “Using Racks,” pp. 61–63; “MIDI Learn” and “Connection Manager,” pp. 68–72.