Destination - Propellerheads Reason - NN-XT Sampler

History and File Format
Propellerheads makes good music software. To enter the lucrative workstation software market, and to do something besides Recycle - Propellerhead's put out Reason, a platform with EVERYTHING. A sampler, synths, sequencers, effects, mixers, etc. Reason has been highly popular.

Architecture Description
The original Reason sampler was called NN-19. Rumor has it that the NN-18 was based on the old Fairlight platform. (Just kidding.) With the advent of Reason 2.0, PHeads included a new sampler called NN-XT. Rumor has that the NN-XS was based on the Prophet-5 synthesizer. (Just kidding again.). It's a basic but effective architecture, with one keymap for the NN-19 and unlimited amounts for the NN-XT. Basic envelopes, etc.

NN-XT has a good set of parameters - full range filter, envelopes for pitch, filter, and volume, two LFO's, and - although not a modulation matrix - the most usual modulations you'd use plus more.

NN-XT also has the best "round-robin" feature in the industry; it operates polyphonically just like you'd expect. This allows you to use an infinite amount of samples to vary your sound for every keystroke.

File Format
The NN-XT uses the .sxt extension for it's files, and fortunately it's unencrypted, unlike Refills and Recycle 2 files. However, NN-XT .sxt's can access and play samples within Refills, but of course is unable to extract them.

As with the Rewire-type products, the NN-19 format is encrypted, so Translator is not able to support it.

Translator Comments and Tips
Translator takes special care to write clean and sorted NN-XT files. The notes are always in order, and the Interpolation parameter is always turned on (although you can switch it of in Format Options).

Since Reason doesn't support key/controller switching or release triggers, these references are not converted into the final Reason file.

Comments
Reason is deservedly popular - one prominent sound developer, Sonic Reality, prefers to natively work in that format.