# 1. Reason Control Surface Installation

We have created a control surface to control Reason's native devices, extension devices and plugins.

[![IMG_20251029_191505.jpg](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/r0F8SHeW25qljneM-img-20251029-191505.jpg)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/r0F8SHeW25qljneM-img-20251029-191505.jpg)

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Download the installer from the user portal and run the installer on MacOS or Windows and it will install the following:</span>

1. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Reason Control Surface app. **Mac:** Applications folder and **Windows:** Program Files/MP Reason Control Surface</span>
2. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Reason Control Surface launcher on your Desktop</span>
3. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The presets for Reason native devices in the [/MP/Host/](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/3-mp-host-properties-and-config-files)MP Reason CS Presets</span>
4. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Reason Control Surface scripts and remotemap file in</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**Mac OSX:**</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">~/Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/Remote/Codecs/Lua Codecs</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**Windows:**</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">C:\\Documents and Settings\\All Users\\Application Data\\Propellerhead Software\\Remote\\Codecs\\Lua</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Codecs</span>  
      
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**Mac OSX:**</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">~/Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/Remote/Maps</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">**Windows:**</span>  
    <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">C:\\Documents and Settings\\All Users\\Application Data\\Propellerhead Software\\Remote\\Maps</span>

<p class="callout warning"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Note that the MP Controller must be connected for the Control Surface app to work</span></p>

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##### Installation and Control Surface configuration on MacOS:

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first time, run the Reason Control Surface app from the Applications folder.   
MacOS will ask for your permission. See [this page](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/3-reason-cs-mac-os-installation-permissions "Reason CS Mac OS Installation Permissions") on setting the permissions and then continue with the rest of this article.</span>

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run the Reason Control Surface launcher from your Desktop.   
Repeat the same for the permissions needed as above.  
</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/Guu6nEhj8CVkkTB9-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/Guu6nEhj8CVkkTB9-image.png)

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and it will start the control surface app and Reason.</span>

<p class="callout warning"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The launcher app is made for Reason 13 and requires Reason to be in the Applications folder. If it does not start the Control Surface app and Reason, it is probably an issue with the permissions required.</span></p>

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open Reason &gt; Preferences and add the control surface. Click on "Add Manually" and select the MP Controller and the available MIDI ports. </span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/WsHPnFRemUJH8QXH-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/WsHPnFRemUJH8QXH-image.png)

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/rzrPjEfwp8Fmg4LP-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/rzrPjEfwp8Fmg4LP-image.png)

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When you close Reason, the control surface app will quit as well after a couple of seconds. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When running the Launcher it takes a few seconds for Reason to send all the necessary data to the control surface. You can then select any device or track to control it.</span>

<p class="callout info"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On Mac the Reason Control Surface app must start before Reason so that it finds its MIDI ports.</span></p>

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##### Installation and Control Surface configuration on Windows:

<span id="bkmrk-to-use-the-mp-midi-o-1" style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To use the MP MIDI on Windows, you need to install a virtual midi port software. </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">  
</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We recommend </span>[<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">loopMIDI </span>](https://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html)<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which is a free utility software. There are others as well like </span>[<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LoopBe30</span>](https://www.nerds.de/en/loopbe30.html)<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.   
LoopMIDI allows you to create many virtual ports you need and set custom names for each port. </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">  
</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the Reason Control Surface we need two ports, one for sending MIDI CC and another one for receiving MIDI CC messages.   
After you install loopMIDI, open loopMIDI and add a port, name it "<span id="bkmrk-from-reason-cs" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FROM REASON CS</span>",   
then add another port and name it "<span id="bkmrk-to-reason-cs" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TO REASON CS</span>" </span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/8koaTvb0gkKh4TMJ-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/8koaTvb0gkKh4TMJ-image.png)

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/BqQhAmGELKf4UEon-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/BqQhAmGELKf4UEon-image.png)

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so it will look like this:</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/QGr1ZIUZ0V9227Vj-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/QGr1ZIUZ0V9227Vj-image.png)

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have created a launcher app to start Reason and the MP Controller Reason Control Surface. Create a shortcut from C:\\Program Files\\Propellerhead\\Reason 13\\Reason.exe (or any version of Reason) to your Desktop named **Reason.app**  
</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/VZXXhhFZjLK5Iw6U-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/VZXXhhFZjLK5Iw6U-image.png)

<p class="callout info"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The launcher uses this shortcut to launch Reason so when you update Reason to another future version, you just need to recreate the desktop shortcut.</span></p>

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run the Reason Control Surface launcher from your Desktop and it will start the control surface app and Reason.</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/KlU8d2WVTEWW7BJv-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/KlU8d2WVTEWW7BJv-image.png)

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open Reason &gt; Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; MIDI and add the control surface. </span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/GE58maQyM7Am9YPt-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/GE58maQyM7Am9YPt-image.png)

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Select the MP Controller from the list</span>

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Select the available MIDI ports.   
Select **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="bkmrk-to-reason-cs-1" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TO REASON CS</span></span>** as the **input port** and  
</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**FROM REASON CS** as the **output port**.</span>

<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It should look like this and click OK.</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/vszudMMasFenxysR-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/vszudMMasFenxysR-image.png)

<p class="callout warning">No other application should be using these virtual MIDI ports.</p>

<p class="callout info"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When you run the Launcher app to start the apps and then you close Reason,   
the control surface app will quit as well after a couple of seconds. </span></p>

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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">To view the version or quit of the Reason Control Surface right click on the bar icon</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/whdwUtcLNmDYacLV-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/whdwUtcLNmDYacLV-image.png)

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">To quit click OK on the popup window:</span>

[![image.png](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/tktZ13iA9uX8zi3C-image.png)](https://kb.mpmidi.com/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/tktZ13iA9uX8zi3C-image.png)

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<p class="callout warning"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">When running the Launcher it takes a few seconds for Reason to send all the necessary data to the control surface. You can then select any device or track to control it.</span></p>

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Next: [Documentation](https://kb.mpmidi.com/books/mp-controller-documentation/page/2-reason-control-surface-documentation) <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">of the Reason Control Surface</span>

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