# The Combinator

> All 32 rotaries and 32 buttons of the selected Combinator, showing only the ones the patch uses, with a patch page for browsing.

Source: https://www.reasonremote.com/guide/combinator/  
Applies to: Reason Remote 1.4.0, Reason Remote Lite 1.3.0

Select a Combinator in the rack and the deck follows it, like any instrument. The dials hold its rotaries and the keys hold its buttons.

A Combinator's panel is different in every patch, and Reason only gives a control surface the names `Rotary 1` and `Button 7`. The deck shows those names until you give it a [layout](https://www.reasonremote.com/guide/combinator-layouts/). Many patches get one automatically.

## The Combinator page

*The Combinator page, full version. Keys: Patch, Button 1, Button 2, Button 3, Layout, Button 4, Button 5, Next. Dials: Rotary 1, Rotary 2, Rotary 3, Rotary 4.*

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dials | The rotaries, one row of the Combinator panel at a time |
| Pads | The buttons. A lit pad is on. |
| **Patch** | Opens the [patch page](#the-patch-page) |
| **Layout** | Shows which layout is in use. See [Combinator layouts](https://www.reasonremote.com/guide/combinator-layouts/#the-layout-key). |
| **Next** / **Prev** | More buttons, six to a page |

In Lite, the first key is **Back** to the hub, and the first page has four pads.

## The dials

Each dial holds eight rows of rotaries. Row 1 is Rotaries 1–4, row 2 is Rotaries 5–8, and so on down to Rotary 32.

- **Press a dial** to step to the next row.
- **Hold and turn** to sweep through the rows.

## Only what the patch uses

The deck shows only the rotaries and buttons the patch actually wires up. An Init Patch shows one row of dials and four pads. A patch that uses twelve rotaries shows three rows. It follows the patch as you browse, with nothing to set up.

A layout can override this for any control. See [which controls are shown](https://www.reasonremote.com/guide/combinator-layouts/#which-controls-are-shown).

## The patch page

**Patch** opens a page for browsing patches, so you can hear them without leaving the deck.

*The Combinator's patch page. Keys: Back, Prev, Next, Run, Bypass. Dials: Mixer Level, Select Patch, Pitch, Mod.*

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Prev** / **Next** | Previous or next patch |
| **Run** | Starts and stops the Combinator's pattern devices |
| **Bypass** | Bypass All FX |
| Dial 2 | Turn to browse patches. The strip shows the patch name. |

## Good to know

- A control nobody has touched since you selected the Combinator may show no value until you turn it. It works from the first turn, and then its value follows Reason.
- The dials and pads work with no layout file. A layout only changes what the deck shows.
- To play a patch while you browse, use the [Piano](https://www.reasonremote.com/guide/piano/#instrument-dials-on-the-piano) and borrow the Combinator's dials.

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