Flatpack Vol.1-3 Stylus RMX Xpanders

The Flatpack concept is to create fully tweakable instruments and modular sound sources rather than sample patches.

FLATPACK 1

Flatpack 1 was born out of our desire to make a truly portable version of our vintage analog synth studio. FP1 predates the Combinator, so we had to use a combination of thoughtful sampling and patch design to recreate our instruments with Reason's basic devices. Since then, we've been able to add to Flatpack 1 by creating Combinator updates, available to download by registered users.

The Flatpack Philosophy

We tried plenty of off the shelf sample libraries with Reason, but never seemed to get the control and nuances of a true analogue based synth set-up.

Flatpack is not a sample CD that happens to support the Reason ReFill format. It's a bespoke sound source, tailored to take full advantage of Reason's sample and synth manipulation features. Experimenting with Reason's ReDrum module, we realised with skilful sampling, the controls could be made to emulate our classic drum machines. Flatpack combines our vintage signal path with 24- bit recording to get the deepest and crispest sounding patches.

Flatpack a warm, lush library of multi-sampled pads and textures. And for added measure, we threw in some distinct and atmospheric instruments like the Hohner Melodica.

The Reason Malstrom and Subtractor synths provided us with more opportunities to explore the weird and wonderful.

Our rule of thumb for patches, drum samples, and REX loops is simple: no fillers. There's no point in packing a library with samples you skim over to find the good ones.

FLATPACK 2

Flatpack 2 is the second release from Flatpack Productions Limited and Lapjockey, following on from the award winning Flatpack 1 refill.

FP2 is one of the first refills to take advantage of Reason 3's hugely expanded possibilities, opening the doors to true synth creation and analogue instrument emulation. Flatpack 2 has an even greater wealth of raw element samples, drums, rich textures and ambient soundscapes, perfect for both music production and sound design. The Flatpack 2 Refill is built largely around 4 new instrument concepts constructed within Reason's Combinator environment, and because of the endless programming possibilities, you'll find numerous variations of the following shells.

Flatpack on the Reason Factory Sound Bank
Our work on Kilburn for Flatpack 2 laid the foundation for part of the material in the Raw Waveform Sample section on Reason's Factory Sound Bank. For example, Flatpack produced Reason 3's SH101, Minimoog, Prophet, SQ80, and CS80 sampled components.

FLATPACK 3

Flatpack 3 is the latest in the award-winning series of ReFills for electronic music producers and sound designers.

Reason 4 Ready
FP3 has been in development almost as long as the Reason 4 Factory Sound Bank, and is designed entirely for Reason 4. No surprises then that the Combinators make full use of the new sounds possible with Thor and RPG-8. The enhanced Combinator, and Thor's deep CV routing capabilities have also been used to gain a new level of control of patches.

Thor Inside
Flatpack 3 showcases Thor in several areas:

Thor Sounds
FP3 includes a library of straight Thor patches.

Synth Starter Patches
Thor is a deep modular synth. We've provided a collection of starting points that will let you create your own sounds using a variety of classic synthesis techniques.

Combinators
Thors are used in many of our Combi patches alongside sampled material - a 'best of both worlds' approach.

New Instruments for you Rack
At Flatpack we want to create instruments, not sample libraries. At the heart of FP3 are four families of Combinator 'shells' from which we have built our patches: boxmoor II, darwin, element, rex dex II.

Modular Construction Kit
FP3 is designed so that you can build your own sounds within our Combinator shells. The ReFill is carefully packed so that all devices within the Combis link back to the raw materials in the FP3 source library. Click on the patch or sample browser in any Thor, NN19, Redrum kit, Redrum channel, etc. and immediately swap it out for a different sound. The effects devices also link to Flatpack 2 if it's in your Reason folder.

home page: