{{notability, date=January 2014 REX2 is a proprietary type of audio sample loop file format developed by

Reason Studios Reason Studios (formerly known as Propellerhead Software) is a music software company, based in Stockholm, Sweden, and founded in 1994. It produces the studio emulation Reason. History Propellerhead Software was founded in 1994 by Ernst ...

, a

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music software company. It is one of the most popular and widely supported loop file formats for

sequencer Sequencer may refer to: Technology * Drum sequencer (controller), an electromechanical system for controlling a sequence of events automatically * DNA sequencer, a machine used to automatically produce a sequence readout from a biological DNA sam ...

and

digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integr ...

software. It is supported by PreSonus Studio One, Reason Studios

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Cakewalk

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, MOTU Digital Performer, MOTU Mach 5 (software sampler), and Synapse Audio Orion Platinum, among others. REX files are named after the three-letter filename suffix for " ReCycle EXport," as these are files generated by Reason Studios's ReCycle looping utility. The

filename extension A filename extension, file name extension or file extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file (e.g., .txt, .docx, .md). The extension indicates a characteristic of the file contents or its intended use. A filename extension is typically ...

s for the file format are .rex and .rx2.

REX file format and use

REX2 loops are created in ReCycle by analyzing audio files to locate zero crossings in the waveform, usually at the start of a beat or other rhythmic point. The file is then divided into "slices" delineated by these markers (a form of

metadata Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...

). This allows compatible DAW software to adjust the playback start time of each slice, so that the loop can dynamically match the tempo of a song without altering the pitch of the loop, as would normally happen if the audio file was slowed down or sped up. Depending on the host software, individual slices can be triggered via

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...

notes, and individually tuned up and down in pitch if desired. Royalty free REX2 Loop and sample collections are now available from many sources. The original REX format was mono only; REX2 supports

mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanes ...

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

files. The REX2 format uses a proprietary

compression algorithm In information theory, data compression, source coding, or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation. Any particular compression is either lossy or lossless. Lossless compressio ...

that can reduce the file size by up to 60%.

References

REX
(on the Reason Studios website)

Audio Engineering Reddit post

REX file format and use

References

See also