I will explain in this tutorial how to trigger both the carrier and modulator signal from a vocoder with one note on signal. This will enable you for instance, to play back melodies with a vocoded voice on your MIDI-controller. It's like the elektronik thing in Malstrom. We will accomplish this using the NN-XT.

(note: in Reason 3.0, this sort of stuff can probably easily be obtained using the famous combinator I think, so this tutorial is mainly for Reason 2.x users)

• Create an NN-XT Advanced Sampler
• Load a good patch with samples you want to be using as the vocoder's carrier. This is typically a synth-sound, like the LEADSYNTH patch in the Factory Sound Bank.
• Make sure the remote editor is out (the part that makes the NN-XT such a huge device when unfolded).
• Right-click somewhere in the key map display (the blue part, that's probably allready stuffed up from the patch you loaded in the previous step). Select Add zone from the context menu.
• Select de keyzone you just created, and press the little blue folder to load the sample you want to use as vocoder modulator. This is typically a vocal sample.
• With that just-created zone still selected, turn the Pitch kbd. Track knob all the way to the left. This will cause the modulator sample to be played back with its "normal" pitch all along the keyboard. This is exactly what we want. Also, turn the output knob to set the output for this zone to 3-4.
• Create a vocoder below the NN-XT
• Press TAB to bring up the rear sides of your devices. Connect audio output channels 1 and 2 from the NN-XT to the vocoder's carrier input, in the case they weren't connected automatically yet. Now audio output 3 from the NN-XT to the modulator input on the vocoder. You can press TAB again for normal view.
• Done! Every note you play back now on this NN-XT, will play back the vocal sample, "vocoded" to the desired pitch.