The legendary sample editor ReCycle just got an overhaul and is now back for free!
Younglings might not recognize how huge this is for a lot of the veteran producers out there, but this piece of classic software is now over thirty years old.
Want to change up your workflow and tweak a piece of history? Try producing like it’s the nineties.
Originally developed in 1994 by Propellerhead Software, ReCycle was innovative in its ability to alter a slice of audio without changing the tempo or pitch and has been important for a lot of the electronic music we’ve come to love today.
Its transient detection system was a game-changer that automatically musically sliced audio parts, giving strained eyes and sore fingers from late-night hardware sampling a much-needed alternative.
When you’ve loaded your audio sample, increasing the “Sensitivity” slider will automatically make more and more chops. Apply further processing with the built-in transient shaper, EQ, envelope designer, and a stretch effect, and preview the slices you’ve made.
Check out this full walkthrough of ReCycle to see what it’s all about:
When you’re happy, save your samples as a rex file and start playing, beat juggling, remixing, and sample swapping!
What is a rex file, you might ask. Reason Studios explains as follows:
“REX is the native file format of ReCycle. A REX file contains the original audio of the loop, the slices you have applied in ReCycle, and any effects or processing you have added in ReCycle. REX files are also compressed, using a non-lossy compression technique to save some precious hard drive space”
Rex technology is also available for third parties and works with DAWs like Ableton, Protools, Cubase, FL Studio, Reaper, and more.
Reason Studios is celebrating its re-release with a beat contest “ReCycle the beat”. Download a sample from their website, flip the audio with ReCycle or software of your choice, and make a track. Upload to Soundcloud with hashtag #tecyclethebeat
The contest is hosted by none other than Grammy-winning producer Don Cannon, so get your groove on before the 16th of April.
Download: ReCycle (FREE)
Last Updated on April 3, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
