Customer Reviews

Propellerhead Record Reason Duo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After having used Ableton, Cubase, Dr. T's KCS, Logic, Creator/Notator, Vegas, Fruity Loops, Cool Edit Pro, and ProTools, I tried out Reason (v3 & v4). At first I didn't like them, or even understand them. Then I had the pleasure to try the Reason/Record Duo version 5 bundle, after I already had some experience and became comfortable with Reason. At that moment my life changed. I saw the entire history of my experience with music software pass before my eyes. Even more a light went on inside my head, and a hopeful message: may the computer never ruin your musical idea again.

In a sense I wish I had never seen any other software. It tainted my brain. I wish I had Reason/Record ten years ago. I am trying to erase the horrendous memory of configuration problems and VST plug-ins from my head entirely as I delve further into this highly functional music creation tool.

With Reason and Record everything just works. You can get into funny routing but the truth is you never even need to "flip" the rack if you don't want to. Non-technical musician types will jump for joy at the pure effectiveness of this recording tool. Once you are up and running you might never launch Reason by itself again. All I ever do at this point is launch Record, which essentially has the full-blown Reason inside, beating like a heart.

Comparing this solution to others is almost impossible as the user-interface for recording audio tracks combined with the built-in instruments makes this product unlike anything I have ever used. Sadly, I lump almost everything else I've tried into a category I can only refer to as "pain-in-the-butt software". At the end of the day, for a musician, these products are all about what you get done, how you get it done, and IF you get it done. Other products I've tried have been so problematic I dare say many of them completely prevent creativity. I've had musical ideas that completely disappeared after 45 minutes of messing around with plug-in problems and deciphering the basic routing of audio signals. With Reason 5 / Record 1.5 it seems these issues are gone for good!

I always celebrate software tools that excel in quality user-interfaces and ease-of-use for people who are NOT technically inclined. This is why we buy computers. Propellerhead Software has created the killer-audio-app of the century that I can say without hesitation completely warrants the purchase of entire computer system. This is a turn-key solution of epic magnitude, and it strikes me as very odd that every musician I know has heard of Reason but nobody has heard of Record. Thus my desire to write this review. I see people constantly going into studios so the "Pro Tools guy" can make their record. This program doesn't need a separate "guy". All it needs is you.

Set up is a breeze. Although, I'm a little more advanced than your beginner. I have an M-Audio FastTrack Pro, and I have a several MIDI controllers in the studio. A little complicated, but well worth it.

I've been messing with the demo for a while now, and LOVED the interface. Now with the Reason 5 and Record 1.5, I feel it is now a complete DAW and recording suite. Now I just have to save up for ReCycle, and I'm complete for a home studio for hip-hop. And with Record, I can record acoustic guitars and/or vocals. Comes with a mastering suite, so this can be your all in one (although I prefer ProTools mastering suite).

I'd say try it out from the direct download if you're not sure. You get 30 days to mess around with it. . .

I don't have to say much, but you can probably find videos on youtube or from the Propellerheads website.


UPDATED
Nevermind. . .I won't need ReCycle any more. . . .It's now all internal!!!! Wish I could add 3 more stars for that!!!!

I bought Reason 1.0 back in 2000 after downloading the demo and hitting the tab key. Reason (and Record) is engineered to be like a rack system. When you hit the tab key you see the back of the rack with all the patch cords, and you can rewire everything to your heart's content. When I saw that I was like... "Oh, I have to get this." Since I was used to having an actual rack, the whole thing made a lot of sense to me.

The big problem back in 2000 was the sequencer, which was not exactly what one would call robust. So I used Reason in Rewire mode for 10 years with Performer, which was great because I love Performer's sequencer (thanks Propellerhead for making Rewire so easy). I would run Performer and record all the audio tracks there, using Reason as a sort of auxiliary rack for a lot of sample playback and synths. Along with the VST instruments in Performer it's still a great way to work.

After skipping a couple Reason upgrades I finally decided to upgrade to Reason 5 and included Record 1.5, which is a great deal for any previous Reason owner. All I can say is wow, they finally did it. The sequencer is so much better. I wish it had the functionality of the Performer sequencer with its transpose and split notes features (for instance), but it's a very very easy sequencer to use making things like automation data a breeze.

The other great thing about the improved sequencer is the use of Blocks. I am used to using Chunks in Performer so it was a no-brainer for me, but the Propellerhead Blocks have a feature where you can very quickly mute specific tracks within the Blocks and actually override the Block content with variations for lead-ins and bridges. This is way easier than what I'm used to doing in Performer.

This is a great software product. I agree with the other reviewer here that it is one of the best software products you will ever own. It seems to be crashproof. I just can't seem to break it. I tend to try rather unorthodox patches between instruments and samples in order to create new sounds, but it never seems to complain.

If you are thinking of getting into music on the computer, don't bother with any other product. Reason and Record will make your life so much easier. This is a product that will serve you well for many many years.

I'll talk about the value of the product for its intended use in a moment, but I want to start out by saying that Reason/Record are, in my opinion, the best written software of any kind in the world. Doesn't matter whether you're talking about operating systems, word processing or spreadsheet programs, or anything else, the guys at Propellerheads have their software development act together and they have an incredibly elegant sense of design and a skilled group of programmers to make it work, along with a determination to not ship until the product is rock solid. As a result the products are simply a joy to use and things like crashes are rare to non-existent.

Another secondary source of awesomeness for the products are their licensing. You can basically install the software on as many Mac *and* Windows systems as you need, and you can either use the included USB security dongle to enable the software on the computer you're sitting at, OR instead if you have an internet connection you can enable the license through the internet by giving your account login information (the same as you would use on the Prop's web site, OR you can run the software in "demo mode" which allows every operation normally, including saving your work, but you can't load files in demo mode. This is significantly better than most other high-end DAW software which may require the use of a USB dongle all the time, or use some invasive node-locking mechanism, and/or may prohibit your installing the software on more than one system. The Props license tries hard to ensure that the software will always be available when and where you need it, while taking reasonable actions to prevent piracy (IMHO). They don't make you feel like a criminal before you even open the box, and interacting with the company is always pleasant.

Record/Reason are not the #1 "DAW" type application (that's probably still ProTools) and the way the programs work is a bit different than others, but like Apple's tight control of the iPhone experience, the fact that Record/Reason don't support plug-in modules like VSTs means they can provide a consistent experience and complete stability/reliability. Most Record/Reason users love this, some non-users hate it, so it depends on what you're looking for.

These programs are, as I said, just a joy to use, even if the type of music they're usually most famously used to make isn't your cup of tea. I can strongly recommend these programs for any creative person, whether musician or computer tinkerer. Their depth is incredible, and the possibilities are endless.

This item is the current version (as of late 2010) of Reason (5.0) and Record (1.5) and will probably remain so until some time in later 2012 if the development cycle remains similar to previous versions.

This item is a bundle of Reason, which provides most of the sound synthesis and shaping tools, along with Record 1.5, which is a DAW-like audio recording and arranging program that embeds all of Reason within itself when both are installed together.

See the manufacturer's web site at propellerheads.se for more information and if you want to download the almost fully-functional demo version of the programs to try them out.

Record and Reason are just some of the most FUN you can have with a computer if you have any interest in music, rhythm, sound, etc.

Highest recommendation!

G.

$395 (going price when I bought it): expensive, indeed. Worth twice that price.

NO bugs. Propellerhead knows beta, and they know how a software release should be done.

Simple interface, yet deep and complex if you want it to be.

A musician's dream come true. How do you record? Add audio track, hit record button. How do you record a synth? Add instrument, hit record button.

Yup, AWESOME. No negatives. Not even nitpicky stuff to let you know the software isn't perfect, because it is perfect. Reason was my first software crush, and now that I have Record, I'm in love.

Record turns Reason into a One-Stop-Shop powerful tool.

I haven't come across any sound I can't create, or any effect I can't build.

Having messed around with ProTools and Analogue sythns for years, Reason/Record is way more productive tool for me to have it all on one platform.

It is compatable with most MIDI instruments.


Biggest of all - "It has NEVER Glitched or Crashed on me once!"


I understand there is a war about which DAW is the best. The best is to have full analogue racks and go into ProTools. Until that day, these DAWs are all virtually the same.

What it comes down to, is what logical meathod you use to create your ideas.

Reason emulates old gear in a visual way, which is the way I learned, and the way I create.

You can't go wrong with Propellerhead, even if its just a stepping stone to a DAW that suits you better.