Customer Reviews

Propellerhead Reason 3.0 Recording Software

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I need to begin this review with an important disclaimer: I am an armchair musician, the kind of person who played an instrument in high school but hasn't been serious about music in a long time. I am also a person who loves gadgets, including musical ones like synths. I was bitten by the synth bug in the late '80s when I discovered techno music and the great analog masters of the '70s like Isao Tomita. (I remember having great times listening to Tomita and trying arrangements of 'The Planets' suite with a buddy from high school who had an Oberheim analog synth and a sequencer. Good times!)

In other words, I am . . . a dabbler. So this review is from a technophile, music-loving amateur's perspective.

It was actually Propellerhead's demo software that inspired me to take another crack at music as a hobby after many years away. I got myself a nice M-Audio keyboard and the full version of Reason and dived in. In short, I am in hog heaven.

Whether you are a dabbler or a pro, I suspect the first thing you will feel upon firing up Reason 3.0 is, "holy cow, there is a LOT of stuff here." The software is just insanely packed with features. Synths, effects modules, samplers, and more... It is literally like having a room full of hardware. And when you hit Tab the rack turns around so you can use virtual patch cords to wire everything up. And oh yeah -- it sounds great!

Reason has so many features, in fact, that it's intimidating for a new user. You'll quickly be making some good sounds, but getting the sound you had in mind to BEGIN WITH is where the skill comes in. It's like going from a Yugo to a race car: now you can adjust the suspension in 10 different ways, but how do you know what you want to do unless you are already a gearhead?

And this is why I mark Reason down from 5 to 4 stars: I wish it held my hand more. The manual isn't bad, but the program is so rich that I am going to have to invest in a tutorial package to get the most out of it. I can't blame Propellerhead TOO much, for admittedly I am a dabbler in a pro's world, but I suspect I am not alone in this feeling judging from the amount of 3rd party Reason products out there.

One thing for actual keyboard players to be aware of: since Reason uses your computer's CPU to generate sound, there is a small amount of latency between a key hit and the sound being produced. On my system, an Athlon 64 3000+, this delay is 34 milliseconds. That is hardly perceptible, but anyone used to a real hardware synth could find it annoying.

If you are a hardware junkie, get a keyboard controller with as many hardware inputs as possible. I am using a Radium M49, which has 9 sliders, 8 knobs, one foot pedal jack, plus the pitch and modulation wheel -- and when I am playing with the Reason synths, I wish I had more knobs. Of course you can twiddle all the virtual knobs with the mouse, but sometimes there is no substitute for the real thing.

Lastly, be sure to visit the publisher's web site. They have a lot of cool free downloads and user forums.

I hope this has been useful to other musical dabblers!

Reason 3.0 is, in effect, a collection of software simulations of various traditional hardware audio components -- synthesizers, samplers, effects, and mixers. The simulation is so thorough that the program even offers a back view of swinging cables. This approach has both advantages and limitations.

The advantage is that the hardware simulation format makes the software very easy to use for anyone already familiar with the real-world devices. The program would probably also be a good starting point for someone not yet familiar with this type of equipment, but who wants to learn before shelling out the big bucks necessary to equip a studio with the real stuff.

The disadvantage is that, by making a simulation of traditional hardware components, the program fails to exploit the true potential of software, which is to go well beyond (or at least, in a different direction than) hardware.

For example, the program includes two synthesizers. Both are reasonably robust, and offer enough knobs to twiddle to provide a wide range of sounds. However, the 2 synths you see are the 2 synths you get. True software synthesizers, such as Tassman or Reaktor, are effectively Lego kits of synthesizer components, building blocks from which a nearly infinite variety of synths can be built.

On the plus side, Reason is very simple to use, and comes with a good manual and plenty of presets. You can expect to be putting together decent sounding tracks the same day you install the software. In addition to the two synths, you get two samplers, a loop player, a drum machine, a variety of effects modules, and mastering tools. Another nice feature is the ability to assemble groups of components into one new module, using a tool called the Combinator, and then save it as just one module on the rack. The program is highly efficient on the CPU as well, allowing the build up of complicated textures without overloading the processor of a typical home computer.

On the negative side, the program is geared to specific styles of music (loop based techno and hip-hop, in 4/4 time). No worry if these are your bag, but generating music in any other style (or even meter) will likely prove difficult. Also, unlike a real rack, this one is not expandable; only the modules supplied with the software will work in the rack. So, unlike a "musical operating system" like SONAR or Cubase, you won't be able to plug in new synths, effects or other modules from third party designers.

Potential purchasers should note two things: (1) there is a nice demo version available for download on the Propellerhead website, so you can decide if you like the way the program sounds before you buy, and (2) you will need a MIDI keyboard, a decent sound card, and good monitors (speakers) in order to enjoy the program.

Overall, this is a great program for young musicians and amateurs of all ages who enjoy the styles of music the program is geared towards. More advanced musicians, or those wanting to work outside Reason's genres, would likely want to get more flexible programs, e.g. a set-up based on SONAR or Cubase and specialized plug-ins such as Reaktor and Tassman. That alternative will, however, be several times more expensive.

Propellerheads have done it again with his upgrade. The introduction of the Combinator is a superb addition that solves many problems. Most DAW's will only load 16 reason devices in rewire, what the Combinator does is enable one to essentially group modules together to be treated as a single instrument, enabling one to effectively break that barrier. The combinator can also be used to load full performance patches at the click of a mouse, with full key mapping, and the abilty to route device controls to the combinator front panel. I load a template of a 14:2 mixer and 14 combinators into my DAW, and I'm ready to roll, I can rewire as many Reason devices as I want, and either bring them into the daw as a stereo input, or I can bring them in to be mixed down in the DAW, in up to 62 channels.

One thing that sold me with Reason was the patch bay. I'm an old hardware hound, and I love the idea of being able to patch up any number of devices in numerous ways. Hit the tab button, and the devices are flipped around to reveal full CV, Gate, and audio patching, just as in a hardware rack. With 14:2, 6:2 mixers, and cv and audio mergers and splitters, which can be used in any combination and any number, anything can essentially be hooked up in any way, enabling numerous layerings of sound.

IMO, Reason's strength is it's flexibility. It can be used to make numerous genres of music. I frequently compose cross-genre, and Reason fills that bill perfectly. I've been able to successfully create works from trippy ambient, to neo-classical instrumental, to psychobilly. The orchestral samples are very good, but one needs to remember that these samples are recorded dry, so they need some TLC to shine. Reason has plenty to offer in that way, with excellent reverb, delay, distortion, and the like. The new M-Class mastering devices have solved the previous probs with Reason tracks sounding thin. I found out quite quickly that it is now possible to create a track with enough punch to blow a monitor if one isn't careful, (no, no tears in that way, but I came close).

I've always had trouble putting together a good, distorted guitar patch. With Reason, I pulled a clean Les Paul soundfont into the NN-XT sampler, used their scream 4 distortion on it, with some reverb, and voila! A distorted guitar patch that my friends can't distinguish from real!

On top of all this, I've found the program to be rock solid stable, with such low processor overhead that I've been able to load a dozen or more devices with very a low processor hit, (do note though, that this is on a machine with an athlon 2800+ processor, still, the low system requirements do amaze). This enables it to be run without choking your DAW when you rewire it. Too sum up, a friend of mine checked out the program when he came over for a visit, his words: "Someone put a lot of work into this program."

If you are looking for a very inspiring software, easy to use, something you can use for any type of music, look no further. Reason 3.0 is all that and much more. It is a musical "monster". It has great sounds through a great variety of devices (Malmstrom, NN-XT, ReDrum, Rex Loops, etc...) The sky is the limit.

I suggest you get the instructional DVD from Line 6 as well. For those who are looking for some great acoustic drum kits get the Smartloops Dry Drum kit CD of Pro Drum Works CD. You will never need a real studio drummer.

The ReWire funtion is great. You can hook up Reason 3.0 to Cubase, Live, Pro Tools etc...

I use Reason to create my backing tracks (drums, bass, keys & musical f/x) and then import the song into Cubase and then record guitar tracks in Cubase.

BTW, you should get yourself a MIDI controller, I got the M-Audio Oxygen 8v2 and works very nicely with Reason.

It is well worth the money.

Addendum - My original review of this software started with:

"Do not be swayed by those elitist reviewers who pan this program."

Now I realize what some of them were getting at - I still think this is a fantastic piece of software, especially for people who just want to have fun making computer music and are content staying in the Propellerhead playground (and it's a huge playground).

The issue is, aside from using the Rewire application to get Reason 3 synths out of the playground, you can't bring outside synths (VST plug ins) into the Reason 3 playground.

I very much like the Reason 3 sequencer, but I can't run a 3rd party VST synth with it, and that's what some other people are griping about here. Mea culpa.

Here's the rest of my original review;

If you're into electronic music and have ever invested any amount of money
in midi gear, only to find yourself wanting more after spending, say, $3,000,
then you should check out the easy to install free demo of Reason 3 available
on the Propellerhead.se (NOT .com) website. You'll go ape#$%*!

I can't fathom how these people managed to get this thing to do so much
for such a modest hardware requirement.

I have a P4 with only 256Mb of ram, and I have not experienced a single
crash yet, no matter how many devices I add to the virtual rack.

Any wimpy sounds in Reason can be beefed up using the
effects modules- show me a synth that doesn't have some "cheesy" sounds.

My only gripe is, I wish the rack components could be enlarged onscreen
like the sequencer window. Unless I'm overlooking a button or command
somewhere (entirely possible), I hope Propellerheads adds rack resizing
in a future version.

Again, get their demo! You can play with it for 20 minutes at a time,
and you'll know if it's right for you.

Pros:
Reason is a awsome way get a professional sound from your synth music quick. It includes some of the best sounds, synth, samples, and effects there are. The midi recording and automation options are exellent. You can self-contain your files, export to 24-bit or 16-bit audio, export as a midi, or publish the file for sharing. It is also compatible with tons of different midi keyboards.

Cons:
Not much is compatible with the program plugin wise. The instruments you get with the program is all you get. The Real Time effects while great quailty are not vast. And as far as i know any sort of plugin cost way too much. Most the refills are either extremely wack or a little too expensive. Importing audio can only be done in a sampler so if your audio file is long you have to restart from the beginning to hear it (not real time).

All in all I still use this program to this day and consider it one of the best there is. But you make the call. I would try this and Ableton Live and decide which you perfer.

I learned a hell of alot about producing through this amazing software. No, it does not accept vst's as effects or instruments, but you can rewire it into Cubase, Logic or whatever. It is a DAW, but not one that can record audio, however, if you have Recycle and like to make your own loops, you can upload your own rex2 files. It does have samplers which will accept any .wav files you throw at it. The synths are mean, the samplers are great, the effects are awesome and its an easy way to teach yourself how to produce. I highly recommend it. I use it alone and/or with Cubase SX 3, depending on what kind of a song I want to make. Have someone demo it for you and you'll see, its awesome!!! Get it!!!

I never tire of playing with this software, although I am not a professional musician or sound engineer. It allows you to create songs with a nearly limitless range of sounds, beats, and arrangements. I also enjoy visiting the Propellerhead Software Web site to check out songs from other artists, and analyze how those artists created different styles of music. Reason is really an inspiring tool for experimentation in musical composition.

Let me start off by saying that I haven't bought Reason. I am a user of FL Studio. I have, however, used Reason 3.0 extensively at my bandmate's house. I really like this program. If it were a plugin of some kind, I would give it 5 stars easily. However, it doesn't live up to it's price tag.

It does everything FL Studio does, but worse. The only exception is what you can do with the patch cables and the combinator. That, sadly, is limited, though. When my buddy first showed me the rear of the virtual rack in Reason, I got excited. Unfortunately, it's much less versatile than Propellerhead would have you to believe. With hardware, there are always adaptors to plug any output to any input. You can even plug inputs to inputs. I have gotten many interesting sounds by plugging in cables in ways that the manufacturers didn't anticipate. Unfortunately, you can't experiment on that kind of level in Reason.

Aside from that irregular complaint, there's so much more that makes this package not worth the price. For one thing, you can't use any VSTs or 3rd party effects. You're limited to the "hardware" that Reason comes with. PERIOD. In the case of the two synths and the advanced sampler, it might be enough, but as a FL Studio user, I can tell you that this limits your creativity immensely. Add this to the fact that the sequencer is clunky and ill concieved, and you have what should be the best plug-in ever.

Luckily, you can use Reason inside of FL Studio with Rewire. That's all this proggie should have ever been in the first place. Four hundred bucks? Don't make me laugh. This is nothing but a glorified VSTi.

I've went through many softwares for music composition, including but not limited to composer, sibelius, finale, etc. However, I'd like to say that this is the best program that I have seen so far. The visualizations you get with the software (it's like controlling all the different equipments but with your mouse instead of your hand) as well as the awesome sounds (compared to the other programs I've used/standard midi sound - I believe reason uses sample recordings of actual instruments... the keyboard sounds are especially good). I do agree that this software is geared towards more of electronica music than the 'classical' types; nevertheless, this program provides far superior sounds as well as so many 'built-in sound controls' so that you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on those expensive equipments (unless you're a professional studio musician.. who have the financial resources to afford it)
I am not sure if reason is planning on fixing this problem, but the only thing that I did not like about Reason was that they did not have the sheet music that I could actually look at (like finale or composer - I don't know if they've fixed the problem or are planning on fixing this). Other than this, I cannot just praise enough about how much I love this program and frankly, 400 is not that expensive considering what you're getting for your bucks. If you're considering buying a music comp software, then this is the one to buy for sure.