Users' Guide to Propellerhead Reason 2 [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ Debbie Poyser (Author), Derek Johnson (Author) "The first thing we want to say is: congratulations on choosing Propellerhead's Reason software..." (more)
Key Phrases: main sequencer, env attack, mod wheel amount, Propellerhead Reason, Scale Tempo, Patch Browser (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stuffed with quick-start tutorials, tips and info boxes, it's a must have for all dedicated Reason users." -- Music Tech Magazine

"The perfect book to have next to your machine." -- Digital Creative Arts Magazine

Product Description

Get up and running with Propellerhead Reason 2 in no time! The expert authors begin by explaining how to install and set up the program on a Mac or PC and then walk you through every separate Reason device with hands-on tutorials. Whether you are a new user or a more experienced Reason musician, you will find out how to get the most from the musical phenomenon that is Reason.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (December 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929685777
• ISBN-13: 978-1929685776
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #909,110 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secrets of Reason Laid Bare, June 9, 2003

By	Theodore Whitfield (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Reason is a software program for making music, typically (but not necessarily) with an electronic or techno style. The program features synthesizers, samplers, a drum machine, a loop player, a mixer, and a wide range of effects, and is the REAL THING -- lots of professionals use this software on a daily basis, and the quality of the sounds are excellent. This book is currently the only intermediate level book available on the program; Craig Anderton's "Getting Started" text is really more of a basic beginner's introduction.

Johnson and Poyser's book is excellent. The chapters are well-written, cover all the features of the program, and contain lots of insightful comments. I've been using Reason now for almost two years, and working through the book really helped me to take my understanding of the subtleties of the program to a new level. You'd have to be one awesome power user to not get anything out of this work! Especially nice are the applications: after a discussion of how some component works, the authors then describe a little project in great detail so that you can actually use the technique to make some interesting sounds. These tips are a great addition to anyone's bag of tricks, and (in my opinion) are alone worth the price of the book.

If you're just getting started with synths and computer music, you should bear two things in mind. First, there's a lot of technical information about how synths & samplers etc. work, and if you're not familiar with these concepts then you might find the whole subject of working in Reason a bit daunting. In other words, if you learn how to modulate your filter cutoff with an LFO, but you don't know what a filter cutoff is or what an LFO does, the information does you little good. The authors do try to discuss this, and since I already know this stuff it's hard for me to really determine how it works for a complete beginner, but it's just something to be aware of. The other caveat is that the book is very thorough, and while that makes it great as a reference you might find it difficult to see the forest for the trees, especially if you're just starting out.

In summary: if you're completely new to making music on your computer and/or the technical world of synths and samplers, you might want to invest in the "Getting Started" guide by Craig Anderton just to get rolling. But if you're at all serious about developing your Reason chops, Johnson and Poyser are a must-have.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The essential user's manual for Reason, September 1, 2003

By	Matthew Tomich (Basel, Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reason is an intuitive program whose interface mirrors much of the hardware that you'll find in a studio. Whether you have hands-on studio experience or have never loaded a music software program before, this book is the definitive guide to Reason.

The book starts out with a clear introduction in the basics of sound synthesis, MIDI, latency, and other issues surrounding compuer-based music. By the end of the first hands-on chapter, you'll have confidently created your first sounds with Reason.

Each chapter thoroughly goes through each device in Reason 2.0, describing the philosophy, abilities, and limits of each. Even Reason pros will likely find revelations, as the authors constantly find creative uses of Reason's control voltage (CV) modeling, as well as great ideas on how to create an arpeggiator, layer synth sounds in Subtractor, or work around Reason's lack of a feature for tempo changes.

This book is suitable for Reason 1.0 and 2.5 as well. The authors point out the differences with 1.0 (and even point out how to get around them, like how to manually create a synched LFO in 1.0, a feature that was introduced in 2.0.) Even with the recent 2.5 update this book is still essential. The 2.5 update adds four new effects and an audio and CV linking/splitting component but does not replace or update any of the core devices in 2.0 that are thoroughly covered here.

This is a clear and well-written guide that in a perfect world would come enclosed with every copy of Reason. If you're a Reason user, don't bother reading any more reviews. Just read this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and fun to read!, February 17, 2003

By	Isaac Suarez (Bammental, Germany) - See all my reviews

This book covers just about everything there is to know about Reason 2.0. It has many examples, screenshots, and it is easy and fun to read. The book is great for beginners, but not boring for advanced users, I think everyone can profit from this book. It is also an excellent reference for use when working (This is great since the Reason handbook is not available in printed form).

I love the book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get full usage of the reason program.