Reason fanboy's thread

[krucial]

No i don't think it "sounds" great but i like the track, which was my point. It sounds digital, don't get any warmth vibe from it here.

Dont underestimate the impact of professional mastering.

Seriously tho there is no Reason sound. Are you really going to tell me you would have known Mikkas was using Reason if you just heard his stuff in a club or on the radio somewhere?

[kenporter]

The music is right up my alley too, but it definitely sounds reason. Will check out Lucky date. Cheers

I tend to agree with 90% of your comments, but this one I don't. Personally, I don't think it sounds like Reason at all. If I wouldn't know better I would have never guessed that he is using 100% Reason. May just be me. Then again I don't think that it really matters in the end, because he is selling a lot of music and has sold out gigs and the listener doesn't care what DAW was used to make awesome music.

This being said, and not trying to plug my own music, but do you think this sounds like Reason too to you?

http://intuitionmusic.bandcamp.com/trac ... rkest-hour

Ken

[Reason101]

I have to wonder here because I really don't understand how a "DAW" has a certain "sound"? It's not the DAW, it's the person using the DAW that is making the sound. The sound designer / musician is responsible for the sound. And I don't care what DAW you use, they're all more than capable.

If you are listening to something and saying "that sounds like Reason" I think you're barking up the wrong tree. You may as well say "that color looks like photoshop."

You can blame the tools all you want, but if you're a good sound designer / musician / producer, it's not going to matter what DAW you use. You'll make some amazing sounds.

Period.

And no one is going to care what DAW you used to create them.

Cheers!

[kenporter]

I have to wonder here because I really don't understand how a "DAW" has a certain "sound"? It's not the DAW, it's the person using the DAW that is making the sound. The sound designer / musician is responsible for the sound. And I don't care what DAW you use, they're all more than capable.

If you are listening to something and saying "that sounds like Reason" I think you're barking up the wrong tree. You may as well say "that color looks like photoshop."

You can blame the tools all you want, but if you're a good sound designer / musician / producer, it's not going to matter what DAW you use. You'll make some amazing sounds.

Period.

And no one is going to care what DAW you used to create them.

Cheers!

I think he is commenting more on the actual instruments and effects included in Reason rather than the DAW part. There are a lot of instruments that sound thin etc., and I am sure there are definitely some sounds where you can say yeah that this one and that's this one. I think Subtractor can sound thin just by itself, but I would never suggest that about Thor. And with the new REs that Reason sound is even less and less obvious. I do agree with Theo that CPU handling of REs could be much better compared to their VST/AU counterpart though.

Anyway, I still think that Mikkas is a great example of a Reason user where I would have never guessed that he uses Reason.

Unless you use Subtractor and Malstrom on all tracks I don't think you would be able to tell that a track is made in Reason these days. My 2 cents.

Ken

[Tronam]

No i don't think it "sounds" great but i like the track, which was my point. It sounds digital, don't get any warmth vibe from it here. Will listen to his other stuff though, obviously the guy is talented

He is indeed and quite evangelical about his love of Reason, but warm and fuzzy is certainly not his style. A while back he tweeted this example saying something like "It's amazing what you can do with one instance of Subtractor:"
http://soundcloud.com/mikkasmusic/basstest/s-n8Plg

If you want warm and fuzzy, then you listen to pretty much anything by Daniel "Mr. Uplifting Trance" Kandi Heck, even after all these years he's *still* using Reason 3. A recent example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqd1oEyDhQE
*For vocal remixes he'll take the projects over to his friend's place where they'll bring the vocals into Reason 6 to finish the mix. Funnily enough, they don't use any rack extensions at all.

[Reason101]

I think he is commenting more on the actual instruments and effects included in Reason rather than the DAW part. There are a lot of instruments that sound thin etc., and I am sure there are definitely some sounds where you can say yeah that this one and that's this one. I think Subtractor can sound thin just by itself, but I would never suggest that about Thor. And with the new REs that Reason sound is even less and less obvious. I do agree with Theo that CPU handling of REs could be much better compared to their VST/AU counterpart though.

Anyway, I still think that Mikkas is a great example of a Reason user where I would have never guessed that he uses Reason.

Unless you use Subtractor and Malstrom on all tracks I don't think you would be able to tell that a track is made in Reason these days. My 2 cents.

Ken

I've heard tracks done using only SubTractor that sound stunning. It's in the way you layer multiple SubTractors, EQ, Compression, and other effects.

Lock yourself in a room for a month or two with only the SubTractor as an instrument. Add any effects you like in Reason, but don't use any other instruments. I'd be willing to bet you could come out with something that would make your own jaw drop.

There's no reason that Reason can't sound exactly the way you want it to -- again, it's not the tools, it's the person using the tools.

[kenporter]

I think he is commenting more on the actual instruments and effects included in Reason rather than the DAW part. There are a lot of instruments that sound thin etc., and I am sure there are definitely some sounds where you can say yeah that this one and that's this one. I think Subtractor can sound thin just by itself, but I would never suggest that about Thor. And with the new REs that Reason sound is even less and less obvious. I do agree with Theo that CPU handling of REs could be much better compared to their VST/AU counterpart though.

Anyway, I still think that Mikkas is a great example of a Reason user where I would have never guessed that he uses Reason.

Unless you use Subtractor and Malstrom on all tracks I don't think you would be able to tell that a track is made in Reason these days. My 2 cents.

Ken

I've heard tracks done using only SubTractor that sound stunning. It's in the way you layer multiple SubTractors, EQ, Compression, and other effects.

Lock yourself in a room for a month or two with only the SubTractor as an instrument. Add any effects you like in Reason, but don't use any other instruments. I'd be willing to bet you could come out with something that would make your own jaw drop.

There's no reason that Reason can't sound exactly the way you want it to -- again, it's not the tools, it's the person using the tools.

Just to make sure we are on the same page, I am a Reason fanboy too "defending" its sound.

I guess the point I was trying to make was that I don't think the Reason sound like people call it is really valid except maybe Subtractor and Malstrom. Sure, I could probably make them work, but I personally rather use Thor and now some REs as well. Point is I don't think Reason sounds plasticy and Mikkas' music is a great example. There is no way that people could tell that he uses Reason. There are more, Koan Sound, Kill The Noise, Lucky Date etc. are all great examples of how great Reason can sound.

This being said I would love to hear tracks only done with Subtractor and Malsteom and see if they really blow me away.

Ken

[Reason101]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that I don't think the Reason sound like people call it is really valid except maybe Subtractor and Malstrom. Sure, I could probably make them work, but I personally rather use Thor and now some REs as well. Point is I don't think Reason sounds plasticy and Mikkas' music is a great example. There is no way that people could tell that he uses Reason. There are more, Koan Sound, Kill The Noise, Lucky Date etc. are all great examples of how great Reason can sound.

This being said I would love to hear tracks only done with Subtractor and Malsteom and see if they really blow me away.

Ken

I know we're both in the same camp championing Reason. It's just frustrating when I hear someone (not you) talk about how "Reason sounds thin" when in actuality, what they mean to say is "the person who created the track they are listening to didn't know how to make Reason sound non-reason, or different from the presets"

I actually once heard someone use several Malstroms to imitate a complex rainforest with buzzing bees, bird calls, frogs, swamp sounds, rain, etc. It was elaborate and quite incredible.

I know Bitley had a few tracks using only SubTractor that sounded very impressive. And Ed Bauman's work is quite incredible as he recreates many popular tunes using only Reason. That alone should be a testament to how Reason and Reason instruments are NOT the problem.

I would provide links to all these things, but of course the PH forums aren't up ATM.

From one fanboy to another: Cheers!

[Tronam]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that I don't think the Reason sound like people call it is really valid except maybe Subtractor and Malstrom. Sure, I could probably make them work, but I personally rather use Thor and now some REs as well. Point is I don't think Reason sounds plasticy and Mikkas' music is a great example. There is no way that people could tell that he uses Reason. There are more, Koan Sound, Kill The Noise, Lucky Date etc. are all great examples of how great Reason can sound.

This being said I would love to hear tracks only done with Subtractor and Malsteom and see if they really blow me away.

Ken

Actually, that's pretty much what that 2013 Daniel Kandi remix is made up of: lots of Subtractors, a few Malstrom using the Sawtooth*16 oscillator for the big washy background pads and lots of NN19s for percussion and fx. Oh, and lots of PEQ-2. Yep, the little red EQ. Old school!

Here's another Reason user:
http://soundcloud.com/jovinder/grafton- ... -more-life
I'm pretty sure Bitley's amazing Fairlight refill is being showcased here a bit. Frankly, I think only a Swede could get away with being this deliciously retro.

[Reason101]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that I don't think the Reason sound like people call it is really valid except maybe Subtractor and Malstrom. Sure, I could probably make them work, but I personally rather use Thor and now some REs as well. Point is I don't think Reason sounds plasticy and Mikkas' music is a great example. There is no way that people could tell that he uses Reason. There are more, Koan Sound, Kill The Noise, Lucky Date etc. are all great examples of how great Reason can sound.

This being said I would love to hear tracks only done with Subtractor and Malsteom and see if they really blow me away.

Ken

Actually, that's pretty much what that 2013 Daniel Kandi remix is made up of: lots of Subtractors, a few Malstrom using the Sawtooth*16 oscillator for the big washy background pads and lots of NN19s for percussion and fx. Oh, and lots of PEQ-2. Yep, the little red EQ. Old school!

Here's another Reason user:
http://soundcloud.com/jovinder/grafton- ... -more-life
I'm pretty sure Bitley's amazing Fairlight refill is being showcased here a bit. Frankly, I think only a Swede could get away with being this deliciously retro.

I keep trying to find the "like" button.

Oh yeah, +1. There it is.

[Tronam]

For those who like more ambient, atmospheric style sounds, Michael Kastrup (probably most well known on KVR for his excellent Zebra soundbanks) has created some impressive generative music combinators in Reason. Check out his video demonstrating his "Musical Landscape Generator":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni0mhp0sCgU
What's kind of surprising about it when looking inside is that there isn't really much in the way of "advanced" effects going on under the hood, not even an RV7000. Just a few well tuned delays and reverb; the ones that came with Reason 1.0. It just goes to show that having a skilled ear for what sounds good matters more than anything else. Good producers can find the sweet spots in almost any sound source and bend it to their will. This gear/skill dynamic applies to so many other fields as well. Photography is another art form that's so often buried in gearhead culture, but a skilled photographer can make a compelling photograph with pretty much any camera you put in their hand. Much like with audio production, pair that with some equally skillful post-processing and the end result becomes wholly convincing.

[IncarnateX]

To the unskilled every tool is a toy

To the skilled every toy is a tool

[kenporter]

To the unskilled every tool is a toy

To the skilled every toy is a tool

Very well said!

[Tronam]

Anyone familiar with Protostar? He's another Reason artist on the rise lately. I hadn't really heard of the sub-genre "Neurohop" before, but I guess he's one of its notable advocates. This is pretty dark and heavy compared to most electronic music I hear these days:
http://soundcloud.com/psdub/hideousremix

[kenporter]

Anyone familiar with Protostar? He's another Reason artist on the rise lately. I hadn't really heard of the sub-genre "Neurohop" before, but I guess he's one of its notable advocates. This is pretty dark and heavy compared to most electronic music I hear these days:
http://soundcloud.com/psdub/hideousremix

Amazing! Thanks for the link man!

Ken