REASON FRIGGIN ROCKS!!!

[glurgle]

I must say I've never bothered with Reason, it just didn't interest me, so I could be asking something really dumb here but...

What exactly does Reason allow you to do that energyXT and a few free VST's can't? I remember when I first saw reason I thought, "wiring connections, neat." But that functionality and style of working has been available in the VST world for a long time now...

I think the idea is that since it is all proprietary, it'll scale up more efficiently than a collection of third party plugins. Also the wiring connections are then set to parameters otherwise unavailable in a collection of closed plugins.

That's the idea at least. Lots of apps work that way. Most modular synths can work that way. EnergyXT is close, since it allows you to connect MIDI in clever ways and has LFOs everywhere. You'd need an efficient plugin for converting audio to MIDI CC data to get the exact same effect. Plus resource consumption would likely be higher, although options and quality of output are not capped to a closed system. Six of one...

Reason isn't so much special or unique, just another app to offer you a means of making music. Either it works for you or it doesn't.

a natural born salesmen you are eh?

sounds to me like (for me, of course) the money would be much better spent on a processor upgrade, or a few new synths/sample banks.

[drez]

...delay is very limited.

What do you need to do with delay that reason can't do with spiders, mixers, the Matrix, the DDL and RV7000s?

[FaX]

I think the Reason advocates here sometimes don't do a very good job of explaining the appeal of the software. All this hype about scores of modules linked to dozens of fx driven by multiple pattern devices is--IMO-- a lot of crap. The synths are mediocre (subtractor) or eccenetric (malstrom). But the sample modules are great: NNxt Sampler, Redrum drum sampler, and the Dr. Rex rex player. Rex is a limited format in some ways, but all the sampler devices accept slice data and you can flexibly revoice loops very easily. The automation is easily the most intutive availible.

The mystery to me is why--with no of sound module
development--props have not fully revised the
fx suite. The phaser and chorus are lame, and the
delay is very limited. Not addressing the tempo issue
is inexcusable.

Well as stated I sequence via my HOST.
So all tempo automation and timesignature stuff is handled from that end.
Secondly I get perfectly good delays via VST ditto for Phasers and the like.
I disagree with you on the Maelstrom point - personally I think it's a saving grace in Reason's arsenal.
Subtractor - is not a good subtractive synth from an analog emulation view point I agree but it excells at glacial , digital and thin modulating pads and landscape textures . I can get better bass from a VSTi here also.
I do agree for me Redrum / Rex / NNXT / RV7000 / Scream /B512 Vocder / spidercv and audio spiltters and the modular patchability are the biggest selling points. Low CPU hit is another.
Lastly it sounds fine through my rewire HOST and stands up well in amix with any VST I choose to use also.
Just my further 2 cents worth.

[Morgaxx]

It is true that you can work around having no audio traks in Reason with the samplers. However, what if that bass or vocal part is 16 bars? You drop a note at bar one and drag it over to bar 17 (fine). Now you want to focus on bars 9 to 16 (to craft a nice perc build.) You set locators around said bars and set to loop. Hmmmm, all your synth notes play but what of your bass/vocal?. Having to play from bar 1 to hear bass/vocal included at bar 9 is harsh. So what? you say, just split the wave and load two samples or just split it into 16 one bar samples etc.... uughhh (alternate plan = endless shifting of the loop start/ends???????).
Reason is a great idea for some, my younger bro (a budding music maker), tv commercial producers (i have heard/seen 3 ads with stock Reason loops) and those big name acts that "use only Reason". Perhaps just a couple of audio traks would make it a good idea for many (no need for vst/i's, as that WOULD ruin the idea).

each to thier own they say..... sounds reasonable

[lucille]

I think if you want work that way--bringing audio into reason--you need to use recycle and import as
rex files.

[Morgaxx]

thats true lucille, and I have done such, as my brother was smart enough to get Recycle for his setup. My thought was more to the idea that Reason is supposed, i believe, to be self contained. Somebody new may not get that, or have the money left over to start buying more softs to get it done. It is a fine fine program though. I'm just a sucker for hiking the peaks and valleys of Waveformia....I like to zoom way in!

[soulkraka]

I really thought that by version 3 we would be able to slice up samples directly within reason and not have to boot up recycle, slice, and import to dr rex. What a frikkin hassle and workflow killer....

Reason needs that functionality and some NNXT timestretch action....IMO

[D-Fusion]

Resaon does´nt rock
Reason Rules
Well i see that people complain about lack of audio slicing in reason, but it is possible if you know how to do it
I do it with vocal that does´nt fit with the temo and so on

It´s also true that subtractor has a very thin sound but the workaround is to connect it thru the malstroms filter and voila Phat Sound it is

The things you can do with reason is only limited by your imagination (Except for a good arp).

The rules of thumb here is not to be afraid to go crazy with the cables.

[headquest]

Really I could crap on for ages here but I won't.

Good job - you "signed" a NDA when you joined the beta

[AD80]

Well i see that people complain about lack of audio slicing in reason, but it is possible if you know how to do it

Please enlighten us ignorant folks.

[Warmonger]

Simplest way I can think of (off the top of my head, though I've never done it) is to load the same wave file into multiple zones in an NN-XT, and adjust the sample start and end times for each zone.

edit: Which would be made much easier with a graphical waveform display.

[deggy]

i have to say, i've been a reason/rewire user for a few years now (i don't really know why though) but i have to say that right now, i could care less about some combinator thing that basicly does the same shit that i could have done before by copying and pasting MIDI. whupticrap.

[AD80]

Simplest way I can think of (off the top of my head, though I've never done it) is to load the same wave file into multiple zones in an NN-XT, and adjust the sample start and end times for each zone.

edit: Which would be made much easier with a graphical waveform display.

Well I have done it and its a horrible workaround. Especially since theres no visual wave editor in the samplers. Eventhough the NNXT 's screen is big enough to fit Adobe Audition in.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[drez]

i have to say, i've been a reason/rewire user for a few years now (i don't really know why though) but i have to say that right now, i could care less about some combinator thing that basicly does the same shit that i could have done before by copying and pasting MIDI. whupticrap.

Did you really copy and paste identical parameters between 10 devices? I don't think so. Because until 3.0, you couldn't copy across lanes.

You COULD have done it, but I don't think you did, and if you DID, I doubt that it was a very complicated rig. A combinator is more than copying note data between sequencer tracks to "play more than one module".