Reason 4

Synthbuilder · Post by **Synthbuilder** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:59 pm

davec1 wrote: Apart from that, what are the problems everyone seems to have with rewire? is it the lack of delay compensation?

This is the biggy for me. So much so, I sold my copy of Reason [and bought a sub bass bin to compensate for my loss

]

davec1 wrote: That I can relate with, but any other complains about ease of use, I don't get; I mean it's not like it's significantly more of a pain to set up than a vst...

I agree for the most part. But I like to run Live in full screen mode. It doesn't look like I'm using windows then. Live completely takes over my PC. Its like I'm working with a piece of hardware.

But to use rewire you need to keep the task bar on the bottom, so you can swap between apps. That makes my screen smaller and reminds me that I'm using a PC again.

VSTs fit nicely into Live's GUI. And you don't have to click the task bar to swap between apps.

And rewire takes time to respond to changes in tempo too.

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 6:13 pm

Synthbuilder wrote:I agree for the most part. But I like to run Live in full screen mode. It doesn't look like I'm using windows then. Live completely takes over my PC. Its like I'm working with a piece of hardware.

But to use rewire you need to keep the task bar on the bottom, so you can swap between apps. That makes my screen smaller and reminds me that I'm using a PC again.

VSTs fit nicely into Live's GUI. And you don't have to click the task bar to swap between apps.

did you not know about alt+tab?

forge · Post by **forge** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:40 pm

Meef Chaloin wrote:
Synthbuilder wrote:I agree for the most part. But I like to run Live in full screen mode. It doesn't look like I'm using windows then. Live completely takes over my PC. Its like I'm working with a piece of hardware.

But to use rewire you need to keep the task bar on the bottom, so you can swap between apps. That makes my screen smaller and reminds me that I'm using a PC again.

VSTs fit nicely into Live's GUI. And you don't have to click the task bar to swap between apps.
did you not know about alt+tab?

I was going to say that

but I still dont like rewire - it's no where near flexible enough

Synthbuilder · Post by **Synthbuilder** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:18 am

Meef Chaloin wrote:
did you not know about alt+tab?

Now that you remind me, yes, I did use this occasionally. But found that using the mouse was quicker even if it meant that screen real estate was smaller.

But, its a small thing really, I shouldn't really moan about this, and I could have lived with it if the benefits of using Reason were greater. Even so, I did tend to render any Reason parts to wav as quickly as a could so I could focus all my attention on Live and not bother swapping between windows.

The thing is, VSTi integrates so nicely into Live while rewire feels like a cludge. The fact that it needs two tracks, one for midi and one for the return audio path, annoyed me too. Tracktion deals with this better than Live in this instance.

julienb · Post by **julienb** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:39 pm

the power of reason in a VSTi version... ok I'd buy it..
but it won't be, of course... and of course, I won't buy it

I'll continue to use R3, in order to make songs, to play etc

For the stage, for the production: Definitively Live 6.0.3 + VSTi e basta!

any ideas about the release of the supposed R4 ?

See u

Per Boysen · Post by **Per Boysen** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:19 pm

Has anything been said regarding improvement of sound quality?

That's what keeps me away from the recent version of Reason. I bought it on recommendations from colleges when I was offered a very cheap deal on Reason as compensation for Propellerhaeds disbanding ReBirth, that I have been owning and using since version 1.0. But sadly, I found Reason to sound pretty lame compared to the virtual instruments from Arturia or the synths bundled with Logic.

pilcrow · Post by **pilcrow** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 3:31 pm

So is there any hard evidence to conclude that this is going to be a rev to 4 vs something like 3.5?

audiostein · Post by **audiostein** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:24 pm

I like the way you can pull wires out of the back of modules and switch 'em around. Its good old fashioned fun, but whether it really does offer increased soundmaking/patching/routing possibilities (at least ones that make a difference) is another matter.

I bought Reason 3 and Live 6 at roughly the same time, installed Live 6 first and then R3. Compared to Live, Reason looked very very Windows 95 and amateurish, and the method - if you can call it that - of editing tracks in the sequencer window is frustrating, counter intuitive, slow and unhelpful.

I've got a feeling that Reason 3 is a bit like building your own car. It doesn't look good like a proper car, it doesn't handle like a proper car, and nobody who owns a proper car would ever want to buy it off you - but you get to understand it, you get to know it's little quirks and foibles, until finally what was difficult and frustrating becomes second nature.

Or it might just be a DAW with a crap archaic user interface.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:46 pm

You need to invest at least 30-50 hours with a book like the one of Kurasaki Power Tools otherwise you wont be getting much out of Reason

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:50 pm

rikhyray wrote:You need to invest at least 30-50 hours with a book like the one of Kurasaki Power Tools otherwise you wont be getting much out of Reason

I'm sorry, but that is a ludicrous statement. Reason is the easiest semi-modular audio software out there, and anyone who is the slightest bit adventurous and has a good ear can get something useful out of Reason, more or less from the minute it is turned on.

Load a synth, load a matrix sequencer, and you can build something fun and musically interesting.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:09 pm

Come on, most of people are not like you ( means baddass synth and all things digital monster, if I knew 5% of what you know I would never need to look at any book), to get something serious out of Reason some more understanding is needed. I dont think I am the dummest of all users and I know what studying did to me. It is not just learning someone else trick but getting input that you multiply by yourself so out of one idea make 20 of your own. I produced an album with Reason 3 and number of songs before reading that book but still it was worth to go through it.

audiostein · Post by **audiostein** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:15 pm

Well both those posts have valid points.

You could sit at a piano and get something useful out of it, with no practice, but to master it would take years etc etc etc blah blah blah.

In my post I said it was "good old fashioned fun" and it certainly is, and I would 100% say it has enabled me to do stuff that I otherwise would not have done.

There's a big difference though, between the ease of use of the Matrix, Redrum etc, and the sequencer window beneath them which to me is a right pain in the neck (for example, all pattern devices (matrix, redrum etc) have to start on bar 1 so if you don't want them to start until later on, or if you want parts of the track without drums or a step sequencer, you have to program an empty pattern and have that play instead).

Ok its easy when you know how but I was scratching my head for ages trying to figure out how the hell to stop the drums coming in on the first bar.

That's why at the moment I come up with loops in Reason 3 and then use Live to take those loops to the next level.

Having said that, the NN-XT sampler is pretty good.

nylarch · Post by **nylarch** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:16 pm

Maybe its b/c I'm still on an iBook but I really appreciate Reason's extremely low CPU profile. People complain that its a closed system but that's part of its brilliance - they can tune each component and the overall footprint of the application is really tiny. Kind of like Mac vs. PC - Mac's limit your choices but give an overall tighter and more stable experience IMHO.

Also this tutorial really opened up what can be done with the NN-XT - particularly if you also have ReCycle:

http://www.propellerheads.se/home/disco ... icle=part9

Poster · Post by **Poster** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:41 pm

nylarch wrote:Maybe its b/c I'm still on an iBook but I really appreciate Reason's extremely low CPU profile.

first; I'am a big reason fan.. no doubt..

but I really wonder if the CPU load will still be that low if all filters and oscilators,
all fx devices, etc. will be rewritten to meet some decent quality..

to me the low CPU load is really a matter of compromising..

especially subtractor's and malstrom's filters..
there no good..

so if Thor has quality filters I guess CPU load has to rise..

and why shouldn't it?
we're not using 386 PC's or Performa Mac's anymore..

Rayne · Post by **Rayne** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:48 pm

forge wrote:
Rayne wrote:It's not going to be amazingly different to be honest. Better sounds and effects but i believe on the features side reason hasn't much more to give.
famous last words!

http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 662#408662

I have no idea what you're talking about

.