Reason (software)

Reason
	File:Reason-Software-Logo.jpg
	File:Reason3full.jpg Reason 3 on a Mac
Developer(s)	Propellerhead Software
Stable release	3.0.4 (Windows), 3.0.5 (Mac) / August 25, 2005
Operating system	Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows
Type	Digital music workstation
Licence	Proprietary
Website	http://www.propellerheads.se/reason/

Reason is a popular music software program developed by Swedish software developers Propellerhead Software. It emulates a rack of hardware synthesizers, samplers, signal processors, sequencers and mixers. Reason can be used either as a complete virtual music studio, or as a collection of virtual instruments to be played live or used with other sequencing software.

General

Reason 1.0 was released in November 2000. The program's design mimics a studio rack into which users can insert virtual devices such as instruments, effects processors and mixers. These modules can be controlled from Reason's built-in MIDI sequencer or from other sequencing applications such as Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase and GarageBand via Propellerhead's ReWire protocol.

As of version 3.0, modules available include two mixers, a subtractive synthesizer, a graintable synthesizer and four different kinds of sample players - one with a step sequencer designed for drums/percussion, two for tonal instruments, and a sliced loop playback device. Effects include distortion, reverb, chorus, a vocoder and mastering effects. The Combinator device, introduced in version 3.0, allows users to combine multiple modules into one. Another device connects Reason to Propellerhead's (now discontinued) ReBirth.

One of the most striking aspects of Reason's interface comes into play with the Toggle Rack command, which flips the rack around to display the devices from the rear. Here the user can route virtual audio and control cables from one piece of equipment to another in an almost unlimited number of ways. This cable layout enables the creation of complex effects chains and allows devices to modulate one another in creative ways.

Unlike many other audio applications, Reason cannot record audio tracks or be expanded with third-party plug-ins. Some users complain about these limitations; others argue that they can be easily surmounted by using Reason in tandem with another application that has these capabilities.

A stripped-down version of Reason known as Reason Adapted is packaged as bonus software with other audio software such as Pro Tools LE. It restricts the user to a limited number of devices.

The program's name was taken from software used by the lead character in Douglas Adams's novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Early in development it was known as Realizer (after the PPG Realizer). The English band The Prodigy has used Reason as a production tool, as have André 3000 of (Outkast) and Luke Vibert to lesser knowns like Mixer Jaëxx and others. Wonder Arillo, one of the songwriters on rapper T.I.'s hit "What You Know", used Reason on this song. In addition, numerous commercials and movies make extensive use of Reason. It is required, along with a laptop computer and other music production equipment, of new students in certain majors at the Berklee College of Music.

Devices

Synthesizers

Subtractor polyphonic synthesizer

Subtractor is a 99-voice polyphonic synthesizer. Each voice features two oscillators using phase offset modulation and a noise generator. The sounds created are then fed through an ADSR envelope controllable resonant filter (which can be set to either 24-dB/octave low-pass, 12-dB/octave low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, or notch mode) and an ADSR envelope controlled attenuator.

The oscillators simply look up one of thirty-two built-in waveforms stored in a lookup table. They can be modulated using phase offset modulation to either multiply or subtract one instance of an oscillator's waveform from another, out of phase, instance of it. This enables effects such as pulse-width modulation to be emulated.

Subtractor features adjustable portamento, velocity sensitivity, plus pitch bend and mod wheel inputs for artistic expression. It has software equivalents of CV and gate inputs allowing it to be controlled via the Matrix or Redrum devices, plus several modulation inputs and outputs. It has two LFOs, one of which is tempo synchronizable.

Malström graintable synthesizer

Samplers

NN19 digital sampler

NN19 is a 99-voice polyphonic sample playback device that emulates the look and feel of a rackmount sampler. Although it has no recording facility of its own, it can read Wave, AIFF, SoundFont and REX format samples, enabling external sounds to be imported into Reason. It can also read individual sections from a larger REX sample, so that a single note from a loop can be imported and played independently.

Compared to the NN-XT sampler, NN-19 is simpler and easier to use. It therefore provides a good learning curve for people who may find NN-XT's featureful remote editor intimidating at first. It supports keyzones to enable different samples to be played back for different notes, but has no ability to use different samples depending on note velocity and cannot combine multiple samples together for a single note. It is therefore adequate to emulate a harpsichord, organ or Mellotron, but not a piano.

It features the same resonant filter as Subtractor, and also responds to pitch bend and mod wheel inputs as well as being velocity sensitive. Other features include a setting for spreading - how far apart the lowest and highest notes are panned left and right - and a setting for how far into the sample playback is started from, which allows interesting effects.

NN-XT advanced sampler

Redrum

Dr. Rex loop player

Effects

MClass Equalizer

MClass Stereo Imager

MClass Compressor

MClass Maximizer

RV7000 advanced reverb

Scream 4 sound destruction unit

BV512 vocoder

RV-7 digital reverb

DDL-1 digital delay line

D-11 foldback distortion

ECF-42 envelope controlled filter

CF-101 chorus/flanger

PH-90 phaser

UN-16 unison

COMP-01 auto make-up gain compressor

PEQ-2 two band parametric EQ

Other Devices

Remix line mixer

This 14-channel mixing console is used to group the outputs of all the synthesizers and samplers into a cohesive stereo output, after feeding them to optional auxhilary effects and back. It doesn't allow insert effects, but this isn't necessary as you can simply use the wiring on the back of the devices to manually put an effects device between the synthesizer and the line mixer.

Each channel has level and pan controls, bass and treble EQing, and four aux sends. Each channel can also be muted or played in solo.

The console has CV style inputs for each channel's panning and level, as well as the console's master level, allowing these settings to be controlled by other devices in the rack. Like all other Reason devices, it can also be automated via the main sequencer. The console also has chaining master inputs to allow several Remix line mixers to be daisy chained together, effectively giving the producer an unlimited number of channels.

Micromix line mixer

Matrix pattern sequencer

Rebirth Input Machine

Combinator

Spider Audio merger and splitter

Spider CV merger and splitter

Advantages

Reason has won praise from users and critics for its original and playful interface. Audio software that mimics hardware was not unknown when Reason debuted, but Propellerhead advanced the concept by allowing users to connect devices via realistically animated cables, making the path of audio and modulation signals through the program easily visible and graspable.

Reason has rich parameter automation support, which is available through automation curves for each Reason device. Automation can also be recorded via MIDI controller or by using the mouse during live song playback (for example filter cutoff or channel volume slide), which enables live creative expression capabilities.

The program's modular structure allows beginning users to construct songs quickly, while experienced users can combine simple elements to produce complex results.

The license allows each user to install Reason on two computers, such as a desktop and a laptop.

Reason has also been praised for its stability, with reports of bugs or crashes very rare — an asset that is especially important when using the program in live performance.

Disadvantages

Criticisms of Reason have often focussed on features the program doesn't offer. The most commonly mentioned are:

Use of the proprietary ReFill format, which can only be read by Reason. At least one public ReFill Unpacker exists for Reason 3, but it isn't official.
No audio recording, which would allow users to record, for example, vocals or guitars onto their hard disks through Reason (although there are programs available, such as the open source Audacity, that allow this).
No support for VST and other plug-in effects and instruments.
No MIDI out, which would enable users to control hardware or software instruments from Reason's sequencer.
Limited mixer featureset (most notably the channel EQs, which consist of a fixed-frequency high and lo shelf).
Complex 'spaghetti routing' of components makes routing effects and generators particularly troublesome on larger projects.
Limited 'Undo' action.
No ability to compose a song that uses tempo changes.
Limited support for complex time signatures.

Propellerhead spokespeople have said that the addition of audio recording and VST support is unlikely. On the subject of audio recording, founder Ernst Nathorst-Böös said in a 2003 interview, "It's not right for us. We'd just be an inferior Cubase, and why would we want to be that?"[1] In the same article, press liaison Niels Larsen said that support for VST plugins could compromise Reason's stability and efficiency. These shortcomings can all be addressed by connecting Reason via ReWire to another application such as Pro Tools or Logic Pro, allowing Reason to run alongside audio tracks from the hard disk, plugin effects, external instruments, etc. Of course, this adds expense and complication and can compromise stability, too.

Some people criticised Reason for low mixdown quality of ready tracks, mentioning that it's better to connect Reason's outputs via Rewire to Logic or Cubase, which are assumed having better algorithms of track mixdown and final track mastering purposes. Reason staff in official Reason forum have mentioned, that Reason is not designed for mastering purposes, and that other 3rd party software should be used for that purpose to achieve professional results.

External links