Product Reviews

Since its debut back in November 2000, Reason, Propellerhead's virtual music production suite, has become a modern classic. With visual and sonic panache, Reason emulates a studio instrument rack filled with contemporary and vintage synthesizers, sample replay modules, drum machines, effects processors and sequencers.

Reason synchronises easily with sequencers, such as Cubase and Logic Audio, or hardware arpeggiators, and has extensive parameter automation. Version 2.0 is the first significant upgrade and includes support for Mac OS X, twin display systems and dual-processor machines. The innovative Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer and the NN-XT Advanced Sampler are new, as are a host of smaller but significant improvements.

Support for OS X Core Audio brings improved audio performance with reduced latency: 20ms or less is needed for musically coherent real-time MIDI input.

Rack and ruin

The main Sequencer can now be detatched from the Reason 2.0 rack to explot the potential of dual-monitor systems. The Reason Rack has two units connected: the Hardware Interface, which displays MIDI and audio activity; and the Transport panel, which controls the sequencers and defines the internal tempo.

Instruments and effects are routed through the reMIX mixer. Each of the 14 input channels has a gain meter, a level fader, a pan pot, switchable two-band EQ, mute and solo switches, and four auxiliary effects sends. The stereo master section contains the output meters and the auxiliary effects returns. As more devices are created they are automatically routed to reMix.

Sound modules, effects and sequencers can be added to the Rack as required, in any order and in multiple instances. The only limitation is computer performance, but even so, Reason makes surprisingly modest demands. Although optimised for use with the G4's AltiVec, Reason 2.0 will run

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on legacy Macs (604, 604e, G3 166MHz or faster) with a minimum 128Mb RAM. Sound Manager is supported.

The rack graphics are superb: the rear view of the module displays the I/O connectors and the animated colour-coded patch leads which flop about when you move the rack.

There are six virtual instruments and eight effects units. The Subtractor is an excellent polyphonic synthesizer capable of producing a wide range of sounds from clean FM-style pianos and tuned percussion to lush digital pads and fat analogue synth sounds.

The Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer is new to version 2.0. It uses Propellerhead's hybrid wavetable and granular synthesis engine to create harmonically rich evolving sound textures. Malstrom has powerful editing features and audio insert points that allow the Malstrom filters to process signals from other Reason instruments. Malstrom voices have a distinctive character that stand out in a busy mix and are complementary in timbre to those of the Subtractor.

The NN19 is also new to Reason. It's a polyphonic sample player with gate and CV controls that enable it to be played from the Matrix sequencer. The NN-XT includes many of the features you would expect in a hardware MIDI sampler, including loop editing, layering, velocity switching and crossfades. The Orkester NN-XT Sound Bank application consists of notes, chords and short phrases played in a variety of styles on solo and ensemble Western classical instruments. The NN-XT is also compatible with Soundfont 2 format patches.

Drum of the mill

The Dr:rex drum loop module uses Propellerhead's sample slicing and tempo manipulation technology. Reason 2.0 includes Dr:rex libraries, but any audio material in REX and REX2 formats can be used. Redrum is a 10 voice drum computer. Drum sounds can be constructed and saved as 32 single bar patterns.

The main Sequencer in Arrange mode presents a view of the whole song. New parts can be played on a MIDI keyboard or assembled using cut and paste routines and fine tuned in Edit mode. The Matrix Sequencer is monophonic and is modelled upon an analogue step sequencer. It can be used to create classic arpeggiator and sequencer synth lines.

Reason 2.0 is wonderful piece of kit that has great sounds and brims over with creative potential. It would be wonderful to use VST Plug-in effects and instruments and to record audio and output MIDI. But if you only own one music application, it should be Reason 2.0.