Product Overview: Reason by Reason Studios
Reason is a comprehensive digital audio workstation (DAW) and audio plug-in developed by Reason Studios (formerly Propellerhead Software), designed for music production on both macOS and Windows.
What Reason Does
Reason mimics a physical studio setup, allowing users to create a complete production environment within a virtual rack. This interface enables the connection and configuration of various instruments, effects, and mixers to produce, record, and mix music. The software is renowned for its flexibility and depth, making it a favorite among musicians, producers, and sound designers.
Key Features
Virtual Rack and Devices
Reason features a virtual rack where users can wire up instruments and effects to create custom sound configurations. This includes a wide array of devices such as synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, and a vast collection of effects processors. New to Reason 13 are the Sidechain Tool for side-chain pumping, the Stereo Tool for sound widening, and the Gain Tool for level control and stereo panning.
Effects and Processors
The software comes with an extensive library of effects, including the Ripley Space Delay, Quartet Chorus Ensemble, Sweeper Modulation Effect, Audiomatic Retro Transformer, Master Bus Compressor, Channel Dynamics, Channel EQ, and many more. Additionally, it supports VST3 and VST2 plugin integration, allowing users to expand their toolkit with third-party plugins.
Sequencer and Workflow
Reason 13 boasts a significantly overhauled sequencer with enhanced workflow features. Users can now edit MIDI and audio clips directly within the sequencer in a split-view mode, keeping the full arrangement in sight. New MIDI transformations like velocity ramps and inline note editing further streamline the production process. The browser has also been redesigned, allowing for faster sound discovery with tagged and searchable patches.
Advanced Production Tools
- Audio Editing: Features include audio comp editing to select the best parts from multiple recordings, high-quality real-time time stretch and audio transpose, vocal edit mode, and audio slicing and quantize.
- Sampling and Looping: Live sampling on all Sampler devices and the ability to convert recorded or imported audio into REX loops for further manipulation.
- MIDI Control: MIDI instrument output to control external synths, samplers, and keyboards, along with MIDI clock output over multiple ports for hardware synchronization.
- Exporting: Advanced exporting options, including the ability to export separate mixer channels as individual audio stems, including effects and tempo track.
Performance and Integration
Reason supports multi-core processors and 64-bit compatibility, ensuring fast and powerful performance on any computer. It also features real-time sample rate and bit depth conversion, allowing seamless import of various audio formats. The software integrates with Ableton Link for effortless synchronization over WiFi and supports remote mapping for control with external MIDI controllers and hardware control surfaces.
Additional Features
- Combinator: Allows users to combine, layer, and control multiple devices from a single interface, enhancing performance capabilities.
- Blocks Mode: Facilitates arranging and structuring songs in a flexible and intuitive way.
- Self-Contained Song Files: Enables easy project sharing and collaboration by encapsulating the entire project into a single file.
In summary, Reason by Reason Studios is a powerful and versatile DAW that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for music production, from virtual instruments and effects to advanced sequencing and editing capabilities, making it an indispensable tool for musicians and producers.