PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 - A PREVIEW

With the all new version of the popular Reason DAW just around the corner (it’s due for release on 30th September 2011), I felt that it would be useful to do a little bit of research for you (and for myself) to discover what we can expect from this highly-anticipated update….

PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 – A BIT OF HISTORY

Just a quick bit of background information for readers that aren’t already familiar with Reason…

Reason has always been a highly popular piece of software. It has attracted a number of professional Mac and PC users for its excellent sound-engine and has always been very popular with beginners due to its impressive visual interface, which adds a extra fun and intuitive element to the music making process. One of my favourite features of Reason has always been the ‘rack’. This gives you a virtual representation of a hardware rack, showing all your loaded effects and instruments with beautifully modelled hardware-esque interfaces, complete with LEDs, dials, sliders, LCD screens, nuts, bolts, etc! Plus, you can even flip the rack with the touch of a button and re-patch all your plug-ins using virtual leads!

The only major disadvantage to using Reason is that it is not compatible with third party plug-ins so you are stuck with what you get in the pack, although you do get more than enough tools for creating professional tracks! However, you can ‘Rewire’ Reason with another DAW, allowing you to overcome this limitation if you so wish.

Up until recently, Reason was not actually classed as a proper DAW, due to the fact that it could not process or record digital audio – it was completely MIDI based. However, this all changed last year when Propellerhead released Record, a piece of software with a similar layout to Reason, that worked alongside Reason in perfect harmony and handled all the audio aspects required from a modern DAW.

Now, Reason 6 looks to combine all this functionality into one compact and reliable piece of software, along with adding a number of additional features and plug-ins to the previous version’s sonic arsenal…

PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 – WHAT’S NEW?

The main new feature of Reason 6 is something that I have already touched upon… it combines the old Reason and Record software into one package, providing you with a single Reason DAW that takes care of both MIDI and audio recording, processing and editing. Hence, you can now perform all your work on one screen, within one piece of software, just like you can in most other DAWs, which should significantly help to speed up your workflow.

Reason 6 also includes three brand new plug-ins…firstly there is the Pulveriser, a compressor, distortion, filter and envelope follower all in one, allowing you to either add subtle character to your sounds, or really filth things up by using extreme parameter settings.

For more information on the Pulveriser, click here to visit the official Propellerhead website.

Secondly, Reason 6 introduces the Alligator, offering a 3-band gate effect along with distortion, phaser and delay. This essentially allows you to create different gate effects for separate frequency bands for some very creative moving effects.

For more information on the Alligator, click here to visit the official Propellerhead website.

Finally, Reason 6 comes with ‘The Echo’, a stereo delay plug-in with filter, diffusion, distortion and ‘wobble’! With such a variety of built-in effects included in one device, The Echo allows you to create some highly creative effects and can even be triggered like an instrument to create unique stutter and repeat effects!

For more information on The Echo, click here to visit the official Propellerhead website.

There are a number of other improvements on the new Reason 6 software as well. For starters, the Neptune Pitch correction and vocal synth and Propellerheads famous (and highly flexible) main mixer (based on the SSL Logic 9000K SuperAnalogue mixer) are now available for both audio and MIDI purposes. Reason 6 also includes a new audio transpose function to complement their high-quality time-stretching algorithm, which allows you to record a performance in one key and then change it to another one at a later point in time!

Another very handy new feature of Reason 6 is the one-click export function, which allows you to quickly export all mixer channels as individual audio tracks (with or without effects). This is very useful if you want to do something such as give your track to a friend to remix, or import your Reason project into another DAW.

Reason 6 also features improved Rewire handling with individual Outs on every channel, a large recording meter and guitar tuner (allowing you to set levels and tune at a distance from your computer), thousands of new patches and loops for Reason’s classic instruments, and Reason 6 is also 64-bit compatible!

PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 – WHAT’S OLD?

The new Reason 6 software comes with everything that the previous versions of Reason and Record had… this includes a host of top-quality synthesisers (e.g. The Maleström for big basses and leads, the Subtractor – a subtractive synthesis device, and the monstrous Thor, incorporating six different forms of synthesis in one unit), drum machines (e.g. Redrum – an intuitive drum machine for quickly building up complex professional grooves and tuning individual instruments, Dr. Octo Rex – a pattern sequencer for loops, and Kong, a highly flexible drum machine that uses a pad layout and incorporates drum synthesis, sampling, loops, physical modelling and effects into one awesome plug-in), samplers (the NN-XT and the NN-19) and a whole load of other devices and effects (e.g. M-Class Mastering Suite, Mergers & Splitters, The Combinator, reverbs, delays, compressors, limiters, distortion units (including the amazing-sounding Scream 4), a vocoder, etc, etc, etc!)

Plus, as you would expect, the new version of Reason carries on the tradition of featuring an absolutely stunning interface, which contributes to making professional music more fun than ever before!

PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 – ESSENTIALS

To go with the full version of Reason 6, Propellerhead are also releasing a cut-down version, aimed at the hobbyist producer who does not require the flexibility of the full software. Reason 6 Essentials comes with a reduced feature-set (e.g. it has no audio transpose), it features less instruments and effects (e.g. no Kong, Thor, Maleström, The Echo, Unison, Vocoder, etc.) and a reduced soundset. For full details of the differences between each version of Reason 6, click here to visit the official Propellerhead website and view a comparison chart.

PROPELLERHEAD REASON 6 – SUMMARY

I’ve not got to use it yet, but Reason 6 looks set to carry on the high-quality tradition of its predecessors! For me, Reason is one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use DAWs on the market and this is probably the main factor that sees it appeal to both beginners and professionals alike.

Propellerhead Reason 6 will be available from 30th Sepetember 2011 (so make a note in your diary!), although you can make a pre-order anytime from now! Just select the relevant link below for more information on each product or to make a purchase.

Propellerhead Reason 6 - Purchase/More Info

Propellerhead Reason 6 Essentials - Purchase/More Info

Propellerhead Reason 6 Upgrade - Purchase/More Info

Propellerhead Reason 6 Student/Teacher Edition - Purchase/More Info