the Reason sound was a lie

[scratchnsnifff]

I've read recently someone saying Reason sounded kind of plastic, whatever that means I guess he just let himself get influenced by how Reason devices sometimes look, they do indeed look sometimes like some plastic toys and I love that, but the sound is the same as any other DAW

Yeah someone on a Reason Facebook page a few months ago said Reason sounds thin lol!

I definitely think there was some truth in the Reason Sound though. It came IMHO from everything having to be done in the box with stock devices. Once Re's arrived in 2012 that started to change and then when VST's were useable in Reason, the Reason sound vanished completely.

As for the look of some of the devices, yeah they look like they've been designed by kids lol! Grain's GUI is awful in my opinion. Mainly the audio / sample display at the top and those flags but the rest isn't spectacular looking either really. Europa on the other hand looks fantastic, as does Thor and Subtractor.

I love how grain looks, and I hated Europa at first. Even though it needs a few last minute updates, it’s looks have grown on me


Lol it’s a peer to peer opinion
I love Thor and malströms GUI for sure!

My favorite in the Reason world is expanse though. Everything is logical, and the color scheme is boring in a perfect way. It’s not trying to be over the top with flashy colors and animations. But it has what it needs

[BigPictureSound]

I’ll raise you Maelstrom.

I actually liked Maelstrom (sound wise) more than Thor back when I started on Reason 4.

I mean UI wise but yes it does sound and still sounds good

[Oquasec]

This tool is deep enough for professional producers, it has way too many things in it that people don't use or know.
The way it's made allows for infinite routing possibilities man.

[Loque]

...
The way it's made allows for infinite routing possibilities man.

Yea, lol. I just realized, that i never thought "how can i do that in Reason?", rather i think about "what cool things can i do in Reason i never tried?". I figured out, that in Reason there is nearly no limit and that is probably the most amazing thing about it. I can route in frequency, pitch, gain, panning, time... Awsome!

[Jmax]

I've always found that Reason actually does indeed have a bit of it's own sound.

At least older versions without WAV import etc. I'm talking the old synths Maelstrom, Subtractor etc. One of those stock Redrum kits.

As I would load up Reason and an instrument, I'd always think "Ahh yeah, that's the sound I remember."

But now of course Reason has changed, it sounds just like any other DAW, VST's, WAV and everything in between.

[ltbrunt00]

I always wondered where people got that idea that reason has a sound. I have many songs that I made in different DAW software and I can't remember if they were made in Reason, Studio One, Cubase or Bitwig. When I am at work and listening to my music months after I have posted it on soundcloud unless there is something specific about the track I forget which DAW I started or completed the music in.

[jlgrimes]

I always wondered where people got that idea that reason has a sound. I have many songs that I made in different DAW software and I can't remember if they were made in Reason, Studio One, Cubase or Bitwig. When I am at work and listening to my music months after I have posted it on soundcloud unless there is something specific about the track I forget which DAW I started or completed the music in.

In many ways Reason does (and other DAWs) have their own sound. Yes Reason (and other DAWS) are more or less neutral devices, but certain DAWS promote (and depromote) certain workflows, have certain plug-ins and presets people gravitate towards. But at the end of the day there will always be somebody who can produce a banger on any DAW including a DAW you personally despise with a passion.

I'd say too if you go on different DAW forums almost every DAW has users saying certain DAWs have a "bad" sound.

Sonar used to get trashed for sounding worse than Cubase.
Every once in awhile I hear folks saying that FL Studio synths sound worse than Reason's.
Ableton still gets alot of flack for audio sounding like it is Warped even if its turned off.
I even heard someone said that Pro Tools sounds bad (even though countless hits have been mixed on it and engineers who probably won best mixed albums of the year).


I will also say the world of audio can be a weird place. Even in band rehearsal, you come in one day and someone says everything sounds great, and you come in a week later and they say something sounds "VERY" different when it sounds the same to you. Alot of times it is very minute things that might annoy someone (where someone else might not even heard it). Sometimes I'm pretty sure it is nothing at all and someone might just be either tired or is focusing on something they weren't focusing on before. Just like when you mix a song a night that sounds great and you listen to it in the morning and it sounds horrible. The DAW hasn't changed, the listener perception has.

[avasopht]

Wait till you find out that many hit songs have used default FSB patches for their signature sound ...

[enossified]

Think about it, before REs arrived, only Reason's native devices could be used. Before R11 and the RRP arrived, the Reason devices could not be used outside of Reason. So of course, Reason had it's own sound.

[selig]

I've always found that Reason actually does indeed have a bit of it's own sound.

At least older versions without WAV import etc. I'm talking the old synths Maelstrom, Subtractor etc. One of those stock Redrum kits.

As I would load up Reason and an instrument, I'd always think "Ahh yeah, that's the sound I remember."

But now of course Reason has changed, it sounds just like any other DAW, VST's, WAV and everything in between.

Not trying to be rude or pedantic, but Reason instruments STILL have their own signature sound, nothing has changed there (which is a good thing, right?). Why would they have a sound before and suddenly not now? IMO this is how the "Reason sound" argument often went, switching freely back and forth between the instruments having a sound (true) and the DAW itself having a sound (not true), which only added to the confusion - does it have a sound or not? Yes!

[guitfnky]

to perhaps put a finer point to everything Selig just said...

every instrument has its own sound. Malstrom is an instrument.

Reason is a DAW. it is not an instrument.

Reason is not a DAW that imparts its own sound. some do (Harrison Mixbus does)—Reason does not.

how are we still talking about this?

[motuscott]

The studio is my instrument.
Brian Eno

Just stirring up some shit y'all