Is Skeuomorphism Reason's Achilles Heel?

[strange_scenery]

The fact that Reason's interface emulates real hardware can be said to be its most unique and defining feature. It allows Reason to be very powerful and flexible, but the downside is that while Reason gains some of the strengths of hardware, it also inherits the weaknesses, and may eventually lead to Reason's downfall.

Modulation

Since Reason emulates real hardware, the only way to modulate parameters is either through CV, mod matrix, or (in the case of Complex-1), front facing cables. However, recent synths such as Phase Plant or Pigments have shown a new/better way to do this that is both faster and more intuitive via clicking and dragging between modulation sources and destinations. This also has the added bonus of not being limited by the amount of mod matrix slots or CV input jacks. This workflow difference is most apparent in Algoritm, where you can click and drag to route the operators, but you still need to use a mod matrix for modulation. I think in the future as more synths get released and old synths get updated, drag and drop modulation is going to be expected, and if Reason can't or won't implement this it is going to look increasingly outdated.

Effects routing

While Reason is very flexible and capable as far as effects routing, the fact that it has to emulate hardware makes setting up moderately complicated effects chains more time consuming and complicated than it needs to be. For instance, take setting up parallel effects chains in Reason. You have to add a spider audio merger/splitter, add the effects, add a channel mixer, flip the rack around, wire everything up, and then flip the rack around again. Now compare that to something like Studio One's splitter or Kiloheart's Snapheap or Multipass. While they have limitations, such as limited routing options, splitter requiring Studio One and Snapheap and Multipass being limited to Kiloheart's snapins, they are much faster to setup than it would be in Reason. Snapheap and Multipass also allow you to add modulation using the same drag and drop method as in Phase Plant. The routing is much more clear, since you don't have to flip over the rack and trace cables to see the signal flow. If you're a professional you know that time is money, and even if you're not, how easy it is to try something can be the difference between experimenting on a whim to see how it sounds and not bothering with it.

The Grid

Bitwig's grid is I think the biggest future threat to Reason, as I think it is a complete re-imagining of the Reason rack. There are no extra steps to flip the rack around to connect devices and the signal flow is always clear even when you have very complicated routing. This can be a problem in Reason as once you have a certain amount of cables it can be very difficult to see what is connected to what, and very difficult to modify the routing. Everything in the grid is also 4x oversampled. The main weaknesses right now are: limited amount of grid devices, no support for VST or third-party devices, and no VST version of Bitwig, meaning if you want to use the grid you either need to switch to Bitwig or setup rewire. Also for me personally, I prefer connecting entire synths together like Reason does, rather than simple oscillators, filters and envelopes like the grid does, but that might not be a problem for most people. Due to the oversampling VST support in the grid might not be possible, but if Bitwig ever adds a grid extensions API and releases the grid as a VST plugin I think Reason might be in serious trouble.

[Billy+]

It's not the skeuomorphic device design that's going to lead to its downfall.

It's people getting sick of waiting for features that are long overdue.

[Jackjackdaw]

I agree. I have often thought it's a 'live by the sword, die by the sword' situation with the rack sim. Software can do so much more now than the hardware Reason is emulating. But at the same time, Reason has golden eggs like Europa and Grain that are eminently accessible and the SSL has a unique charm. The power of Bitwig excites me but actually using it does not. Same with VCV rack. I bought Voltage Modular but don't use it. I'm not even a long time Reason head. I've been using it for a few years so it's not a blind loyalty, I just prefer it. But who ever knows what people are going to like? I look at FL studio and I'm like WTF is that all about?!

[dioxide]

I agree with the comment above. It's that people need new features. The skeu thing is an advantage.

[Billy+]

If anything RRP has increased Reason's life span as every old current and future rack extension has been made available as a vst au aax device.

It's pure and simple that the only thing holding Reason back is features, and the worst thing about that is it's the same features that have been repeatedly asked for year after year for years......

[QVprod]

I understand where you're coming from, and honestly it depends on the user. Similar to the points you mention is why I don't mix in Reason. It can be done faster elsewhere. However, those who do not really mix or do massive routings probably won't notice this as too much of an issue. I think a larger majority are mostly preset users.

[zoidkirb]

You can already create a bus in the ssl and route channels to and from with a menu click, without ever looking at the rack. That's one example of non skeomorphism already.

It doesn't seem to me that skeomorphism itself is the problem at all, but more that they decided things were perfect 10+ years ago and there's no need to try and innovate anymore.

[Billy+]

I think a larger majority are mostly preset users.

I love a good preset, what's wrong with that?

How does that make my view any less relevant?

I've never used a 100% default present it's just easier to get closer to a sound that's currently relevant without spending hours trying to figure it out....

[R303]

I see problems especially with younger people.

[EnochLight]

I see problems especially with younger people.

Me too. They won't keep their damn bikes off my lawn.

[moneykube]

I see problems especially with younger people.

Me too. They won't keep their damn bikes off my lawn.

[DaveyG]

I think the rack definitely does constrain innovation to some extent. Some of the newer REs are little more than a VST-style window shoe-horned into the limitations of the rack. If you made a hardware version it would be a handful of knobs plus a large computer screen with rack ears bolted on. Elsewhere in this forum someone is suggesting that we could have free floating pop-out windows that control part of an REs functionality.

If you want to build complicated interconnected systems then the cable/rear thing quickly gets out of hand with the rack, just as it would in real life. Bitwig's Grid addresses this with a more sensible "block diagram" approach and you have things like FL Studio's Patcher which is something akin to a super combinator. It has two tabs. One is a block diagram where you can interconnect as many VSTs and native instruments/effects as you choose, with separate routing for audio, control and MIDI. The other tab is where you can create a user interface for your device. As many knobs, buttons and displays as you choose, and in whatever layout. Example:




The point is, Reason could be both of these things. A computer screen is infinitely more flexible than a hardware rack and RS need to find a way to exploit that whilst keeping the rack thing that made us all go "wow" in the first place.

[Carly(Poohbear)]

Modulation

Since Reason emulates real hardware, the only way to modulate parameters is either through CV, mod matrix, or (in the case of Complex-1), front facing cables. However, recent synths such as Phase Plant or Pigments have shown a new/better way to do this that is both faster and more intuitive via clicking and dragging between modulation sources and destinations.

Clicking and dragging a cable from one port to another port is that not the same thing?

Yes I do like the way you can drag stuff around say in Vital to route it however it's then not as straight forward to see what is routed to what, you end up hoovering over little icons or you end up in the mod matrix... DOH!!!!

This also has the added bonus of not being limited by the amount of mod matrix slots or CV input jacks.

A of that comes down to the developers of the device.

I think in the future as more synths get released and old synths get updated, drag and drop modulation is going to be expected, and if Reason can't or won't implement this it is going to look increasingly outdated.

It's there really, look at complex-1, dragging and dropping between sources is nothing more than a mod matrix in the background.

While Reason is very flexible and capable as far as effects routing, the fact that it has to emulate hardware makes setting up moderately complicated effects chains more time consuming and complicated than it needs to be. For instance, take setting up parallel effects chains in Reason.

Right click create parallel channel....

Or load up SEM and with a simple click of a button switch between parallel or serial chain
Or spilt freq signals with 4 Dyne etc.

Is Skeuomorphism Reason's Achilles Heel?

No, I don't believe so, it's been here for over 20 years now (and hardware as we know it 3 to 4 times longer).

Can things be done to make the rack more intuitive, hell yes.
Just by having different colour cables in the rack would be helpful.
Having an option to click on a device and show all connected devices in the chain (and not just that device), maybe even dimming out devices that are not in the chain etc.

Block diagrams are nice for simple things but again are just as bad, for me having a block diagram of a 1000 devices will not work, having it in a rack works very well for me (just want coloured cables ).

Final thought, How easy is it to route a modulation source from Phase Plant to Pigments or vice versa...

[mcatalao]

Effects routing

While Reason is very flexible and capable as far as effects routing, the fact that it has to emulate hardware makes setting up moderately complicated effects chains more time consuming and complicated than it needs to be. For instance, take setting up parallel effects chains in Reason. You have to add a spider audio merger/splitter, add the effects, add a channel mixer, flip the rack around, wire everything up, and then flip the rack around again. Now compare that to something like Studio One's splitter or Kiloheart's Snapheap or Multipass. While they have limitations, such as limited routing options, splitter requiring Studio One and Snapheap and Multipass being limited to Kiloheart's snapins, they are much faster to setup than it would be in Reason. Snapheap and Multipass also allow you to add modulation using the same drag and drop method as in Phase Plant. The routing is much more clear, since you don't have to flip over the rack and trace cables to see the signal flow. If you're a professional you know that time is money, and even if you're not, how easy it is to try something can be the difference between experimenting on a whim to see how it sounds and not bothering with it.

Most if not all effects routing in reason is automatic. Parallel channels automtically route if you create them within the mixer (you have to add nothing as the direct outs are already built in the audio channel - At most reason's mixer still needs to address post parallel issues that you can solve with a bus before the paralel). But paralels, for the most part are automatic. Most routings are automatic. Most processes are automatic and if you don't want exquisit routings, if you just want to make music, compose and go on, you almos never ever have to look at the Rack. You can spend years i reason just adding stuff to the sequencer, tweak the front of the rack, and take care of sound sculpting with the main mixer.

The Skeumorphic aspect of Reason is probably it's biggest appeal and something that pulled me to it from the start. The cable connecting method is the simplest from A to B method, works great. And remember the most exquisite cv/Audio routing project is made of N A-B connections. It can't be simpler than this.

[QVprod]

I think a larger majority are mostly preset users.

I love a good preset, what's wrong with that?

How does that make my view any less relevant?

I've never used a 100% default present it's just easier to get closer to a sound that's currently relevant without spending hours trying to figure it out....

Not sure why you’re taking personal offense? This wasn’t an insult to anyone. I use presets too...

[gullum]

I don't think the rack hardware sim is limiting me in any way at all it's my imagination that is my limit

[Billy+]

Not sure why you’re taking personal offense? This wasn’t an insult to anyone. I use presets too...

I wouldn't say I was offended, just didn't understand that particular remark.

I guess that's the problem with text based discussion, it's far to easy to read more into than is present..

[guitfnky]

the short answer is no.

just look at the gripes about Reason, here, and elsewhere. the skeuomorphic design is almost never mentioned. the real weakness is as Billy+ said—there are still far too many (very basic) missing features that people have been asking for, for a long time.

[PhillipOrdonez]

I dunno about algorithm, but mod matrix routing in Reason is drag and drop in devices like grain and Europa. I don't know how it works on those synths mentioned but it is really easy to set up with that new system. Is it much better in the other synths? How does it do when looking at a patch and knowing what's going on? ‍♂️

[strange_scenery]

Bitwig's Grid addresses this with a more sensible "block diagram" approach and you have things like FL Studio's Patcher which is something akin to a super combinator. It has two tabs. One is a block diagram where you can interconnect as many VSTs and native instruments/effects as you choose, with separate routing for audio, control and MIDI. The other tab is where you can create a user interface for your device. As many knobs, buttons and displays as you choose, and in whatever layout.

The point is, Reason could be both of these things. A computer screen is infinitely more flexible than a hardware rack and RS need to find a way to exploit that whilst keeping the rack thing that made us all go "wow" in the first place.

That's very interesting about FL Studio; I never went into too deep investigation with it or tried a demo because the user interface reminded me too much of Reaper which I tried and didn't like, and it seemed like FL Studio's strengths overlapped with Reason's too much, so that using both would be redundant.

I agree with you that while I would not necessarily throw out the rack, it's silly to be limited by the limitations of real hardware and at some point they are going to need to find a way past that.

[QVprod]

I dunno about algorithm, but mod matrix routing in Reason is drag and drop in devices like grain and Europa. I don't know how it works on those synths mentioned but it is really easy to set up with that new system. Is it much better in the other synths? How does it do when looking at a patch and knowing what's going on? ‍♂️

My only point of reference is Massive and Massive X. To that degree, the traditional mod matrix in Reason is far easier to understand routing at a glance. It's just slower to accomplish.

[strange_scenery]

To be clear, my post wasn't meant as a complaint per se, just an interesting observation I had when thinking about Phase Plant's modulation and realizing that it could never be done in Reason not because it was technically impossible or that the Reason devs were too lazy/overworked/incompetent to do it, but that to implement it would go against the foundational concepts of Reason.

[strange_scenery]

The cable connecting method is the simplest from A to B method, works great. And remember the most exquisite cv/Audio routing project is made of N A-B connections. It can't be simpler than this.

The fact that you have to connect cables is not what bothers me, the problem is that it adds unneeded steps to connect things since you have to flip the rack around and then back, and that when you are using the rack you can't see the connections. Also, since the rack is essentially one dimensional (up/down), the cables inevitably overlap each other and then it becomes difficult to see what is connected to what. Different colored cables would help but still not fundamentally solve the problem. Even if you stay in the analog world, compare that with guitar pedals laid out on the floor, where you can arrange the pedals out in two dimensions so there is less cable overlapping and you can always see the connections.

[strange_scenery]

I dunno about algorithm, but mod matrix routing in Reason is drag and drop in devices like grain and Europa. I don't know how it works on those synths mentioned but it is really easy to set up with that new system. Is it much better in the other synths? How does it do when looking at a patch and knowing what's going on? ‍♂️

In practice with a lot of modulations I don't know if it's better or worse than a mod matrix as I only demoed Phase Plant for a month and didn't end up buying it. I already had Kilohearts the One and didn't really see myself using the wavetable or sampler parts of Phase Plant, so it seemed a bit overkill to buy it just for the modulation. While I haven't extensively researched it, in all the reviews I have seen of Phase Plant everyone seems to praise the modulation UI, and I haven't seen anyone wish there was a mod matrix instead.

[QVprod]

The fact that you have to connect cables is not what bothers me, the problem is that it adds unneeded steps to connect things since you have to flip the rack around and then back, and that when you are using the rack you can't see the connections. Also, since the rack is essentially one dimensional (up/down), the cables inevitably overlap each other and then it becomes difficult to see what is connected to what. Different colored cables would help but still not fundamentally solve the problem. Even if you stay in the analog world, compare that with guitar pedals laid out on the floor, where you can arrange the pedals out in two dimensions so there is less cable overlapping and you can always see the connections.

To be fair, not the same, but you can see where a cable is routed by hovering the mouse over a device's input or output. You can also route cables by right clicking the input/output of any device. It's an easy feature to miss though.