Reason should be THE virtual modular reference

[SebAudio]

Just to share some thoughts. When I read articles like this one :
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2015/02/o ... n-modular/

I can't understand why Reason is not listed as one of the existing modular environments.
I think it's only because Reason seems to have not change regarding what's happening in the rack from the 1st version. CV has always been there but it appears "hidden" because every module has to be "big" and so has to be somewhat a "complete thing". Even the CV and LFO tools in the shop are to be "big". This leads to Reason mimicking a 90's rack and not a 2010's euro rack !
I think a great idea is there
http://www.reasontalk.com/post/show_sin ... stcount=25
Those "little" modules could be REs : it is just a different size...

[wikholm]

Reason tries to be a modular studio rather than a modular synth. The current RE SDK can only make full width modules. The half-racks are all legacy Reason devices.

But yes, a Reason with support for smaller Rack Extensions would certainly surpass for example Oscillot, where "Not only does it support six-voice polyphony, but you can even re-patch your creations as you play" and "That’s right – you get undo" seems to be regarded as selling points, in 2015.

[Benedict]

The reality would be something like: to create a proper modular synth building system inside Reason would mean building something to approximate SynthEdit. Then sadly most users wouldn't know how to use it to any great degree. SynthEdit only did as well as it did because it could export VST. Synth Maker (Flowstone) got snavelled by Imageline to shoehorn into FL and I bet that it is barely used past the presets.

I think the modularity Reason already possesses through Thor etc is probably enough for all practical purposes. Of course if a Synth Edit type environment were built to Props' standards inside a Super Combi then I would be delighted (I think). 

[softska]

Reason is modular, but to call it a reference is a bit too much IMO when CV still can't run at audio rate (minus those that use audio connector like Pulsar. Come on Props, Malestrom wants it!)

[selig]

Reason tries to be a modular studio rather than a modular synth. 

+1 for this distinction - having spent much time with analog modulars there's little in Reason that makes me feel like I'm working with a modular synth. But it's the most awesome modular studio software I've even worked with!

[electrofux]

Dunno there are tons of little devices for cv manipulation. Sure there are some gaps that i would like to see filled. Eg i use Antidotes envelope if i need to have just a simple CV controllable envelope WITH retrigger. While i know Antidote without effects is pretty slim on load but still it is kinda weird.

The poky cv thing would be much more welcome if it was widely adopted.

But honestly only having Thor and the combinator would be enough for me to list Reason as a great Modular environment.

[selig]

Dunno there are tons of little devices for cv manipulation. Sure there are some gaps that i would like to see filled. Eg i use Antidotes envelope if i need to have just a simple CV controllable envelope WITH retrigger. While i know Antidote without effects is pretty slim on load but still it is kinda weird.

The poky cv thing would be much more welcome if it was widely adopted.

But honestly only having Thor and the combinator would be enough for me to list Reason as a great Modular environment.

When I talk about a modular environment, I'm coming from an old school analog modular environment - as much as I love Thor there's very little about it that can compete with an analog modular (at least the ones I'm used to working with). That being said, IMO Thor IS an amazing poly synth.

Most modulars don't necessarily have "tons of devices for CV manipulation" - but they do have things like simultaneous waveform outputs for oscillators and LFOs, simultaneous filter type outputs, some amazingly bizarre CV generation devices, etc.

At the heart of the situation there are issues I've heard some developers speak about that actually prevent Reason becoming a true modular environment in it's current state, having to do with non-audio rate CVs, latency issues for CVs in certain cases, and other issues I still don't quite understand.

Sure, you can create very simple synths that are "modular like" in Reason, but it's far from being an ultimate modular environment and was never intended to be so in the first place. 

[electrofux]

Dunno there are tons of little devices for cv manipulation. Sure there are some gaps that i would like to see filled. Eg i use Antidotes envelope if i need to have just a simple CV controllable envelope WITH retrigger. While i know Antidote without effects is pretty slim on load but still it is kinda weird.

The poky cv thing would be much more welcome if it was widely adopted.

But honestly only having Thor and the combinator would be enough for me to list Reason as a great Modular environment.

When I talk about a modular environment, I'm coming from an old school analog modular environment - as much as I love Thor there's very little about it that can compete with an analog modular (at least the ones I'm used to working with). That being said, IMO Thor

IS

 an amazing poly synth.

Most modulars don't necessarily have "tons of devices for CV manipulation" - but they do have things like simultaneous waveform outputs for oscillators and LFOs, simultaneous filter type outputs, some amazingly bizarre CV

generation

devices, etc.

At the heart of the situation there are issues I've heard some developers speak about that actually prevent Reason becoming a true modular environment in it's current state, having to do with non-audio rate CVs, latency issues for CVs in certain cases, and other issues I still don't quite understand.

Sure, you can create very simple synths that are "modular like" in Reason, but it's far from being an ultimate modular environment and was never intended to be so in the first place. 

Whom am i telling something about Thor
Alot of my own knowledge i have accumulated, is from guys like you.

But when i was talking about Thor in a Modular environment i was basically thinking of the Mod Matrix plus the Sequencer as CV generators and manipulators. And in that department Thor is extremely nice for my understanding.
I always use tons of CV REs in projects (i love CV generation combis) but in the end most of the devices get replaced by Thors because it is so low on CPU.