60 track 11 minute opus - mixed using the SSL to its fullest

[Dante]

This was mixed in the Reason SSL with a track count of 60 at 96Khz - CPU meter running at 50%. 

Half of the tracks were samplers / RE's and the other half audio (vocal / Guitar)



The solo synth at the end is the only outboard instrument

[Benedict]

Hi Dante

A Prog Rock Opera. Just what this forum needs. Well done on completing it.

Is this a band, solo or stage show project?

[Dante]

Hi Benedict,
Thanks for your interest.  At the moment this is a long term solo project.  However I am also working on it as a potential stage show.  In the past the project has had a few collaborators and critics, and it was noted that its kinda hard to get the plot just from listening to the songs.  So from this I have started to write a script.  From there hopefully one day full libretto, scores, stage direction and choreography etc.
The plot line might be similar to Phantom if the Opera in that its a love story involving a composer.  But the style of music is set in the 70's or 80's, more like the Phantom of the Paradise spoof, but more serious than comical of course.   During that era I was inspired by the London Philharmonic recording of Tommy and more recently Rick Wakeman's Rock Ensembles. 
So although I had produced all the songs using a combination of DSP, Cubase and Reason I discovered at the start of this year that I can do a much better and faster job in Reason alone - ditching Cubase.  To proof to myself that this would work, I picked the Finale to port to Reason - I figured if Reason alone could handle the DAW load, then the rest of the tracks would work easily.  The Overture for example is just as heavy instrumentally but no choir vocal tracks.
It is still an astonishing revelation to me that with Reason I can do everything I was doing in Cubase but with a way better workflow and even at 96KHz !!!
I still use the Scope DSP for mastering and the odd synth line, but everything else is Reason alone.
The only system issue I ran into was running out of SSD space on C drive, but I fixed that by finding out where Reason created its temp files and cleaning those up, and also archiving parts of the Kontakt library that somehow wound up on C:.  
Well, I don't even need Kontakt anymore, since even the strings were a combination of Zampled and other stock Reason instruments.  So I guess all the money that I was spending on Kontact and Cubase updates will now be redirected to RE's - I hope they improve the orchestral sampler for example. 
Reason, a few years ago an EDM toy, has come of age and is now pipping the big boys.  SSL track workflow is phenomenal for this type of work.
So what have you been working on in Reason ?

[Benedict]

Hi Dante

Well I write much simpler music, that these days I broadly call Space Music. I've been using Reason from when V2.5 came out. For a while I moved away but it was always a struggle. I'm with you in finding that with Reason, things just flow better.

I like where you are trying to go with this. Very Rick Wakeman, like "1984". Unlike most mixes we hear in Forums your vocals are better than the instrumentation. Some of your sounds come across a bit flat. Common for mid-late 80's MIDI stuff but a bit better can be achieved now. I think it a necessity as current audiences demand that it sounds good (but they will forgive crap notes and singing - go figure). Your intended audience will be a bit more forgiving than people watching an action movie, but that extra movement and bombast won't go astray.

Getting orchestral samples to sound lively is a bit of a chore in any system and Reason is a bit light on still for some sounds but we are hearing good work come through for people who work it out. I just completed an album where I used some Orkester sounds and my usual synths. This was a first for me.

"The Pirates Ball" is 100% Orkester and while it mis-uses some things it is amusing



"Paganini On The Poop Deck" is 100% synths and is equally ridiculous



"The Clipper Ship" is about 50-50. I started with orchestral sounds then found they got too limited so I made some synths that did what I needed. There is a Combi in there I built as I needed a line that went over a lot of octaves so I used 4 Subs with a Brass, String, Trumpet, Flute that fitted better than the same thing using samples.

BTW I was wondering where that final synth solo came from and now I know it was Scope. I so wanted that at the time.

[Dante]

Well looks like I underestimated Orkester - I built a combinator with 16 string samples from varying libraries, figuring that would add variety and reduce phase issues when doubling up samples.

Your arrangement is more orchestral in detail, whereas I'm just using broad brush stroke hooking up a single midi track and just driving a combinator stack.

I think the Rack Extension format is revolutionary in terms of deploying new tools and sounds whenever needed - much more effective than the clunky Kontakt / Cubase registrations, downloads where theres minimal standards across vendors.

I wouldnt be surprised if Reason gets more market share as a result. 

[Benedict]

Don't worry I underestimated Orkester for about a decade too. It was only after looking at how some other orchestral sounds were put together that it started to make sense to me. It is like Lego blocks - which is of course very Reason.

No problems with layering instruments from different places so long as they match up, which any decently recorded samples should.

Kontakt has some clever tricks which can make it seem more clever but Reason leaves those up to the individual which offers greater scope.

[Dante]

Well I am about to rework the overture, so I will certainly see if I can weave in some more Orkester there.  Good tip.