Worst Rack Extension ? Take a look

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Auryn
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27 Jun 2020

muckmclane wrote:
25 Jun 2020
I vote for a tie between eXpanse/VK 2, I mean there are just no options with these things.
I agree man, no CV ins, just abysmal stability and sound quality. I'd be better off making a refill for my dishwasher. At least that has an LFO out for the spinning thingy ;)
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challism
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27 Jun 2020

sdst wrote:
26 Jun 2020
challism wrote:
26 Jun 2020


Wow, really? This seems really drastic to me. I get if you don't like an RE, but how can this possibly be on the "worst" list? Seems like there are plenty of other choices you could put on that list above any player in the shop.
i can't make a 4 bar loop with that, there is no rhythm just nonsense, that's my opinion
I haven't tried it yet. I don't want to be rude, but are you sure it isn't a user error type problem? It sounds to me like you are bitter that you bought something and aren't happy with it, instead of being objective about it. I've got some REs I don't like and regret buying now, but I can't even put them on the worst list. I can't imagine that Beatmap could be considered the worst. We have some real duds in the shop that are much more worthy of the title of worst. Again, I haven't tried it, but I can tell by the videos and reading so many comments about it that I wouldn't/couldn't say it's the worst. And, of course, you are entitled to your opinion.

challism wrote:
26 Jun 2020
bla bla bla Peff Spacre
I forgot about RElabeler. I guessed it was going to be Peff's Spacre without watching the video. Commented before I watched it. Started the video and said to myself, "damn, Peff looks different. He stopped being Asian somehow."
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MrFigg
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27 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
muckmclane wrote:
25 Jun 2020
I vote for a tie between eXpanse/VK 2, I mean there are just no options with these things.
I agree man, no CV ins, just abysmal stability and sound quality. I'd be better off making a refill for my dishwasher. At least that has an LFO out for the spinning thingy ;)
Huh?? Now I don’t know a thing about synths but I’ve got VK-2 and I like it and I’ve read a load of people in the forum saying they love it. In fact I don’t think I’ve read anyone ever saying anything bad about it. Like what options? CV?
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Auryn
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27 Jun 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020


I agree man, no CV ins, just abysmal stability and sound quality. I'd be better off making a refill for my dishwasher. At least that has an LFO out for the spinning thingy ;)
Huh?? Now I don’t know a thing about synths but I’ve got VK-2 and I like it and I’ve read a load of people in the forum saying they love it. In fact I don’t think I’ve read anyone ever saying anything bad about it. Like what options? CV?
Haha, I thought I had layed on the sarcasm thick enough with the dishwasher comment. Iḿ pretty sure mr MuckMclane is also just trolling. I love VK-2 man, I actually did some of the stock patches. Also did a refill for expanse (see sig)

as far as actual crap RE's, it's hard to call something "bad" but there are definitely purchases I haven't found much use for. Somebody mentioned Faturator which I can get with because I've rarely ever gotten a useful sound out of it. Maybe that vintage synapse EQ, does what it advertises but never found much use for it. Red Rock coloring box, bought it cause it seemed like a kind of audiomatic but it's so subtle it's never really used.
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Quixotic Sound Design: http://www.quixoticsounddesign.com
Europandemonium Refill: https://gumroad.com/l/YxIGB

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MrFigg
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27 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Jun 2020


Huh?? Now I don’t know a thing about synths but I’ve got VK-2 and I like it and I’ve read a load of people in the forum saying they love it. In fact I don’t think I’ve read anyone ever saying anything bad about it. Like what options? CV?
Haha, I thought I had layed on the sarcasm thick enough with the dishwasher comment. Iḿ pretty sure mr MuckMclane is also just trolling. I love VK-2 man, I actually did some of the stock patches. Also did a refill for expanse (see sig)

as far as actual crap RE's, it's hard to call something "bad" but there are definitely purchases I haven't found much use for. Somebody mentioned Faturator which I can get with because I've rarely ever gotten a useful sound out of it. Maybe that vintage synapse EQ, does what it advertises but never found much use for it. Red Rock coloring box, bought it cause it seemed like a kind of audiomatic but it's so subtle it's never really used.
Phew!!! I’m not usually one to miss sarcasm but MuckMcClane’s comment sounded so genuine and I’m so high in morphine that I thought you might be serious.
As far as bad REs go many a folk know my feelings on Romplers and that there’s two in particular I still do not love but I made a promise about a year ago not to mention them again so well...:)
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Auryn
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27 Jun 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Phew!!! I’m not usually one to miss sarcasm but MuckMcClane’s comment sounded so genuine and I’m so high in morphine that I thought you might be serious.
As far as bad REs go many a folk know my feelings on Romplers and that there’s two in particular I still do not love but I made a promise about a year ago not to mention them again so well...:)
High on morphine? I hope it's nothing serious..!
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Europandemonium Refill: https://gumroad.com/l/YxIGB

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MrFigg
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27 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
MrFigg wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Phew!!! I’m not usually one to miss sarcasm but MuckMcClane’s comment sounded so genuine and I’m so high in morphine that I thought you might be serious.
As far as bad REs go many a folk know my feelings on Romplers and that there’s two in particular I still do not love but I made a promise about a year ago not to mention them again so well...:)
High on morphine? I hope it's nothing serious..!
Tendon is torn partially off the bone in my shoulder. I can still play the guitar if I prop my elbow up on a high chair. Suffer for my art :)
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sdst
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27 Jun 2020

dvdrtldg wrote:
27 Jun 2020
sdst wrote:
26 Jun 2020

i can't make a 4 bar loop with that, there is no rhythm just nonsense, that's my opinion
You're doing it wrong
ok, maybe I'm wrong, but i would like to hear some drums with Beat Map that don't sound like a robot with a virus
something like a human

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Auryn
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27 Jun 2020

MrFigg wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Tendon is torn partially off the bone in my shoulder. I can still play the guitar if I prop my elbow up on a high chair. Suffer for my art :)
Ouch! I hope whatever caused the tear was a part of a wild stage act with naked women ;)
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Quixotic Sound Design: http://www.quixoticsounddesign.com
Europandemonium Refill: https://gumroad.com/l/YxIGB

danc
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27 Jun 2020

JiggeryPokery wrote:
27 Jun 2020
danc wrote:
26 Jun 2020


Here are some simple instructions to determine the WORST RE, based on an open democratic vote of us Reason users...

1. Go to the Reason Studio shop.
2. Select Rack Extensions.
3. Filter the list by HIGHEST RATED.
4. Wait a few seconds for Reason Studios to do its stuff... now... there are currently 716 results.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and keep going and keep going and keep going... at the very bottom is the WORST RE.

You can see the results here... https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/brow ... g&pagex=24

The WINNER is the SW4-C Multi-Switch Controller priced at £139.00 - receiving 2 out of 5 stars. Maybe it's the daft price... maybe it's just SH*T... you decide.

Go see for yourself... https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/rack ... ontroller/

Don't blame me... I just use simple logic to decide the worst. From where I am sat it looks amazing... as it uses the R.O.M.O.S concept aimed at producing random soundscapes on multi-speaker set-ups.

BTW - ReLabeler is 3rd from bottom. So no... it is NOT the worst.


Careful with such lists.

You've really not looked properly at the list, I can tell: the shop, being so fundamentally broken , that sorted list actually doesn't work. You have set it to sort by Highest Rated, yes, but please do note that the result within each possible value range is displayed alphabetically. :roll: Look carefully, 4Dyne is first in the 4.5+ range because it starts with a numeral, then you got all the A's, the C's, the D's... and so on and soforth.

While it is possible SW4C is the lowest rated, it'd be purely coincidence, because it's also the last letter alphabetically within its possible 1.5 to 2.4 star range, so it's technically possible it might actually not be the lowest.

You'll also note from that and any other search page that Reason Studios really do not want potential users to know the actual rating, so they've now removed them entirely from the product lists. You have to click individual product pages to see the rating, but given there is no half-star averaging or, as there used to be, the actual numerical value, star ratings are largely meaningless now, as 3.5 products are effectively rated the same as 4.4. So pretty much everything is now just set to 4*, which may actively work to confuse users and hide worthwhile products from them by promoting products considered in fact by a reasonable majority of users as merely average, as suggesting they are well above average, while demoting some excellent products by not allowing them to be distinguished and lumped in with arguably inferior fare.
Thanks for intel JiggeryP. As I mentioned in a post or two later... it was Friday afternoon and was said with tongue and cheek - having a little banter. It wasn't meant to be absolute fact. However.. £139 for a CV switch does seem a little excessive.

BTW - I said this before way back... but I do love your JPS Harmonic Synthesizer. It keeps on giving each and every time I use it. There is something really raw and warm about it.
Check my Soundcloud:

NDKay
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27 Jun 2020

can anybody remember the meme he is talking about in the video ?

just curious
This is a SmartAss. Really nothing more than that !

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dvdrtldg
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27 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Maybe that vintage synapse EQ, does what it advertises but never found much use for it.
Ha! I love that one, use it a lot

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retreed
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27 Jun 2020

JiggeryPokery wrote:
27 Jun 2020
Careful with such lists.

[...]

While it is possible SW4C is the lowest rated, it'd be purely coincidence, because it's also the last letter alphabetically within its possible 1.5 to 2.4 star range, so it's technically possible it might actually not be the lowest.

[...]
You can inspect the shop page of an RE and look for "ratingValue", which will display the precise rating.

Checking the lower ones (before the unrated bundles start) reveals the following ranking:

Unifylter - 2.62 Stars
Restereo - 2.45 Stars
SW4-C - 2.38 Stars
ReLabeler - 2.27 Stars

We can conclude that the developer in the video offers the lowest rated RE in the shop. :)

NDKay
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Location: Suite 11

27 Jun 2020

I just got back from the oldest page of this subforum and found a topic i would like to know if the Rack Extensions came to existence?

Maybe under another name or something ? For me at least, i can´t really remember seeing a "Beatbox" RE but what do i know.
And no, its not the same approach as in the opening video ! :lol:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7253509
This is a SmartAss. Really nothing more than that !

Proboscis
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27 Jun 2020

Damn fine example of why programmers should not do GUI design.

Generally speaking, of course.

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MannequinRaces
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27 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
muckmclane wrote:
25 Jun 2020
I vote for a tie between eXpanse/VK 2, I mean there are just no options with these things.
I agree man, no CV ins, just abysmal stability and sound quality. I'd be better off making a refill for my dishwasher. At least that has an LFO out for the spinning thingy ;)
Way off topic but here's a song I did based around a recording of my... wait for it... dishwasher!!

ddrex
Competition Winner
Posts: 36
Joined: 01 Jul 2015

28 Jun 2020

Concerning the SW4-C rack extension I made (concept and GUI) with Pitchblende (extra ideas and awesome programming), here are a few facts that could possibly help to understand why it is appearing in this topic .

The RE was primarily made because I needed a tool for generative music that was not available for Reason. So it was custom designed to very specific needs and not intended as a large selling product .
But as a few other producers could potentially benefit from its possibilities it was first available at the price of 15 USD. After about a month at that price there was an announcement that the price would go up a lot that gave potential customers plenty of time to try the product and get it at the 15 USD price. This announcement was made at least 3 weeks before the price change and the reasons for the price change were explained.

The SW4-C is designed to be part of a package used by places like Yoga centres , bars hotels, even zoos.
The main part of the work being the custom design of the setup for each client and the unique set of sounds producing the generative 3D soundscape.
The high price is part of the protection preventing the reason files from just being copied and used.

For the person wondering what the sales were like. The SW4-C sold 22 units at 15 USD and 4 at 139 USD.

Now the only sales happen in the form of packages with custom set-ups and sounds that can vary a lot in price depending on the complexity of the request.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank David once again for the great work he did on this RE that is still the first thing I pull out when starting a generative project. There is so much to this little gem that I sometimes have to re-read the manual to understand what extra possibility we were aiming for when such or such button or switch was added !

Also it is rock solid and even the clients running generative soundscapes 24/24 have never reported any issues.

I am aware that not everyone was around when the SW4-C was at 15 USD and that some would have liked to get it at that price to have as an extra option in their arsenal of random generating tools.

So I will gladly give away 5 free licenses to anyone that can prove to me that they produce generative related stuff and that can convince me why they need this RE in particular ( what it could help them achieve that other Res can’t). This might require reading the manual:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3px7vbylp9zy9 ... B.pdf?dl=0

Hope this puts things more into perspective

DOODOV DIGITAL DESIGN

and as a bonus a little bit of the SW4-C in action in my personal Yoga set-up but without the 4 speakers


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ljekio
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28 Jun 2020

Could not be sold separately CV utility and Refill with sounds and combinations?

robotgard
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28 Jun 2020

Image
Last edited by robotgard on 09 Dec 2020, edited 1 time in total.

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Billy+
Posts: 4157
Joined: 09 Dec 2016

28 Jun 2020

I'm really not sure why we even bother reading and replying to threads like this, "but I'm going too"

I have a pretty nice list of rack extensions and am almost certain than I've rated maybe 10, I'm almost certain that I haven't rated any since version 9 and I can't be the only person happy with the purchase that just can't be bothered to actually go back and rate it because I'm having too much fun to stop.

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muckmclane
Posts: 135
Joined: 28 Oct 2018

28 Jun 2020

Auryn wrote:
27 Jun 2020
muckmclane wrote:
25 Jun 2020
I vote for a tie between eXpanse/VK 2, I mean there are just no options with these things.
I agree man, no CV ins, just abysmal stability and sound quality. I'd be better off making a refill for my dishwasher. At least that has an LFO out for the spinning thingy ;)
lol
I hear you brother I been spamming the boys over at blamsoft for months now to get them to discontinue support for those gremlins and focus on something with some options.
Image

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fieldframe
RE Developer
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Joined: 19 Apr 2016

28 Jun 2020

ddrex wrote:
28 Jun 2020
Concerning the SW4-C rack extension I made (concept and GUI) with Pitchblende (extra ideas and awesome programming), here are a few facts that could possibly help to understand why it is appearing in this topic .

[...]
Thank you for taking the time to explain your thought process.

So you create installation pieces of generative sound art? That's really cool. I've seen installation sculpture with a generative component, but I don't think I've ever encountered a generative sound installation. Do you do visual components as well, or work with visual artists on installations?

Reason is an interesting choice for an installation – my first thought would be that a full Reason installation would have too many potential points of failure versus something like Pure Data or Supercollider, but it sounds like you've tested this setup and it's proven reliable for your clients.

If your Rack Extension is intended only for this very niche use of Reason-powered generative installation art, it makes sense that you'd price it for ultra-low volume. Although if other sound artists could benefit from it – and it sounds like you believe that to be the case, given the intro pricing and that you're offering a few free licenses in this thread – why not make the price more accessible?

ddrex
Competition Winner
Posts: 36
Joined: 01 Jul 2015

29 Jun 2020

While the SW4-C could be used to create "generative art " and also "drive" associated visuals ( I have some promising projects using midi out from Reason into Resolume) the main application is more ambient soundscapes integrated into everyday life. A good example of this would be the recreation in a zoo of the different natural environments or a soothing more melodic soundscape in a supermarket or a more "Mantra" related one for a Yoga class.
The choice of Reason was based on multiple factors. The main ones being stability, versatility and the possibility to integrate new instruments and effects without having to develop them. The only thing that needs to be done with set-ups running 24/24 is to set a loop point after a few hours to avoid running into the sequencer length limit.
Of course the loop back is transparent because everything is randomly generated in real time.
Every project is different. The work needed to make custom set-ups for specific needs along with the recording and treatment of a set of original sounds can take weeks.
This will then end up in a Reson file used to create the 3D soundscape.
While there is a good protection for REs provided by Reason Studios, the same does not apply to a Reason project.
So someone "not paying" for the Reason file would still need to buy the full version of the SW4-C to be able to use it and that is why the price is what it is and will only go up if any change occurs in the future.

danc
Posts: 1017
Joined: 14 Oct 2016

29 Jun 2020

ddrex wrote:
29 Jun 2020
While the SW4-C could be used to create "generative art " and also "drive" associated visuals ( I have some promising projects using midi out from Reason into Resolume) the main application is more ambient soundscapes integrated into everyday life. A good example of this would be the recreation in a zoo of the different natural environments or a soothing more melodic soundscape in a supermarket or a more "Mantra" related one for a Yoga class.
The choice of Reason was based on multiple factors. The main ones being stability, versatility and the possibility to integrate new instruments and effects without having to develop them. The only thing that needs to be done with set-ups running 24/24 is to set a loop point after a few hours to avoid running into the sequencer length limit.
Of course the loop back is transparent because everything is randomly generated in real time.
Every project is different. The work needed to make custom set-ups for specific needs along with the recording and treatment of a set of original sounds can take weeks.
This will then end up in a Reson file used to create the 3D soundscape.
While there is a good protection for REs provided by Reason Studios, the same does not apply to a Reason project.
So someone "not paying" for the Reason file would still need to buy the full version of the SW4-C to be able to use it and that is why the price is what it is and will only go up if any change occurs in the future.
I'm glad I probed the hidden depths of the Reason Studio RE ratings list to discover a rather interesting Reason project with SW4-C.

Also really glad that, what could have become a piss take thread, is actually turning into a positive discussion.

What other RE's are out there lurking in the darkness that tell an interesting story? Please tell!!!
Check my Soundcloud:

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