"I use Reason" reaction

[Kalm]

I think one cause of the unenthusiastic reactions to Reason has been the authorization system Propellerhead used to prevent piracy. Reason has basically been uncrackable for over a decade, whereas many of the other DAWs were easily cracked and shared. This allowed every broke 15-year-old to dip their toes into music production, which in turn flooded YouTube with tutorials and demonstrations of those DAWs, creating vibrant online communities around those platforms. Now those guys are 25, and they love Ableton and FL Studio and speak the same language.

We have a community around Reason here, but this forum is the biggest, the average age here is pretty high, and posts to the music sub-forum don’t get much engagement. I think that’s why RS has been trying to gear Reason toward younger audiences. Most promo material features trap or EDM and highlights Reason’s ability to deliver immediate results, a departure from the technical James Bernard-era immersive patching they used to feature. Props had every right to make Reason secure, but I suspect one unintended consequence is the blank stares I get when I tell other guys I use Reason. We’re kind of on an island.

I quadruple this motion

[Ottostrom]

I'm not going to lie, I've always kind of liked that outsider perception of Reason as something used by weirdos haha! That said, there's definitely been a perception shift from Reason being this cool, slick new thing from the earlier versions to how it's seen now. A frequent comment during that shift was that Reason is more of a toy than a serious platform for music production, and from a personal point of view I've never had a huge problem with that assessment - I've always had fun using Reason, and if you can't write something good with it then I'd say that says more about the user than Reason itself.

But yeah, I've never really seen the point in the snobbish attitudes certain folks have towards what other people happen to use. It reminds me of when I see people using amazing looking setups to create music that sounds like it was made using a bunch of free VSTs from 2001 - it's this performative obsession rather than any genuine interest in using what works best, and I get the feeling that a lot of people really buy into that for some reason.

Well said.
In many fields of digital creation (game development, digital painting, music) I've noticed how the people who spend a lot of energy arguing over what tools to use are the ones that don't create much themselves.
While the people they follow and respect doesn't even think about that stuff cause they're busy making things.

[selig]

I'm not going to lie, I've always kind of liked that outsider perception of Reason as something used by weirdos haha!

That rings true for me as well. I'm always using the uncommon tools compared to most folks if just to insure I'm not sounding like the other guys.

Reason fits right into that thinking for me, and as such I've always considered it my 'secret weapon'.

[avasopht]

I was just watching a video about how !llmind (Kanye West, Drake Jay-Z) uses Native Instruments, and I couldn't help noticing him running NI in Reason.

ln fact, the video is just as much about how he uses Reason to make beats

While some are saying you can't make music in Reason, others are making a living from it.

[QVprod]

With all due respect I question the sanity of the users who work solely in Reason. I mean the mentality of the user that readjust panning, output channel, level you get the picture a total reset every time they load a sample in Kong is the definition of madness. I

I've stopped using Kong myself, but maybe you aren't aware that if you drag a sample directly to the NN-Nano, rather than on the pad itself, the Kong routing stays the same. Remember Kong is also a synth (not just a sampler) so anything you drag onto the pad is effectively a preset therefore changing the routing.

[Goriila Texas]

Nah I didn’t really try that cool bro.

With all due respect I question the sanity of the users who work solely in Reason. I mean the mentality of the user that readjust panning, output channel, level you get the picture a total reset every time they load a sample in Kong is the definition of madness. I

I've stopped using Kong myself, but maybe you aren't aware that if you drag a sample directly to the NN-Nano, rather than on the pad itself, the Kong routing stays the same. Remember Kong is also a synth (not just a sampler) so anything you drag onto the pad is effectively a preset therefore changing the routing.

[moneykube]

I'm not going to lie, I've always kind of liked that outsider perception of Reason as something used by weirdos haha!

raises hand That fits with me as many have noticed

[jam-s]

I'm still chortling over the spoon and shovel analogy but, yeah, maybe it's a bit harsh. So what do we replace the spoon with?
A ladle?
A garden trowel?
A pooper scooper?
One of those plastic spades kids use on the beach?

An excavator that's a little rusty and broken but with lots of power and wires.

[Timmy Crowne]

There is something in Reason I find truly special, one thing I believe Reason does better than all the rest: modulation. Other DAWs have powerful modulation too, but control signals are usually sandboxed inside of each track. On the other hand, Reason’s CV system allows for easy modulation *across the whole project.* That’s powerful, and it’s unique.

That’s what keeps me coming back. I wish they would expand on this system. IMO, the best way to make Reason stronger (and more popular) is to release, not more instruments, but an array of simple logic building blocks. Create a visual SDK with small modules that allow for CV and MIDI signal processing: comparison, functions, filtering, quantizing, storing variables, conditional statements, etc. Put this kind of stuff into the user-base, and wait…

Now this is nerdy stuff. I know it doesn’t sell well on the front page of the website. You probably won’t have enthusiastic testimonials from industry producers. There’s no sexy teaser to rollout.

But if you do this, I think it’s just a matter of time before the “nerds” create stuff that the devs never dreamed of, stuff that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Reason will go from being a serviceable DAW that can be used to make cool music, to the *only* place to get a new sound or use a new workflow.

Then I think “I use Reason” would be met with: “You like Subtractor or Europa?”

[Goriila Texas]

Yeah but scrolling through patches resets again so you can't really test patches against while beat is playing. I can't go back to Kong I'm way too happy in Studio One Impact where I can drag Rex files on pad 1 and it will auto chop each sound on pads 1-16 or go to another bank. In Reason you have to choose Nurse Rex then choose one by one Chunk trig for each 16 pads to chop a Rex file. I like to work smart not hard, time is money I work I'm not a kid who lives with his parents. They can keep that spoon.

With all due respect I question the sanity of the users who work solely in Reason. I mean the mentality of the user that readjust panning, output channel, level you get the picture a total reset every time they load a sample in Kong is the definition of madness. I

I've stopped using Kong myself, but maybe you aren't aware that if you drag a sample directly to the NN-Nano, rather than on the pad itself, the Kong routing stays the same. Remember Kong is also a synth (not just a sampler) so anything you drag onto the pad is effectively a preset therefore changing the routing.

[QVprod]

Yeah but scrolling through patches resets again so you can't really test patches against while beat is playing. I can't go back to Kong I'm way too happy in Studio One Impact where I can drag Rex files on pad 1 and it will auto chop each sound on pads 1-16 or go to another bank. In Reason you have to choose Nurse Rex then choose one by one Chunk trig for each 16 pads to chop a Rex file. I like to work smart not hard, time is money I work I'm not a kid who lives with his parents. They can keep that spoon.

I've stopped using Kong myself, but maybe you aren't aware that if you drag a sample directly to the NN-Nano, rather than on the pad itself, the Kong routing stays the same. Remember Kong is also a synth (not just a sampler) so anything you drag onto the pad is effectively a preset therefore changing the routing.

Yeah it would be nice if you could lock the routing while switching presets. On the Rex chops though, you could always save a preset with all the chunk trigs set up. Then it'd be less tedious.

But I'm not advocating for Kong. It used to be my favorite as it beat most things for sample layering. Then Battery took my attention and now I'm on Machine. Never got on with Impact and it was too late by the time the XT version came out.

[Goriila Texas]

10-4 I'm trying to use as many stock devices in S1 as possible for one to save cpu and two stock devices are heavily integrated inside S1. For example I like seeing the drum sounds from the pads in the sequencer or drum view I don't like guessing and don't want to be renaming ish every time. I hate the workflow of Maschine as a plugin and hate the fact the transport buttons can't be linked to S1 so I only use it's sounds.

Yeah but scrolling through patches resets again so you can't really test patches against while beat is playing. I can't go back to Kong I'm way too happy in Studio One Impact where I can drag Rex files on pad 1 and it will auto chop each sound on pads 1-16 or go to another bank. In Reason you have to choose Nurse Rex then choose one by one Chunk trig for each 16 pads to chop a Rex file. I like to work smart not hard, time is money I work I'm not a kid who lives with his parents. They can keep that spoon.

Yeah it would be nice if you could lock the routing while switching presets. On the Rex chops though, you could always save a preset with all the chunk trigs set up. Then it'd be less tedious.

But I'm not advocating for Kong. It used to be my favorite as it beat most things for sample layering. Then Battery took my attention and now I'm on Machine. Never got on with Impact and it was too late by the time the XT version came out.

[Hoboys]

Tantacrul swears by Reason.

But still... RS, please update the damn sequencer already.

[nebraskafire]

Reason is far behind other DAWs yes you can make music with it but you’re working harder than other DAW users it’s not even debatable. It’s like two men trying to dig a ditch and one is using a shovel and the other a spoon. Yes both will dig but the guy using a spoon is a fool. I’m not calling Reason uses fools but I do scratch my head at the rigorous workflow y’all choose to make music in.

All I'm going to say is - if someone can't write and produce a good song using Reason, Reason isn't the problem.

[ProfessaKaos]

A lot of the best Hip Hop and RnB ever made to this date was made with technology that is completely inferior to what we have today. Again I'll say it, no one cares what you use or used, you could use a toaster or an anal bead to make a song, if people vibe to it and it draws emotion from them, then it's a winner. Music is not a contest.

This is very true. So many great records, from different genres, were made before whole DAW boom.

Today we have obsession over tools and not music itself. Most DAW complaints are from folks who praise shitty techniques like layering 150 tracks to make a kick drum or call every sub bass sine wave an 808.

Exactly.

And yep, every bassline these days is an 808, even though it isn't.

At the end of the day music is music, tools like computers just made it easier one person to make a song by themselves and not need multiple people which is what use to happen. Probably why older songs have more vibe/soul/feeling, because it is the vibe/soul and feeling of multiple/group of people coming together.

[avasopht]

At the end of the day music is music, tools like computers just made it easier one person to make a song by themselves and not need multiple people which is what use to happen. Probably why older songs have more vibe/soul/feeling, because it is the vibe/soul and feeling of multiple/group of people coming together.

Another aspect of making music in a band is that you can respond to each other in realtime when creating a track, so you're able to quickly cover ground you probably wouldn't have arrived at alone.

[ProfessaKaos]

The difference between a MPC user is they know the workflow on a 2000XL is outdated and none of them will argue about it. The problem with a lot Reason people is that they’re in denial about how trash the workflow is and how most things in the DAW is half arse. If someone say they make better music than me on that raggedy DAW ima say good for you at least they are honest

Better is subjective to the end listener. No one makes better music than anyone, if you love what you make then that is all that counts. The whole purpose of making music is making something that you love and enjoy doing, not who is better, or I make better beats or songs than you, F that mindset, that mindset is for insecure people like children. Music is about collaborating with people in something you and the others around you love to do, which creates amazing memories and bonds with people that will last a life time.

[ProfessaKaos]

At the end of the day music is music, tools like computers just made it easier one person to make a song by themselves and not need multiple people which is what use to happen. Probably why older songs have more vibe/soul/feeling, because it is the vibe/soul and feeling of multiple/group of people coming together.

Another aspect of making music in a band is that you can respond to each other in realtime when creating a track, so you're able to quickly cover ground you probably wouldn't have arrived at alone.

Absolutely. Multiple minds are always better than one. Team work makes the dream work

[orthodox]

Another aspect of making music in a band is that you can respond to each other in realtime when creating a track, so you're able to quickly cover ground you probably wouldn't have arrived at alone.

Absolutely. Multiple minds are always better than one. Team work makes the dream work

Those lacking the opportunity to work in a team can go schizo and create a team in their head.

[Przemyslaw]

Another aspect of making music in a band is that you can respond to each other in realtime when creating a track, so you're able to quickly cover ground you probably wouldn't have arrived at alone.

Absolutely. Multiple minds are always better than one. Team work makes the dream work

Mhm and each band member has a different idea and perception about the song, and everyone pulls their way

[TritoneAddiction]

I know the word "toy" is meant as an insult. But for me the word toy is one of the best complimentary words a music software can get. It should feel like a toy. To me that indicates fun and playfulness. Imo the worst word for any music making program would be "serious". That just sucks all the fun out it. Who cares if a creative piece of software has more features if you're bored to death looking at it and working with it? It shouldn't feel like work.

[dvdrtldg]

People who diss Reason are stupid, but let's be honest so are people who give even half a flying shit what anybody thinks of the DAW they prefer to use

[plaamook]

Team work makes the dream work

And that's why I talk to myself all day long. So I can have cool dreams too.

[Chi-Individual]

This is hilarious. The reaction is at 2:09 if the video is acting up. But it seems that some of the youngins feel like Reason is something ol' school like an MPC 2000XL or ASR10 or something. Perception with the youth as far as Reason being a modern, up-to-date DAW is def an issue. But I have no idea how that can be changed.

[Goriila Texas]

Young people aren't dumb anybody with common sense and with a general understanding of how music software works will come to that conclusion. The look of confusion on her face when dude said "Reason" speaks volumes of the perception young producers have of Reason. It's just facts that Reason is behind the competition and not appealing to the youth of Trap producers which is a billion dollar genre. Many do both hip hop and Trap and don't touch Reason! RS or PH throughout since Reason inception has continued to ignore this genre of music makers and their growth has been stagnant at best. I'm 49 I bet there are a gazillion young trap producers from 15 yrs old to 25 alone providing enough money to Image line that they give free updates for life. I'm a hating azz old head but the youth are the future and if they don't think you're cool you're dead as a company.

This is hilarious. The reaction is at 2:09 if the video is acting up. But it seems that some of the youngins feel like Reason is something ol' school like an MPC 2000XL or ASR10 or something. Perception with the youth as far as Reason being a modern, up-to-date DAW is def an issue. But I have no idea how that can be changed.