| Propellerhead Reason Virtual Music System (Mac, Windows). List: $399
by Marvin Sanders
January 31, 2001
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(Click for a larger image) |
Reason has been a hot topic since its announcement last year, but now that
it's shipping -- and sounding as cool as it looks -- it's also a resounding
HC Hot Pick. Start with the guys who created ReBirth, the software drum
machine/synth that effectively kick-started the virtual instrument era. Then
give them a slew of imitators and incentive to do more than just an upgrade
or (yawn) yet another soft boom box, and you get Reason -- a stunning array
of integrated, virtual devices that turns your computer into a portable
groove machine.
Reason's devices include a WAV/AIFF-compatible sampler, a two-oscillator
synth, a ten-channel drum machine, a Rex file player, a 14-stereo-channel
mixer, a digital effect processor with ten algorithms, a pattern sequencer, a
linear sequencer, and a kind of virtual patchbay. Each device sports a
healthy feature set, and you can create multiple "instances" of devices --
say, if you wanted two different drum machines running simultaneously -- up
to the CPU limit of your computer. And as amazing as the sheer number of
tools is, it gets downright ridiculous when you realize you can turn your
"rack" around and use virtual patch cables to experiment with different
routings.
We saw Reason running more than ten devices simultaneously on a 350MHz
PowerBook with 400MB of RAM, but the CPU meter was showing only about 60%
taxed. This is a surprisingly efficient package that doesn't need a
mega-computer to work well. Reason doesn't replace your preferred sequencer
and the rest of your studio arsenal -- as a matter of fact, it easily works
with ReWire-compatible programs -- and it's more groove oriented than
anything. But for the power you get at $399 list, this program defies all,
well ... you know. For more information, visit www.propellerheads.se. |
