Propellerhead Reason - THE SOUND QUALITY

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deep'n'dark

High Skilled Producer
I've been using Reason for 10 years and the biggest question that always seems to be on every second board seems to be the Reason Soundquality. So all Reason users, if you go through your music library that you made with Reason, IS THERE EVEN 1 TUNE THAT "DID IT"?
 
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ain't no thang. I know when I hear an 808. I know when I hear a DX-7. I know when I hear Reason.
 
I definitely don't know when I hear Reason - I mean sure, if someone just uses the presets or, say, the really obvious graintables from Malström for example...then yeah, you can tell. But I don't think Reason has a sound - other than that directly associated to some of its devices.
 
honestly think people just say that. id love to do a test with people and play them certain beats to see if they can "hear" it. that sounds almost impossible even?
 
The Reason "sound" is one thing to discuss, but another thing is the quality of Reason effects. Why can't Reason Equalizers boost or cut the way you'd become satisfied. I have used VST equalizers and they got me a feeling that I did it right. Why don't the Reason compressors do anything like the Reaper's xcomp?

And why does the Reason music sound so shit quality wise on the car stereos?
 
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I think it "used to be" an illusion......the contrast of the Reason screen were "dull" giving an effect of the music being dull. I did this test a while back and came to that conclusion. People said that rewiring reason makes it sound better........when it's actually them getting used to the other DAW's sharpness (as they view and listen). If you listen to reason 3 for example.....and then minimize it while it's still playing, it sounds better. lol! The same with Ableton Live....it's bright, the sounds sound a lot different than loading in reason because of it. Even the filthiest, noisiest sounds seem to sound polished compared to reason 3.....but it's only an illusion. The eyes play a major roll in the listening. A sharper gui of a vst gives an illusion to the sounds sounding better. A dull looking website will give the illusion that the music is a little duller than the same music on another site using the same player. An HD flat screen monitor gives an illusion to the music sounding better vs an old monitor screen from the 90's.

That's what I think. A bunch of backdrops in reason 3 makes a differences in the illusion. Reason 5 and 6 provided better sound quality.....also a much brighter, higher defined look.....adding to the illusion.
 
I definitely know the "Reason sound". To me, it's almost like every element of a beat occupies its own individual space in a song and doesn't completely mesh with the rest of the beat (which I think is a good thing). Another reason I know a Reason song when I hear it is because there is a hard-to-describe character to the synths. Either way, I love me some Reason.
 
I think the confusion is the understanding of sound itself. The instruments of Reason and most digital emulations are based off hardware. When u study sound and listen to the people who are original gearslutz, you know that each unit has its signature sound. The curves of eqs, the oscilators of synths, the warmness of compressors etc. Reason is no 'different' in this sense. Reason does have a 'sound', just as the mpc 60 or 808 has its own sound.
But when people say Reason or FL sounds shitty, I think they laying too much credit to the software. The software is very if not identical emulation to the hardware forefathers. Give all the shitty sound credit the producers. My sound in Reason is very nice because I've monitoring in reason for almost 5 years. But I just start using Studio One and my mixes sound shitty there. Its not the tools its the man. Reason is as ill as any other tool for making sounds if not far superior IMO. Check ya self and check the man. We are still years away from compuers yet alone software being smarter than man. Just saying.
 
No DAW has a "sound". What you hear coming out of it is exactly what you put into it. I'm an Ableton user myself but I find Reason's effects are excellent. I love the EQ and Scream4.

If something someone did sounds like shit, and it was made it Reason, I can guarantee it has nothing to do with the software.
 
Fully agree with most of what is said here.
Reason sound is actually saying I hear the sound of someone who didn't properly operate Reason.
You can accomplish more or less the same things with other quality DAWs out there. You gotta know how.
To me, Reason is a more natural way of sound design as it resembles more to stuff that communicates with me, stuff that I recognize, etc.
Just take some looks at the youtubes in the 52 reason record tips and you'll start understanding a lot more to the instruments in Reason. As it says, they are instruments. Then with record being implemented in 6, it got that kick ass SSL resembling mixing console integrated and it became an even more powerful tool for sound synthesis/designing/whatever.
I can't imagine that if you fully understand eq'ing, compression, effects, processing, how to operate that SSL like console and how to operate Reason with all it's possibilities, and a lot more, that you can't produce something that sounds decent.
Do ppl watch the artist stories?
Artist interviews - Learn Music Making and Production Tips from the Pros - Artist Stories - Propellerhead
There are some artists there who mainly do their stuff in Reason. Really big names. As if you hear some of those big names on the radio and go like "Yeah! That's definitely the Reason sound again..." .
If they do, than I'm gonna aim at getting that Reason sound as they're doing a hell of a good job making some wicked sounding tunes!
 
Ive been on Reason since ditching the MPC/Hardware workflow in 2007. Everyone assumes I use an MPC. The Reason "sound" is a ridiculous myth. It equates to poor mixing skills and people using the stock/factory sounds/soundbanks and not tweaking/mixing their music properly.

Yawnnnn. This topic is so lame and beat to death... time to get back to making music.
 
Flying Lotus used Reason up to Cosmogramma - I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain that "it sounds like Reason".
 
And there was also recently a 'Test Which Was Reason' thread on the Props forum made for a few of the 'claiments'....those who said 'I can pick any song made in Reason'. They ultimately failed badly. As was mentioned above, you can hear Reason made by someone who uses the stock patches and presets and doesn't know how to mix. So, these kinds of threads are ridiculous.
 
I'd like to see one of those tests here on FP and see how many people can guess which one was made in Reason.
 
Ive been on Reason since ditching the MPC/Hardware workflow in 2007. Everyone assumes I use an MPC. The Reason "sound" is a ridiculous myth. It equates to poor mixing skills and people using the stock/factory sounds/soundbanks and not tweaking/mixing their music properly.

Yawnnnn. This topic is so lame and beat to death... time to get back to making music.

exactly! and now he uses ableton. but nobodys going " oh flylos sick but his beats are not good quality cos of ableton/reason"
 
I love Reason and have been using it for 7 years. I agree with one of the posts; it is what you put into it. Propellerhead is a very prestigious company and they know what they are doing. My production in Reason sounds really good. It has to do with the sound card as well, by the way. Honestly, Reason has one of the best and most realistic stock sound banks I have ever seen. What is better now is the Rack Extensions in Reason 6.5. They are INCREDIBLE! Go check out the new compressor, new limiter, new equalizer, and the new effects they have on their website. Impeccable.
 
I definitely don't know when I hear Reason - I mean sure, if someone just uses the presets or, say, the really obvious graintables from Malström for example...then yeah, you can tell. But I don't think Reason has a sound - other than that directly associated to some of its devices.
Same! I think its easier to tell FL then reason unless you really know what your doing like Lex Luger and Hit Boy.
 
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