Propellerhead Reason - THE SOUND QUALITY

**deep'n'dark** · 05-28-2012

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"?

**Tyree D.** · 05-28-2012

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.

**krushing** · 05-28-2012

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.

**hart36** · 05-28-2012

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?

**deep'n'dark** · 05-28-2012

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?

**901_Rice_Street** · 05-30-2012

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.

**901_Rice_Street** · 05-30-2012

Double post.

**rogergil** · 05-31-2012

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.

**MegaloDeez** · 05-31-2012

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.

**macbeat** · 06-01-2012

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.