switching from Ableton to Reason?

J

jewjesus jones

New member
i've been producing sample based hip hop on ableton exclusively for about 1.5 yrs, and i feel the instruments that come with ableton lacking. this has definitely put me off composition type beats (is that the correct word? as in not sample-based), which i am actually pretty interested in attempting

how difficult is this switch? is Reason a difficult DAW to learn? i learned ableton fairly quickly (though i still discover new tricks as i work on it)

i would also like to keep sampling, and probably combining aspects of sampling and composing more, but heard that Reason has poor sampling abilities. any comments on that?

also, does anyone use both? separately? on the same track?
 
I wouldn't switch completely to Reason, as you'll be limiting yourself further along down the line due to Reason's closed working environment. You'd be better off using Ableton as your main daw then using Reason as an external instrument through rewire. Also consider learning some basic synthesis, as I've heard some pretty amazing things come out of Ableton's stock instruments. The presets that come with Ableton don't show off much of what the instruments and effects are capable of.
 
any good sources, maybe even on the site, on how? all the knobs and switches on those synths are too confusing

and what is this rewire youre talking about? does it turn reason into a vst or something?
 
Don't completely switch. Ableton is a great program if you take the time to learn how to utilize it. I personally believe Ableton is much better than reason but it also comes down to the individual who is using it. Forbidden Silence is pretty much spot on.
 
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This should help with the rewire aspect. You can also start up Ableton, then drop Ableton's "external instrument" instrument onto a midi track, then select Reason as your "midi to" (so you can control with your midi controller) and select the Reason channels you want to hear from Ableton in the "audio from". This isn't going to turn Reason into a vst/i in the traditional aspect, as you'll have to set these routings up (ie, you won't be able to just drag and drop it onto a track), but in a way it's somewhat similar.

This article will help you wrap your head around some basic synthesis, I'd also suggest taking a look at a synth like Noisemaker, which is free and very straightforward to start out with.
 
I would look into learning those knobs, at least most of them, it will help in the long run cuz you can adapt that knowledge to different synths.
 
I think most people consider Reason a vsti even though it's not billed as one.

Reason 6 may change that but I doubt if anybody is going to abandon what they're using now.
 
I personally felt that the instruments in Reason were too limiting to create my flavor of hiphop.

Now this is by no means a reflection on the software, if anything it's probably my lack of experience in producing. I know quite a lot of producers who make some banging ass beats using nothing but Reason and a few refills.

But for me, I prefer to have great sounding instruments right from the get-go. I'm all for turning knobs and I'll tweak all I want after all the parts have been laid down, but during the initial composition stage I need to quickly build a foundation of what makes a good beat.

That's why I switched to Reaper + Komplete.. I personally feel that the sampled instruments in Komplete, along with the external libraries available for it, blow Reason's out the water. I love orchestral sounds, so I guess it's more fitting for me.

Yes you can pretty much tweak your way into getting the sound you want in Reason, but I don't really have the patience for that during the initial stage when I'm building up the beat and everything.

I'm not completely letting go of Reason though, as others have pointed out it's easy to Rewire it into your DAW of choice. But as a closed-box DAW with no way to get other VSTs in, it's not really for me to use as a standalone tool for making beats.

That's just me though; other people's experience may vary.

Check out this video to see an example of what you can do in Reason: G Funk Tutorial Day 7 pt 2: The Final Song [7 day song] - YouTube
 
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