Hi!
I've recently started using Cubase 5.1, and used Ableton 8.0.4 and Logic Pro 9 also. I have been using Reason 6.5 for 18 months now, and it is my main DAW.
Although I was shown how to use Reason by my tutor at college last year, for a good few months, I tend to think Reason is so much more simpler to get your head around. The part that's very mind boggling, is the back of the rack (the cable cv/gate/audio input/output wiring part).
It took me about an hour last night on Cubase, just to figure out how to open a midi instrument, select a preset/patch, record a 4 bar sequence, quantize it, and tidy it up a bit, then loop it a few times. Then got started on just putting a 4/4 kick drum on it. By that point I felt drained and mentally exhausted from it's complexity. Although I'm good on Reason now, as I've been using it 18 months, it would take me 10-15mins to do this on Reason. I lost motivation on Cubase. I find Logic complex as well. Abelton is a bit, but found it easier to get my head around than Logic or Cubase.
Anyway, just wanted to know what others thought. Is it worth persevering with Cubase and/or Ableton? I can only use Logic at college so I will leave that one out for now. People tell me Reason isn't professional enough, I think it is, but I'm no professional producer by any means. Maybe people say it isn't professional 'cause they're still thinking of Reason 5 or something. Reason 6 introduced audio recording (by combining the other Propellerhead software Record into Reason itself), a virtual SSL mixer (which is fantastic), and The Echo (a stereo tape echo machine), the Pulveriser (a combined compression, distortion & filter device), Alligator (a triple band gating device with many other tricks up it's sleeve), and the ID8 Device (Sound module with 36 presets:- organs, guitars, pianos, strings etc). Reason 6.5 introduced Rack Extensions (Propellerheads alternative to Vst's), then Reason 7 introduced Midi Out (recording external synths into Reason), Grouping of channels on the mixer, Parallel processing, Spectrum EQ, Audio quantizing, extra formats for audio import (AIF, MP3 and WMA as well as WAV) and a few extra things on the mix channels. It still has lots of workflow improvements to make I think, just to make it better, as it's very easy to use and edit midi etc in my opinion already. Apart from that, just a few little tweaks and that, but can't see what it's lacking.
With Logic not long since releasing Pro X (10) and Ableton being on version 9, Pro Tools being on version 10 and Cubase 7.5 (but must be about the 25th version of Cubase since it's been going since about 1989), by the time Reason 8, or dare I say 9 comes out, it will be truly awesome/professional, and I feel quite capable of anything the other DAW's can do.
What do people here think?
I've recently started using Cubase 5.1, and used Ableton 8.0.4 and Logic Pro 9 also. I have been using Reason 6.5 for 18 months now, and it is my main DAW.
Although I was shown how to use Reason by my tutor at college last year, for a good few months, I tend to think Reason is so much more simpler to get your head around. The part that's very mind boggling, is the back of the rack (the cable cv/gate/audio input/output wiring part).
It took me about an hour last night on Cubase, just to figure out how to open a midi instrument, select a preset/patch, record a 4 bar sequence, quantize it, and tidy it up a bit, then loop it a few times. Then got started on just putting a 4/4 kick drum on it. By that point I felt drained and mentally exhausted from it's complexity. Although I'm good on Reason now, as I've been using it 18 months, it would take me 10-15mins to do this on Reason. I lost motivation on Cubase. I find Logic complex as well. Abelton is a bit, but found it easier to get my head around than Logic or Cubase.
Anyway, just wanted to know what others thought. Is it worth persevering with Cubase and/or Ableton? I can only use Logic at college so I will leave that one out for now. People tell me Reason isn't professional enough, I think it is, but I'm no professional producer by any means. Maybe people say it isn't professional 'cause they're still thinking of Reason 5 or something. Reason 6 introduced audio recording (by combining the other Propellerhead software Record into Reason itself), a virtual SSL mixer (which is fantastic), and The Echo (a stereo tape echo machine), the Pulveriser (a combined compression, distortion & filter device), Alligator (a triple band gating device with many other tricks up it's sleeve), and the ID8 Device (Sound module with 36 presets:- organs, guitars, pianos, strings etc). Reason 6.5 introduced Rack Extensions (Propellerheads alternative to Vst's), then Reason 7 introduced Midi Out (recording external synths into Reason), Grouping of channels on the mixer, Parallel processing, Spectrum EQ, Audio quantizing, extra formats for audio import (AIF, MP3 and WMA as well as WAV) and a few extra things on the mix channels. It still has lots of workflow improvements to make I think, just to make it better, as it's very easy to use and edit midi etc in my opinion already. Apart from that, just a few little tweaks and that, but can't see what it's lacking.
With Logic not long since releasing Pro X (10) and Ableton being on version 9, Pro Tools being on version 10 and Cubase 7.5 (but must be about the 25th version of Cubase since it's been going since about 1989), by the time Reason 8, or dare I say 9 comes out, it will be truly awesome/professional, and I feel quite capable of anything the other DAW's can do.
What do people here think?
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