Reason Vs. Other DAW...Thoughts?

notoriousben15

New member
SO i've been using Reason for about 5 years now (First version 4.0, now 6.5). I've gotten the hang of it, i know how to use it, but i have not mastered it. I'm no pro, just like to make music as a hobby.

I chatted with a producer a while ago who told me he's not a fan of Reason, and he recommended that i consider switching (he recommended Ableton). I'm a little hesitant to switch for 2 reasons -

1. I know nothing about any other DAW's and i'm intimidated by the learning curve of switching from the only interface i know to a brand new one.
2. Coughing up the money for another DAW when i already own a perfectly good one.

I'm sure there are a lot of differences, but i've been told Reason has a certain "sound" that he didn't like, can anyone relate? I personally think a lot of the sounds on Reason sound too punchy, too crisp, too electronic. None of the instruments sound real. Everytime i'm looking for a smooth guitar or violin, i get sounds that just seem dominate and would rarely be mistaken for a real instrument. Now, is this common with Reason, or is this common with all DAW's? Is this simply b/c i need to buy more sounds and the stock sounds are just always going to be kind of cheap sounding? Or can i modify these to make them sound more legit?

I am also interested in learning more about sampling, but unfortunately my copy of Recycle is no longer compatible with my Mac. Do other DAW's come with software built in for sampling, or do you always need to purchase external software to be able to sample?

The 2 programs i've been thinking about are Ableton and Logic. Ableton, simply b/c i keep hearing more and more people are using it, and Logic b/c it's Mac based so i assume it's somewhat user friendly. Thoughts on these vs. Reason?

ANY Info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. if it helps, i make hip hop music, but not super synth heavy, more like real sounding instruments/sampling with synths complimenting the other sounds (Think Emancipator, RJD2, Blue Sky Black Death)
 
Mixing?:
The problem is most likely a mixing problem. Because achieving the same sound in all the daws you named is the same process. However if you want to try out the demos of all the software you would consider using then do that :/


I went from fl studio to studio one/reason simply because of workflow differences as an example. I use reason by itself sometimes but mostly in s1 as a steroid vst.


For samplicty sake:
slicex
wavepad
wavosaur
audacity or goldwave are examples of samplers.
Also the built in sequencer of all daws too but usually takes way more time.


Sound Design:
You can do anything.


Real sounds:
Would take a while to synthesis anything close to a real instrument without additive synthesis or sampling or physical modeled vsts like realguitar or AAS.
Tried ableton since it was free with focusrite, wasn't a bad daw but eh, already have two.
If you plan on doing live then it will be easier to just get ableton.
 
I get better mixes out of Reason than I do out of Pro Tools. Everyone's different, so everyone's approach can lead to a different result. Nomatter what I do, my pro tools mixes sound way more "sterile and airy", and I can't get as much loudness without distortion or the draining of dynamics.

I think that's due to the tweaking of the SSL board in Reason for me. It connects everything unlike in pro tools where I'd be putting a console strip emulation on every channel manually and overlook alot of tools the channel provides because you wouldn't miss them enough to load up a dedicated plug in for the same effect.

Again, all just reflections of how I work. Same reason I liked SONAR more than Pro Tools on PC.
 
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The 'quality' of sound you get from any given DAW is the same.
The sound comes from the virtual instruments. 98% of virtual instruments are capable of producing professional quality sounds if you treat them the right way, add FX plugs and so on.
The only thing about reason is that if you want different sounds or new tools to play with, you can't get third party VSTs.
Bottom line is 'cheap' sounding almost always has nothing to do with money, it's just a lack of knowledge about which buttons to press.
 
Hey, how's it going? In my opinion, Reason gets the job done! I used to be anti-Reason until my cousin got me hooked on it when it was at Reason 4. I'm now on R7 and most likely will up grade if I feel like it. But I also use Protools but have made a decision to detox from PT. So I can master Reason. For me Reason has an easy workflow and You can get some great mixes out of it. It's more of getting a fundamental knowledge on mixing so you can apply that to any daw you use. I remember once being told " A Good Workman Never Blames His Tools". In this case, meaning, it really doesn't matter what DAW you use because your the one making it do what you need it to do. So if you already know reason, then stick with that. If you have one of the recent versions that have Rack Extensions in it, then get you some RE and go-in! By the way, It is possible to use VST's with Reason. I use them all the time in mine. It's a beast especially if you using Kontakt with it.
 
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I agree with Knoqx.com. Reason has an easy workflow. I'm currently using Reason 7. I've been using Reason since Version 4 and I have yet to master it as well. It's easy on the CPU and RAM typically compared to Live. The only thing I don't use Reason for is mixing although it is definitely possible to get a professional mix. I feel like if you want to mix with Reason, you rely more on your ears rather than the visuals of meters and all that crap, which can be good but at the end of the day it's personal preference. I typically export as a wave file into Ableton or FL Studio to mix, only because I have some VST plug-ins that I prefer for mixing. All the tracks I have were produced by me in Reason and mixed in Live or FL Studio.
 
Hey, how's it going? In my opinion, Reason gets the job done! I used to be anti-Reason until my cousin got me hooked on it when it was at Reason 4. I'm now on R7 and most likely will up grade if I feel like it. But I also use Protools but have made a decision to detox from PT. So I can master Reason. For me Reason has an easy workflow and You can get some great mixes out of it. It's more of getting a fundamental knowledge on mixing so you can apply that to any daw you use. I remember once being told " A Good Workman Never Blames His Tools". In this case, meaning, it really doesn't matter what DAW you use because your the one making it do what you need it to do. So if you already know reason, then stick with that. If you have one of the recent versions that have Rack Extensions in it, then get you some RE and go-in! By the way, It is possible to use VST's with Reason. I use them all the time in mine. It's a beast especially if you using Kontakt with it.

How are you using the VST with Reason? Are you making an audio track and using your sound driver as the audio input to record into Reason? I've seen people do this, but I can't get it to work with my Focusrite drivers :/
 
Reason is the first DAW that I really fell in love with and "mastered". It's not my main tool anymore, but I'll still load it up every once in a while because it's just so fun.

There are plenty of great producers that use Reason as their main program or as a vital part of their production process (usually rewired into Ableton Live).
I'm not sure what kind of music you're into, but some of my favorite artists that use Reason are Koan Sound, Snails, HeroBust, Adam Fielding, Lucky Date, and Protostar.

The "sound" your friend is referring to is probably due to music being made using all Factory Content presets. My biggest advice to you is to learn synthesis, sound design, and mixing. And just experiment and make your own sounds. Have fun. Check out the trials of other and see if you like them at all, and if you don't, stick with Reason. The most important thing is to use a DAW that you're comfortable with and that you like!
 
After reading knoqx post...frantically found vbaudiocable drivers and it works. What that fella said works.
Sound design will never be the same again. zebra, and reason's thor -_-...yes. Reason's finally has a wavetable creation tool now...
ffs yes VB-Audio Virtual Apps Voicemeter >:)

Although studio one has stuff I still like usin too but for just pure sound design reason takes the cake.
 
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Not sure about VBAudio, never tried it. But, is it anything like using Reason's Midi Outs to control a vst and recording it to a track?

After the introduction of Rack Extensions, I don't miss vsts in Reason at all. Everything I need is now covered. Do wish I had more options for some stuff, but it all does a good enough job.
 
Not sure about VBAudio, never tried it. But, is it anything like using Reason's Midi Outs to control a vst and recording it to a track?

After the introduction of Rack Extensions, I don't miss vsts in Reason at all. Everything I need is now covered. Do wish I had more options for some stuff, but it all does a good enough job.

this is my preferred mode of operating also

the virtual cable is just a cool way of having decent control inside win 7/8 imho
 
I thought reason actually needed that, cuz It don't work without it I might have to try that out if that's the case, zebralette...
Then there's rewiring into studio one but still. Studio one might just become a mixing daw after findin that out lol.
 
I had used reason for several years before I decided that I wanted to utilise what the vst world had to offer. That was waaay before rack extensions and all its worth came along. So not taking that into account, I believe the only thing that held me back during that time was my experience and limited knowledge all together.

It's easy enough to connect that to the tools being used, and took me quite a while before I realized I could probably have done everything I do now, and then some, just as well using reason.

Nowadays I think I'd find it hard to go back to Reason, but only because I've been getting very used to many of my third party vsts.
 
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SO i've been using Reason for about 5 years now (First version 4.0, now 6.5). I've gotten the hang of it, i know how to use it, but i have not mastered it. I'm no pro, just like to make music as a hobby.

I chatted with a producer a while ago who told me he's not a fan of Reason, and he recommended that i consider switching (he recommended Ableton). I'm a little hesitant to switch for 2 reasons -

1. I know nothing about any other DAW's and i'm intimidated by the learning curve of switching from the only interface i know to a brand new one.
2. Coughing up the money for another DAW when i already own a perfectly good one.

I'm sure there are a lot of differences, but i've been told Reason has a certain "sound" that he didn't like, can anyone relate? I personally think a lot of the sounds on Reason sound too punchy, too crisp, too electronic. None of the instruments sound real. Everytime i'm looking for a smooth guitar or violin, i get sounds that just seem dominate and would rarely be mistaken for a real instrument. Now, is this common with Reason, or is this common with all DAW's? Is this simply b/c i need to buy more sounds and the stock sounds are just always going to be kind of cheap sounding? Or can i modify these to make them sound more legit?

I am also interested in learning more about sampling, but unfortunately my copy of Recycle is no longer compatible with my Mac. Do other DAW's come with software built in for sampling, or do you always need to purchase external software to be able to sample?

The 2 programs i've been thinking about are Ableton and Logic. Ableton, simply b/c i keep hearing more and more people are using it, and Logic b/c it's Mac based so i assume it's somewhat user friendly. Thoughts on these vs. Reason?

ANY Info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. if it helps, i make hip hop music, but not super synth heavy, more like real sounding instruments/sampling with synths complimenting the other sounds (Think Emancipator, RJD2, Blue Sky Black Death)

I currently work with Reason 5 and Ableton Live 9 Suite. While I can't say anything about the newer versions of Reason because I haven't owned any of them, I really liked Reason because it was more of a standalone program, and everything you needed was inside of the DAW (aside from your own samples, of course).
As I got more into producing, I started to notice that there were some limitations to Reason. There were certain synth sounds that I could play in my head, but could not make in the program.
I eventually got Ableton Live 9 along with some other VST's, and although it was confusing compared to Reason (which I had been using for 2-3 years beforehand), I eventually understood how Ableton worked, and I feel there are more things you can do in it than Reason. I believe you can use VST's in the newer versions of Reason, but the use of them seems more simple to me in Ableton. I also believe, again, compared to Reason 5, that sampling is much more fluent and easier in Ableton.
So, with VST's, I feel you can be more creative with your sounds, and I feel like sampling is very easily accomplished in Ableton, as it has the built in Sampler and Simpler.
Reason is better if you don't have as much money to buy Ableton and other VST synths, but if you do have the money, I'd say that I'd honestly go with Ableton.
Both programs are great, though. It's kind of more of what you're looking for in your DAW.
 
tbh I alwa thought this vs DAW argument were silly especially when someone is "gun hoe" about their favorite DAW but don't even know how vs DAW works. Its all personal preference because at this time all DAW's can achieve the same thing but in a different technique. Its just about knowing how to do it properly.
 
Ive been using Reason since #4 and now it has everything I want in DAW.
As far as it having that "Reason sound" Ive heard this before and right after someone says that they usually say Pro Tools or Logic is "Industry Standard".
Thats BS any sound anyone can make in any other DAW I can make the same through my mixes in reason.


Now with that being said. I make majority of my tracks through Machine first. Then I port everything over to Reason, because all of the Rack extension plug ins I have plus the built in SSL mixing board and being able to route everything with virtual cables is what sets Reason8 apart from any other DAW to me.
No other DAW has the SSL mixing board set up the way that Reason8 has it. Its already built into the program instead of having to use it as a plug in.
Once they made it possible to record audio that took it to the top in my opinion.
 
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I typically export as a wave file into Ableton or FL Studio to mix, only because I have some VST plug-ins that I prefer for mixing. All the tracks I have were produced by me in Reason and mixed in Live or FL Studio.

What do you use in Ableton or FL Studio for to mix? Are we talking mastering rather than mixing, or both? O-Zone 5 or 6? and what does it give you that Reason doesn't. I heard someone say about only 4 bands on the EQ and this being substandard but there are eq's available in the shop aren't there, such as LAB:ONE Recordings Black Knight, Red Queen or REQ-131.
 
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The "sound" your friend is referring to is probably due to music being made using all Factory Content presets. My biggest advice to you is to learn synthesis, sound design, and mixing. And just experiment and make your own sounds. Have fun. Check out the trials of other and see if you like them at all, and if you don't, stick with Reason. The most important thing is to use a DAW that you're comfortable with and that you like!

What I would like to know as well is, is if it's the factory presets being used that give Reason a sound, how does this differ from you knowing synthesis and making your own sounds? It would still have the Reason sound wouldn't it? That is, I'm guessing that whoever made the factory presets would have known synthesis too. So I don't get what difference it would make?
 
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I own Reason 7, but Studio One 3 or Bitwig Studio, in conjunction with an Akai MPC Renaissance, are my primary production DAWs.

In my opinion, the stock version of Reason is pretty lacking when compared to stock versions of my other DAWs. However, with Rack Extensions, the user can purchase additional instruments, effects and utilities to meet their preference and needs.

With that said, Reason has enough tools at hand, whether stock or supplemented with REs, to make quality music and finalize recordings. It is just a matter of personal choice. If you enjoy using Reason, stick with it and make the most of the tools and options presented.

Coming from a hardware background, I do find that Reason is the most intuitive of all of my DAWs. Since owning Reason dating back to version 2.5, I only recall the need to look at the manual about 3 times.

In regards to sampling, I do not recall the features of Reason 6.5. However, on Reason 7 and beyond, audio sampling directly to the native drum machines and samplers is possible. Also, the newer versions of Reason allows users to export audio as REX files. I thought these features were available on version 6.5, but I could be wrong.
 
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I have a quick question in regards to rewiring reason into ableton live as mentioned in some of the comments. Is this done strictly for mixing purposes?
 
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