That said, I did read every comment, and would like to offer this…

There are kind of 3 perspectives… Magnetic’s, everyone else, and the middle of the roaders. There is much truth to each side.

I 100% agree with magnetik in that you can just as quickly lay down quick ideas in a traditonal sequencer (sonar, logic, cubase) *if and only if* you have a workflow that allows you to do so. I am a composer who writes music for short films, and a producer of hip hop and electronica music… my approach is wildly different for different genres.

For me, loading up sonar to sketch out a quick violin theme is easy as pie. Fire it up, load the synth, and play. Just the same for electronica… load up stylus RMX, and within a few moments I can tap out a drum groove on the pads. However, I find myself prefering to use reason 4 for electronic music because I feel the working environment is better for it. In the same way some people can do homework in their dorm, but have to read books at a library… the enviroment is more ripe for certains tasks for certain people.

Consider loading up a synth for a quick sketch in Sonar… insert stylus rmx, patach stylus rmx, insert albino 3, patach albino 3… considering stylus is an 8 gig app and albino packs a punch itself, it takes time to load and then i can lay a groove and melody. In reason, its self contained nature allows me to load a patch and play. So in that sense it is unarguably faster. Even battery 3 vs. redrum… it takes a little time to load a kit in battery… with redrum its nearly instantaneous. when I’m on the road, or pressed for time, those precious seconds I save sketching in reason add up to a lot. Still, I wont even consider using anything else than sonar for a sketch pad for orchestral music.

but reason really is a powerful sequencer in its own right. the sound deisgn options in reason is out of this world… as a matter of rule, if I use a preset it is *never* stock, and more often I will design every sound I use (spider merger and splitter rocks my socks!). For me my reason workflow is such that I will compose an entire piece solely with reason, and then import each track as .wavs into protools, and add some extra sparkle with me RTAS plugs, and record vocals then.

All in all, reason is another tool in my toolbox… I use Reason when I want a particular sound that only reason can deliver. I am lucky to have bought many of the sequencers for windows (FL8, Reason 4, Sonar 5, Live 6,soundforge, and recycle) which gives me unique options to approach each project.

In the end, the operative word is “workflow.” when you find a combination that allows you to be creative, be it reason/rewire, reason alone, or reason and later another sequencer, or whatever… stick with it until you can no longer evoke creativity. Many a producer still use the mpc… now IMHO, battery 3 and a sequencer is FAR more powerful than an MPC could ever be… and in all honetsy, it doesnt require a lot of cpu power if you think about it…. load up one instance of battery 3 with all of your samples on it, and record audio (ie. triton, fantom, or motif) into your sequncer of choice, and you essentially have a very common hip hop/electronica setup! that requires a pentium 4 and 512MB of ram to work effectively, a computer monitor much easier on the eyes for sequencing, and softsamplers offer far more power and versatility than a hardware smaple ever could. Still many swear by the MPC… its like a religion… all comes down to your desired workflow.

my $0.02

Anyway thanks very much for great reply Sam

P.S. Are there any Reason 4 producers out there that make chilled Trance that can show me an example that i could be able to make with Reason?

That’s a very good advice regarding Reason … I totally agree with what you said. Thanks!

Eric after you checked all the sound that comes with Reason, don’t forget to check our reason refills too. Reason is a really great tool with an unlimited sonic potential, it will not let you down

Cheers!

I am glad you don’t listen to the “uber techno purists.” Reason is a great learning tool and will teach you a LOT. Especially if you buy a tutorial book or take lessons.
My advice is to stick with the stock sounds at first. I say this because trust me, you can get wrapped up in downloading and trying out refills and after weeks you still havent made any music. You will know when you need to branch out. Usually this is when you find yourself playing around with individual sounds trying to get something new. First learn how Reason works, do some tutorials, and then when you start looking to make beats, go out and find some refills.
Also! There are a lot of terrible refill packages out there. Best thing to do is download a bunch and then install 1 or 2 at a time, checking out each as you go and deleting what you dont like.

As for gear there are 3 inexpensive tools that I believe are must haves.
1. BCR2000 rotary controller
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-BCR2000-BControl-Rotary?sku=701762&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26048393
Simply amazing. The possibilities that this thing opens up are endless. There are other products out there like this, but for the price this thing cant be beat.

2. Midi keyboard
I like the Oxygen 8 for an inexpensive midi keyboard
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-Oxygen-8-v2-25Key-Mobile-USB-Controller?sku=706310&src=3SOSWXXA

3. Time, Patience, and an open mind.
Yes that is 3 items, but they are all free!

Tony
http://www.3emptycans.com

Because of this thread, I’m going to get Reason with the intention to learn a heck of a lot… and find “my sound.” If/when I feel I need to ad to it to fine tune my sound, I will look into it… but for now I’m excited to get started.

*** I do have one question: How do I know when I need to get refills… how do I know when the sound I want can’t be created with what’s included in Reason? Also, where is the best place to find refills? (I know, that’s two questions but oh well.) I plan to create mostly breakbeats with DEEP, rumbling bass lines and various hooks… Stanton Warriors come to mind… Crystal Method too.

Okay, sorry one more q: Do I need a MIDI keyboard? If so, what’s a good one to start with that isn’t crap but isn’t a million $ either.

Thanks! E

When I first started using reason which was the original version, I thought the same thing…these sounds aren’t good, this thing stinks…weh, weh, weh….I realized that there are good refills, you have to search them out and pay for them or download them from reasonfreaks or from reason’s website….Also I’m not sure how long you’ve been using it but, keep trying to learn more about the engineering of it….how to hook things up and things like that, i’ve learned a lot from reasonfreaks.com, gearslutz.com, propellerhead.com and speaking face to face with other producers….It could be a number of reasons why, but I do feel you need a good library of refills, which I do have and I mix and match and never not have enough samples to experiment with….search more for refills that suit your style as well….Look for 24-bit samples instead of 16-bit…things like that, you may start to end up getting what you are looking for….No one said that music production would be easy…you have to struggle before you get anything accomplished….

If that doesn’t help your reason sound at all, de-register the product and sell that shit on ebay, because maybe it’s just not for you….keep in mind guys like prodigy, beastie boys, bloc party, evol intent, dj babu, a guy called Gerald…and the list goes much farther on in every genre…..None of that matters unless it “works” for you…and keep in mind, these guys use it as a music production “Tool” , not really as their main DAW…The reason DAW is not that powerful, but if you rewire it to the more powerful DAWs like Logic 8, Cubase 4, Nuendo, Pro-tools…etc..etc…. and combine those daws with maybe a couple more “tools” like the vst/au’s from Native Instruments for example (Kontakt is dope)….

Hope this sort of….steers you in a positive direction….It’s an endless ocean of software and hardware that all costs money…so learn how to save your money and make sure you buy something that will take you a step further with your music…good luck…

Currently I’m working on some dubstep and it’s working out just fine on Reason 4….The combinator can be leathal if you learn how to operate it and automate it…..

Peace,

M. Progression