All of above very true.
I am a Reason user and love it. If you are just starting out and dont even know if you are any good at making music then this is a suitably low cost option that doesnt take too long to get your head around. If you find you are tone deaf then it wont hurt too much!!
Like they say, it does work in a different way to some other software music stations but there are many similarities so if you progress and need more capability you wont have to start from scratch.
The downside is that you cant control any external synths, but unless you have deep pockets I doubt you will be going out and purchasing them anyway at first.
On the plus side, there are loads of free sounds (in the form of refills) to download and an even bigger range of commercial ones to purchase, so you will be highly unlikely to find it limiting - even the stuff they give you with it is pretty good!.
The software is both PC and Mac compatible and files can be easily transfered between the two platforms so no worries there. Propellerheads site is easy to use and offer loads of advice and links and there is a huge community of people making music and developing the sounds.
The latest version of Reason (3.0) offers the best package with some terrific effects which now really puts it in the class of packages that are far more expensive.
If you do go for it then I would strongly advise, and you will certainly want after a short time:
ReCycle, which helps create Rex2 files (Loops essentially)
ReBirth - A virtual 303, 808, 909 setup (lots of acid type sounds)
I would also advise looking for a good sound editor/sampling station to create files to be converted into Rex2 within ReCycle. Not essential at first.
All sounds a bit complicated, but it isnt once you start working with it. You can get going with just Reason and a MIDI controller keyboard and all Propellerheads packages dovetail easily with little or no rummaging around with your PC/Mac settings.
If your using Mac then OSX is best, but make sure you have plenty of available RAM and the fastest processor you can lay your hands on. Any new G5 machine will run it very well and even my G4 i-book and ageing i-mac seems quite happy with very little latency (delay between hitting notes on keyboard and it actually reaching the sequencer).
You will want good monitoring of the sound so you have two choices. If using Mac then you can use the on board sound card and simply use some USB connected speakers (I have some very funky Harmon Kardon ones that sound great). Alternatively, invest in an outboard sound card, preferably with a fire wire connection that will feed a stereo output to a regular amp&speakers set up.
Before you do any thing though I would go to your local music store that stocks all this stuff and talk to them. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING JUST ASK QUESTIONS. Tell them what your level of knowledge is, what PC/Mac and equipment you have or intend to buy, what kind of sound of music you want to make...everything really. Get them to demo differnt packages and have a go and see what you like the most and makes most sense to you. Then go away and have a good think about it and work out what you can afford. Theres nothing worse that wishin you could do something but not being able to afford another £300 for the next bit of software etc....
Once you have done all this then think about it some more and then look into actually buying something. Dont rush into buying just cos you have a pc, as you will almost certainly get it wrong. oops seem to have gone on a bit there but hope it helps.
I am a Reason user and love it. If you are just starting out and dont even know if you are any good at making music then this is a suitably low cost option that doesnt take too long to get your head around. If you find you are tone deaf then it wont hurt too much!!
Like they say, it does work in a different way to some other software music stations but there are many similarities so if you progress and need more capability you wont have to start from scratch.
The downside is that you cant control any external synths, but unless you have deep pockets I doubt you will be going out and purchasing them anyway at first.
On the plus side, there are loads of free sounds (in the form of refills) to download and an even bigger range of commercial ones to purchase, so you will be highly unlikely to find it limiting - even the stuff they give you with it is pretty good!.
The software is both PC and Mac compatible and files can be easily transfered between the two platforms so no worries there. Propellerheads site is easy to use and offer loads of advice and links and there is a huge community of people making music and developing the sounds.
The latest version of Reason (3.0) offers the best package with some terrific effects which now really puts it in the class of packages that are far more expensive.
If you do go for it then I would strongly advise, and you will certainly want after a short time:
ReCycle, which helps create Rex2 files (Loops essentially)
ReBirth - A virtual 303, 808, 909 setup (lots of acid type sounds)
I would also advise looking for a good sound editor/sampling station to create files to be converted into Rex2 within ReCycle. Not essential at first.
All sounds a bit complicated, but it isnt once you start working with it. You can get going with just Reason and a MIDI controller keyboard and all Propellerheads packages dovetail easily with little or no rummaging around with your PC/Mac settings.
If your using Mac then OSX is best, but make sure you have plenty of available RAM and the fastest processor you can lay your hands on. Any new G5 machine will run it very well and even my G4 i-book and ageing i-mac seems quite happy with very little latency (delay between hitting notes on keyboard and it actually reaching the sequencer).
You will want good monitoring of the sound so you have two choices. If using Mac then you can use the on board sound card and simply use some USB connected speakers (I have some very funky Harmon Kardon ones that sound great). Alternatively, invest in an outboard sound card, preferably with a fire wire connection that will feed a stereo output to a regular amp&speakers set up.
Before you do any thing though I would go to your local music store that stocks all this stuff and talk to them. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING JUST ASK QUESTIONS. Tell them what your level of knowledge is, what PC/Mac and equipment you have or intend to buy, what kind of sound of music you want to make...everything really. Get them to demo differnt packages and have a go and see what you like the most and makes most sense to you. Then go away and have a good think about it and work out what you can afford. Theres nothing worse that wishin you could do something but not being able to afford another £300 for the next bit of software etc....
Once you have done all this then think about it some more and then look into actually buying something. Dont rush into buying just cos you have a pc, as you will almost certainly get it wrong. oops seem to have gone on a bit there but hope it helps.
