A New Reason For Making Music
Propellerhead Software have announced the latest version of their flagship music production program – Reason 5. This new release brings a host of new goodies, as well as a feature that has been requested since the software’s inception in version one…
New In Reason 5
Well, let’s cut to the chase – you can now sample audio into Reason. All of Reason’s sample players can now also record audio, whether that be from a CD, microphone or from Reason itself.
Although the introduction of Reason’s sister program, Record, did allow for proper audio sequencing within a fully Propellerhead environment, it also required the purchase of a separate piece of software (and required a dongle). Now, audio can be manipulated with aplomb entirely within Reason itself.
The other main feature updates include the Kong Drum Designer, Dr. Octo Rex (allowing 8 rex patches in one unit), Neptune pitcher/autotuner, a new block-based arrangement system and multi-core processor optimisation.
Why Reason?
To be honest, I haven’t been using Reason a whole lot lately, but it’s probably the best program for beginners to learn about computer-based music production, and a valuable tool for even the most seasoned producers. One of the best things about it is its stability and ability to run on even the slowest laptop. When I’m traveling, I always use Reason to quickly compose ideas which can be further honed back in the studio… but with the new features in version 5, even more sophisticated creations can be finalised from within Reason itself. Check out the videos below to see how it goes…