This pair of videos, via producertech, take a look at getting started with Rack Extensions in Propellerhead Reason.
The first video, above, is an overview of the Korg Polysix Rack Extension. The movie takes you on a brief tour of the instrument, giving an outline of its controls and synth engine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C872Udj8cr8
Next up is an overview of two of the compressors available in the Reason Rack Extensions range – Audio Damage’s Rough Rider and Softube’s FET Compressor. The video demos how they cope in extreme compression situations, how they differ and their various merits.
With all due respect but this is more of an overview of some specific rack extensions than an overview of the rack extensions in general. Nothing wrong with that, just felt like saying.
Now, I guess I turned into quite the Reason fanboy. Didn’t like version 5 due to the (IMO:) negative influences which Record had, eventually gave Reason 6 a try out and since only 2 weeks did I turn into a ‘recent believer’ once again. This is the Reason (not record!) I came to admire and respect.
Within that context I think that the Propellerheads are doing a commendable job here.
First they opened up the rack. Now, for people like me (I’m a Live user first, Reason user second) the actual impact may be hard to grasp. But in all honesty this is allowing 3rd party people into an environment which has a /history/ if not legacy of being rock solid.
SECOND.. Here is where they really risen in my admiration; they (=Propellerheads) actively /guard/ their brainchild to make sure that any developer who wants a piece of the action needs to comply with their set out standards.
And I love it!
Lets be honest here: the recent developments (Blocks, Kong, Sampling) could be explained as: “A major case of catching up”. To a certain agree I tend to agree with that, but immediately will also say that IMO the PHeads didn’t merely catch up; they /also/ raised the bar here and there to a whole new level.
Think about it… Lets compare Live with Reason and focus on my favorite section: percussion. During Reason 4 Live had the last laugh (IMO): Drum racks (127 pads available, several sends, endless effect chains, etc.) AND Impulse. 8 pads, dozens of easy ways to tweak those.
Reason had Redrum. In all fairness it could outperform (to some degree) the situation above. Problem was: most (new) Reason users don’t do tweaking all that much and that is just what you needed.
And there came Kong. “Only” 16 pads instead of the 127 in Live. But with a share of percussion synths which will blow your top of once you get to know them. Honest: What Thor is to synthesis is what Kong is to percussion.
End of side step…
But with this new development its not a mere case of “catching up” or (another popular rumor:) “just another means to open a new source of income”.
First; lets be realistic: /of course/ its a new source of income. They need it. I mean: what happens if all the fans of both Live & Reason bought their share?
Then there would be no more income for both Ableton nor Propellerheads. Who’s going to pay the programmers to come up with the next hit ?
But despite of all that the PHeads /clearly/ show that they haven’t “sold their souls to the devil” so to speak. You can develop for Reason IF and /only/ if you comply to their laid out standards.
Some developers complain about all this; openly state that “my xx synth can’t be put into Reason because “.
IN all fairness.. Its a two faced issue. But on Synthtopia I’m going to let my Reason fanboyism get the better of me and only state that I think its a very welcome sight to see that Propellerhead Software isn’t merely “selling out”. They guard their brainchild to make sure that whatever we buy into won’t disrupt the workflow which us Reason users came to respect and adore.
IMO that deserves some huge credit. Especially if the all around rumors hold some truth.
I agree.
This will also free resources for other things (like MIDI out and sequencer evolution or even Reason mobile).
Now, September used to be the month of a new version release, what will this September hold?
I like Reason 6’s features and am becoming a fan of Korg’s Polysix rack extension, but I *really* miss the way that Reason 2 through 5 just started up without requiring a dongle or login! Propellerheads’ user-hostile DRM is why I never got into Record when I could just start up Live 8 without any dongles or login!!
Yes, I’ve heard of USB hubs, but dongles still suck, and why the heck can’t Propellerheads/Reason do DRM the non-idiotic way that Ableton/Live, Native Instruments/Traktor, or even Apple/Logic have managed to do? At the very least, why don’t they use the OS X Keychain to remember your user name and password so you don’t have to type it an every time?
At this point I’m thinking I may just get the Korg Legacy collection so I can use the Polysix (and MS-20!) VSTs/AUs in Live and pretty much any other program. I can still use Thor, etc. in Reason 5 i f necessary…
How difficult would it be to make a Rack Extension that did MIDI out? 😀