Propellerheads REASON 5

Propellerhead Reason 5 - virtual studio rack, new features: KONG Drum Designer, Dr. Octo Rex, Subtractor, Malstroem & Thor, with analogue synths, sampler (WAV and AIFF), mixer, step-time drum sequencer, FX, real-time multi-track sequencer, standalone or sequencer integrated operation via ReWire 2.0, Compatible with Mac and PC.

Propellerhead Reason 5 - virtual studio rack, new features: KONG Drum Designer, Dr. Octo Rex, Subtractor, Malstroem & Thor, with analogue synths, sampler (WAV and AIFF), mixer, step-time drum sequencer, FX, real-time multi-track sequencer, standalone or sequencer integrated operation via ReWire 2.0, Compatible with Mac and PC, incl. PDF manual in english, french and german.

The new incarnation of Reason; and the brand goes marching on! It's more of the same, with this uprade bringing Kong Drum Designer and Dr. Octo Rex loop player to the fray & more, including many interface tweaks & multicore optimisation! - However there is imo a more subtle upgrade happening because one has to place this new release within a context of it's pairing with the accompanying 'Record' audio-sequencer, designed to work in harmony with Reason as the 'audio-multitrack' of the duo.

Most discussion on the www in the last 10 years has in the majority been about Reason as a substitute for hardware studio's or tradional sequencers with VST instruments; it usualy seems to be discussed from the point of trance and various other electronic/dance music genres - Partly i suppose this is because Reason grew out of the old Re-birth 303/808 (and later 303/909/808) software which was very much a trance/acid thing back when Re-birth appeared, but also partly it was because Reason lacked audio tracks as part of the package, so critical for creating any music with MC/vocals.

So although many people (including those i know personaly) use Reason for 'urban' genres , Re-wiring it into trad' sequencers, it's probably more thought of as a dance/music software. Thats gradualy changing with the adition of Record to the table and with this new dual release of Reason5/Record-1.5 the marketting is pushing quite clearly to now try and dominate the urban market (for want of a better phrase.. hip-hop, grime, road-rap, whatever).

The new Neptune Pitch adjuster and voice synth for Record is definately steering into hiphop, rnb and whatever urban (and pop-hop of course) territories, and Reason 1.5 has things like new signature Patches rex-loops & samples from Black Eyed Peas Printz Board & Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee, as well as the Akai-MPC-style 'Kong' Drum Designer to go-with! - together definately forming an RnB/Hip-hop dish. So the Reason/Record combi is just simply expanding not only in facilities but breadth of markets too.

Of course this page is just for Reason 5, but checkit anyway. Here's some videos for Reason-5 - If you use it, leave some comments below please