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PROPELLERHEAD SOFTWARE Reason 4 (Mac/Win)

Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Len Sasso

Propellerhead will sell no software before its time. It took a few years to get Reason 4 out the door, and it was worth the wait.

BONUS MATERIAL
Web Clips: Hear audio clips of Thor, an RPG-8 module, and ReGrooved instruments
Thor Polysonic Synthesizer: Learn more about Reason's new synth, Thor

In the Groove

The new ReGroove Mixer is one of the slickest implementations of groove quantizing I've seen. It resides just below the sequencer and is toggled in and out of view by a button in the transport (see Fig. 3). You can assign each note lane in the sequencer to any of the ReGroove Mixer's 32 channels. Each note's timing will then be influenced by the groove template in that channel. A convenient Anchor Point setting controls where ReGrooving restarts. That is handy, for example, when you have an 8-bar intro and want to sync a 16-bar groove to bar 9 of the song.

Groove templates are, in effect, timing offsets for each 16th note over a span of one or more bars. You get a variety of factory templates, but more important, you can extract a template from any note clip in the sequencer. For instance, you can extract the groove from a REX file or an imported MIDI drum loop and apply it to a Redrum or Matrix Pattern Sequencer pattern once you've copied that pattern to a track (see Web Clip 2).

Each groove channel has a variety of settings that influence how the groove is applied. Those settings are made on the Groove tab of the floating Tool window (more on that in a moment). Sliders set the extent of the impact on timing, Velocity, and note length. For example, 50 percent timing moves notes halfway to the template position, 100 percent moves them all the way, and 200 percent offsets them to the opposite side of the template position. You use the Random slider calibrated in ticks (960 ticks per quarter note) to apply a random variation to the timing adjustments.

In addition to the settings in the Tool window, each ReGroove Mixer channel has a slider for groove amount, knobs for Shuffle and Slide, and Pre-align and Global Shuffle buttons. The groove-amount slider works relative to the sliders in the Tool window. The Shuffle knob offsets even-numbered 16th notes ahead or behind in time, whereas the Slide knob offsets all notes. Pre-align quantizes notes to the 16th-note grid before applying the groove template. The Global Shuffle button applies the global shuffle amount, which is now set in the ReGroove Mixer rather than the transport, to the notes being processed.

Also Noteworthy

The aforementioned Tool window brings a variety of menu items to your fingertips. From its Browser tab, you can drag devices directly to the rack. The Tools tab provides sequencer-management tools for quantization; pitch, Velocity, legato, and note-length adjustment; tempo scaling; note scrambling; and automation cleanup.

The Combinator's Programmer lets you filter out MIDI Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Breath, Expression, Sustain, and Aftertouch messages. Also, all knob and button source fields are variable (you can route a single knob to ten destinations, for instance). The NN-XT sampler features chromatic automapping and multizone editing of sample settings.

In the transport, playback position is displayed in bars, beats, 16th notes, and ticks as well as hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. All fields are editable. You also get buttons for precount as well as for overdub and alternate-take recording, although the latter two would be more useful as toggles than as triggers.

As with all previous upgrades, it's hard to imagine a Reason user not parting with the modest upgrade fee. If you're still not sure Reason is for you, this might be the time to grab the downloadable demo and have a listen. The patchable rack of instruments and effects is by itself worth the price of admission.

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Len Sasso is an associate editor of EM. For an earful, visit his Web site at www.swiftkick.com.

GUIDE TO EM METERS

5 = Amazing; as good as it gets with current technology

4 = Clearly above average; very desirable

3 = Good; meets expectations

2 = Somewhat disappointing but usable

1 = Unacceptably flawed

PRODUCT SUMMARY

PROPELLERHEAD SOFTWARE
Reason 4

$399.99
upgrade, $129

FEATURES	4
EASE OF USE	4
QUALITY OF SOUNDS	5
VALUE	4

RATING PRODUCTS FROM 1 TO 5

PROS: Great-sounding new semimodular synth, Thor. Reason finally has an arpeggiator. Much-improved sequencer. Clever groove-quantization scheme.

CONS: Can't easily extract data to new lanes. MIDI file import and export lacks features. New overdub and alternate-take implementation is awkward.

MANUFACTURER

Propellerhead Software
www.propellerheads.se

BONUS MATERIAL
Web Clips: Hear audio clips of Thor, an RPG-8 module, and ReGrooved instruments
Thor Polysonic Synthesizer: Learn more about Reason's new synth, Thor