Propellerhead Software Reason
Analog synth, sampler, drum machine, ReCycle!-based loop player, mixer, effects, pattern sequencer, and more. As many of each as your computer can handle. All the power of hardware, but without the hassle. Forget tripping on cables. Reason doesn't need dusting. Picking up where you left off is as simple as turning the power on. When you save your work, your whole studio setup is stored along with your music.
In the following pages, we examine each of the Devices in the Reason Rack Studio. So click ahead to the next page for more about Reason!
- SubTractor Polyphonic Synthesizer - A monophonic/polyphonic analog synthesizer capable of thick bass, screamin' synth leads and lucious pads and textures.
- NN-19 Digital Sampler - A full featured Sample player for loading up and playing your own WAV or AIFF samples, loops, and more.
- ReDrum - Based on the classic drum machines but with all the features and conveniences of modern drum machines.
- Dr:rex Loop Player - Load up samples, slice and dice them, and more. Use this to lock any drum/rhytmic loop of any tempo into your sequence, or rearrange it completely.
- Matrix Analog Pattern Sequencer - Based on the simplicity of classic analog sequencers, use this to create TB303-like loop patterns for the synth or sampler modules.
- ReMix, Midi, ReBirth Interfaces - Reason's flexible and full featured interfaces and Mixer sections.
- Effects Devices - A whole lotta effects, choruses, delays, distortion, EQ, reverb, compressors, envelope followers, and more.
- New Devices in Version 2.0 - The Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer and the new NN-XT Advanced Digital Sampler are introduced in v2.0.
- New Devices in Version 2.5 - RV7000 Advanced Reverb, BV512 Vocoder, UN-16 Unison, Spider CV and Audio Merger & Spliters.
- Sequencer and Transport Controls
- Rear View
- Demos & Media
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Audio Clip 1 - Here are some excerpts from the demo songs that ship with Reason. You can hear plenty more samples in mp3 format at Propellerhead Software.
Download Demo - Download the FREE demo for Mac and PC and play with it yourself!
- Specifications
- Polyphony - Depends on CPU. 1-99 voices per device (Subtractor, NN-19, Dr:rex)
- Effects - Reverb, Delay, Phaser, Flanger, chorus, compression, EQ, envelope filter and distortion
- Memory - Unlimited, every parameter, sound and effect stored with each patch
- Output - AIFF, WAV and MP3 export; computer hardware audio-outs
- Arpeg/Seq - Dr:rex: ReCycle-based variable tempo loop player; Matrix: monophonic pattern sequencer
- Control - MIDI, Computer, ReWire, VST
- Macintosh - Power Macintosh 604, 604e, G3, G4 or better, 166 MHz or faster; 64MB RAM; CD-ROM drive, MacOS 8.6 or later; a MIDI interface and a MIDI keyboard; OMS 2.x or later (included).
- Windows/PC - Intel Pentium 2 or better, 233 MHz or faster; 64MB RAM; CD- ROM drive; Windows98, NT4.0 or 2000 (or later); 16-bit Windows audio card or DirectX driver, Microsoft DirectX; A MIDI interface and a MIDI keyboard.
- Date Produced - Since 2000
- Websites of Interest
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Reasonfreaks - Great site with board, free refills, reviews
- Resources & Credits
Images from Vintage Synth Explorer.
Errors or Corrections? Send them here.

Oneki Kai obviously doesn't like The Prodigy either because Liam Howlett used Reason to create to whole of 'Always out numbered never out gunned' which was a fantastic album....a good work man never blames his tools.
Reason is A MUST HAVE!
Reason is solid it has never once crashed on me.
Reason is essentially a selection of studio racks.
The effects has been great since the first version.
The sampler - the NX-19 is fantastic and has a wide range of variables...the new Thor in Reason 4 I have to say is not particularly good, it isn't a patch on the Subtractor or the mallistrom.
The best thing hands down about Reason is the NN-XT which creates the best overall rhodes, wurlitzer, clav, b3 and grand piano on the market - I say this because the sound far surpasses the file size, so my review really really rates the NN-XT sound libraries - because I've used practically all the other software on the market.
You can use just using the computer keyboard nothing else - you'll impress anyone with the time it takes to create a phat track!!!!
It's a nice little sequencer and you can get a ton of sounds from other companies. The reverb is fine and I get my ideas down quickly with it. You can spend a lifetime sifting through all the refills out there.
The user interface drives me nuts too. That's just my opinion though, some people swear by it. I prefer the Cakewalk and FL Studio interfaces.
Sound wise, the software synths are pretty cool, but are a tad thin. The sample libraries that ship with it for the NN-19 and NN-XT samplers are pretty weak. There are patches in my XV-3080 (with 64 MB of ROM) that blow away those in the Orkester bank, which is the size of a CD.
NN can load soundfonts, but is inaccurate with the filter and some other settings, so don't expect to load and play those.