Reason 4

OK, I’m finally doing my little review of Reason 4. I’ll go through all of the new key features here in a minute. But first, a quick rundown. Reason is underrated, more people should buy it. Of course, this all depends on the music you’re making as well. Although, I believe whatever music you are making can be taken to the next level with Propellerhead’s new release of their flagship software

That said, here’s a couple of other opinions I have about Reason. Reason is still PERFECT to have as a synth/drum machine. Yes, it does have a sequencer but it certainly doesn’t compare with your usual DAWs. I think I already said that though in a recent post. It has basic sequencing capabilities so I suppose if you’re just starting out and on a budget, this could be the only program you need right now.

They made some improvements with the ReWire capabilites as well. For those of you don’t know, you can setup ReWire so you can use Reason basically as a plugin for your main sequencer. I personally have never used Reason in conjunction with any other program, so I don’t know how substantial the improvements are.

The Thor synthesizer is a new addition. It’s fantastic. Great sounds. Thick, punchy and just…GOOD! Check propellerheads website to listen to some samples. They have a choir sample on there that’s incredible.

ReGroove mixer is new, too. It’s somewhat similar to some of ACID’s capabilites. With ReGroove, you can (in layman’s terms) change the feel of any track. I found this especially useful with drum tracks, where can add a swing feel or whatever. You can also make your own groove templates.

RPG-8 is the new arpeggiator. It’s an arpeggiator, so you can do cool stuff with it. It’s hard to do anything incredibly revolutionary with an arp, so that’s really all there is to say.

That pretty much sums it up. It really is an awesome program. Nothing else like it on the market. The ReWire capabilites are genius. The sounds are fantastic. Can’t say many bad things about it.

-J

Want to become an intern? Good luck…

This post is really for all the newbies. I know there are a TON of aspiring producers/engineers that really just need to know how to get started.

To get started, you can take one of two routes (or both).

1. Start your own recording studio, from scratch, right out of your home. Learn how to record by your own experimentation.
2. Take the classic approach and intern at a studio, record label, etc.

Very simple. And of course, these are very well-known routes to take. As everybody knows, the best way to learn the ropes is to become an intern. But what’s becoming more and more of an issue is HOW to become an intern. I dare you to call up any recording studio and tell them you’d like to offer to work there for free, you will than likely get shut down. This is because any smart studio will realize the people they let in as interns will SOON BECOME THEIR COMPETITION!

Don’t let this discourage you. You can approach this a number of ways. Have you ever read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”? Hopefully some of you have. If not, read it. If you are seriously wanting to pursue a career in music production, I would read this book. The principles taught in Carnegie’s book will teach you how to run a business properly. Take this approach: call up any recording studio (or just go the studio in person!), and start up a conversation. Try not to talk about yourself much, if at all. Express genuine interest in the business they are running. Ask questions. Ask about how the studio got started. If your a student, voila, you can say you’re working on a school project and you wanted to learn about their studio. Point is, don’t even mention to you’re interested in becoming an intern. Nearing the end of your conversation, tell them you’d like to work there for free, just to help out. At this point, you should have such a good rapport with them they’d love for you to be around.

I don’t have my recording studio yet, so here’s MY plan for accomplishing this goal. I will intern at a studio. I’m here in good ol’ Tulsa OK so my options are limited. There’s maybe only 1 or 2 good studios in town (and honestly none of them are at the caliber I want my studio to be at). But I’ll pick the best one and go to work. I’ll be the hardest working and most passionate person working there. I’ll make a lasting impression on the people I work with and people will start specifically asking for me to engineer their projects. Meanwhile, I’ll be buying my own equipment for my home studio and recording my own projects. Once my client base is sufficient, I’ll submit my business plan for a studio and get a business loan. The loan will let me start the ONLY world-class recording studio Tulsa’s ever seen.

That’s my plan and I hope it helps you make your own a little easier.

-J