What is Reason 4.0?
A beat making software used to create primarily synth based, electronic or techno beats. It rose to popularity as a competitor to Fl Studio and was aimed originally at the dance producer. Today, however, it is being used to make rap and hip hop beats as well.
What’s good about Reason?
(1) Sound quality. Although I am not a big fan of Reason, the sound quality of the drums without any mixing on your part sounds awesome. For a software this is the closest you will get to those “MPC sounding drums“.
(2) Synths. The amount and quality of synths and synthesizers you get with Reason is enormous and they all sound pretty darn good. No cheesy sounds over here, well for the most part.
(3) NN-XT. This is pretty much the sampler of Reason which allows you to edit your sound samples and import them into the sequencer. Very easy to use and convenient too.
What do we hate about Reason?
(1) Difficult to use. It’s not as easy as either Sonic Producer or Fl Studio for the beginner.
(2) No VST support. This is a big no-no as I can’t really mix my sounds or beat on the fly.
(3) Confusing layout. The interface is cluttered and the graphics look like real knobs, which makes the interface feel “cluttered”.
(4) Expensive. At $399 USD, there are much cheaper alternatives.
(5) Not really for the hip hop beat maker. I know this is my personal bias, but I don’t think Reason is for the hip hop producer, but more for the dance producer. I do know a few hip hop producers that do their drums in Reason but that’s it, but I think they are just complicating the process.
Overall
If you are new to beat making I would say to stay away from Reason not only because of it’s sky high price but also because both Sonic Producer and FL Studio are better for the producer just starting out. If you still want to try Reason out you can purchase it for the discounted price of $399 right over here.
