theshaggyfreak

Reason will never have VST support and Propellerhead has said so more than once. They want to keep their software a closed system since that's one of the things that makes it so stable. Rewire will always be there to slave it to your favorite DAW. I don't see that aspect going away any time soon. I would like to see the NN-XT get upgraded but who knows if and what that'll be. I never see it high on the list of wanted features. I guess we'll have to wait and see what will happen with Reason 7. Video support and notation are also things that I don't see a huge amount of requests for. One thing that I would like to see is MIDI out support. For those of us who use Reason/Record and nothing else, the lack of MIDI out makes it a little difficult to use hardware synths and it doesn't seem like it would be a difficult thing to implement. As a lot of things go, I'm probably in the minority with the use of hardware synths. A lot of people seem to be big users of hardware or software and not so much a hybrid of the two. Propellerhead has stated that Reason isn't supposed to be a DAW in the traditional sense. I think that it's in a special class of it's own and I for one am happy to live with it. If I really need a more traditional type of software, I always have Reaper which fills in the gaps when I need it.

I'd love to see some further development of the NN-XT or a brand new sampler all together. I haven't seen many people ask for it on the Propellerhead forums, though. With Reason 6, I think a lot of the developers time was spend on getting everything up to 64bit. We'll see what happens when Reason 7 comes around.

In general, I try to keep any signal at no more than -8bd to -6db an no more. Whether it's guitar, bass or vocals, I pretty much follow that rule.

Not a bad setup! It seems to work out just fine from the little test I put it through. On a side note, I definitely recommend getting the Miroslav Gold bundle for Reason if you can afford it ($150). There's a smaller bundle that's sort of a best of package that's much cheaper as well ($59). Both are quite worth the upgrade. The Orkestra refill isn't bad, though. It just takes a little finess to make it sound decent.

You can always do both too. Record a mic on your amp as well as a dry signal from the guitar. That way you have a choice on what you can use or you can use both of them. If you have a dry signal, you always have the ability to re-amp things at any time.

I can't really comment on whether a real amp is better than a simulator since it's a question of personal taste, I will agree that they are two different animals. What you use really depends on what you like versus what's convenient. In the end, both can be made to work for any particular situation. No matter what the case is, you have to take into account your entire signal chain. With using an amp simulator, I think it's even more important to pay attention to your setup. While you don't necessarily need to spend thousands on a preamp, the pre built into your audio interface may not do your guitar justice. Again, it's a matter of personal taste. A real amp is always going to have a certain amount of personality and character to it since two of the same model are never exactly the same. An amp sim should always sound the same when you pull up a particular preset. The only thing that will change is what's in the signal chain before it. Your perception of how good it sounds is also very much determined by how your monitoring the end result. It find it a little hard to judge the quality of the sound without a decent pair of monitors. This is a really good article where Bob Moog explains what he felt was the difference between digital and analog. While it talks more about synths, I think that the concept can still be applied to this situation: http://moogmusic.com/legacy/conversation-bob-moog-analog-vs-digital-sound-generation

The SSL mixer in Record sounds great, though. If you don't wait to use the EQs/Comps on the mixer, you always have access to the other modules. Since buying Record, I pretty much never use Reason by itself. Neptune is great but Record also has wonderful stretching algorithms. I hardly touch Melodyne now except when I need more detailed control.

I don't mind giving Props my cash, actually. I have a number of times already and will probably do it again.

Seriously? You need to give me a hookup!

I also found that Reason/Record's workflow is just that much better with multiple monitors where the one with the mixer is shifted vertically as I have setup:

Since some of you might be interested, I did a little refill of drum sounds from a Commodore 64: http://pureshift.com/documents/c64_drums.html

I've been using Reason since around version 2.0. I used to use it with Pro Tools but eventually switched over to using Record 100% of the time. I've used a lot of DAWs over the years and have found Reason/Record to have the best work flow as well as the best stability. I seriously have never had it crash on me. There was once a time when I was a plugin whore. I owned a lot of free and non-free VSTs and it got hard to keep track of them all. I eventually sold all of the ones I could and now I barely use any sort of plugin. I have Pod Farm but the amp models work within Record. The only other one that I might use now and again is Melodyne but I find myself using it less since Record got Neptune. There was a time when I used FL Studio but I always found the interface cumbersome. You see, I started out using a reel to reel 4-track deck when I got into recording. I like working with hardware and Reason/Record was the first DAW that I tried that felt more like manipulating real hardware. The software isn't perfect but Propellehead really seem to give a damn about their user base. They're a fairly small company, though. While their updates are few and far in between, they always put quality stuff into what they do.

While they are nothing too special, I have a couple little refills over here: http://pureshift.com/sound_design/sound_design.html

You can check out my original stuff from my website: http://www.bsodcomic.net/media/music/ There's some links to some of my material on Bandcamp and I have some songs that are free to download as well.

I agree with Zircon 100% but I tend to use my hardware synths a bit more. I'm pretty much of the camp that a synth is going to be analog if I buy a piece of hardware. Probably the best analog monosynth out there that doesn't cost an arm and leg is the Dave Smith Mopho. That little yellow box is quite awesome considering it's only $400. If you really want a virtual analog hardware synth that also doubles a decent MIDI controller, the Novation Xyosynth is the way to go. I had one for a while and it was quite fun to play with and it had a pretty good feel to it. I think they're going to stop making them, though.

an iMac can be more than enough power for music production these days. A Mac Pro is great if you can afford it but not necessary. I've got two of them in studio that work out for me quite well. I can't really comment on EWQL specifically, though, since I don't really use any plugins these days.

With Reason/Record, I find that two screens really helps a lot. I can have the mixer window in one and the rack/note lanes in the other. It helps out with my work flow quite a bit.

Well, for something stand alone, I would look for something along these lines: http://www.zzounds.com/item--TASDP004

I bought this to use for my mobile setup recently. It's affordable and very easy to use. It should work for you just fine: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ARTUSBDPPS As far as fan noise goes, something like this might help: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MudGuard/

I'm a huge fan of Ultra Analog by AAS. I was lucky to catch it when AudoMidi had it as one of their no brainer deals. It really does sound quite nice and has a very intuitive layout when compared to a real analog synth. Other than that, I'm a big Reason fan. Most of the time I'm using that or a hardware synth. If you plan on spending a good bit of cash, though, you might as well plunk down for a real piece of hardware. A Dave Smith Instruments Mopho is $400 and it's totally worth it if you're wanting a nice mono synth. If you need poly, though, you're better off going with a plugin.

I've had one of these little Monotrons since they came out. Quite fun to use and great for sound effects! The really cool thing is that it's REALLY easy to mod the thing if you're handy with a solder iron. ...Oh, I have a Casio VL-1 too. Those are fun!

In general, I always tell people who are just started out or are still in the beginning stages...don't buy a guitar with a tremolo. Other than that, pick out something that is affordable but don't pick up the cheapest thing you see. Generally, it's good to start by spending anywhere from $200-$400. Look at the big name brands like Fender, Epiphone, Schecter and Ibanez. They'll all have something decent in that price range. As far as used instruments go, I generally tell people not to go this route unless you know exactly what you're looking for. The reason for this is that you're not going to get screwed if you find something is wrong with it in the first couple weeks of owning it. If you buy something new from someplace like Guitar Center or any other big store, you can just return or exchange it. It's really easy to get burned on used instruments but you can get some really great deals by looking at Craigslist.

http://www.krksys.com/product_rokit.php I have a pair of the Rokit 6 monitors. I still think they're one of the best things available in that price range. They have plenty of low end and I never get fatigue for mixing with them. Do yourself a favor, though. If you put a pair of monitors on your desk, you need to put something under them to help keep your desk from resonating. These aren't very expensive and they made a big difference in my setup: http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_mopad/sound_isolation_mopad.asp

Since the woofers in those Alesis M1Active 320s are only 3in, they're not going to move enough air to produce a lot of bass frequencies. You're only getting down to 80hz at the most on them which can cut out quite a bit of that low end feeling. I have a pair of KRK monitors and I'm a huge fan of them. It's always good to listen to your mixes on a number of different systems that you're familiar with. I have a set of computer spears that are like 10 years old but I know them very well. I do also listen to stuff in my truck. Personally, I can't stand mixing via headphones. I just get ear fatigue too quickly and that's even with a pair nice expensive cans.