What Do You Miss From Reason?

[Creativemind]

Hi All!

Was thinking today (as I use the RRP in Reaper now) that I miss the Pitch Correction from Reason (though I wish it would work on polyphonic material.)

It got me thinking though, what else do I miss from Reason?

* That line you can drag across the velocities to chop them off I miss.
* The overall GUI (sequencer could be improved a little) especially the rack and Main Mixer (please Reasonstudio's, make it theme-able and add a proper jet black theme.)
* G & H to zoom in and out (although I've assigned shortcuts to do that now.)

So if you use the RRP now, what do you miss from Reason?

Thanks!

[adfielding]

So if you use the RRP now, what do you miss from Reason?

Great question! First thing I'd say is that I still maintain that Reason is greater than the sum of its parts, so the first thing I miss is the "whole" Reason. The RRP is a great thing to have, but I'd still much rather use the standalone "complete" version of Reason.

But, in terms of individual features, for me it's got to be-

• BLOCKS. I BLOODY LOVE BLOCKS.

• The Groove Mixer. Non-destructive timing/velocity adjustments and global swing are something I absolutely take for granted in Reason.

• Being able to set mix channels as a record source. Still surprised that this isn't a feature in every other DAW.

• Tempo sync'd audio import (if tempo data is present). I'd love to see an intelligent recognition of tempo data if a number is present in the filename, but my sample library has Reason tempo data present and it's really nice. Some DAWs are great in this regard, others aren't. If the data is present, Reason definitely is.

• Universal undo. I am still amazed at how Reason handles undo across the board, and I love how they brought that over to VSTs. I hope VST3 support keeps this up.

• Backwards compatibility. I can open a Reason 1 track in Reason 12 without issue. That's bananas.

I might think of more, but those are my current picks

[Creativemind]

So if you use the RRP now, what do you miss from Reason?

Great question! First thing I'd say is that I still maintain that Reason is greater than the sum of its parts, so the first thing I miss is the "whole" Reason. The RRP is a great thing to have, but I'd still much rather use the standalone "complete" version of Reason.

But, in terms of individual features, for me it's got to be-

• BLOCKS. I BLOODY LOVE BLOCKS.

• The Groove Mixer. Non-destructive timing/velocity adjustments and global swing are something I absolutely take for granted in Reason.

• Being able to set mix channels as a record source. Still surprised that this isn't a feature in every other DAW.

• Tempo sync'd audio import (if tempo data is present). I'd love to see an intelligent recognition of tempo data if a number is present in the filename, but my sample library has Reason tempo data present and it's really nice. Some DAWs are great in this regard, others aren't. If the data is present, Reason definitely is.

• Universal undo. I am still amazed at how Reason handles undo across the board, and I love how they brought that over to VSTs. I hope VST3 support keeps this up.

• Backwards compatibility. I can open a Reason 1 track in Reason 12 without issue. That's bananas.

I might think of more, but those are my current picks

Never use Blocks but yeah they're good. I would love to see linked clips and automation which is a similar approach. I prefer just working in the sequencer in non-blocks mode.

Yes, the ReGroove Mixer, fantastic. In Reaper you have a swing grid but not really extensively used it yet to comment on it's functionality but someone sent me an extension thingy that can load in the exact shuffle settings from the 909 which I can apply to it.

As for backwards compatibility, I wasn't aware, do other daw's not do this then? (I guess the answer is no) but this is surprising.

Speaking of audio, you just reminded me of another thing I miss from Reason, "Slice Edit" - although it lacks a lot of feature's, it's great and quick that you can just double click a clip and all the transients are there (but it would be good if there was a sensitivity slider and the transients had time positions displayed, which I never realised weren't there till say a year ago till I really needed to know where a transient was) but whatever algorithm they use is great for say tidying up an acoustic guitar chord sequence. I actually sent Reason Studio's a message a while back asking for some more info on how Reason handles the audio transient detection process but to coin a Beatles song, "No Reply" lol! I find it a struggle getting a guitar chord sequence in time in Reaper (although I would put money on it being more advanced) but one thing it's done for me, it's made me be more on time and get things spot on in the first place lol!

[Jackjackdaw]

Sample inputs in devices is a big one. I resample a lot and the way Reason handles this is a big draw for me.

Pattern lanes I have missed but I am optimistic about the new combinator midi note to pattern routing.

VSTs in the rack. All my combinator patches have VSTs in.

[guitfnky]

honestly at this point the integrated pitch editor is the only thing I actually miss having. everything else is available in the RRP, which isn't even that appealing when you're using another DAW.

I still love Reason's workflow, but now I also love Ableton's workflow, and since that's several geological ages ahead of Reason, I wonder how much life Reason has for me.

[dvdrtldg]

I haven't used the RRP yet, but is it true that it doesn't let you print MIDI notes to the DAW sequencer from players? Because that's something I'd miss

[Popey]

I haven't used the RRP yet, but is it true that it doesn't let you print MIDI notes to the DAW sequencer from players? Because that's something I'd miss

I don't think you can for this (or if its possible I don't know how). I just record the output to audio and freeze the rrp so I can return to it if needed. It would be great if you can do this though.

Edit: looks like I was wrong and you can do this. Will be trying this out later

[adfielding]

I haven't used the RRP yet, but is it true that it doesn't let you print MIDI notes to the DAW sequencer from players? Because that's something I'd miss

Can't speak for other DAWs, but it is totally possible to do in Cubase - I use BeatMap with Drumvolution quite frequently, and then record the output to a sequencer lane so I can tweak it manually.

[Creativemind]

I haven't used the RRP yet, but is it true that it doesn't let you print MIDI notes to the DAW sequencer from players? Because that's something I'd miss

Can't speak for other DAWs, but it is totally possible to do in Cubase - I use BeatMap with Drumvolution quite frequently, and then record the output to a sequencer lane so I can tweak it manually.

Record as audio though?

[Jackjackdaw]

You can record midi out from RRP. You can even have multiple players in one instance outputting to different instrument tracks on different channels. In Cubase you have to set up Channel filters to separate the signals but it does work.

[jjpscott01]

I still use Reason as my main DAW but when I do use it as a plugin I find myself wishing i had access to Reason's Pitch editor. At this point I think its the easiest and most tightly integrated pitch correction emplementation of any DAW . Its so quick, simple and sounds really good. I actually think its one of the most overlooked additions that Reason has made in the last several years.

[guitfnky]

I still use Reason as my main DAW but when I do use it as a plugin I find myself wishing i had access to Reason's Pitch editor. At this point I think its the easiest and most tightly integrated pitch correction emplementation of any DAW . Its so quick, simple and sounds really good. I actually think its one of the most overlooked additions that Reason has made in the last several years.

the only other one that I think has better pitch editing is Digital Performer. not worth it there though, because the DAW is way more complicated than it needs to be.

[PhillipOrdonez]

I miss bounce in place.

[huggermugger]

When I'm using the RRP in Logic, I miss the integration of the Reason mixer and sequencer. Despite the shortcomings of the sequencer, the combination of rack, sequencer and mixer is a powerful one.

[Timmy Crowne]

I miss the CV cabling to send control signals and note data back and forth across multiple device chains. No simple way to execute that in most DAWs.

[w1pl0c]

IMO Standalone>RRP

[adfielding]

As for backwards compatibility, I wasn't aware, do other daw's not do this then? (I guess the answer is no) but this is surprising.

In the sense that most DAWs can open projects made using earlier versions - yes, other DAWs can do that. Problems are almost certainly going to arise with regards to plug-ins, though - whereas I can open up a tune written in an old version of Reason with no complaints (provided I still have all the samples I used, or they're self-contained), I doubt you're going to have a fun time opening a 20 year old Cubase project using a more recent version.

One of the great things about Rack Extensions is that they'll always continue to work, even if a developer drops support for them completely - a good example of this would be something like Cakewalk's RE-2A, or the u-he Uhbik REs. Both have been discontinued and, consequently, haven't been updated or supported in years - but they still work, and should continue to work. The only notable exception to all of this is the Line 6 amp devices that were introduced with Record and dropped with Reason 8, which I'm assuming is the result of a licensing issue - I keep a copy of Reason 7 installed because of that.

Can't speak for other DAWs, but it is totally possible to do in Cubase - I use BeatMap with Drumvolution quite frequently, and then record the output to a sequencer lane so I can tweak it manually.

Record as audio though?

Depends on the DAW. In Cubase you can't set a particular mix channel as a record source internally (to my knowledge, at least - and it's one of Reason's features I miss!). You could get around this by setting up a loopback channel if your audio interface supports it, but I've honestly never bothered with that - you can still record the Player notes to the sequencer, then bounce the recorded clip in place if you need to. Other DAWs may have this functionality, though.

IMO Standalone>RRP

Totally agree, it's a nice option but I'll take the full-fat standalone experience over the RRP any day.

[Jackjackdaw]

Cubase will let you choose a mix channel for a record source but only in Pro not in Artist or Elements. It was the my main reason for upgrading to Pro as Artist was plenty enough for me in every other area.

[motuscott]

I miss my RT fam. The snark is not nearly as good on other forums

[adfielding]

Cubase will let you choose a mix channel for a record source but only in Pro not in Artist or Elements. It was the my main reason for upgrading to Pro as Artist was plenty enough for me in every other area.

I have somehow totally missed that then - back to the manual for me, then!

[raymondh]

I am using Reaper with RRP.

What I miss:
- The tools window. I do not like Reaper's Action menu when accessing normalising, forcing legato etc. (Maybe I just need to learn how to customise it)
- The overall intuitiveness. I'm over the steep learning curve of Reaper, but so much I have to remember that I wouldn't, when using Reason.
- the aesthetics / UI. Reaper is more function over form. Even low-res Reason is more attractive and Reason Studios design a great UI!
- the SSL mixer, and the way I can reorganise the order of tracks without screwing up the tracklist in the sequencer. (probably a user error!)

If I stopped using RRP then there is much much more I would miss. Including this great ReasonTalk forum, which should be subsidised by Reason Studios IMO.

[Benedict]

The clarity of the vision and workflow.
Reason really stands out (as does Bitwig) for its immediate sense of clarity and workflow.

Studio One is coming along really nicely and Raper (oops, here's that "e") is ok, but largely after spending a lot of time banging it into shape with things like adding icons to Tracks.

Cakebalk I just can't rate compared to things like Studio One Prime where you can get in for $0

As Adam said up there^^^ Reason is far more than the sum of its parts. Some things may be simpler but it is how they come together that really makes for the whole experience. Automation is just so smooth. CV is super...

The only real issue I have had with Reason is in high-track-count mixes (75+ audio tracks) which have broken Reason. Even without Folders (I use a system of Buses) I would prefer to use Reason for 100-200 Tracks.

[Tiny Montgomery]

I miss bounce in place.

In Ableton freeze but don't flatten. Drag the frozen clip down to an empty audio track. Unfreeze the midi track. Now you have the original and a bounce.

Edit: can't remember rn if this is copy/drag but you get the idea

[Tiny Montgomery]

I haven't used the RRP yet, but is it true that it doesn't let you print MIDI notes to the DAW sequencer from players? Because that's something I'd miss

I don't think you can for this (or if its possible I don't know how). I just record the output to audio and freeze the rrp so I can return to it if needed. It would be great if you can do this though.

Edit: looks like I was wrong and you can do this. Will be trying this out later

You can both record the midi and have it play multiple midi channels (speaking as an Ableton user). You can also create multiple audio outs and have those in separate audio channels.

[Jackjackdaw]

You can both record the midi and have it play multiple midi channels (speaking as an Ableton user). You can also create multiple audio outs and have those in separate audio channels.

Which is why I find it so infuriating that you can’t have multiple midi channels going in! The RRP would be much more Reasony if you could have one rack per project.