Just bought reason 4.0 kind of lost

[Darkarbiter]

I just bought reason 4... and I know how to put stuff together (watched a few tutorial vids) and I think I could make a very basic hip hop back track but that isn't really what I'm after at all. So could any make any suggestions as to what I should be doing? What do you guys do when you want to make a new track (I'm happy with just learning a little more about something atm lol)? And what helped you guys when you were starting?

[Veracohr]

What do you want to do? Are you using Reason solely?

 

Personally, I don't sequence in Reason. Mostly because I use outboard synths, so I use Digital Performer and slave Reason to it, but also because I loathe Reason's sequencer.

 

I have, however, used it a little. So my question stands: what do you want to do? What are you having problems with?

 

I see questions like yours a lot online. And my immediate reaction is: what do you know, what do you want to know, and how can I possibly answer your question without at least knowing the answer to these two questions? Such vague questions are very hard to answer.

 

What do you know about music composition and theory? Do you have any inherent musical ability, or are you simply trying to see what you can do? Do you have an idea for a song, and just don't know how to start? Or do you want to write a song, but have no inspiration?

 

Knowing how to use Reason, does not a musician make...

[Darkarbiter]

Ok well... where do you find synthesized kicks(and hi hats) in reason? and any suggestions for tutorials or stuff I should read up on making/editing patches for thor? I know what keys are... thats my musical background (oh yes and I know how to find out major and minor chords with rapid evo).

[Veracohr]

Ok well... where do you find synthesized kicks(and hi hats) in reason? and any suggestions for tutorials or stuff I should read up on making/editing patches for thor? I know what keys are... thats my musical background (oh yes and I know how to find out major and minor chords with rapid evo).

In the drum module, each channel has a little folder icon, which will open up a file browser. All samples included with Reason are located in the Factory Sound Bank and Orkester refills. Find those, and browse around. In the drums, there's a folder called "Xclusive drums sorted", or something like that. That's the folder where you can find individual drum samples. Or you can load a whole drum kit. There's a folder icon elsewhere on the Redrum that allows you to load entire kits.

 

If you're not familiar with synth programming, I suggest loading some preset and fucking around with the controls until you get a good idea of what they all do. And don't forget the User Manual. I've used Reason for years and I still refer to it often. It's very readable.

[a197120]

You're question is indeed quite vague... So I'm just going to talk and maybe you'll pick something up....

 

First of all, I only use reason, I'm currently integrating Sonar into my daily schedule, slowly....

So,...

Whenever I write a song, it's normally on accident.

 

What I normally do when I'm in Reason is just play with sounds...

I'll build synths.

I'll start with some lame Maelstrom present, or a subtracter, or Thor, whatever... and tweak it until it's beyond recognition.

And I usually just play around on my keyboard... Trying to find some riffs that I like... If I find one, I record it, and then edit it, because I suck at playing to a metronome...

 

Then, I'll find some good drum samples.. Load them up in ReDrum.

And then I'll program a beat into the sequencer in ReDrum, not in reasons main sequencer, and I never play drum parts on my keyboard, I'm just no good at it.

So then I have 1 synth and a drum part...

 

...

But let me rewind....

...

 

First things I always do.

Create a mixer.

Hook up a Delay, and a Reverb into the mixer.

Run the mixer through a limiter, because clipping makes my ears hurt, I eventually end up removing the limiter, but it's there through most of production.

 

I do everything in combinaters, I suggest you do as well, it'll make things a lot easier in the future.

 

Whenever I load up redrum I do a few things there too.

Combinator, then a full remixer, then I run each redrum channel into a channel in the mixer.

This way I have complete control, over panning, volume, effects, etc.

I also hook up a delay and reverb into that mixer, as well.

 

....

 

Anyways.

I'll have a drum pattern and a synth with a riff.

 

Work on making some pads, generally just playing chords that harmonizise with the synth part. (Yes I make up words)

Normally a fifth to whatever I'm playing, I like the way it sounds (that's a power chord, by the way)...

 

 

So then I've got some good background noise, a cool riff, and a drum part.

Alright... so then after that Make a bass.

There's a few template patterns youc an use for bass.

 

Which is the eighth after the bass drum hit, you can also do straight 16th notes with an accent on the eighth after bass hit, and probably a sideline compressor with the bass drum....

 

Or, you could not be like everyone else, and make you're own bass pattern

For this you can use your keyboard or use the arp, or use the Matrix (my favorite)

 

With the bass, you can do the same thing as the pad and use 5ths, or you can do a riff in the same key as your syth, or you can do octaves, whatever suites your fancy....

 

....

 

 

Just keep playing this on loop.. then tweak stuff...

 

You have your 3 main instruments... bass, pad, and lead plus drums.

 

But! You only have one pattern....

 

So, There's a couple things you can do.

 

Here's what I did when I first started..

 

I would take everything, and mute it in the main mixer.

And then push record, and play.

And then just kind of do an improv live solo, Start out with your pad, then bring in your synth, build it up with delay, and then BAM drums when you bypass the delay... Then play with that, find a way to work in the bass... etc...

Whatever you wanna do, just play around with it...

 

Or, you can sequence it all... I don't find this to be as much fun. I feel like you lose emotion when you don't do it live.

 

 

Another thing you can do is load up a vocal sample or two into a redrum, you can have a lot of fun with those....

 

play around, add some bongos, strings, whatever...

 

I take an incredibly hands on/expiremental approach to making music, and reason is great for this... Just play around.

 

If there's something you don't understand, don't ask a question!

Try to do it yourself, if you can't... download the reason file to a song that has it in it, try to work it out!.

If you still can't get it, then ask questions.

 

But you'll learn a lot more if you experiment and learn through looking at other peoples files.

Because you don't just get one anwser, you learn about flow, and what works. Plus you can find neat tricks and techniques by looking at other peoples stuff.

 

And when you expirement you slowly develop your own style.

And that's what music is all about, expressing yourself.

Not mimicking other people.....

 

 

Anyways, it's quite late as I'm writing this, so it's probably one large incomprehensible ramble... oh well.

[Veracohr]

I'll start with some lame Maelstrom present, or a subtracter, or Thor, whatever... and tweak it until it's beyond recognition.

Another option is to start with a simple waveform. In previous versions of Reason, the Subtractor and Maelstrom both started up with a default waveform with no filter, no modulation, no nothing. Just a waveform. But in Reason 4, when you create a new synth it has a complete default synth patch. One thing I just recently noticed that I never noticed before (if it was there before) is that if you select a synth, there is an "Initialize Patch" option in the Edit menu, which gives you just that simple waveform with no bells or whistles. I personally prefer to start from scratch.

 

Run the mixer through a limiter, because clipping makes my ears hurt, I eventually end up removing the limiter, but it's there through most of production.

Just lower the output of the instruments and/or lower the volume of the mixer channels. A limiter is a poor way to achieve the same thing that turning down the volume does.

[a197120]

Just lower the output of the instruments and/or lower the volume of the mixer channels. A limiter is a poor way to achieve the same thing that turning down the volume does.

The limiter is for those "OH SHIT" moments.

When you accidentally ahve shit up to loud.

If I hear clipping, I want to just stop making music altogether.

So, I prevent the problem.

 

Like I said, I later adjust everything without it.

But when I'm making music, I dont' even want to take the chance.