Reason Studios Reason 5

A Musician-friendly Music Production Environment

Reason 5 is far more than a virtual instrument or even a collection of virtual instruments; it's a complete music creation environment loaded with powerful tools such as synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines. Reason 5 has all of the effects, signal processors, and complex routing options of a full-fledged DAW, yet its environment is intuitive enough that you don't have to be a programmer to get great results. Amazing new features in version 5, including the jaw-dropping Kong Drum Designer, the super-flexible Dr. OctoRex loop player, in-device live sampling, and the innovative Blocks song-development mode make Reason more powerful than ever before. From its simplest subtractive synthesizer "Subtractor" to its complex "Thor" modular synthesizer, Reason 5's functionality will inspire you. Its analog-style virtual-rack environment is incredibly intuitive, and its flexible routing and automation options are nearly limitless. Whether you're scoring films or making beats, Reason 5 is your ticket to making great music.

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What makes Reason 5's user interface powerful is its completely intuitive design. There are two parts to Reason 5's environment: a control section with all of the main transport controls and sequencer tracks, and the virtual rack. The control section is simple to navigate and as straightforward as possible, but the astonishing aspect of Reason 5's design is the virtual rack. Reason 5's rack appears to be an endless virtual 19" equipment rack, into which you load its devices. With the push of a button, you can flip the rack around and access these units' cables. The cables are color coded to keep them separate, and by simply dragging-and-dropping from one unit's output to another's input, you can rout Reason 5's signal paths.

Reason 5 is primarily a music production program, although its wide selection of synthesizers and samplers makes it an excellent sound design tool as well. Advanced synths, samplers, and drum machines give you an unlimited range of sound production, but there are simple modules as well, which are a great way to start if you're new to sound creation and manipulation. New to Reason 5 is an incredible in-device sampling option, which lets you capture and process your own samples in any of Reason's sample-based devices. Reason 5's sampling option opens up a world of creative music possibilities, and each of its sound modules has sophisticated signal and control options to satisfy anyone who wants to go beyond the stock sounds. But Reason 5 still offers an enormous library of sounds and preset options, so you never need to make your own samples or patches.

When it comes to signal routing and effects, Reason 5 certainly doesn't hold back. You have access to an unlimited number of console-style and line-style mixers, allowing for submixing and grouping, with a clear visual distinction between groups. There are simple and complex versions of reverb and distortion units, as well as creative extras, including a "Combinator" that lets you create advanced layers and splits between instruments. There's also a vocoder that lets you create some crazy sounds. On top of that, Reason 5 gives you a powerful set of mastering-grade dynamics processors that you can use to pump up your mix.

Take a look at some of the awesome new features in Reason 5. The new Kong Drum Designer combines a traditional 16-pad layout, drum synthesis, physical modeling, sampling, and loop playback into an incredibly powerful and easy-to-use module. With flexible sound layering, two effects engines per sound, and parameters to control virtually every aspect of how each sound is expressed, Kong is a drum programmer's playground! And sampling in Reason 5 isn't just limited to Kong. Now, instead of just playing back samples, you can also record and edit your own original samples directly in each of Reason's sample-based modules, including the NN-19, the NN-XT, and Redrum.

The Dr. Rex loop player also got a facelift. Dr. OctoRex combines the loop-playback power of eight original Dr. Rex modules and adds advanced loop-slice manipulation and playback options. Finally, there's Blocks mode, which gives you the option of writing each section of your music (the intro, the verse, the chorus, etc.) in its own self-contained block. When you're ready to arrange your final song, just pencil in the blocks; the individual recorded or sequenced lanes will fill in below. Whenever you edit a block, the edits automatically show up in all of those blocks throughout your song. And to keep your music interesting, you can mute sections and add variations or fills on top of your block arrangement. Once you start exploring the endless possibilities of Reason 5, you'll never make music the same way again.

• NEW - Kong Drum Designer adds incredible depth to drum sound creation, manipulation, and playback
• NEW - Dr. OctoRex loop designer provides 8x the capacity and infinitely greater flexibility than the original Dr. Rex
• NEW - In-device live sampling expands the power of the NN-19, the NN-XT, Redrum, and more
• NEW - Blocks mode adds organization to song creation and simplifies song arrangement
• Powerful and intuitive hardware-style environment
• Virtually unlimited number of instruments at once
• Vast libraries of samples and patch configurations
• Incredible synthesizers and samplers
• Full effects suite with over a dozen effects and processors
• New groove and arpeggiation tools for added flexibility

• Windows XP SP3, Vista, or Windows 7
• Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon processor or better
• 1GB RAM
• 2GB free hard disk space
• Monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution or larger
• DVD drive
• A 16-bit Windows-compatible audio card, preferably with an ASIO driver
• MIDI interface and MIDI keyboard recommended

• Mac OS X 10.4 or later - Intel Macs only (not compatible with Power PCs)
• 1GB RAM or more
• 2GB free hard disk space
• Monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution or larger
• DVD drive
• CoreAudio-compliant audio interface or built-in audio hardware
• Multiple-core processor, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard recommended