Propellerheads Record

[mcatalao]

New daw from this guys...
Audio in.
Seamless integration with reason...
No vst though!

Check it here:

http://www.propellerheads.de/products/record/

[_controlfreak]

$150??? That's what I paid for Logic.

[mcatalao]

Sorry, don't get it...

http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/product/MA797LL/A

Exactly HOW did you pay 150 $ for logic???? ?

[mcatalao]

Anyway...

I'm on the beta testers list, I'll make a review as soon as i get my hands on it.

I'll try to be as unbiased as possible...

[Tenderfoot]

Anyway...

I'm on the beta testers list, I'll make a review as soon as i get my hands on it.

I'll try to be as unbiased as possible...

Can't wait, i'm really curious about their new ssl [emulation] mixer, so please do make sure you touch on that

[seanakio]

This will be a really nice addition imo, no vst is a drag but that would bog thigns down. I still wish they would throw it in, maybe sometime in the future??

[jermz16]

"lets you mix your tracks with equipment that is equivelent to what smug engineers all over the world are using..."

heheheh.

[mcatalao]

This will be a really nice addition imo, no vst is a drag but that would bog thigns down. I still wish they would throw it in, maybe sometime in the future??

Well... this is how it works... They will get about 150 $ from each reason user, thats for sure.

Then again, i still think record doesn't stand a chance against the BIG daws if it doesn't integrate VST.

My expectation are that they will keep evolving both applications, and Reason will keep on being the answer for the lack of VST.

The only plugins i miss in my compositions are Melodyne and Virtual Guitarrist. Other than that Reason + Record + the whole set of refills are anough imho...

However... If you read and see the videos from the props, they have created a partnership with Line 6, including 2 pod devices, with integration with the real pods. I think the most required feature will be implemented by the props in this kind of partnerships...

[bellbrass07]

I can not WAIT to get this. Honestly I'm more familiar with the reason synths (especially thor) than any of the NI soft synths I own. They just make sense to me. I just love the layout of reason. Logic is a bit complex for me (though I know everything I need to get what I need done) but it has many features I dont need.

The SSL mixer in record looks AWESOME also. Cant wait for the beta!

[dcwave]

I have seen it in use and it is kinda cool.
The time stretch was pretty good - whole mix with almost no artifacts.
It uses the Reason FX and can open Reason projects. Uses the same rack and cable concept as Reason so you can do some pretty cool things with an audio track using the Combinator, Spiders, etc.

[seanakio]

Im thinkin they will never add vst support but instead release new fx and such you can buy through reason. That would make sense, they could get more money out of that....

[mcatalao]

Hi.

Got the beta hat my home pc. I'm going to put it at my studio and get back to you soon...

I shouldn't talk much but even from the videos you can get this:

Pros:
- Great and seamless integration with reason
- Good set of tools.
- Good to see the rack is now horizontaly expandable.
- SSL 9000k emulated mix with a really strong channel strip (dynamics, eq, inserts, sends, level)
- 64 inputs and outputs
- Finally, audio in and routing trhough reason's effects
- Unlimited:
- Insert Effects
- Send Efects
- Hdd trakcs
- Free Routing
- Fairly good project stretching tool

Pass by's:
- No Vst support
- No auto tune/melodyne type effect
- Very busy gui
- Thoug the application is VERY simmilar to Reason, the workflow is a little harder, and you tend to get a little lost (i give a discount at this issue... because i'm only using it for 1 day...).

I'll get back to you though!

[Nanashiwanderer]

_Controlfreak got some amazing deal on academic discount because his school owns part of the code...

I'm amazed Steinberg actually finally did this, major reasoning they said they never would because they didn't want to enter market where they'd have to compete with Steinberg directly.

I find it actually kind of interesting how they are really slanting it towards home studios.

[mcatalao]

_Controlfreak got some amazing deal on academic discount because his school owns part of the code...

I'm amazed Steinberg actually finally did this, major reasoning they said they never would because they didn't want to enter market where they'd have to compete with Steinberg directly.

I find it actually kind of interesting how they are really slanting it towards home studios.

Hah, that explains it!

I believe you meant Propellerheads the first time you wrote Steinberg.

Yes, i was a little amased too, and there is some truth on what you said. I think they are still trying to mantain that gentlemen agreement by not putting VST there...

Anyway, they are not calling it a DAW (i still wonder what they are calling it...).
The way i see it, i think they wanted to make a Reason 5 version at first, but rebuilding it as record allows them to have 2 different products, sell it to reason users a bit more costly than if it was a reason update, and try to get a new clientele for Record, Reason, and the bundle.

Tecnically here's what happens. They say they have "Seamless integration with reason"... However, when you load record and get a new device from reason in there, you don't open the reason application, and reason is installed in the machine, almost just to authorizing its onw devices. Actually, if you look to the list of exe's on task manager, there's only record. Heck, i'm inclined to beleave if you delete or rename the reason.exe file in the reason folder, record would load reason devices anyway... So this is my belief, they rebuilt the whole Reason developing and audio framework, done this HUGE mixer, horizontal racking and audio, and thought... Man... This is not Reason anymore...

Anyway, here's the answer from one of the developerr, Dan:

Q1. So, how come did you choose to make another application, is it technical, functional or purely marketing?

Basically we see three kinds of users: Reason users that are happy with Reason, Reason users that want to record audio, and new Record users that don't care about Reason. So we try and cater to all those users. Good enough?

Well... Sort of... I don't see how a guy who wants a daw, would buy record alone, being a closed program as it is. I mean, they are not Protools with all that hype thing...
One thing's for sure, i'm used to see things working great with their stuff. I think in 5 years of reason usage i never had a crash. That might be a reason (no pun intended) for the already daw owner. But if i was starting, i'd go for anything else for sure.

The rack stuff is apealling, but if you don't have reason, come on, you are REALLY limited where it counts to inserts and effects.

So the final question for me is will i buy it? Yes of course. For reason users, is a great extention, not to mention it implements a lot of features people was asking for a long time! Just being able to work with audio in that kind of environment without going forth and back is a great, plus applying all reason effects to the audio performance... Priceless! Or at least well worth the 150 $ their asking. Add multiple core support on top of that and again, well worth it.

Q2. The new mixer, is really amazing (didn't have the chance to evaluate audio quality) but i wonder what motivated you to create such an astonishing mixer?

Because we could? Seriously, we wanted to give you the best mixer we could - a million dollar recording studio in your laptop.

Well this is rather unmodest, but imagine it is like this?
So, IF that mixer has half the quality of what they are promoting, again, it will be well worth the 150 $.

I'll keep in touch.

[EnlightenedHand]

Cons:
- Great and seamless integration with reason
- Good set of tools...

Don't you mean "Pros" instead of "Cons"?

Liz

[mcatalao]

Cons:
- Great and seamless integration with reason
- Good set of tools...

Don't you mean "Pros" instead of "Cons"?

Liz

Liz,

Well spotted! Thanks...

Just updated that post...

[monaro]

Well, I have to say that Im very interested in this program.
Im on there beta list and awaiting to hear from them.
Reason "sounds" great so I imagine that record will share that sound to some degree.
I dont mind if its not a full blown sequencer, it keeps things getting to messy and confusing.
Limitations are easier to work with for me than crazy learning curves not to mention that reason is as stable as, something I cant seem to get from cubase.

If you already own reason 1,2 or 3 and choose to buy the record upgrade pack it automaticly gives you reason 4 as well as record if I read that right.

[mcatalao]

Well, I have to say that Im very interested in this program.
Im on there beta list and awaiting to hear from them.
Reason "sounds" great so I imagine that record will share that sound to some degree.
I dont mind if its not a full blown sequencer, it keeps things getting to messy and confusing.
Limitations are easier to work with for me than crazy learning curves not to mention that reason is as stable as, something I cant seem to get from cubase.

If you already own reason 1,2 or 3 and choose to buy the record upgrade pack it automaticly gives you reason 4 as well as record if I read that right.

Yep that's it...

Let me tell you this...

You really will like the new Mixer.

[bellbrass07]

Minus the audio recording of course, I am most excited for the new mixer. The old one seems rather limited to me.

Oh and something just struck me as I was typing this! Think of how much easier its going to be to use the vocoder!!! You can just sing straight into it as opposed to having to worry about getting a sample and lining it up. Sweeet

[mcatalao]

Minus the audio recording of course, I am most excited for the new mixer. The old one seems rather limited to me.

Oh and something just struck me as I was typing this! Think of how much easier its going to be to use the vocoder!!! You can just sing straight into it as opposed to having to worry about getting a sample and lining it up. Sweeet

You know, the "old" mixer is a great mixing. A lot of people complains about versatility, summing,audio quality, and number of channels and so on... But the thing is, if you flip it, it's another world...

But you know what? As a mixer it's great. And you WILL get back to it, special when creating Layers, and inside of combinators. Both Mixers are part of record too.

On other hand, while the SSl mixer does not have groups, these mixers allow you to create subgroups and then connect the mixer to one of the SSL mixers channel. It's a different way of grouping and subgrouping, but what's interesting is that it is unlimited!

A funny thing about this ssl... it doesn't flip! You don't imagine the times i pressed tab to flip it and almost felt like i miss an heartbeat! heheh

Ahh the vocoder... Yes, it'll be fun to work with the vocoder now! But think ahead! Imagine all effects you will be adding, and there's plenty of spooky stuf arrounf based on combis and such!

Well, got 2 go!

P.S.: Finally got the web authorization! I'll be able to save projects and export audio mixdowns!

[mcatalao]

Hi guys.

So Beta testing is advancing, not much to say about it. We're bound to a NDA where we can't say much about it.
There are some bugs, of course, things that come to surface whith all the different kinds of users and usages...
Anyway, most bugs are workable and have been solved by the props in a really quick timming.
Also most issues, have being minor situations, so we got a very stable beta. There are not many issues of crashes and irrecoverable stuff like that...

For what i understand, there are not going to be added any different features between the beta and the release.
Actually, (and you can check it here: http://www.propellerheads.de/company/crew/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_plan&PID=18), Propellerheads made an official dissertion about not supporting plugins in Record... And i think it continues some intransigency about this...

So... What can i say to you...

I've been playing around with it and found some issues, that got solved along the way. The beta testers are very helpfull and active in the forums, and the propellerheads beta team has been very comunicative. Of course i can't commit any content of this "conversations" but even on these sections and closed forums, the props keep their ideas to themselves.

So, the workflow is really nice. Get a look into the videos, they are good representation of how simple is to record... with record.

It's really great to have all the main dynamics processors, and eq in the mix right at your front, but i got a little used to see those graphical eq's like in cubase and such. However, they are pretty usable, and you just need to get used to this new (actually old) way of work. This allows a freedom never experienced! Record gives you a plethora of different options to take care of your audio or device signal path...

So and what about the sound of the SSL?
Well... I've never worked with a SSL. I'm prety sure the ssl emulated mixer in Record will be as close as i will get to this kind of mixer... So i can't make an objective judgment of its quality or if it sounds simmilar to the real hardware thing (actually i really doupt that's possible...)...
One thing is sure. There's a really big step up from the ReMixer to this new BIG sort-of Modular emulated SSL.
Firstly, you have finally a 4 band parametric eq, added with HP and LP filters, shelves and more. And this actually work, not to say that you plug the eq on and it doesn't colour the sound before you touch the knobs... Also, the metering is now better, long faders and long meterr. Each and one of the channels have shortcuts to the devices or the track in the sequencer, so that you don't get lost... And it is easy to get lost in this mixer! It is huge.

Then the compressor and gate... Well, i think you didnt even get any gates in reason, but then again, i don't remember needing one... But with the introdution of audio, this is a must. Propellerhead could have the options of create a gate device and allow you to put it in the insert chan, but then again... It's all about the final client!

Anyway... If you take your average reason project, and open it in record it will have the reason mixer, connected to channel 1 of the new ssl. The thing is... If you expect this to pump up your sound just by getting it through the ssl channel, forget it! The sound you have in reason will be the sound you have in record.
But is this bad? No, not at all. It just means that at unity, this mixer is really transparent. There are no actual changes to the audio unless you touch anything.

Though things get a little different when you start working with the new mixer, when you start to patch your cables from the devices to new channels in the new mixer (yes, of course reason will do this automagically), only Then the magic starts.
Think of it like this... Most of your reason projects will have to be Re-Mixed in record to make use of the ssl signal path.
You'll have to change all your "betweens" into inserts, and that record wont make automatically. Its a different way of working, more "professional". Though with the same workflow, the same ease you had with reason.

Meantime, eager folks that didn't get the change to betatest, will have to wait for Setember... But, if the props can keep the date... we are only a couple of months away!

I'll keep you posted...

[DaveyDouble]

If it supports ReWire, you can get your VST fix by running Reaper and ReWiring it into the SSL mixer I assume.
Or, and I admit I'm being a little obtuse now, you could just sack Record off and use Reaper.

[mcatalao]

It does support rewire, but if you read the info carefully, it is not a rewire host, so you could never use "reaper in record", and rather use "record in reaper"...

There has been much talk about record being able to work as a rewire host, but propellerheads neve came up with an answer to that also...

Keep in mind the only functional differences from a daw as it is, are no VST's/Vsti's and no midi out... Though you can say that's a lot some some users...

Rewire host would solve this issues, since there are already some nice VST standalone Wrappers that you can plug to a vst host to have more slots.

[mcatalao]

Hi guys!

Just to tell you, testing is in its final stage. Record is now it its fourth release candidate and it's getting sharper each version that gets out to test.

It's way lighter than the beta versions, i may say it's almost as light as reason.

And, works seamlessly well.