Over the last few years a not-so-silent revolution has been taking place in the music industry. Advances in technology mean it is now possible for any body with a halfway decent computer to set up a home studio for under a thousand bucks, allowing Mr. Anybody to compose and record their own original music. The music making software is as complex to use as it is versatile, and without a doubt the learning curve for the beginner is steep. Nevertheless, once you learn how it works, it all becomes quite fascinating. One of the most popular music-making software packages called the Reason series.
Reason is a product of Propellerhead Software from Stockholm, Sweden's. Its latest version, known as Reason 3.0, is priced in the range of USD400 - 450 (note: don’t buy the pirated versions sometimes available on the online auction sites). Like other MIDI software, it is designed to be used together with a MIDI keyboard (which costs USD200 and up), although many of Reason’s functions are usable even without a keyboard. Reason is capable of producing almost any form of music, but is most popular for producing electronic dance music like trance and house. Propellerhead offers online support as well as upgrades and downloads.
In a nutshell, Reason is simply a CD-ROM virtual studio rack that takes a tune out of your head and records it. No, you can’t just plug it into your ear and download it, but all your hard work will be worth it once you hear your song on real life speakers. Reason comes with a very wide variety of effects and synths and includes all other features a composer might want in a music workstation.
User Reviews of Reason 3.0 are overwhelmingly positive, stressing ease of use and good customer support. Before you buy, however, do keep in mind that there are a number of good alternatives out there such as Cubase, etc.