This series of videos, via Keyboard magazine, offers a very in-depth look at Propellerhead Record, a recording application for Windows and Mac.
Propellerhead Software’s Gerry Bassermann digs deep into Record, without layering on a lot of hype.
If you’re considering purchasing Propellerhead Record, watch this series of videos first!
Record is currently in beta, and will be available for purchase on September 9, 2009 at a suggested retail price of $299 USD / €299 EUR.
Propellerhead Record Overview
Propellerhead Record Demo
Record Features:
- Multi-core — Record makes use of extremely efficient multi-core audio rendering, making the software very lightweight, even with large projects. Record’s dynamic multi-core audio rendering improves performance without introducing any latency. It is future proof, making use of as many processors or processor cores as your operating system can handle.
- Plenty of ins and outs — More ins and outs than you can shake a wand, baton or even a cane at. Got a multi-channel audio interface? With Record you can use up to 64 input channels simultaneously – and up to 64 simultaneous output channels. Should you ever feel the need.
- Works with any audio interface — Record’s rock solid audio implementation will support any audio card with Core Audio drivers on Mac OS X or ASIO drivers on Windows.
- Big Meter — Big Meter sits at the top of Record’s leftmost rack and gives you a detailed view of your input and output levels with plenty of different options for visualizing your performance, or for guidance when mastering your finished song.
- 64-bit mix bus — Record’s mixing console uses a 64-bit mix bus, resulting in high precision channel summing for highest possible audio quality.
- Reason integration — If you have Reason registered and installed on your computer, all your favorite Reason devices will automatically be available within Record’s ever-expandable, multiple racks. No setting up. It just works. Read more about Reason integration.
- ReWire synth application — Use Record as a ReWire slave. Record interfaces with most audio applications on the market through Propellerhead Software’s ReWire technology. ReWire is a virtual multi-cable that handles up to 64 channels of streaming audio, as well as MIDI, sync and transport controls between applications.
I can't express all of the ways in which the announcement ofthis prodect makes me go… meh.
It records audio? Groundbreaking! So does Audacity. It does not host VST?AU plugins? Is that correct? Why?
So if you have reason and have not already rewired it to a suitable (real) DAW application this might be the product for you. If you are just getting started you need to buy this and Reason and you still can't host 3rd party plus. The pair cost more than most of the fully featured DAW programs and far more than , say, Reaper.
I am totally baffled.
Why is he talking about Time Stretching like it's a brand new technology that Propellerheads has just invented? Am I missing something?
@MPS – the reason that you can't use 3rd party plug-ins is explained in the video: the cost to the CPU. Everything in Reason is optimised for Reason which is why the programme is so light on power, not to mention stable. It probably doesn't help that offering VSTi support would mean that companies have to create back plates for all of their plug-ins.
Besides, I actually like the fact that you can't use plug-ins in Reason, simply because the closed system means that I have to make use of what's available rather than thinking I need to get hold of a new synth or new effect to finish something off. Personally, I find that limitation is far more creatively stimulating than endless possibilities.
I'm very excited about this personally. I find Reason to be incredibly user friendly and intuitive. It just gets my creative juices going. The one thing that annoyed me about it was the problems involved in getting my audio to run alongside it. As easy as Rewire is, I still wanted to route my audio back into my rack as I simply find playing with sounds far more satisfying in that set up than any other. I love being able to flip the rack around and play about with the signal chain. I love the fact that when using Reason I don't have to worry about my computer crashing on me or running out of processing power. I just love Reason, and it looks like having this program will make me love it even more.
I know that Reason isn't for everyone, but personally, I would take a laptop with Reason (and Record) over any other music making set-up you would care to offer.
Record seems to do it very smoothly and dynamically, though, more like Melodyne.
the ui looks great i thinks
so it's not brand new.
I think it's fairly clever – but nothing more than just Reason with audio tracks. I'm sure it will foster the same sort of novel fun approach to music-making that Reason does. But the whole "NOT a DAW!!" stink they're hammering is lame. Cheesy marketing gimmick.
I think he offered very explicitly who they are marketing it to – musicians who are necessarily familiar with DAWs. New users. So, a Garageband competitor, no? He's a good salesman, for sure, but all the hype about new and different and unique is kind of a bore.
And what's the deal with the animated cable thing, anyway? Is it really that practical? I don't know, I thought it was pretty amazing when Reason first appeared, but it seems like kind of weird novelty these days. I just feel like my head would hurt after a while trying to sort through the virtual wires. I guess you get familiar with it.
(…musicians who are *not* necessarily familiar with DAWs.) 🙂
I agree the it not a DAW thing is silly, but I appreciate the sentiment. It seems like a DAW stripped of anything unmusical.
re: the wires, it seems a better paradigm to me than any other audio program – it is more intuitive than numbered buses.
at the end of the day, I'm psyched if its anywhere as fun to use as reason. but i think the big thing that will make or break it is the sound of the mixers summing, eq and compression (especially the bus compression), cos all of that has always been a bit sucky in reason – its the reason you NEED to rewire it before it sounds good
It records audio and it has a time stretching feature. meh. I would definitely recommend GarageBand (Mac only though) for musicians who wants a simple and intuitive app for recording their music. And for anybody who wants to get into serious music production and craves an easy user interface: Ableton Live (Win and Mac).
A good thing though is that most Propellerheads software is usually not very CPU intensive.
Ive tried this software and I must admit, the mixer is really amazing. Same feel as a real mixing desk.
The software is very intuitive, easy to use and lets yo concentrate on your creative side. No FUZZ. Amazingly, it does not suck in on ma system. I love it
I've been using the beta version and "love" it…. I can quickly start laying down tracks and easily add effects etc….. At the end of the day I'm a musician. I play guitar and keyboards…. I "don't" want to sit around all and design sounds and tweak 500 buttons. I want to jam…. I'm more interested in playing my guitar and expressing myself through it than building the guitar.
If I wanted to tweak button and parameters all day I would be a programmer. I just want to jam and be creative. Record let's me do that right out of the box….
Bud Stange: What's your point?
Bavo Johann… Well said…. That is exactly correct. Some of the best songs ever written were done with a six string and pencil and paper……
I love technology too…. But just want to keep a perspective…
I am a logic user but my friend is a reason user and i sometimes uses reason for a certain sound but i always like the scream effect for drums or for fattening sound and for bass also
but i was hard to import and manipulate a whole 3 min drums track in reason
but with record i can now import my whole drum tracks through scream for more warmth
and of course the mixer interface is just looking great and easy to use with compressor gate eq at hand effects send return like the ssl console i surely hope it sound as great as it looks
latency is so good almost does not exist my aim for this program is to set it up for live performance for mixing my drums and vocal and see if the latency maintain at almost zero
it is definitely a stepping stone i think musician is going to love it
But i still think garage band still holds it own for easy creativity and very good presets
but record console outlook just rock
but i am still a logic user logic is my inspirational daw
GREAT WORK PROPELLERHEAD
A lot of musicians and producers is going to like it.
and broadcasting studios
I smell a crazy lib in this post
Thanks for another great post. Where else could anybody get this kind of information in such a great way of writing.
Hey, all. Yeah, reason and record are awesome, except for the lack of pitch-shifting live audio…. but, i plan on using it to make some real music, as a side job, and see if it gets me anywhere. Someone in my class said there is only so much you can do in it, to make "different music….. B.S. thats what all the tweaking is for. it makes some sick stuff if you are patient. my plan is to break out of the sounds everyone hears on the radio. i will.
Reason gives a shit on audio sampling rates. quality of audio and so on. WHen in reason can you find the sample rate of a session ? i mean if you import some one elses song ? the song info parameter shows you only the name of artist and so on. Reason focus more on look and feel than the real detailing of audio. For example , a string section patch in nnxt is like 10 MB ??? and they stretch the sample to 5 or 6 keys ?