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| ReasonExperts.com |
Today I am going to talk about Rack Extensions from Propellorhead. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Reason or the concept of "Rack Extensions", Propellorhead has a unique virtual "rack" of instruments, processors, utilities and effects. Reason comes with 2 percussion instruments, 3 synthesizers, a virtual instrument modeler, a .Rex loop player and two samplers. In addition, Reason comes with over 20 spectral/dynamics processors and effects, plus two mixers, control voltage utilities, an arpeggiator and a monophonic pattern sequencer.
Now I know that sounds like a lot of toys to play with - and to be honest, you can absolutely get by with a "rack" of just these - but sometimes you just need a little extra something. Or maybe you just can't quite get a certain sound right. Maybe you love the workflow in Reason (I know I do...) but you want access to integrated third-party instruments that you would normal run as a VST or a plug-in...
Thats where Rack Extensions come in. After their inception in Reason 6.5, the available rack extensions were very limited, and mainly produced/released by Propellorhead - which honestly made it feel like buying expansion packs. But as time went on, reputable developers began producing their popular plug-ins in the Rack Extension format. Examples include:
Rob Papen
- SubBoom Bass
- Predator
- Punch
- RP Verb and RP Distort
Softube
- TSAR-1/1R Reverbs
- FET Compressor
- Trident A-Range EQ
- Valley People Dyna-Mite
- Saturation Knob
- Spring Reverb and Tube
McDSP
- C670 Compressor
- FRG Compressor
- Moo Tube Compressor
KiloHearts
- Faturator
- kHs ONE
For the most part, these rack extensions are indistinguishable from their VST/RTAS/AU counterparts (aside from Rob Papen who seems to like change) in both appearance and functionality. So I suppose if you already have these plug-ins in other formats, it wouldn't make much sense to purchase the Rack Extension version (unless you're like me and your workflow is infinitely better in Reason compared to other DAWs). But for those of you who like Reason, and use it as your primary DAW, I highly recommend buying into the Rack Extension market.
Here are some Rack Extensions that I own and recommend:
Parsec Spectral Synthesizer (Propellorhead)
Ozone Maximizer (iZotope)
Mercury Polyphonic Arpeggiator (Quadelectra)
Man I do not keep up with Reason nearly enough. I guess I was at first put off by the workflow, then further put off when I wrongly assumed there were no third party plug-ins for it. I am still somewhat skeptical to jump on board and give it a shot, but your article is a push in the direction of trying to pick it up. I think I would just miss using Massive too much. Are there any good substitues for that synth? I am a big fan of vst, and being able to add and remove them so easily. Do you find Reason to be limiting, or do the restrictions help out? I know you said sometimes you need an external plugin to get the sound you want, but is there ever a sound you want but can't achieve with the available plugins for Reason?
ReplyDeleteA lot of people were initially angry/dismissive with Reason when Propellerhead decided to pursue a "proprietary" plug-in format. It turned a lot of people off of Reason, but I think they made a solid business decision. From a similar standpoint, AVID (RTAS) and Apple (AU) have both gone this route and have succeeded. It creates an additional revenue stream for both Propellerhead, and 3rd party developers.
DeleteInitially, many of these developers were skeptical that "Rack Extensions" were going to take off and be successful. When this concept first came out in version 6.5, there weren't a whole lot of these plug-ins available but after a while developers like Rob Papen and Softube began redesigning and rewriting the code for their plug-ins to make them available under this new format.
As for a Massive "substitute":
Right off the bat I would say Thor is comparable, albeit not as awesome or MASSIVE (ha. ha. ha.). There are rack extensions that are also comparable like: Antidote by Synapse Audio (https://shop.propellerheads.se/product/synapse-antidote/) or the Predator Synthesizer from Rob Papen (not my favorite).
Anything I can't come up with using stock software from reason, I generally use Parsec for. For the most part, what I can accomplish with one rack extension, I can achieve with several stock instruments and effects stacked together in a combinator with some clever modulation and routing. Its just a convenience issue. I rarely say, "man, I wish I had *plug-in* so I could get that unique sound"... at least now that I have Parsec.
Great post this week Jordan; it was very informative! I occasionally use reason when needing to create some synth work or have a basic drum track going however I never thought of it as using it as main DAW, I would just normally rewire it into Protools. However with Reason 7 which allows you to record as well I can see myself using it as a DAW. As for the the Rack Extensions, I had no idea that existed! I just thought what came in reason is what you got, the ones you recommended looked pretty cool especially the parsec spectral synthesizer, I really look forward to trying that one out.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have a better computer, I use ReWire more often and much more liberally than I previously have. But Reason was my first DAW so I am more familiar with the work flow and the "physical" signal routing. Also, since the release of Reason 6, they have included a dedicated Mixer (based off of the SSL 9000k console) which I like more than, say, the mix window in Pro Tools. I also have the Panorama P1 control device from Nektar which is fully integrated with Reason. I have a lot of issues with getting control surfaces to integrate with Pro Tools via HUI/bHUI protocols.
DeleteDefinitely check out my other post this week for a brief overview on Parsec, or look for my upcoming posts on the sound engines and modifiers next week. Also, there are a few videos on the Propellerhead site including one from Dorincourt.
(https://shop.propellerheads.se/product/parsec/)