Snark SN-2 Chromatic Clip-On Tuner

I’m always looking for good pieces of music equipment that will make my life easier playing in my live band. I’ve never been a fan of having to plug a tuner into my signal chain with my guitar. I also get tired of unplugging my guitar and then plugging it into a tuner over and over through a gig. Enter the Snark SN-2 digital clip-on tuner. This convenient tuner solves both of these problems easily.

The Snark SN-2 tuner clips directly onto your electric guitar or bass and senses the vibrations from the strings to give it an accurate reading of your instruments tuning. The Snark SN-2 will also clip onto any acoustic instrument including guitars, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, oboe or anything that vibrates. The Snark SN-2 also has a built-in microphone so you can tune keyboards with it as well. It’s a chromatic tuner with extended frequency range so it will read any note on the scale and tell you whether you are in tune or not.  

When using the vibration sensing feature of the Snark SN-2 it is very resistant to external noise. You can easily tune your instrument on a noisy stage. Another really nice feature on the SN-2 is the colorful, brightly lit LED readout. The display makes it very easy to see and read the tuning meter in any lighting condition.

I also love how the display is on a 360° swivel which allows you to point the display in any direction. This makes it very easy to clip the tuner onto any instrument or headstock and point the display in the best direction possible for easy viewing.

Another great feature of the Snark SN-2 is the built-in metronome. The metronome is a tap-tempo metronome which makes it easy to set it to a beat by tapping at the speed you desire. One flaw in this is that you can’t set it to an exact tempo very easily. You’re stuck tapping until you get it close to the tempo that you want.

Overall the Snark SN-2 chromatic tuner is an excellent and accurate tuner. I’ve been impressed with how well it tunes my guitar and I just love the convenience. I leave it clipped to the headstock most of the time while I play. It stays securely in place and is always at arms length ready to help me tune my instrument. It’s a great deal too so pick one up today!

SNARK SN-2 ALL INSTRUMENT TUNER & METRONOME NEW ! US $12.95 Auction Ends: Thursday May-24-2012 21:53:41 PDT   | Watch this Item

Snark SN2 Clip-On Chromatic All Instrument Tuner, Red US $12.89 Auction Ends: Saturday May-26-2012 8:19:01 PDT   | Watch this Item

Snark SN-2 All Instrument Clip on Tuner US $19.50 Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 9:01:57 PDT   | Watch this Item

Snark SN2 All Instrument Tuner Banjo Uke Mando Guitar US $14.20 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 9:40:00 PDT   | Watch this Item

Snark SN-2 Chromatic Tuner & Metronome ALL INSTRUMENTS! US $12.79 Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 11:20:13 PDT   | Watch this Item

BULK LOT 10 SNARK® All Instrument CHROMATIC TUNER METRONOME Clip RED SN-2 guitar US $129.89 Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 16:07:23 PDT   | Watch this Item

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Snark SN-2 Clip On Tuner Review

Cakewalk UM-2G 2X2 Midi Interface

   When I’m not out playing in my live band I’m usually working on writing and recording music in my home studio. I use a lot of MIDI equipment and several computers so I’m always looking out for convenient MIDI interfaces. Today I’m going to tell you about the Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI interface for the Mac and PC computer.  

  The UM-2G is a very basic and easy-to-use MIDI interface. It’s as easy as plugging the interface into a USB port on your computer, loading the correct driver for your operating system and plugging your keyboard into the interface with a MIDI cable. There is a CD-ROM included with the UM-2G MIDI interface that has all the driver software you will need to get the interface up and running quickly on your computer.

   There are a couple of features I really like on the UM-2G MIDI interface. I like that fact that it has two MIDI In/out ports built into it. That means you can hook up two separate MIDI device’s directly to the UM-2g interface. It’s convenient when you want to leave your main MIDI controller keyboard hooked up to your computer and still be able to hook up something like an effects unit to upload or download sound patches. Having that second MIDI port on the interface saves you from some hassle of having to plug and unplug MIDI cables at least.

   The Cakewalk UM-2G also has a switch on the side labeled “Advanced Driver” which you can use to enable Cakewalk’s Fast Processing Technology (FPT) which is built into the interface. According to Cakewalk, Fast Processing Technology “allows for high speed, high resolution MIDI data transmission by a combination of driver and hardware improvements to take advantage of the high-speed extensive transmission capability of USB.” I use the interface with the switch on and it seems to work really well.

   The Cakewalk UM-2G is a very well built MIDI interface and it works perfectly with any Cakewalk software. It’s reasonably priced and extremely easy to use. I recommend it if you’re looking for a good MIDI interface for your home studio.

Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI Interface The Cakewalk UM-2G is a compact 2-In/2-Out USB MIDI Interface designed for easy connection of multiple MIDI Keyboards. The UM-2G interface is also great for connecting sound modules, control surfaces, and other audio devices to your computer. The UM-2G interface provides 32 channels of MIDI and hardware control. It’s an ideal I/O option for musicians, producers, or recording engineers with more than one MIDI device in a small studio or portable MIDI configuration. USB-powered, the Cakewalk UM-2G MIDI interface is compatible with USB 2.0 ports and works as a USB 1.1 device without changing the specifications and performance. Cakewalk made the UM-2G audio interface compatible with both Mac and PC computer operating systems.

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Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI Interface For Mac And PC

Tune Your Own Piano

   I’m a pianist as well as a guitarist and I have an old Kranich and Bach baby Grand Piano. I’ve had my piano tuned professionally only once since I’ve had it and naturally, over time it has gone out of tune. So I decided to tackle the job myself to see how well I could tune my own piano. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and the results have been very good.   

   I was able to tune my piano with just a few simple tools. The basic tools are as follows: 

• Piano Tuning Hammer
• Felt Temperament Strip
• Rubber Mutes
• Flat Blade Screwdriver

You can purchase a basic piano tuning kit that includes the tuning hammer, felt temperament strip and an assortment of rubber mutes. 

   I also purchased a book to help get me started tuning my piano. The book I got is called Piano Tuning: A Simple and Accurate Method for Amateurs by J. Cree Fischer. This book gives you a very good overview of how your piano is constructed, how your piano works and how to tune your piano. The book is very easy to read and you don’t have to read the entire book cover to cover to be able to tune your piano. You can simply use the book as a reference and read the chapters that are relevant to what you need to do to tune your piano. 

   Finally you will need a tuning reference for setting the pitch. Simply by using a tuning fork you can use the guide in the book to tune your piano by ear. I have a very good ear but tuning a piano by ear can be a daunting task. It is a skill that can take years to perfect. That’s why I used my trusty Peterson Strobe Tuner instead of a tuning fork. 

   The tuner I have is the Peterson 490-ST AutoStrobe tuner which is extremely accurate. It is pre-programmed with several piano specific stretch tunings. These stretch tunings will help you set the temperament on your piano making the rest of the tuning process much, much easier. The Peterson AutoStrobe tuner is an essential tool for tuning your own piano. It’s fairly expensive but it will easily pay for itself in savings when you tune your own piano. 

   So there you have it, all the tools you need to tune your own piano are in the links below. 

Peterson 490-ST AutoStrobe Tuner with Stretch Tuning The Peterson 490ST AutoStrobe Tuner with Stretch Tuning allows automatic (handsfree) note selection for fast, accurate tuning of instruments for students, technicians, and musicians at all levels. This feature also permits realtime display of intonation to improve performance and listening skills while playing. Includes stretch tuning capabilities for enhanced tuning of stringed or percussive instruments such as the piano, bass, guitar, marimba, steel pan, and others.

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How To Tune Your Own Piano

Line 6 POD Studio KB37

   A while ago I wrote a review on the Line 6 Toneport KB37 Audio Interface and MIDI Controller. I really love this little audio interface and it’s been an invaluable tool for my music recordings. I have a larger setup in my main studio but the KB37 goes with me when I need to work on my recordings while on the road. That being said, I have to admit that I use the KB37 in my big studio a lot of the time because it’s so simple to use.

   When I got my KB37 it was called a Toneport and came with basic Line 6 amp simulation software. I had to purchase Reason 4.o and Sony Acid separately to get my portable recording setup running with the KB37. That added up to quite a few dollars to get a decent mobile audio workstation going.  

  Line 6 recently upgraded the KB37 package and renamed it the POD Studio KB37. Several new additions to the KB37 package have really upped the value of this excellent audio interface. It comes with all the guitar, keyboard and multi-track software you’ll need to start recording right out of the box!

   The software that comes with the POD Studio KB37 includes the POD Farm plug-in, Ableton Live Lite Line 6 Studio Edition which can record 16-tracks and Reason Adapted which is a very functional yet limited version of the Reason 4.0 music sequencer. It’s just a fantastic package becuase you get the guitar software, keyboard software and multi-track studio software right with the KB37 audio interface.

   I just can’t say enough about this excellent studio package from Line 6. I have been extremely happy with my KB37 and that’s why I’m recommending it again on Live Musician Central. You can purchase it using the links below or I also have it available in the Live Musician Central Store in the Keyboard Gear section.

Line 6 POD Studio KB37 USB Audio Interface with POD Farm Plug-inThe Line 6 POD Studio KB37 is a USB audio interface and MIDI controller keyboard with Pod Farm Plug-in. The KB37 boasts incredibly low noise for recording guitar, and 12dB more dynamic range than similar USB audio interfaces for clear and dynamic recordings. Plus, the POD Studio KB37 interface’s exclusive Line 6 ToneDirect monitoring virtually eliminates latency, so you record amp and effect modeling without sacrificing tone or feel. Half rock-solid guitar interface, half feature-packed MIDI controller, the Line 6 KB37 is as versatile as it is powerful. It features 37 full-sized velocity-sensitive keys, a pitch bend wheel, octave up/down buttons, and a set of software-assignable controls including a mod wheel, sound select next/previous buttons, five transport buttons, 4 knobs, and more. Its comprehensive I/O boasts a 1/4-inch guitar input (normal or pad), two balanced XLR inputs with high-quality mic preamps, phantom power and trim knobs, a 1/4-inch stereo monitor input, two 1/4-inch line inputs, two balanced 1/4-inch line outputs, S/PDIF digital output, a 1/4-inch stereo headphone output with level control, and a pair of assignable VU meters for a truly pro recording experience.Public Service Announcement: Latency Kills Recording with latency is like driving with your eyes closed. Line 6′s ToneDirect monitoring allows you to record and monitor a fully processed tone while virtually eliminating latency and taking all the guesswork out of recording great-sounding tracks.What’s latency? Latency is the delay caused by the time it takes your guitar signal to travel all the way through your hardware interface, through your computer’s processor, through your plug-in software, back through your hardware interface, and out of your speakers or headphones. This delay is heard in your monitoring signal and makes recording almost impossible. With a POD Studio KB37 interface, latency is something you won’t have to worry about. Start Recording Right Out of the Box POD Studio KB37 includes POD Farm plug-in, Ableton Live Lite Line 6 Studio Edition 16-track recording software (ideal for guitarists), and award-winning Reason Adapted production software featuring a sought-after sequencer and tons of stunningly lifelike instruments. This sample collection of studio-standard hardware and software provides instant pro recording, right out of the box.

Line 6 POD X3 Live or KB37 or M13 Bag US $69.99 Auction Ends: Saturday May-26-2012 12:47:49 PDT   | Watch this Item

Line 6 TonePort KB37 Digital Recording Interface US $89.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday May-26-2012 16:20:11 PDT   | Watch this Item

LINE 6 LINE6 POD STUDIO KB37 KB-37 USB KEYBOARD NEW US $349.99 Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 20:56:51 PDT   | Watch this Item

LINE 6 LINE6 POD STUDIO KB37 POD FARM USB KEYBOARD NEW US $349.99 Auction Ends: Sunday May-27-2012 21:21:45 PDT   | Watch this Item

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Line 6 POD Studio KB37 USB Audio Interface Review Update

Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart

One of the biggest things I dread about playing in a live band is hauling equipment in and out of the gig venue. I have hauled more equipment up stairs and ramps than I care to remember. I always hoped I would get rich enough one day to afford my own roadies to haul my equipment. That’s only happened a couple of times so it’s usually me that has to carry my gear in.

That’s why today I’m recommending to you an excellent mini cart designed to fold extremely small for stowing in your vehicle yet is still strong enough to have a hauling capacity of 500 pounds. This cart is called the Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart and it’s a real back saver for all you live musicians out there.  

There are a ton of great features built in to this excellent cart. Some of my favorite are the fact that it folds so small and can easily fit in my car when I haul equipment. I like it’s multiple configurations and the two I use most are the stair climbing configuration and the four wheeled rolling cart configuration.

When the cart is set for climbing stairs it looks like a standard hand truck and the stair climbing sliders make it easy to haul a load of equipment up stairs. When I set the cart with 4 wheels on the ground in Gurney mode I can load all my guitar equipment on it and haul everything into the venue in one trip. It’s perfect when there’s a ramp leading to the load-in door.

The cart has an variable size platform that will expand or contract depending on your personal equipment hauling needs. The two big wheels are filled with air so they absorb shock really well helping to protect your expensive equipment.

I really can’t say enough about this cart, you just have to get one to realize how much easier hauling all of your equipment will be with a cart!

Rock n Roller R6 Mini CartLoad-ins and load-outs are undoubtedly the worst part of the gig. Either you’re sweating before you play or dreading the number of trips you’ll have to make after the gig through narrow corridors, cellars, and staircases, or the length of several football fields. Rock n Roller’s R6 Mini Cart makes load-in a breeze! Instantly transforming into any of 8 configurations, the R6 now features G-Force wheels—high-tech polymer hubs, pneumatic tires with tubes, and roller bearings. They are 40% lighter than the old steel hubs and come in hot colors. The R6 carries up to 500lbs. on a 2-rail frame that extends from 28″ to 42-1/2″ in length with 24″ (front/rear) foldable sides. It rolls on 8″ x 2-1/2″ rear wheels and 4″ x 1″ front swivel casters (w/o brakes). Weighing 25 lbs., the R6 carries huge loads but folds small to fit in the trunk of a compact car.R6 configurations: Storage-Transport, Short Furniture Dolly, Short Platform Cart, Short Hi-Stacker, Long Hi-Stacker, Long Platform Cart, Long Furniture Dolly, And 2-Wheel Handtruck. Applications: Guitar/bass equipment, small drums, small PA’s, DJ, photo/video, general use

Rock n Roller Carpeted Shelf for R8, R10, & R12 Carts US $59.99 Auction Ends: Thursday May-24-2012 15:33:32 PDT   | Watch this Item

Rock N' Roller Multi Cart R12 pair front wheel (inflatable) 1 is busted US $0.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday May-24-2012 17:15:39 PDT   | Watch this Item

Fender Passport 300 Pro 3 Mic PA Package with Rock N Roller Cart US $849.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-25-2012 5:18:10 PDT   | Watch this Item

Fender Passport 300 Pro PA Package with Rock N Roller Cart US $749.99 Auction Ends: Friday May-25-2012 5:18:11 PDT   | Watch this Item

Rock N Roller Solid Deck for R8, R10, & R12 Rock N Roller Carts US $43.49 Auction Ends: Friday May-25-2012 5:53:13 PDT   | Watch this Item

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Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart

Seiko DM70 Pocket Metronome

  Playing in a live band can be very challenging rhythmically because the thing that really makes a live band sound great is keeping the rhythm and groove happening. It’s so important to practice to some sort of rhythm when you work on your instrument whether it be keyboards, guitar, bass or drums. I’ve written about practicing to a beat and not a metronome and I still feel that practicing to a beat is the best way to get good at playing rhythmically. Practicing to different types of beats will teach you to play in a musical groove. With that being said, there are times when you want to practice with a plain old metronome.

   The main reason for practicing to a metronome is to increase your playing accuracy. You want to be able to play notes and phrases as cleanly and clearly as possible when you play. The best way to practice your accuracy is to have a metronome keeping a simple, steady pulse. You simply pick a tempo, set the metronome and start playing whatever you want to work on with the metronome. Start at a slow tempo until you can play each note cleanly, on the beat and then speed the tempo up. The second goal after accuracy is increasing your playing speed. Everyone wants to fly through the scales but they sound bad when they’re not played accurately. Once your accuracy is good with the metronome, speed it up. This formula is simple, time tested and it works!!

   I have a metronome on my computer but I always start checking my e-mail, or reading about becoming a better musician. I’m going to suggest that you purchase a credit card sized, Seiko DM70 pocket metronome today. They’re handy and you can keep them in your practice area as well as taking them along with your instrument wherever you go. Having the handy metronome I am able to leave the computer off and really focus on my playing and nothing else.

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How A Handy Pocket Metronome Can Increase Your Playing Speed And Accuracy

Reason 4 Power

   Last week on Live Musician Central I did a series of features on the incredibly powerful Propellerhead Reason 4.0 music production software. Reason 4.0 is an amazingly powerful music program that will let you fully explore your creative impulses. As I’m sure you’re aware, the documentation that comes with most of these great pieces of software is basic at best. There are so many devices available for you to use in Reason 4.0 that it can easily overwhelm you without some direction. That’s why today I’m going to point you to an excellent guide that will help you get up and running quickly with Reason 4.0. That guide is called Reason 4 Power and is written by Michael Prager, a 15 year veteran in the music technology industry. His credentials are too numerous to list but if you want to read them check out the Reason 4 Power product page. Needless to say, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to using music production software.

   As I said, Reason 4 Power is an extremely comprehensive guide to this powerful software but the book is very easy to follow and understand. It begins with the basics such as “What is Reason 4.0?” and a brief explanation of digital audio and Reason which covers analog sound as well as digital audio and sampling. Reason 4 Power then walks you through installing and configuring Reason on either a PC or a Mac. The book then gives you a basic overview of all the various components in Reason 4.o which includes the synths, sounds, beats and treats. It covers the real-time effects, the combinator and then gives you an introduction to the Reason Sequencer. All of this happens in the first 3 chapters and by chapter 4 you are ready to create your first Reason song.

   It’s so easy to get started with Reason 4.0 by using Reason 4 Power you’ll be thanking your lucky stars you bought this book every time you open it up. As the book continues it takes you very in-depth into all aspects of the Reason 4.0 music production software. Each device is discussed in detail as well as the sequencer, mixer and MClass mastering suite. The book also covers using Reason 4.0 as a ReWire device for your Pro Tools studio which is how I use Reason 4.0.

   Reason 4 Power is  664 pages long but you don’t need to read each and every page in order. You can simply use the book as reference when you have a specific question about a device or an application. I highly recommend Reason 4 Power if you want to get the full potential out of your Reason 4.0 software.

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Reason 4 Power The Comprehensive Guide

M-Audio Keystation 88es

   This week on Live Musician Central I’ve been talking about creating a keyboard setup built around the incredible Reason Music Production Software by Propellerhead. Obviously the most essential component to have in addition to the software is a MIDI Keyboard Controller. Today I’m going to tell you about an extremely affordable MIDI Keyboard Controller that is built specifically for interfacing with a computer and Reason music software. The keyboard I’m going to discuss today is the M-Audio Keystation 88es.     

   The M-Audio Keystation 88es is a USB interfaced MIDI keyboard controller. It’s works simply by plugging a USB cable from the Keystation to your computer and it’s fully Windows XP and Mac OS X compliant for easy plug-and-play setup. One thing I hate to have is a bunch of cables running all around my computer and the Keystation 88es can be completely powered by the USB bus. That means hooking up one cable and it’s up and ready to run. If you want you can put a 9v battery in the Keystation 88es to run it or you can power it from a 9v power adapter. You could do this if you wanted to reduce power consumption from your USB bus if you’re using a laptop. Once you have the Keystation plugged into your computer, simply load Reason and it will let you fully interface with the Keystation with Reason. You can watch the Tutorial videos I posted yesterday to see how to do this.

   The M-Audio Keystation 88es is a very simple device. The front of the Keystation has 88 full-size, semi-weighted piano keys, pitch bend and modulation wheels, volume or function assignable control slider, two advanced functions buttons and an octave +/- button. On the rear panel of the keyboard is a 9v DC power supply input, USB port, MIDI Out jack, Sustain Switch jack, Volume pedal jack and a power selector slider that lets you choose between USB or 9v DC power. It’s a very simple design but it easily covers all the functions you will need to create incredible music with the Reason software.

   One thing I really like about the Keystation 88es is the full size, semi-weighted piano keys. They don’t feel like a piano but they do feel like a good quality synthesizer. I like the full size keys and they make playing drum parts in very easy. They keys are velocity sensitive which is a must have feature to be able to play realistic sounding piano and horn lines. Another thing about this keyboard that I really like is it’s fairly small footprint for a full 88-key keyboard. It weighs only 22 pounds and is extremely easy to transport. It also takes up less desk space than a lot of keyboard controllers because of is shallow depth. It’ a piece of cake to swap out with my wireless keyboard in front of my computer monitors making playing parts in while watching the screen extremely easy. It’s something that is difficult to do with the larger keyboard controllers on the market.

   This keyboard is most at home in your studio but if you’re careful could serve you well as a live use keyboard. It’s very easy to take to gigs and it’s so inexpensive that if it breaks, replacing it won’t break the bank. Simply because of the low price I highly recommend the M-Audio Keystation 88es as an excellent solution to your MIDI keyboard controller needs. The fact that you get a full-size 88-key keyboard just sweetens the deal even more. You can pick this keyboard controller up from the Live Musician Central Store or click on the links below find the best deal. Make sure you pick up the EX-P Universal Expression Controller Pedal and the SP-2 Sustain Pedal to use with the Keystation 88es as well.

M-Audio Keystation 88es USB MIDI Keyboard ControllerThe M-Audio Keystation 88es USB MIDI Keyboard Controller gives you great-feeling, semi-weighted action. The velocity sensitive keys convey all the nuances of your playing to your computer. The pitch and modulation wheels plus slider and buttons make it a great controller for playing and programming synths, samplers, drum sounds and more. At just 22 lbs., the Keystation 88es is equally at home onstage and in the studio. Class compliancy with Windows XP and Mac OS X ensures easy plug-and-play setup. It’s even bus-powered, so one simple USB cable is the only connection you need.

M-Audio SP-2 Sustain PedalThe M-Audio SP-2 Sustain Pedal is designed to work and feel just like the sustain pedal on an acoustic piano. Specially designed rubber bottom grips the floor and stays put while you play. The SP-2 is a high-quality damper pedal with expressive half-pedal capabilities. Works with any electronic keyboard.

M-Audio EX-P Expression PedalWorks with all M-Audio MIDI controllers that have an expression pedal input. A built-in polarity switch ensures compatibility with most other brands of controllers and keyboards. Control any assignable variable MIDI controller value including volume, modulation, panning, filter sweep, and more. Durable molded construction with integral cable.

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M-Audio Keystation 88es MIDI Keyboard Controller Review

Reason 4 Introduction part 1 of 2

Reason 4 Introduction part 2 of 2

Propellerhead REASON 4.0 Music Production SoftwareStronger, swifter, and smoother to work with, Reason 4 music production software will alter the way you create your music. It comes in the familiar shape of a classic studio rack, packed with all the gear you could possibly need: samplers, analog synths, graintable synth, vocoder, mixer, step-time drum machine, arpeggiator, compressors, EQ, and effects. A realtime multitrack sequencer provides full control over every detail, letting you create and edit your music quickly and intuitively. Reason 4.0 also has a massive sound bank full of sounds, loops, and patches for all possible styles of music. The devices and features added to Reason 4 software will not only inspire you to produce great tracks, they will provide you with new ways of doing so.Sequencer Dedicated to turning your ideas into great music, Reason 4′s sequencer is swifter, stronger, and more intuitive than ever with a whole new look, tons of fresh features and a completely new way of handling sequencer data. The key word here is workflow. A sequencer device or instrument now gets its own dedicated track, with separate lanes for note, performance, and automation data, opting for a better overview and less clutter. All sequencer data-notes, automation, the works-is now housed in clips, musical building blocks that can be opened, sliced, or moved. When a clip is moved to a new location, all its internal data follows right along with it, ending up exactly where you intended for safe, speedy sequencing. The Tool window is an ever-present floating window that provides lightning fast access to those detailed editing functions you use all the time; quantize, transpose, note velocity, note length, and legato.RG-8 Arpeggiator Reason 4 ships with RPG-8, a unit dedicated to the art of arpeggiation. Some arpeggiators are quite content with simply transforming chords into wandering, rhythmic melody lines. The RPG-8 monophonic arpeggiator isn’t. With a range of on-panel controls and mode selectors, a pattern section for muting selected notes in an arpeggio, and a large display showing values and positions, this device gives you full creative control over your arpeggios.Although very hands-on and user friendly, the RPG-8 boasts some very advanced features under the surface that will change how you play Reason’s instruments. The Single Note Repeat function engages the arpeggiator only when two or more simultaneous notes are held down-letting you add sudden bursts of arpeggio to your melody lines. The Manual mode will arpeggiate notes strictly in the order they were input, for realtime arpeggio control. Try arpeggiating your breakbeats, orchestra samples, or ReCycled vocals for more dramatic flair.ReGroove Mixer If you want your tracks to flow with a less rigid, less programmed feel, a regular shuffle control just doesn’t cut it.

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Propellerhead Reason 4 Introduction Video

Reason 4.0 Rack Front

   When I started playing in live bands the hottest synthesizer on the market was the Yamaha DX7. Back then it was great to have a keyboard that could play lots of notes simultaneously and do a decent job of sounding like the instrument it was emulating. Most keyboard players brought multiple keyboards to the gigs and there was a lot of setup time involved. I remember spending hours working on the perfect soundpatches for my Roland keyboards. The thing about playing keyboards is you can never have too many sound options. It was an expensive proposition to be a keyboard player as it would cost the player thousands of dollars to get the necessary equipment to play in a live band. The dream was to have racks of synthesizer modules at your disposal to create the incredible soundscapes that you could hear in your head. But only the top paid musicians could afford to live that dream. The rest of us had to make do with whatever synthesizer equipment we could afford. It’s amazing how times have changed with the development of incredibly powerful, software based synthesizers like those found in Reason 4.0.

   If you’ve never heard of Reason which is developed by Propellerhead it’s basically a virtual studio rack into which you can load mixers, effects and synthesizer modules. If the equipment that you have access to in Reason 4.0 was sitting in a rack in your studio it would cost you thousands and thousands of dollars. You can place multiple copies of the same equipment into the rack to work with for sound creation. So if you want 15 analog synthesizers to work with, you got it. The virtual rack is infinitely expandable as long as your computer is powerful enough to run all the devices you can load into it. What types of devices can you load? Reason 4.0 comes with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, REX file loop player, mixers, vocoder, studio effects, mastering tools, pattern sequencers and more! It’s amazing how many devices come in this software package. If you have the urge to load 11 compressors and 10 samplers with 5 synthesizers, you can do it. You can chain as many mixers together as you wish to mix all of your devices. You can keep adding gear until your computer chokes but it will take a lot to do that as Reason 4.0 is quite conservative on your system.

   You can control each device in your virtual rack from it’s own individual front panel controls. You can twist knobs, slide sliders and turn filters on and off with the push of a button. Reason also has a powerful built-in sequencer that will record all of your knob and slider tweaking in real-time. If you’re using this software while playing live you can do the same thing on the fly. One of the best aspects of jamming is changing the sounds around on your keyboard by tweaking filters and you can do that easily in Reason 4.0.

   Another extremely cool feature is the way you control signal routing using Reason. With a single keypress you can turn the entire rack around and look at the back of all your devices. Everything is routed using virtual patch cables between the devices and you can grab a plug with a mouse click and move it wherever you want. If you want to patch the output of one device to the input of another it’s as easy as dragging the cable from the output to the input. It’s so convenient to be able to trace patch cables between the devices to see how everything is wired up. You can move cables around on the mixer to whatever mixer channels make the most sense to you for mixing your music.

   Reason is really a dream come true for keyboard players. All that equipment that almost nobody could afford together in an affordable software package. I’m telling you it’s almost endless hours of fun just playing with the sounds alone. To use Reason in a live setting all you need is a controller keyboard, a computer and a MIDI interface. If you get a MIDI keyboard controller like the M-Audio Keystation 88ES all you’ll need to do is plug it into the USB port of your computer and it will fully interface with Reason. If you have Reason, a laptop and a keyboard controller then you’re ready to play some keyboards. This is an extremely affordable way to get out and playing live with a world of keyboard sounds at your fingertips. If you’re looking for a sound solution for your keyboard needs then look no further as Reason will supply you with everything you need.

   I use Reason extensively in my home studio as it interfaces seamlessly with Pro Tools. The sequencer that’s included in Reason 4.0 is very capable and handles all the keyboard parts easily. Reason 4.0 also works perfectly with Sony Acid 6.0 which I also use in my home studio. The sounds in Reason 4.0 are simply amazing and the sounds you can create by tweaking parameters and mixing and matching devices is pretty much limitless. The only limitation I’ve found with Reason 4.0 is my imagination. It’s honestly one of the best pieces of software I have ever used in my life and I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to make music with a keyboard.

   Make sure you check out the Reason 4.0 introductory videos as well as the excellent M-Audio Keystation 88es MIDI controller which integrates perfectly with Reason 4.0. The documentation that comes with Reason 4.0 will get you started but to really get a good grasp on the software, make sure you pick up the Reason 4 Power comprehensive guide to this powerful software.

Propellerhead REASON 4.0 Music Production SoftwareStronger, swifter, and smoother to work with, Reason 4 music production software will alter the way you create your music. It comes in the familiar shape of a classic studio rack, packed with all the gear you could possibly need: samplers, analog synths, graintable synth, vocoder, mixer, step-time drum machine, arpeggiator, compressors, EQ, and effects. A realtime multitrack sequencer provides full control over every detail, letting you create and edit your music quickly and intuitively. Reason 4.0 also has a massive sound bank full of sounds, loops, and patches for all possible styles of music. The devices and features added to Reason 4 software will not only inspire you to produce great tracks, they will provide you with new ways of doing so.Sequencer Dedicated to turning your ideas into great music, Reason 4′s sequencer is swifter, stronger, and more intuitive than ever with a whole new look, tons of fresh features and a completely new way of handling sequencer data. The key word here is workflow. A sequencer device or instrument now gets its own dedicated track, with separate lanes for note, performance, and automation data, opting for a better overview and less clutter. All sequencer data-notes, automation, the works-is now housed in clips, musical building blocks that can be opened, sliced, or moved. When a clip is moved to a new location, all its internal data follows right along with it, ending up exactly where you intended for safe, speedy sequencing. The Tool window is an ever-present floating window that provides lightning fast access to those detailed editing functions you use all the time; quantize, transpose, note velocity, note length, and legato.RG-8 Arpeggiator Reason 4 ships with RPG-8, a unit dedicated to the art of arpeggiation.

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Propellerhead Reason 4 Music Production Software Review