October 20, 2007
The Producers Conference, Los Angeles, USA
The Propellerhead Software Producers Conference is back in full force with a new program that focuses on the capabilities and features of Reason 4.0.
An intimate gathering of about 30 people from the Los Angeles area met in Hollywood for an in-depth introduction to the new features of Reason 4.
Besides being a skilled didgeridoo player, Gerry Basserman is an experienced electronic musician who has worked in the industry for over twenty years. In addition to teaching electronic music at the University of California Santa Cruz, Gerry also owns and operates a project studio in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Gerry introduced the audience to the array of new features in Reason 4 including an in-depth look at the new sequencer and it's functions. The focus of Gerry's presentation was the concept of Reason's new workflow and the capabilities of the new sequencer to streamline the creative process. Gerry's demonstrated a process of first developing a palette of sound modules in the Reason Rack then quickly developing musical ideas using the lane and clip features. Gerry's technique showed users that they could constantly stay focused on composition and record new ideas without interrupting the recording process. Gerry also demonstrated a variety of techniques using the RPG-8 Arpeggiator. The various modes of the RPG-8 cater to different styles of music, and the users were introduced to techniques of developing Guitar voicing using the arpeggiator's insert modes.
Chris Petti is the Propellerhead Product specialist for Line 6, a veteran of the Producers Conferences, and presents most of the Reason Clinics throughout the US. Having spent countless hours in the field, Chris has had the opportunity to interact with many producers around the country and has amassed a plethora of tips on using the ReGroove Mixer that he shared with the participants.
The focus of Chris's presentation was a technique of using the Redrum primarily as a sampler device and applying multiple ReGroove templates to the drum sequence. With deliberate adjustments to the shuffle and slide parameters, he demonstrated how to transform rigid beats into realistic grooves. Chris also went into detail about the concept of "shadowing" tracks and extracting grooves from prerecorded material by using ReCycle.
Kurt Kurasaki (Peff) delivered a comprehensive presentation on the Thor Polysonic Synthesizer. After giving a general overview of the various oscillator and filter types, Kurt explained the process of patch programming using the modulation bus to achieve different forms of synthesis. He described a few applications of using Thor as an effects processor by routing external audio into Thor, and illustrated the procedure for developing Thor sequencer patches. In addition to the presentation, Kurt provided an information package written in the style of his Power Tools for Reason books. The packet included several Thor projects that the users could consult for further understanding of synthesis capabilities of the new Reason device.
