Propellerhead Record

[Anderton]

The mixer's master section has what you'd expect: Disable all mutes, disable all solos, dim -20dB, control room out, and four inserts (like the main channels). The Master Section is also where you'll find master FX sends and the FX return section, as well as buttons to choose whether to monitor the master, FX send, or FX return buses (you can specify and monitor one bus at a time, as specified by eight "radio" buttons). There are also two "convenience" buttons that display the associated sequencer track or rack module.

But there's also the unexpected: A bus master compressor (with external sidechain) modeled after SSL's famous bus compressor.

The first attached image shows the bus compressor and master fader section in action. The meter can switch between VU, peak, and PPM responses, which is a nice touch. Meanwhile, the compressor has the standard controls - Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, and Make-Up. However, it also has the same limitations as the compressor being modeled - only three ratios (2:1, 4:1, and 10:1), and you can't get release times faster than 100ms. But, those elements are part of the sound. If you want a more standard compressor, use the MClass one included in Record.

Speaking of sound, the first audio example is playing back three tracks: ReDrum, and two tracks of Dr. Rex modules playing loops from my AdrenaLinn Guitars sample library. There's no processing other than some light MClass Processing; all audio examples are normalized to 0dB for purposes of comparison.

The second audio example is the same, except now the bus compressor is in play with a 2:1 compression ratio. The effect "glues" the tracks together a bit more, and increases the overall level.

Now check out the third audio example , which takes compression to excess with a 10:1 compression ratio and low threshold. Of course I don't recommend these settings, but it gives you an idea of just how far the compressor can go.

Propellerhead was smart to include the bus compressor, just as they were smart to include the MClass modules. A lot of "early adopters" complained that Reason had a thin sound, but that's because the instruments weren't "produced" with a variety of processors, as they are in the studio. Letting users add compression, EQ, maximization, and stereo image helped beef up the sound tremendously, and Record's bus compressor is another step in that direction.

[Anderton]

Before moving on from the mixer to the next topic, as mentioned previously Record is designed to integrate with Reason. For Reason owners who want to record audio, the price is certainly right, as is the convenience of not having to ReWire into a DAW and manage two sets of files. But if you don't have Reason and want to get the Record/Reason combination, you're looking at the same street price range as DAWs like Logic Pro, Sonar Producer Edition, Cubase 5, Ableton Live (but not the "Suite" version, with the added virtual instruments), Digital Performer 7, and Samplitude...and you can get Acid Pro 7 for $200 less. So, what does Record offer that the others don't?

 

Well, first let's look at what traditional DAWs offer. Most include features that Record does not:

 

* 3rd party plug-in support

* Video window support

* Surround (on some level)

* Ability to edit files so they "stretch"

* Format translation

* Notation

* Track Freeze

 

For many users, the lack of plug-in support will be Record's biggest limitation and for some, the lack of video might be a problem. But, it's important to remember that Record is not a DAW, but a virtualized studio (with Reason providing the virtual instruments and effects to accessorize that studio). Because it's not an "open" system, it's rock-solid. With all the DAWs I use, the x.0 version always has some problems that aren't resolved until an x.0.1 version appears, but that's not the case with Record. I'm sure there must be some bugs in there, but I haven't found them yet, and the program is still on Version 1.0. Even Reason 4.0, which has been out for quite some time, just released a 4.0.1 version with mostly relatively minor bug fixes.

 

Also, the "plug-ins" are optimized to work in this closed system, you so can really pile on the plugs without killing your CPU. Another consideration is that Reason's plug-ins are really, really good. The plug-ins that come with a DAW may or may not rock, or may be lite versions that require more $$$ to upgrade to the "adult" version.

 

There's also the issue of workflow. Because Record has pared down its functionality to the essentials needed to record music, it's very efficient, clean, and easy to use.

 

Whether these advantages are enough to get you to drop your DAW...well, only you would know that. But they might be enough to convince you to supplement your DAW with a laptop-compatible portable studio, or for that matter, an alternate way to record with your desktop.

 

Fortunately there are plenty of demos available online for the various DAWs as well as for Record, so it's easy to discover the tradeoffs, advantages, and disadvantages of the various programs for yourself.

 

Enough opinions...back to the review.

[U&I]

Before moving on from the mixer to the next topic, as mentioned previously Record is designed to integrate with Reason. For Reason owners who want to record audio, the price is certainly right, as is the convenience of not having to ReWire into a DAW and manage two sets of files. But if you don't have Reason and want to get the Record/Reason combination, you're looking at the same street price range as DAWs like Logic Pro, Sonar Producer Edition, Cubase 5, Ableton Live (but not the "Suite" version, with the added virtual instruments), Digital Performer 7, and Samplitude...and you can get Acid Pro 7 for $200 less. So, what does Record offer that the others don't? Well, first let's look at what traditional DAWs offer. Most include features that Record does not: * 3rd party plug-in support * Video window support * Surround (on some level) * Ability to edit files so they "stretch" * Format translation * Notation * Track Freeze For many users, the lack of plug-in support will be Record's biggest limitation and for some, the lack of video might be a problem. But, it's important to remember that Record is not a DAW, but a virtualized studio (with Reason providing the virtual instruments and effects to accessorize that studio). Because it's not an "open" system, it's rock-solid. With all the DAWs I use, the x.0 version always has some problems that aren't resolved until an x.0.1 version appears, but that's not the case with Record. I'm sure there must be some bugs in there, but I haven't found them yet, and the program is still on Version 1.0. Even Reason 4.0, which has been out for quite some time, just released a 4.0.1 version with mostly relatively minor bug fixes. Also, the "plug-ins" are optimized to work in this closed system, you so can really pile on the plugs without killing your CPU. Another consideration is that Reason's plug-ins are really, really good. The plug-ins that come with a DAW may or may not rock, or may be lite versions that require more $$$ to upgrade to the "adult" version. There's also the issue of workflow. Because Record has pared down its functionality to the essentials needed to record music, it's very efficient, clean, and easy to use. Whether these advantages are enough to get you to drop your DAW...well, only you would know that. But they might be enough to convince you to supplement your DAW with a laptop-compatible portable studio, or for that matter, an alternate way to record with your desktop. Fortunately there are plenty of demos available online for the various DAWs as well as for Record, so it's easy to discover the tradeoffs, advantages, and disadvantages of the various programs for yourself. Enough opinions...back to the review.

 

 

 

It may be fare to add that whilst apps like Energy XT etc allow one to chain VST effects in a modular fashion, that they do not allow the CV/GATE patching or modulation matrix of a Combinator either.

If you view Record + Reason as a package, you pretty much get quite a comprehensive modular FX package that is far greater than the sum total of it's parts.

Thor & Maelstrom can both process Audio for example and there are some very unique ways of processing audio signals in Reason alone that Record benefits from also.

So whilst the tool set may look initially "limited" when you add in the CV/GATE patching, Spider Audio + CV/GATE splitters and mergers and the fact that anything from LFO's to EG's, too CV signals, To Redrum Triggers and so on and so forth can be used to modulate effects and the like you do end up with a fairly comprehensive set of tools at your disposal.

So you could for example create your own ducking delay or reverb, have a multitap delay via the REV7000 with lfo's modulating the tap rate, signal flows being amplitude modulated, comb or formant filtered and all other sorts of fancy tricks thanks to THOR for example.

One could even route a guitar track into Thor and use Frequency Modulation with an inbuilt synth oscillator that is triggered by the step sequencer for some interesting pitched ring mod type effects you couldn't get elsewhere either.

I do feel that one needs to address the Reason/Record modular paradigm when looking at it's feature set.

It is far more powerful than the sum total of it's parts and allows one to use Record as a rather extensive Modular composing environment if you are so inclined.

This is what I like about the concept.

I can use it as a straight up recording tool.

I can use it as a recording tool with samplers, synths and drum machines.

I can take a somewhat Eno-esque approach and view it as a holistic modular composing environment if you will also.

Doing stuff like getting looped droning guitar fed back loops, vocoded against custom field recordings and the like as one example.

So it can do many things at once depending on how I choose to work at any given time.

It is also far more fun to experiment with than say Logic.

But I digress.

Not saying one approach is better than the other or that Record+reason is the be all and all of recording life, but I must confess the more I dig into the tool set as a combined and constructive creative environment the more surprised I am at what can be achieved with a bit of lateral thinking and a willingness to experiment.

[Anderton]

Excellent, excellent point: I've been saying that Record virtualizes a traditional studio, but I have not emphasized the modular/patch cord nature of that virtualization enough. Thanks for bringing that up!! The way you describe Record it's almost like a modular synthesizer that does recording That's a valid description, and underscores how Record can be different things to different people.

[Anderton]

As Record has a lot to do with recording audio ...let's check out the process. Now, I've been very good about recording only MIDI stuff, importing audio, and using the demo projects so I could come into recording audio signals totally fresh. I haven't even looked at the manual, so let's see how easy it is.

 

Since I want to create an audio track, I'll try the Create menu...yes, there it is, "Create Audio Track." (Or Ctrl-T...I'll have to remember that.)

 

Okay, a module called "Audio Track" appears in the rack, a channel called "Audio Track" appears in the mixer, and a track called "Audio Track" appears in the sequencer. So far, so good. Guess I'll unfold the rack module and see what it shows...check out the attached image. BTW I fudged the image a little bit...the mixer track shows up toward the right, but I moved it over because the image wouldn't have fit within the forum's size constraints.

 

It's obvious where to choose the audio input, but it already says E-Mu ASIO Dock A. Normally I have the KB37 hooked up, but I'm not using the keyboard, so I guess Record found the E-Mu interface. Okay, I'll use that and plug in a mic.

 

Turn on Click and Pre (count-in for the click...did this before when recording MIDI, it's on the transport).

 

Click record...do a "human beat box" part into the mic...let's make it a kick..

 

Yes, it's recording....a clip appears in red, and draws the waveform so you know something's happening.

 

Now let's try playback. It's there!

 

Guess I'll do a high-hat track too. Same thing...that works too.

 

Interesting: I didn't have to specify a place to store a song or anything, you just start recording. Better look at the help and see what's up.

[Anderton]

That was really simple. I'm kind of surprised, actually.

Here's why it's so simple: When you record, Record stuffs the audio into a "scratch folder" that lives in your home directory (but you can change its location to a separate drive if you want). This is why you don't have to name a song, specify a folder, etc. when you open Record, it already knows where to put the audio. Smart.

Now, as soon as you actually save/name the song, everything you've recorded (along with rack patch data, mixer settings, automation, etc.) goes into the Song document. Apparently everything except for external data used in Reason (e.g., samples in the NN-XT, REX files in Dr. Rex, etc.) gets saved in one big file, kind of like Cakewalk Sonar's "bundle" file option. However, there's an option to create a "self-contained" file that includes all this external data, so you can share projects with other Record/Reason users.

I had visions of this file ballooning to gargantuan proportions as you record and delete files, but Record has the option to delete unused recordings. There's also an "optimize" option that Propellerhead explains as somewhat like defragmenting a disk for this big file. Which begs the question: Is this file being treated as something that would be optimized for, say, solid-state disk drives? Inquiring minds want to know...

One last thing about data management: As your files are being recorded to hard disk, if something happens like the power going out in the middle of a take (and you haven't followed my advice to get an uninterruptible power supply, which I only mention every other article or so!), Record can often recover some or all of these "orphan streams."

Anyway, before we move on to the next subject, I really, really like the fact that you just open the program, hit Record, and go. That is very cool. I also like the single large file idea conceptually, but with a caveat: If it gets corrupted in some way, I assume you're pretty much out of luck - I doubt whether Record can "look into" the file and ignore the section that's corrupted. So, make sure you back up your projects - which you should do anyway (hint, hint!) but it seems like it might be even more important in this case.

[Anderton]

Record has a lot of very cool sequencer functions, particularly the arranging and comping. I think the best way to demonstrate this would be to record a song from start to finish. I thought it would be fun to do a cover song for a change, so I've put in a request for permission to use a song by an artist whose work I admire. If he comes through great, otherwise I'll do one of my own.

 

Meanwhile, as I await a reply, we'll go through the ID8 next as that instrument is unique to Record and well worth covering.

[Anderton]

Well, I really was going to do a post tonight. Really. But I got hung up playing with Record, which I guess tells you something right there...and now it's late, and time to go to bed.

I'll give the details later, but here's the bottom line. Prior to playing with Record I had been editing a classical guitar piece for Margarita Escarpa's next CD using the Sonar V-Studio interface and controller. So when I switched projects, I decided to see if the V-Studio console could control Record in Mackie Control Mode. Indeed it did, so not only did I have my trusty Line 6 KB37 providing MIDI input, but a control surface. I couldn't get the faders to move on playback, but that's probably pilot error; I spent most of my time loading up ID8 instruments (two drums, bass, dulcimer pad, and brass). The transport and jog aspects of the controller worked fine, by the way.

The workflow was painless, to say the least. It really was easy to just pile on the tracks. And, I have my first wish list item: The quantization strength parameter gives only 7 options between 5% and 100%. I would have preferred to see a rotary control, or the ability to enter numbers, because for me it seems the "magic number" is 85% strength. No huge deal, but worth pointing out.

I also cheated: I was going to use only Record devices, but I just had to stick in the arpeggiator from Reason on the dulcimer pad track. If you're into serious MIDI work, you'll find yourself limited without Reason; however, the ID8 is excellent for putting together scratch tracks.

Anyway, it's all good. Better shut down before I fall asleep sitting up But Record is definitely fun.

[Anderton]

The more I use Record, the more certain features leap out. For example, I noticed on the mixer that you could click on a button to jump immediately to its associated sequencer track. Makes sense, but it REALLY makes sense when you're recording a series of tracks.

 

I think Propellerheads recognized that having three main, equally important work areas was going to be somewhat awkward, even with two monitors. So, they basically set up what other programs call "screen sets" and "layouts" to make it easy to navigate around. But note a subtle difference: A standard DAW usually lets you create your own, whereas Record has already decided what you need, and implemented it (we mentioned it earlier, where the views map to the F5, F6, and F7 function keys).

 

For this example, I recorded a rhythm track - check out the audio example, so the rest of this makes sense. It's a 16-bar loop with drums, bass, brass, and a dulcimer-pad type sound.

 

The first attached image shows the rack. When you insert an ID8, it looks like the instrument at the bottom of the rack (which currently has a guitar sound I'm going to add). You can go through nine different sound categories, each of which has four easily accessible patches.

 

If you want more sounds, click on the "blue LCD" or type Ctrl-B to access a browser that shows the various patches. You have the same nine categories, each with typically 9-10 fairly sophisticated Combinator patches. The instrument just above the RPG-8 is an example of one of these, with the Combinator front panel showing, but not all the various Devices that make it up. (In case you're curious, it consists of the MicroMix, RV7000 Reverb, three ID8 instruments, a Spider Audio Merger/Splitter, two MClass EQs, MClass stereo imager, and CF-101 Chorus.)

 

The second attached image shows the mixer. Obviously this doesn't show the whole thing, but you can see the EQs, faders, and the fact that various sends are in use.What you can't see is the bus compressor that's adding gentle compression across the bus (I didn't use any MClass effects in the stereo out).

 

The third attached image shows the sequencer's Arrange view, which we haven't covered yet. This lets you deal with clips - move, copy, split, etc. - as opposed to the Edit view, where you modify individual notes and such.

 

So was it fast to put this together? Yes indeed. If there's one impression I get from Record, it's that we're dealing with a very sleek program.

[Anderton]

I've been trying to think of a one-liner to describe Record, which isn't easy...but try this one on for size: It's the missing link between GarageBand and a full-fledged DAW - almost as easy to use as GarageBand, almost as powerful as a DAW.

[Lord Toranaga]

Thanks for the review.

I just Record & Reason in the mail yesterday.

 

real nice software.

[Anderton]

Thanks for the review. I just Record & Reason in the mail yesterday. real nice software.

 

 

Agreed!! Please share your experiences with us. Have you used Reason before, or are you new to the entire package?

[Lord Toranaga]

I have been using akai mpc and ableton for last five years, befor that it was cubase 5VST and akai s3000xl.

 

 

I have used reason, only as a demo.

I am a long time Recycle user, from the days of scsi samplers.

I have always like the "cheesy" virtual cables, of reason.

I can relate to the graphics.

 

my one gripe with reason for years was no audio.

they could of made a virtual vsr-880 or something, but no. so be it.

 

 

when record was released, I was interested.

found a great deal on ebay. $250 for reason & Record = no brainer

much cheaper, than the upgrade to Live-8

 

 

I have not had a chance to dig in yet,

but I am ready to get to work.

 

 

what a wonderful virtual studio.

not intimidating at all, easy to use without the manual

[Anderton]

I've been checking out the Line 6 guitar and bass amp/cabinet sims, and to say they're vital to Record is an understatement: They're crucial if you want to add guitar parts without going through an amp and miking (or going direct through processors). There's also the Scream 4 distortion, which is quite versatile but I think it comes into its own for guitar only when put in a Combinator with some EQ, delay, and other "guitar-friendly" effects. But yes, you can get some fine guitar sounds; I'll be programming Combinator patches later today or tonight, and will post them here as attachments for other guitar-playing Record fans.

[edit: see the next post from PFRfan, where it turns out I can indeed open up POD Farm presets within Record]

However, I also ran into a limitation of Record's "closed system," which until now had not been an issue. My "signature" guitar setup these days is a Gibson Dark Fire, with each of the hex string outputs and magnetic pickup outputs processed through individual signal processors. Record can handle the multiple outputs without problems, but an important component of my sound is using octave dividers on the bottom three strings to get thundering bass+guitar unison lines, as well as to fill out the bottom end of chords. But, there's no octave divider effect in either Record or Reason, so there's simply no way I can get this sound.

Now, I realize that my setup is relevant to probably only 0.00000000000000001% of all guitar players, and few will find this a limitation. But, it does point out that the compromises Record makes in order to optimize stability and efficiency can affect esoteric applications unique to particular players.

Given that Propellerheads and Line 6 have a relationship, I'd love to see Record 2.0 (or Record 1.01, I'm not picky!) be able to tap into the effects in POD Farm, or even include selected POD Farm effects within Record. I realize the program is called Record, not Guitar Rig , but having some guitar-oriented effects avaiable would really complete the package for guitarists. And as I've mentioned in other contexts, the Line 6 effects are also excellent for whacking out other signal sources, like drums.

Anyway, it's time to get back to creating some Combinator guitar patches.

[PFRfan]

Craig, Record actually DOES play the POD Farm effects (assuming POD Farm is installed), but you can't adjust the settings inside of Record. Any preset you save in POD Farm can be opened in the Line 6 module in Record and will play with all of the effects included. But you can only tweak the amp settings when have dials on Record's Line 6 panel.

A workaround is to leave POD Farm open, make the changes there, then open the newly saved patch in Record. It's needlessly difficult, but it works. I agree that since they're already collaborating with Line 6, they should just come up a way to put POD Farm inside of Record with all of the options. They'd need to change up the UI, but there's no reason it can't be done.

[Anderton]

Craig, Record actually DOES play the POD Farm effects (assuming POD Farm is installed), but you can't adjust the settings inside of Record. Any preset you save in POD Farm can be opened in the Line 6 module in Record and will play with all of the effects included.

If anyone still wonders why I Pro Reviews...that's GREAT news!!!! It's probably in the manual but I haven't run across that yet.

I'll still make some nice combi presets for y'all, but I'm glad to know that I can use my signature sounds with Record

Keep monitoring this thread, PFRfan! Thanks again.

[PFRfan]

If anyone still wonders why I Pro Reviews...that's GREAT news!!!!

I've been following these reviews for years. Never needed to chime in because somebody always asks the question I would have anyway. But I love these reviews as well. You're such a good communicator that I read any review with your name on it regardless of whether or not I have any interest in the product!

I'm really drawn to Record, but having never been in a studio before, the stacks of modules and mixer are just so overwhelming. I think I can adjust to that, but I really don't like my MIDI being stuck inside of Record with no way out. I usually do my drums with V-Drums triggering EZ Drummer or Superior. I've thought about using Reason with the Drum Kits Refill, but I can't tell how it handles variable Hi-Hats. I love being able to play realistic hi-hats using the pedal (not that they're GOOD - just realistically bad because I'm not a good player), and I'd hate for that to get lost inside of Record.

I know that it's slightly off-topic, but it's the only thing that's actually keeping me from purchasing. So if anybody can tell me that I can trigger some variations in the hats via pedal when using the Drum Refill, I'll probably drop my other DAW infatuations and commit to Record.

[poserp]

Craig, Record actually DOES play the POD Farm effects (assuming POD Farm is installed), but you can't adjust the settings inside of Record.

 

 

This is nice because you can use the POD's preamp models on things like vocals or live-miked instruments or whatever. I can't judge the quality of POD's recreations of things like API preamps because I don't have the real thing to compare it to, but it seems like it might be useful for coloration. And, of course, you can go back and change preamp models after you've recorded a track if you want to experiment with different sounds.

[U&I]

This is turning into quite the Pro-review.
Lots of great input from people also and the usual high quality and attention to detail review I've come to expect from Craig Anderton.
So many thanks for this review indeed.
Much appreciated and very much enjoyed.

[Lord Toranaga]

I have read reports of external sync errors.

 

can any one confirm?

[Anderton]

I have read reports of external sync errors. can any one confirm?

 

 

Can you please be more specific? As in synching external MIDI devices to Record, or inability to follow certain types of sync, or...?

[Anderton]

Let's look at how you'd build up effects within an audio track; we'll use guitar as an example, and create a chunky rhythm guitar sound.

First of all, I confirmed that you can indeed load existing POD Farm presets, but you can also load GearBox patches. So, those who have been Line 6 fans for a while will find that all the sounds they've developed are available within Record. Nice!!

The first attached image shows the start of the setup: There's an audio track, and the "pseudo-Combinator" that's within each audio track; the Programmer Section and Insert FX sections are both unfolded so that they're visible, and the Line 6 Guitar Amp is the first effect inserted in the FX section. I've loaded the "Achtung Tone" patch just to prove you really can load GearBox patches, but we'll load a Record-specific patch for the benefit of those who don't have other Line 6 software installed.

Moving right along, let's add a Compressor and pre-Compressor Parametric EQ (second attached image). Note that the EQ is notching out a big slice o' frequencies around 2kHz so that the high and low frequencies are compressed more than the midrange. This takes some of the "fizz" out of the highs, and smoothes out the sound.

Now, let's add some spring reverb. We'll put in the RV7000, open up the programmer, and choose a spring algorithm. I want a fairly short, restrained sound.

Next up: The MClass EQ. Here, I've added a gentle boost at 3.5kHz so the guitar "speaks" a little more clearly, a low-frequency rolloff to give more of an open-back (as opposed to closed-back) cabinet sound, and a high-frequency rolloff at around 10kHz to reduce any high-frequency "fizziness."

Referring to the third attached image, there's a 38ms delay added in the left channel (and no delay in the right channel) to spread the signal across the stereo field. As all that's needed is a single echo, there's no feedback, and the signal is set for 100% Wet so that there's no dry component in the delayed signal, which would reduce the stereo image.

The fourth attached image flips the rack around, so you can see the patch cords in action, and how the effects are patched.

Finally, because I've used delay to spread the signal into stereo, it's important to make sure there isn't any cancellation or other phase issues in mono. So, the fifth attached image shows the mixer width control set fully counter-clockwise in order to check the sound in mono.

And there's our cool rhythm guitar patch.

[Anderton]

And of course, you want to hear what it sounds like, right? So, the attached audio example plays about 30 seconds of the rhythm guitar sound that was just created. I didn't include any drums or anything so you could really hear the guitar sound in isolation.

If you like the sound, I've also attached the Combi patch as a zip file so you can use it in your own projects. Have fun!

[Anderton]

Reason was always one of my favorite laptop applications, although between the latency of using an internal sound card with Windows machines and the inability to play notes in real time, there was a level of frustration as well.

 

The latency/audio interface problem was solved with ASIO4ALL, and later, with the CEntrance MicPort Pro, which has a nice headphone interface and low latency drivers. Then, I found the Bome Mouse Keyboard and shortly thereafter, Tanager's Chirp virtual keyboard (which gets a definite ).

 

But Record comes with an "on-screen keyboard," so I don't have to concern myself with accessory programs for it any more. It lets you play notes with either the mouse or the computer keyboard.

 

The first attached image shows the mouse keyboard. This is resizable up to the full 10 octaves, with a green overlay on a representation of the keyboard that shows which part of the keyboard is visible on-screen. You can drag this green strip to snap to different octaves of the keyboard. Of course you can't play chords, but it is "velocity-sensitive" (click on the lower part of the key for higher velocities), and you can simulate holding down a sustain pedal by holding Shift when entering notes.

 

Repeat is a very cool function, especially for people who like to edit or create patches (that would be me!). Whatever note you clicked on will repeat every quarter note, even if the mouse button is no longer being held down, as long as the Repeat box is checked. The Hold box means that any note you click on will hold as if you were holding the mouse button down, for as long as the hold box is checked.

 

The Computer Keys tab (second attached image) lets you use your computer's keyboard to trigger notes (including chords). It's limited to 18 notes, but you can drag the little green indicator around to cover a particular range of the keyboard, as well as use keys to shift octaves. There are the same sustain, Repeat, and Hold functions as the mouse-controlled version.

 

To enter different velocities, you can hold down number keys 1 through 0. The 1 and 2 keys produce a velocity value of 1 and 14 respectively, which I find too low to be useful - I would have preferred if the velocity range had been distributed over the keys with the lowest value being around 25-30. You can select velocity variation (none, light, medium, or heavy), which can help when entering multiple repetitive notes (e.g., drums, where you don't want the "machine gun" effect).

 

Overall, this is a feature I wish had been added to Reason years ago (and should definitely be in the next Reason update!!), and makes life much easier when using Record with a laptop. Good stuff.

[panthalassa]

 

And there's our cool rhythm guitar patch.

 

Craig, thank you! For sure this patch will come in handy.

 

And now a bit of shameless self-promotion: The only reason I'm posting it here is because this track was recorded in its entirety using Record. My friend Kurt Kurasaki (author of Power Tools For Reason) set me up at his studio due south of me., and I played guitar and contrabass. Everything was done in the box, except I played through a custom-made amp (I can't remember who built it), plus we had an old Eventide Harmonizer. That's about it for outboard effects. The song is the royalty-free "What Child Is This" - perfectly seasonal, of course.

 

Happy Holidays to you all!

 

http://soundcloud.com/ricksilvestri

http://soundcloud.com/peff/what-child-is-this-greensleeves-rick-silvestri

 

Back to the review...