Review: Propellerhead Record
Audio recording? From Propellerhead? It’s been a long time coming, but have the Swedes got it right?
2 September 2009
Review: Derek Johnson
Round about now, I bet many users of Propellerhead’s Reason virtual electronic music studio are wondering where their Version 5 is. After all, it’s been nearly two years since Version 4 hit the streets.
It’s not here, but the Swedish chefs haven’t been away from the kitchen. Addressing perhaps the number one issue a certain type of user has with Reason, Propellerhead engineers have been busy working on an audio recording application: Record.
Record – for that is the new software’s name – has the laudable aim of doing for straight multitrack recording what Reason did for virtual synths, drum machines and sample players: provide a lot for the money, and make it easy to use.
Conceptually, Record has a relationship to an all-singing DAW that a home studio based around a cassette multitracker once had to a fully-fledged 24-track analogue tape machine in pre-digital days. The idea is to get the audio down quickly, and keep the computer in the background.
But there is, of course, one big point: Record is software and in most of the important ways is limited only by your computer (Mac OSX or Windows XP and up) and audio hardware. If you use a quality audio interface plugged into a recent computer packed with RAM, your recordings will be as pristine and complex as you want them to be: your engineering skills and ears, not to mention the songs, will be the deciding factor of the final result. Okay, so this option isn’t as cheap as a cassette multitracker [Actually, I think it’s cheaper – Ed.], but nor is it as expensive as a do-everything DAW.
And cassette multitracks don’t let you change the tempo of a song after all the audio has been recorded: Record does, and it also offers a straightforward way to manage multiple audio takes on a track, and comp the bits you like to a finished take.
A QUICK LOOK AROUND
Reason v5 it might not be, but Record v1 certainly has the Propellerhead ‘house style’. This is reassuring for existing Reason users, and should provide a smooth entry in for newcomers. The linear sequencer and device-laden rack offer Reason’s friendly, approachable interface, in slightly polished form. The patch cables at the back of the Rack are present, as are all the options for adding real-time or automated control.
There is one obvious innovation: Record’s so-called Main Mixer is based on the physical structure of no less than an SSL XL 9000K Super Analogue mixing desk. Linked with the ever-expandable nature of the Record Rack, this creates a flexible, powerful recording environment.
Of course, Record works well with Reason although you can’t really see the connection: without the user doing anything, Reason’s devices are freely available to Record’s rack, and Reason songs can be loaded into Record. In a way, Record is a sort of audio recording plug-in for Reason, but it turns things around and becomes the host! In any case, once you have Record on your system you’ll be unlikely to run Reason on its own again. Propellerhead’s engineers have been efficient with their coding, and on the whole your computer only has to accommodate what’s actually in the rack. The new mixer will have an impact on CPU overheads, and adding audio tracks pushes the system a bit further, but you gain so much in terms of creative opportunities.
Unfortunately, some Reason users won’t be able to take advantage of this ‘upgrade’; Record will only run on Intel Macs (Mac OSX 10.4 or higher), so G4 and G5 users will have some hard thinking – or cussing – to do. Windows users meanwhile (XP and Vista) can relax: minimum spec is Intel P4/AMD Athlon XP at 2GHz or better – multiple cores (on both platforms) is recommended.
And if you have a load of USB dongles attached to your music machine already, you won’t be pleased to hear that Propellerhead has also gone down that route with Record. There are options for running the software without the Ignition Key: one requires internet access for unrestricted performance, while the other lets you record and save, but not load, songs. Still, there are several users, and potential users, grumbling about this in audio forums.
NEED TO KNOW
An overview of Record, showing a small section of the huge mixer and audio doing its thing in the sequencer.a
Check out the side-by-side devices in the Reason 5 – err… Record – Rack!
RACK ’EM UP
Record’s Rack has inherited a number of devices from Reason so if, like me, you’ve wanted to use the RV7000 reverb device on a mix or the Scream 4 sound destruction unit on a real guitar since they arrived in Reason then you’ll be smiling. Even better, all four M-Class mastering processors (EQ, compressor, stereo imager and maximiser) have also made their classy way over to Record.
In addition, Reason’s two mixers, the DDL1 delay, CF101 chorus, and the Spider audio and CV merger/splitters are part of the arsenal. Crucial for creating mega patches of effects, the Combinator device has also migrated to Record. Surprisingly, the ReBirth input machine is here, for Windows users (the discontinued, but now free, Rebirth RB338 software doesn’t run on Mac OSX).
New stuff, specific to Record, includes two amp devices licensed from Line 6, one for guitar and one for bass. The devices are each equipped with the same five Line 6 vintage amp and speaker cabinet simulations, but with a couple of small differences to make one more suitable to bass and the other more effective with guitar. And should you own a Line 6 Pod, or other of the company’s USB-equipped products, the Record device can load its models, which is very handy.
The addition of guitar and bass amp devices illustrates where Propellerhead is aiming its new software – bands, and musicians without a particular preference for synths and electronica. There is one instrument device in the Rack, though, ID8: a basic, but great-sounding, preset sound module. Its presets have been gathered from all over the Reason universe, and they’re good. Should you have call to use Standard MIDI Files, multiple ID8s will provide appropriate patches should you load an SMF into Record.
The Main Mixer is linked to breakout devices in the Rack, with the link being invisible to the user. Input channels, whether for audio tracks or instrument devices, have a Combinator-like silver device loaded in the Rack. It can accommodate insert effects and provides control options, and links to other devices in the Rack.
The Main Mixer’s Master Section has its own (fixed) presence in the rack, joined by the (also fixed) Hardware Interface. Like Reason’s equivalent, the Hardware interface centralises the audio ins and outs (up to 64 each) of your audio hardware, and the inputs of your MIDI hardware for customising the control of devices loaded into Record’s rack. Check out the Hardware Interface’s big meter, with pro touches such as VU, PPM and Peak reading options.
…once you have Record on your system you’ll be unlikely to run Reason on its own again.
A bit of the Main Mixer, with some sections folded out of view. The Navigator to the right previews what you can’t see.
Comp’ing multiple takes is a doddle in Record. Highlighted audio in the lower lanes make up the final take in the top lane.
SOUND TRACKS
Record’s sequencer is perfect for anyone wanting quick results. There is no fuss, and focussing on two modes – arrange and edit – allows you to concentrate on the job at hand. The process is tried and true now: the Sequencer has undergone gradual evolution in Reason, and here it’s at its peak: unlimited tracks, lane-based recording, a superb comp’ing interface, and a tempo and time signature track.
Propellerhead has gone for a ‘clip’ vibe, though of course clips – MIDI or audio – can be the length of a song. MIDI events appear as blobs on a grid, and automation, controller and other related data are also manipulated in the same window. Cut, copy, and move tools are joined by standard manipulations such as quantisation, transposition, length and velocity offset, and so on, in a dedicated ‘Tools’ window. New for Record is a handy on-screen mouse – or keyboard-driven ‘keyboard’ window – no external controller required.
Audio recording is as easy as it gets: create a track, select its hardware input (or inputs for stereo), and go. There’s a count-in, and loop recording, available, and multiple tracks can be recorded simultaneously. Audio editing is not as advanced as you might expect, but most of what you can do is non-destructive. Fades, crossfades, and clip level changes are all possible, and the comp’ing of multiple takes has a smooth ‘cut it’ and forget approach. If you find you have too much audio in your song, or don’t want the leftover bits from a comp’ing session, burn the result to its own track and erase the unwanted data.
The time stretching offered by Record is hands-off – you choose to have it on or off for each audio track, although you can select algorithms dedicated to general purpose or solo part use. Go half or double tempo on most material, and the audio will be surprisingly responsive. For small tempo changes, artefacts won’t be obvious at all.
One important point is that although you’ll be hearing audio fully processed by whatever you have loaded into the Main Mixer, the audio is recorded direct from your audio hardware. The mixer processes audio as it plays back, not as it prints to the song file. And that’s another concept: all audio and song settings are recorded to an all-in-one file – audio files aren’t recorded to hard drive separately. Some may bemoan this Garageband/Cakewalk style of project file management ‘bundling’.
IN THE MIX
The Main Mixer is an infinitely expanding device, adding a channel every time you create an audio track or instrument device. The signal path is beyond comprehensive as a part of sub-$400 software: dynamics processing for each channel (and a master compressor at the end of the mixer’s signal path); eight effect send/return loops (pre or post fader); a Reason Combinator-like interface for adding whatever chain of insert effects you’d like (both on the input channels and the master section); four-band EQ with HPF and LPF filters (which can be switched into the dynamics processing patch); and standard fader, pan, mute and solo controls. And all of it can be automated or controlled externally.
Individual sections being folded out of the way make this potentially huge mixer more manageable. Also, a neat ‘Navigator’ system lets you drag your way around with miniature icon-based representations of the mixer, rack and sequencer. And to be extra flash, you can focus on any of the main windows exclusively, by ‘tearing them off’ or using F-keys to make a selection. This is essential, since the display is largely incomprehensible if you have bits of Sequencer, Rack and Main Mixer visible at the same time.
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Record is still a ‘closed’ system, but closed means that you’re not distracted by stuff you might not use. I won’t argue for or against the lack of plug-in support, the Ignition Key security device, or whether audio should have just been added to Reason. I like the software, I like the company, and I’ll accept their choices. There’s not a lot anyone can do about it now, anyway: the software is on the shelves! But remember, Record can be a ReWire slave to any compatible ReWire host – and if you need access to VST plugs, a compatible ReWire host doesn’t actually have to be expensive (think Tracktion or Reaper).
At $399 Propellerhead’s Record is a good deal. Bands with a moderate budget wanting to record might consider buying a laptop, audio interface and Record, effectively turning their rehearsal room into an easy to use DAW-based studio.
Registered Reason owners get it pretty easy: adding Record to their system costs just $249; a whole lot less than some plug-ins for other DAWs. Why would a Reason user not buy this? The audio tracks alone increase the creative potential, and the free SSL-R-Us that comes as part of that package takes mixing to a totally different level. Finally, a package bundles both programs for $899, if you haven’t yet succumbed to the Propellerhead way.
Record is a great way to get your tracks down and mixed. While some of the features aren’t as deep or as involved as other DAWs, their absence makes for a no frills, easy to use and uncluttered recording (and mixing) experience. All eyes will be on the integration of third-party effects in a future update.
The Main Mixer channel strip in all its SSL glory.
RESPONSES