Propellerhead Reason 6

You looking to find the "Propellerhead Reason 6" Good news! You can purchase Propellerhead Reason 6 with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $323.00    

Product Feature

• Unlimited audio recording and instrument channels
• Fully featured high-precision multitrack sequencer with Blocks mode and audio comping tools
• High quality realtime time stretch & audio transpose
• Advanced exporting - export your separate mixer channels as individual audio stems, including effects and tempo track
• Free update to the all new Reason 6.5

Product Description

Reason - Complete music making and recording studioReason is an integrated software music recording and production studio with audio recording, million-dollar mixing and EQs, and all the instruments, sounds and effects you could ever dream of for writing, recording, remixing and producing great-sounding tracks.About ReasonAt the heart of Reason is the virtual rack that builds itself as you create your song. Create instruments and effects and route them any way you want to. Add, delete, replace and tweak. Your rack is what you want it to be. Need more gear? No problem. Choose a synth, a drum machine, a loop player or any device from the Create menu and it will instantly appear in your rack, logically patched into the signal chain. And because Reason is designed to go easy on your computer, you can repeat the process until you're more than happy.A single key press will turn the Reason rack around, and there you are, in patch cord heaven. Most audio connections are made automatically. When a new device is created, it appears immediately below the currently selected device, and Reason patches it into the system in the most logical way. Repatch by dragging the patch cord plug to the desired connector to build your own sounds - or tweak the included presets.Each virtual rack unit is edited from its own on-screen front panel. All the sliders, knobs, buttons and functions are right in front of you, ready to be tweaked, turned and twisted in absolute real-time. And all your front panel actions - filter adjustments, pitch bending, gain riding or panning - can be recorded and automated in the Reason sequencer.The fully equipped mixing desk adds a big studio signal chain to all your sound sources. The Reason mixing console's sound and signal processing was faithfully modeled after the legendary SSL 9000k analog mixing desk.

Propellerhead Reason 6 Review

Now that Propellerhead is offering the 6.5 upgrade free with Rack Extensions I eagerly downloaded my free Pulsar Dual LFO and free trials of Radical Piano and Polar Dual Pitch Shifter. Since buying my new Asus i7 laptop I've really been enjoying throwing heavy tasks at Reason, since I could not do so on my old computer. Equipped with 16GB of 1600 MHz RAM my system is now able to load several audio tracks, effects, and software instruments without a glitch. The occasional USB "click" I was getting was resolved with just a little bit of Windows 7 tweaking. Even with Aero turned on Reason still does a great job with the USB audio stream. I will probably never buy a full sized desktop PC again.

Using Reason is a fun experience that doesn't take much learning to get started. Digging deeper isn't necessary to produce great music, but if you do dig deeper Reason is filled with tools that are simply mind-boggling. I'm not sure how many people realize how significant the recording capabilities of Reason are but the more I use it the more I feel like Reason truly is an entire studio in a box. The reality is almost deceptive; when you launch the program the UI is subtle. There is no neon sign that says "You just walked into a complete music studio.", nor is there much hand-holding. The Propellerhead culture, for the most part, expects you to be a genius with a degree in synthesizers. Don't worry! This is just a foolish marketing department, nothing more. It must be difficult for a seasoned producer who is used to using racks filled with hardware to fully trust that a software program is going to replace a room filled with gear. I almost didn't believe it myself, until now. For me, it took buying a new laptop. My 7 year old PC just couldn't run it very well.

The first hump for most people will be building their very first song in Reason, and using some of the tools for the first time. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get past this initial challenge. The power AND FUN of Reason might be elusive until you break yourself in a bit. One single good evening of practice should be all it takes to become a decent Reason operator, as Propellerhead worked hard to build a program that makes itself invisible to the creative process. Again, this fact is not obvious--one must dig a little bit.

All those crazy synthesizers, and Propellerhead's emphasis on dials might scare some folks. Please let me be the first to say: please don't let Propellerhead's crazy machines scare you! The program isn't all about synths, electronica, and crazy tweaking--it just looks that way. In this sense, Propellerhead shoots themselves in the foot. In my opinion they have not effectively communicated the simple power of their software to the masses. This is why I am writing this review. You don't have to use any crazy software instruments unless you want to! My suggestion is to hide everything you don't want to look at, and fully break apart the Reason interface into three windows over dual monitors. It's more fun with the whole mixer always showing, without the need to click for it. Right now I have a 22" monitor positioned directly above the laptop monitor, and adjusted the Windows display for that orientation. I've been keeping the sequencer window at the bottom with the mixer above, but this may change.

With Reason 6.5 you can just launch the software, plug-in a mic or a guitar, and just play. Building from scratch is nearly as easy as using Legos. I find myself dropping in proxy tracks to help me get stuff down, then muting them or replacing them with better sounds. While one's workflow can vary, it truly is like using a sketch pad. You can devise a production system that is tailored to your workflow. This is perhaps the most critical lesson! Save yourself a template! Launching Reason from a completely empty state requires a few more clicks than starting with a song that has some instruments already loaded. Propellerhead also offers pre-done templates that can be downloaded from their website. I feel this concept is somewhat buried and needs to be made more obvious to users. Propellerhead does not seem to realize that there is an entire population of potential Reason users who have no interest in their crazy software machines. Attracting this crowd is all about workflows, templates, and tutorials that show completely organic ways of producing a wide variety of musical styles. At this time it is up to the user to dig around Youtube and Propellerhead's website to make these discoveries. With any luck these concepts will be made more obvious in the future.

One issue I find myself running into is a factor I call "too much fun!". If you approach the workstation with a musical idea you might find yourself going off on a technical tangent. There are so many tools under the hood here that it is easy to get distracted. I'm sure each user will have a different level of concentration, but I am here to advise everyone to stay focused. It truly takes two brains running effectively side by side to stay focused on a musical idea and not let the user interface distract you. Fortunately I have found that Reason really does facilitate staying focused on that musical idea, and rewards you for doing so. So, minimize those instruments, close your eyes when needed, listen to that great music in your head, and get it down! (This is me talking to myself!)

Finally, to close this review, I have to say a few words about the Rack Extensions in Reason 6.5. At first I thought this was just a way for Propellerhead to nickle-and-dime people for additional tools. After trying out Radical Piano I am beside myself. Speechless! Neither I or Propellerhead can put into words what they've done here. This might be an over-statement, but they should be calling Radical Piano the greatest software piano ever built. I challenge any reader here to disagree, and look forward to hearing conflicting opinions about this, as I have a long-term goal to find the greatest software piano ever. If you previously thought Abbey Roads Keyboards was your life changing piano sound you are in for a treat! These Radical Pianos are some truly amazing dynamic, sensitive, touching instruments. For me it is an honor and a gift to own Reason 6.5. I am humbled by the power of this software, and left trembling with all this power at my fingertips, under the bright spotlight, on a giant dark stage, empty, quiet, except for a wooden chair, a laptop, a small desk, and a pair of studio monitors.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Propellerhead Reason 6" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Propellerhead Reason 6 ...

Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black)

You looking to find the "Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black)" Good news! You can purchase Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $1,087.00 $1,084.95   

Product Feature

• The Carl Zeiss range of T* ZM-mount lenses offers the highest possible standards in terms of performance, reliability and, of course, image quality.
• Virtually zero geometric distortion for accurate reproduction of object shapes, particularly products and architecture
• Reduces unintended focus shift with aperture variation for improved accuracy of rangefinder defined focus
• Precise 10-blade aperture with 1/3 stop interval click stops ensures exact exposure
• Wear resistant filter mount for long-term reliability in tough conditions

Product Description

Biogon T* 2/35 ZM The powerful all-rounder... The lens of choice when a single lens has to do it all. This 9-element lens based on the Carl Zeiss Biogon design features outstanding image quality, high speed at a small size, stunning resolving power and next to zero distortion a unique combination for an M-bayonet camera. Ideal for travel, photojournalism, human interest reportage, outdoors and indoors photography, and documentation. Why M-mount? For more than 50 years now, passionate 35 mm photographers have been embracing the M-mount rangefinder camera system. From the lens designer's perspective, a rangefinder camera offers an exciting advantage over single lens reflex (SLR) cameras: more space. After all, there is no moving reflex mirror and drive mechanism. This allows for a short distance between the last lens element and the film meaning more opportunities for designing of superior lens types, including high performing wide-angle lenses. A passion ready for the challenge For our lens designers, the chance to develop the Carl Zeiss family of T* ZM-mount lenses was a dream come true. They were free to follow their passion in pursuit of perfection in lens performance, taking full advantage of our uncompromising symmetric lens designs. The only limitation was to reserve 15 mm in front of the film for the TTL exposure metering, commonplace in M-mount cameras. The result is a complete range of the most advanced M-mount lenses ever made. <

Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black) Review

Having had the privilege of borrowing this lens from Zeiss USA's office in early November, 2007, I was immediately taken by its superb contrast and resolution. Indeed, it offers far more contrast than any 35mm Summicron lens I have used before, including the current 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M lens. Moreover, its bokeh is far more pleasing than what I have seen from the current Summicron lens. I had the opportunity of testing this lens with Kodak's new, improved TMAX 400 film; the images made with this combination are some of the most contrasty ones I have ever made using a 35mm lens. So I have no reservations at all in recommending this lens as the perfect one lens, one camera combination with a Leica M rangefinder camera, Zeiss Ikon rangefinder, Voigtlander Bessa series rangefinder, or any other M-mount rangefinder camera.

I love the 35mm Biogon so much that I have become the proud owner of one for more than a year now. It is the 35mm Leica M-mount lens that I turn to most often, putting aside my latest versions of the venerable Leica M 35mm Summilux and Summicron lenses unless the situations warrant their use. The 35mm Biogon offers the best price/performance ratio I have seen in a Zeiss M-mount lens (or any Leica M-mount lens period), and should be considered seriously by anyone looking for a viable alternative to a used or new 35mm Leica Summicron lens (I would recommend the 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M lens before this one to anyone only if you think you will be photographing often wide open at f2, since the Biogon's performance wide open is slightly inferior to the Summicron's.).

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black)" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Manual Focus Lens (Black) ...

Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver)

You looking to find the "Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver)" Good news! You can purchase Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $1,084.95    

Product Feature

• Front & Rear Lens Caps

Product Description

The 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM is a small size wide-angle lens, and offers high speed, stunning resolving power and next to zero distortion. Ideal for travel, photojournalism, street photography, human-interest reportage (outdoors and indoors) and documentation.

The Carl Zeiss range of T* ZM-mount lenses offers high standards in terms of performance, reliability and, of course, image quality. You can count on highly advanced flare control for crisp and brilliant images. And virtually zero geometric distortion, ensuring precise accuracy when reproducing shapes, especially useful when photographing products and architecture.

Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver) Review

Having had the privilege of borrowing this lens from Zeiss USA's office in early November, 2007, I was immediately taken by its superb contrast and resolution. Indeed, it offers far more contrast than any 35mm Summicron lens I have used before, including the current 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M lens. Moreover, its bokeh is far more pleasing than what I have seen from the current Summicron lens. I had the opportunity of testing this lens with Kodak's new, improved TMAX 400 film; the images made with this combination are some of the most contrasty ones I have ever made using a 35mm lens. So I have no reservations at all in recommending this lens as the perfect one lens, one camera combination with a Leica M rangefinder camera, Zeiss Ikon rangefinder, Voigtlander Bessa series rangefinder, or any other M-mount rangefinder camera. Indeed, it may offer the best price/performance ratio I have seen in a Zeiss M-mount lens (or any Leica M-mount lens period), and should be considered seriously by anyone looking for a viable alternative to a used or new 35mm Leica Summicron lens (I would recommend the 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron-M lens before this one to anyone only if you think you will be photographing often wide open at f2, since the Biogon's performance wide open is slightly inferior to the Summicron's.).

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver)" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon T* ZM MF Lens for Zeiss Ikon & Leica M Cameras (Silver) ...

Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black)

You looking to find the "Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black)" Good news! You can purchase Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $500.00   

Product Feature

• Exclusive Convergent source Module features woofer and tweeter uniquely integrated for accurate sound and expansive soundstage.
• Dual 6.5-Inch Woofers and 5.5-Inch midrange feature patented Ribbed Elliptical Surround suspension for greater dynamics
• Exclusive 1-Inch Hyperbolic Aluminum tweeter provides high frequency accuracy, high power-handling and wide dispersion
• Rigid, low-distortion cross-braced MDF enclosure with attractive Black Ash Finish and Black High Gloss trim.
• Port plug & carpet spikes included.

Product Description

Audiophile 3-way, triple-driver floorstanding speaker in Black Ash with a High Gloss Black front baffle delivers pure, no-compromise performance and exceptional value.

Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black) Review

It has been 30 years since I last purchased speakers. It was time to update and modernize the entertainment / audio system. I sold my old Denon gear and ADS monitor speakers. While shopping for a surround system I took notice of the Energy series speakers. I purchased the CF-70's and when I fired them, I up was smiling from ear to ear at the clarity and quality of the music. The range is excellent and they do not distort. When cranked up, the music does not seem loud, just more present and smooth. The lows are pumping and the highs are oh so sweet. I listen to a wide range of music and it all sounds incredible. As far as fronts for a home theater, these are rediculious. The music on TV shows and background sounds are easily heard. With the ESW C-10 sub woofer and center CC-10 and CB-5 rears, watching a dvd or blue ray is truely a movie theater experience. I could not be more please with the cf-70's. I highly reccommend them.

I liked them so much I picked up a pair (on sale) for my office. - KC

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black)" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Energy CF-70 Floor-standing Speaker (Black) ...

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens

You looking to find the "Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens" Good news! You can purchase Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $648.00    

Product Feature

• Excellent wide-angle to long telephoto shots
• 2 Aspherical Lens Elements for wide-ranging accuracy
• ED Glass Element for sharp, clear long shots
• Circular Aperture for pleasing defocused effects
• 35mm Equivalent: 24mm to 157.5mm

Product Description

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens

Sony SAL16105 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 Wide-Range Zoom Lens Review

I've been shooting this lens alongside the full-frame Zeiss 24 -70mm f/2.8 and Sony G 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, both of which are world-class. What I've found has surprised me: this lens has no apologies to make in that company. I bought the other two lenses only because I expect to transition to full frame in about 3 years. (I'm currently using an A550 body.) I haven't done any scientific measurements, but when I blow-up shots from this lens on a large monitor, I'm not finding any resolution issues at all. I've done shots of the same subjects with all three lenses, and simply haven't seen any loss of resolution or any color signature with this lens. Again, this is real-world shooting and subjective evaluation, not laboratory testing.

Someone commented on the lens being heavy. That's a relative thing. It is much, much lighter than the Zeiss 70-24. That's partly because the Zeiss has a wider aperture and works full frame. The 16-105 is, however, heavier than typical Minolta film camera lenses.

The feel of the build quality is impressive. It is very, very close to the subjective feel of the Zeiss 24-70, which is possibly the best made lens on the market. If you twist and wiggle the two lenses, you can detect a very slightly tighter tolerance in the Zeiss, but you have to try -- it's not readily apparent.

This is my walk-around lens of choice. I also considered the Sony SAL18250 Alpha DT 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 and the Zeiss Sony SAL-1680Z DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5. Based on what I've read and what I've experienced first hand, I'd say the optical quality of the lenses would place the 18-250 at the low end, this 16-105 in the middle, and the Zeiss 16-80 at the high end, with this 16-105 being closer to the Zeiss than to the 18-250. Honestly, I don't think you'd go wrong with any of the three. But if you want close to the best quality, and the 6.5X zoom range suits your needs, this lens is a no-brainer. Personally, I wouldn't trade it for either of the other two, even though it's the least expensive.

Additional comment: Several months after writing my original review above, I spent 3 weeks with my camera covering 10 stops in Europe. I took this lens and the Zeiss. I left my other lenses behind because I couldn't spare the weight budget. I'm now, more than ever, a huge fan of the lens reviewed here. I took over 2000 pictures, and my best shot -- afforded by its zoom range, was taken with this lens. This lens, matched with the A550 (or A500) body makes an absolutely formidable combination.

***Update*** I note that this lens is no longer cheaper than the 18-250. I now have both, but in most cases, this is still my walk-around lens of choice on what is now my A580.
***Update 2*** I now have the Zeiss 16-80. It is slightly sharper and the colors are slightly more saturated, but you have to look very closely to see the difference. If I were traveling with my A580 and could only take one lens, the 16-105 would still be my choice, just for its zoom range. For those that want more speed, the 16-50 F2.8 is getting good reviews. I have one coming in a couple of weeks.
***Update 3*** I now must revise what I said earlier about mating this lens with the A77. Of course it will work fine, but I now have an A77 with the 16-50 f/2.8 lens. The 16-50 lens is a better fit with the A77 because of the f/2.8 aperture. The A77 sensor is noisier than other Sony offerings due to it's high pixel density. All of the so-called SLTs lose one-half stop outright to the semi-transparent, fixed mirror. The 16-50 is a hair sharper but has significantly more geometric distortion. The A77 corrects the geometric distortion for jpegs (but not for RAW). The bottom line is that the 16-50 has become my walk-around lens for the A77. In good light, this lens has the obvious advantage of a factor of two more zoom range. It would still be my choice for anything other than the A77 or A900 and a great choice in good light for the A77.
Good shooting,
Tim

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