The wave of hype that Propellerhead Software's Reason has been riding for months has crested -- the monster follow-up to the company's previous synth software release ReBirth is here. We put the old-school, analog-machine-emulating studio software to the test and it performed swimmingly. Reason will forever change the face of software synthesis. We give this Swedish super-studio software five out of five stars.

For $399, you get a bazooka bang for your buck with Propellerhead's Reason, for several, er, reasons. For starters, you get a super rack of customizable virtual devices. Get this -- you can use the toggle function to get to the back of the virtual rack to see how everything is "plugged-in" after Reason automatically "wires" itself for you.

Toggle away. You can configure synths, sequencers, samplers, effects, and more in seemingly infinite ways.

Reason works on both Mac and Windows platforms. You won't need any extra hardware, because all sound is created within your computer's CPU. However, a good sound card will give you more options, and, need we say it, better sound.

As wonderful as this software package is, let's not forget that it's just that, software. The majority of sound and parameter tweaks are done with mouse clicks. This lack of tactile control makes it harder to work certain functions, especially if you're not using an external MIDI controller.

Synthesis and samples

One of the rack's highlights is the Subtractor Analog Synth. It's polyphonic, with two oscillators and a full set of modulation tools. This baby sounds and plays like the real thing.

Another highlight is the comprehensive NN19 digital sampler, which plays both WAV and AIFF files. You can map these files across a keyboard, create layered multi-samples from them, or send them to Dr. Rex to be cut up.

Dr. Rex is the onboard loop player. Using a loop-slicing application called Recycle allows you to cut your samples into separate beats, or mini-loops. Both the NN19 and Dr. Rex have synthesizer-type modulators including resonant filters and LFOs (low frequency oscillators) that give your sounds extra punch.

Redrum, a 10-channel, sample-based drum computer, rounds out the sampler group. You can choose from the library of classic drum sounds, or add your own samples. Once the sound is placed in a channel, you can edit it for pitch, level, decay, and so on. The built-in pattern sequencer is easy-to-use and works just like the ones found on many vintage drum machines.

Sequencing

Subtractor, NN19, and Dr. Rex can all be sequenced with the Matrix Pattern Sequencer. You can also hook the Matrix into filter controls on these machines and those of the effects boxes to use it as a step modulation sequencer. This lets you trigger filters rhythmically. Very cool!

After you've sequenced your patterns on your combination of drum machines, synths, and samplers, you'll want to arrange those patterns into a song. To do this, use the main sequencer at the bottom of the rack. Its drag-and-drop technology makes it relatively easy to use. With the exception of Redrum's pattern sequence, the sequencers throughout Reason are not as intuitive as those found on ReBirth. But they do a lot more.

Effects

The effects palette offers eight different modules. These boxes can be applied to any of the other machines, or to each other.

We were absolutely blown away by the quality of their sound, as well as their functionality. The reverb is smooth like buttah, and you can make it thunderous and booming with simple tweaks of the front panel. You can set the timing of the delay to match your BPMs (beats per minute), or mangle them in a trainwreck for dramatic effect.

The other effects, including EQ, phaser, and chorus, fare just as well. Up to four effects, in any combination can be plugged into the mixer's sends and returns.

The mixer and more

By connecting all of your devices to the 14-channel mixer you can listen to your entire mix. This is where you adjust levels, EQ, panning, and more. Channels and returns are automatically labeled for you as soon as you plug something into them.

The ReBirth Input Machine gives you yet another sound source, but only if you own ReBirth 2.0.1. It uses Propellerhead's Rewire protocol to stream your ReBirth patterns into Reason's mixer. It has two main outs and separate outs for every instrument, so you can mix in anything from a single drum to the entire mix. If you own ReBirth 2.0, you must upgrade it to version 2.0.1 for this function to work.

You'll find global song and pattern controls such as tempo, time signature, and start and stop functions in the transport panel at the very bottom of the rack.

MIDI

Reason works with up to seven of the MIDI inputs on your interface. You have the ability to manipulate all devices independently with external controllers and sequencing.

The Reason hardware interface at the top of the rack contains all of your MIDI input settings and labels them per device. It also routes the audio outputs, up to 64, depending on your sound card.

Pattern and song creation

After giving the manual a quick once-over, we had very little trouble sequencing patterns. Because of an easy-to-understand graphic-based design, using the main sequencer to draw out a song was a snap.

Anyone familiar with analog synthesis, mixing, and music machines in general will have little trouble making patterns and songs. This may not be the case if you are a beginner.

But once you learn how to negotiate the program, your only limitations lie within your imagination and the memory and power of your CPU.