Reason 5 Power!: The Comprehensive Guide

Recently I bought the Reason 5 / Record 1.5 Duo software package (NOTE: This book is only for Reason though, although they do make a Record Power book as well). I have been a lover of electronic music for a very long time, but I am a complete newbie to the music creation / production scene. As such, I knew from the beginning that I would need some serious help to learn my way around Reason. However, I wanted a book that wasn't only going to teach strictly beginner stuff. I wanted a book that would teach me about every component in Reason and would leave me feeling comfortable as a Reason power user by the time I was done. I had no illusions about this being easy, or that I would be done in a weeks time, but I was willing to put the work in and I needed a good teacher. This author and this book have come through in a major way.First of all, the book is written in a way that I don't feel like I am either reading a college textbook or a dictionary. It is well written, and the author's writing style comes across as someone who loves music production and not a professor lecturing in front of a hundred students. Secondly, the author is very complete. He doesn't just say "Click here and you will see this happen". He tells you not only what will happen when you do something, but why you would want to do it in the first place.Now, anyone who has opened Reason 5 can tell you that there are a LOT of modules available to use. As someone who has never used the program before, this was extremely intimidating to me. However, my fears melted away when I started to read this book. The author starts off by explaining some things about Reason to kind of get your mind in the right place. Then he explains how to install it properly. Throughout the whole book he is throwing useful information at you. If there is something that he feels can benefit you as a music producer, he will share it with you. After installing, he starts to go over the instruments, effects, and devices one by one, spending as much time as necessary on each one. He does not move on until he has explained everything. Also, one of the best parts of the book is that throughout this whole process he is giving you exercises to do. I for one wouldn't be able to remember any of this stuff unless I am doing it myself. There are ample exercises throughout the book, so there will be no shortage of things to do while you are reading it.To sum it up, this book was 100% everything I was hoping for. Excellent writing style. Lots of tutorial exercises as you go. He doesn't wait until the end of the chapter to have you do the exercises...as soon as you learn about it, you are playing around with it. Thorough explanations of every component. Information that will be useful not only to beginners but to power and advanced users as well. Explains not only the devices but best practices and the most efficient ways of doing things. I looked at the Reason 5 Ignite book, and even as a beginner that book wasn't complete enough for me. Regardless of your knowledge level, get this book. I guarantee you that by the time you are done, you will be ready to make music.

With a couple videos and this book, I actually got my first song down. The thing is however, the downloads for this book don't actually exist, which is a sad thing for me to see. Though I do not need them, they would have helped. All in all, this book is very useful, but only if you are dedicated towards a goal. Otherwise, it's just reference.

Having never used any DAW software before; I found Reason 5 somewhat daunting.I got the book and it has made Reason 5 much more accessible to me. Naturally you must be prepared to put the time in to learn the program with the guide; but this guide will be indispensable to both amateurs and experienced users alike.The structure of the book is good; breaking down The Rack, Sequencer, the Synths, Effects and even Recycle; Rewire and Refill.There are numerous well thought out practical exercises which really assist in the learning process and the book is big enough to hit my girlfriend when she comes and bothers me whilst I am busy with the program.Well done to the author; I can't think of a worse fate than writing a book like this; but he has done fantastically and I now feel much more comfortable using the program.

I am a new Reason user and I purchased this book along with the software to help me get started. This book does do that. The problem is that the documentation that is installed along with Reason (I am on 5.0.1) is very good! IMO it is better than this book. The installed documentation is available as a traditional help system as well as pdfs. The Manual is 792 pages and the Getting Started doc is 76 pages. The styles, the layout, the pictures from the installed help are so similar to this book that I feel it is fair to say that Reason 5 Power feels like a less than complete printing of the installed docs. I do prefer a physical book however, and so that is a plus.If the book offered something other than what the installed docs did, that would have been very useful. If you have Reason or are getting it, check out the installed docs before buying this book. You may realize you don't need it. I wish I had spent my money on Music Theory for Computer Musicians Bk/Cd or Composition for Computer Musicians.

I have had Reason 5 on my laptop for quite some time, but I never got around to properly using the program. Also, I tried learning from tutorials on YouTube, but a lot of them were vague. So, I decided to check on here and see if there were any textbooks that could help me along. This one got some solid reviews, and I managed to find a used copy for a solid price ($12.95), so I jumped on the opportunity to buy it. Once I got it in the mail and started reading it, I knew right off the bat that it would help me more than any video tutorial. The book goes into detail on the specifics of the program, and I mean every aspect, from the interface of Redrum and the Kong Drum programmer to the virtual cable hookups in the back. I'm still learning my way around Reason 5, but I've made more progress in the week since I've bought this book than the months when I first installed it. I recommend this book to anyone who's seriously interested in learning all there is about Reason.

Intuitive and enlightening. Well written AND well versed. A relatable and entertaining way to get to know Reason 5! A tremendous help. One million thumbs up!

I had the the book Reason 4 Power by the same author and didn't know this Reason 5 Power has grown to this big size that I found it really thick and heavy to handle, this makes the book very cumbersome to read and carry around. Just don't know what the publisher had to make it this big !?