The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Reason DAW.

Name: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Reason DAW.
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)

Master the Reason DAW and take your audio production skills to the next level.

Created byDave Allan

Last updated 1/2026

English

What you'll learn

Navigate the Reason interface in depth with confidence
How to Record in the Reason sequencer
How to work quickly and efficiently in Reason
Build a track from scratch
How to use some of Reason's devices by adding them in the Reason rack
How to Edit Audio and MIDI
Shortcuts including a pdf cheat sheet
How to add effects to devices
Using the Reason Mixer to shape your sound
Use EQ, Dynamics and Effects
Parallel channels ( compression and effects )
Automation in Reason including the combinator

Course content

5 sections • 76 lectures • 6h 44m total length

Section 1 - Introduction0:33
What you will learn in this Section.
The Rack View and Hardware Interface3:08
Switch to the rack view and identify the hardware interface including inputs and outputs, midi and meters.
The Master Section and Effects Inputs4:43
Identify and use the Master Section and send Effects inputs.
Adding Devices in the Rack5:54
Add devices in the rack using the context menu, dragging and dropping from the instrument browser and adding effects.
The Mix channel and Adding Effects.3:35
Add a mix channel and effects.
Audio channels in the Rack.3:31
Add an Audio channel to the Rack including effects and how to set inputs.
The Sequencer View.3:08
A deep dive into the sequencer and working with midi.
The Sequencer View continued.4:03
Continuing our deep dive into the reason sequencer.
The Sequencer View Tools.3:53
Get to know the sequencer tools in detail.
More Sequencer View Tools.6:05
Continuing our deep dive into the sequencer tools.
Editing in the Sequencer View.7:24
How to edit midi in the sequencer.
Audio Editing in the Sequencer View.9:47
How to edit audio in the sequencer.
More Audio Editing in the Sequencer.8:09
Continue our in depth exploration of audio editing in Reason.
The Mixer View Pt.13:32
Look at the Reason Mixer in depth.
The Mixer View Pt.27:21
Finish our in depth look at the Reason Mixer.
The Transport Controls.3:35
Learn all about the reason transport controls.
More Transport Controls.4:54
Continuing our in depth look at the transport controls.
The Reason Preferences.15:58
A deep dive into the original Reason preferences prior to Version 13.3.3
The Updated Reason Preferences.6:43
Building on the previous lecture we take a look at the updated reason preferences noting the main changes.
Block Mode Pt.15:33
Learn how to get into block mode and some of its uses.
Block Mode Pt.26:21
More on block mode including using it as a marker system.
The Reason Browser View.7:50
A closer look at the new Reason Browser. Learn how to add favorites and lists.
Inside the Reason DAW.

Section 3 - Introduction0:37
Follow along as we create a simple track to practice all of the learning we did in sections 1 and 2. You'll become a pro at adding devices, editing midi and get an introduction to arrangement. You will also become familiar with effects, special effects and resampling.
Recording the Piano Pt.16:52
Add a piano and create a chord sequence.
Recording the Piano Pt.24:18
Editing our piano in the piano roll.
Recording the Bass4:07
Learn how to record a bass part.
Recording a second Bass part.2:08
Reinforce our Bass with a second Bass part.
Programming the Drum track.6:01
Add some drums to get our groove going!
Arranging the Bass3:56
Arrange our Bass and learn more about the piano roll.
A second Piano part.5:47
Add a new Piano part and edit its midi.
Adding a Melody.5:42
Use the polytone synth to add a melody line.
Arrangement - The Intro.4:18
Start arranging the song.
A Piano Intro.3:08
A new Piano Intro part.
Arranging the song.3:41
Learn how to arrange the song.
Adding new sounds.9:01
Add more sounds to give some variation.
Adding a sound effect.7:00
Using a sound effect in our arrangement.
Resampling the Shaker.5:02
A simple way to resample an audio clip and use it as a special effect.
Arrangement - The Outro.7:24
Make an outro for our song.
The Melody Top Line.3:59
Add a simple melody top line to add interest to our track.
Separating the Drums and Bouncing to Audio.8:27
Split up our drums into separate tracks before bouncing them to audio stems.
Renaming tracks and Creating Stems.6:41
Organizing our track names then bouncing to audio.
Song Creation Quiz.

Section 4 - Introduction0:36
In this section we will take an in depth look at the Reason Mixer using the stems from the song we created in section 3. You'll be able to use the gain, eq, compression, gates, effects sends and returns and master section of the mixer. Including creating busses, parallel channels and side chaining.
Creating the Mixing Session3:04
Import your stems from the previous section and organize the tracks.
Adding a Master Limiter1:28
Use a master limiter to prevent clipping.
Ordering Tracks.1:33
Learn to organize your tracks to make mixing easier.
Creating busses and color coding.3:50
Use busses and color coding to organize your tracks.
Gain staging in the Reason Mixer.6:23
Learn to balance levels using the built in gain in the reason mixer.
Using the EQ Pt.19:21
A deep dive into the reason mixer's EQ section.
Using the EQ Pt.22:54
More on EQ in the mixer.
Using the EQ Pt.33:44
More on EQ in the mixer.
Using the EQ Pt.43:49
More on EQ in the mixer.
Using the EQ Pt.55:36
More on EQ in the mixer.
Dynamics2:38
Learn how to use the reason mixer's dynamics section.
Dynamics and Filters.2:15
Add dynamics and filtering to your tracks.
Dynamics and Side Chaining.7:46
Learn the useful technique of side chaining.
Gates3:47
Get to know the gates in the reason mixer.
Insert Effects.3:25
Adding your own insert effects and modifying them.
Adding Effects to our Project.9:14
Using the inserts to add effects to a track.
Mastering Effects and the Main Compressor.4:55
Use the mastering effects and the main compressor effectively.
The Master Section Analyser and Panning.7:36
Use the master analyzer to check your tonal balance.
Parallel Compressions and Effects7:45
Use parallel compression and parallel effects to thicken your sound.
Mixing Section Quiz

Automation Section - Introduction0:58
Learn how to automate mixer operations, effects devices and use the combinator to build your own automatable device.
Mixer Automation.13:50
Automate your mixes, panning, faders and effects.
Device Automation.12:39
Enable automation for various devices in reason.
Automation using the Combinator.18:51
Use the combinator to build your own devices and automate them.
Automation Quiz

Requirements

A working Mac or Windows Computer.
Access to Reason software ( preferably version 13 + there may be a trial available ).
A basic understanding of music is useful, but not necessary.
Willing to learn and follow along.

Description

Have you always wanted to learn the Reason DAW, but don't know where to begin?

Are you a complete beginner or do you have experience in a different music production software?

Whatever the case, this course will get you up to speed and working like a pro with the Reason DAW.

Dave has created the ultimate beginner's guide to the Reason DAW, drawing on years of experience creating music with reason and passing on that knowledge, so anyone can learn to produce music using Reason!

The course begins with a deep dive into the main sections of the user interface and shows you how to use them in an easy-to-understand way.

Add drums, bass, synths and make your music come to life!

We will create a song together using all the tools that you learned about in the first two sections.

Then we will take a deep dive into using the Reason mixer so that you can start creating your own music in no time.

Resources are provided so that you can get productive right away.

I have made this course as concise as possible, focusing on what is important, making sure no time is wasted, and giving you a detailed but efficient learning experience.

Who this course is for:

Beginners who want to produce music using Reason, for fun or to further there career.
Musicians, Songwriters and DJ's who want to start recording and making music.
Anyone who uses another DAW and wants to learn Reason from the ground up.

The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Reason DAW.

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Inside the Reason DAW22 lectures • 2hr 6min

Adding and Using Common Devices in the Rack11 lectures • 43min

Create a Song from Scratch.19 lectures • 1hr 38min

An Introduction to Mixing in Reason.20 lectures • 1hr 32min

Automation in Reason4 lectures • 46min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: