Studio Survival: The Widdler

Reason 12 by Reason Studios

Hey UKF crew! Let’s talk music. I get asked about the gear that I use a lot. In reality, the only real gear I use is a MIDI keyboard and Reason 12. That’s all I need. Reason 12 is my go-to DAW because it’s super fast and easy to use. I love how quickly I can get my ideas down and start playing around with them. The way Reason’s interface is set up helps me move from one idea to the next without getting stuck, which is key when I want to turn spontaneous thoughts into music fast.

Having a midi keyboard is also crucial for working fast because you don’t have to waste time fiddling with the piano roll. One of the best things about Reason is its synths. They’ve got this unique sound that really nails the old-school dubstep vibe. Many of the old tunes you might know even have loads of reason synth presets in them! Since Reason didn’t have VST support for many years, I was limited to only the stock reason synths, and got to know them very well. When it comes to making my tracks loud and punchy, the VST Saturate plugin is my favourite. It’s simple to use and gets the job done in about 3 clicks of the mouse. Just a bit of saturate gives my mixes a really nice gluing and giving me loudness without compromising dynamics.

Another must-have in my setup is the VST Pro-Q equalizer. It’s a game-changer for making sure everything in my mix sounds clear and balanced. Pro-Q is easy to use and lets me make precise adjustments to each track, which helps everything fit together nicely. If you check my projects you will see it on almost every track. When it comes down to it, I use Reason because that’s what I have always used. So, it is my all-in-one gear toolkit.