Although each new release of Reason brings with it a multitude of minor but useful improvements, I doubt I'm the only one who fixates on the new gadgets to play with, such as Thor and Kong. Record is no different. While the sensible reason to get it is that it lets you record external instruments such as electric guitars (it comes with virtual Line 6 POD rackmounts to simulate vintage amp cabinets), and that most popular and oldest of all instruments, the human voice (it also comes with a pitch corrector), the fun reason to get it is that it comes with a pretty faithful looking (and presumably sounding) recreation of SSL's legendary XL 9000k mixing desk1.
As always, it's arguably better than the real thing, too: it has unlimited channels, full automation of every slider and knob, doesn't require any more electricity than a modest PC, doesn't ever have to be repaired with parts you can't get anymore, and doesn't take up more space than a sofa. At €279 on its own or €129 as an upgrade to Reason owners, Record is also a lot cheaper than the £115,000 the real mixing desk fetches on eBay as of two thousand and ten2.
I bought Record for two reasons: to be able to add full vocals to my mixes without having to crowbar them into NN-XTs, and to replace the 14 channel Mackie LM3204-styled3 rackmounted mixing desk with the unlimited channel SSL 9000k-styled one. Frankly, my life's too short to spend manually wiring up compressors and parametric EQs to every channel when I can just spend a bit extra and have them built right into the mixing desk. In this respect, Record definitely lived up to my expectations.
I'd recommend Record to anyone already using Reason who wants to start making heavy use of vocals or guitars, or who wants to delve deeper into the production side of music making without having to waste a lot of time wiring up virtual cables. Unlike Pro Tools, Logic or Cubase, it seamlessly integrates with Reason for stability and simplicity. Just about the only thing it doesn't do is work with plug-ins or send MIDI signals to tangible synthesisers, but if a simple, solid work environment is important to you, it's arguably worth it, and you should find Reason's synthesisers to be more than adequate for the job.
References
- Propellerhead: Record: Mix
- Gearslutz: What's a 64 ch SSL 9000K going to sell for two years from now?
- Sound on Sound: Reasons to be Cheerful