Hi all,

Have a new rig put together that I'm very happy with and wanted to share details. I only play at church and in smaller venues, so I did not need tons of volume, though this config gets very loud. Here's the stuff;

2 - Acme Low B-1 Speakers (http://www.acmebass.com)
Crown XLS1000 Power Amp
M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB Audio Interface
Dell 1121 Laptop (small - nearly a netbook)
Propellerhead Reason 6.0 software (http://www.propellerheads.se)

So, the main thing here is that I built around Reason 6. I'm not using it for all of the softsynths that most people think about when they think of Reason. The main thing for me is the amazingly beautiful emulation of an SSL 9000K board and the outstanding reverbs/effects that are a part of the package. Granted, Reason is a closed system (no using external VST's or VSTi's with it) but in this case I'm looking at it as a positive because it is so stable and efficient. CPU usage is so low even on the little Dell that I can run live through the board emulation and multiple effects (including multi-tap/multi-reverb ambiance type effects I've created) and barely bump the CPU with 5ms latency. Really really love it.

The Acme cabs are the other main thing. The frequency response for such small/light cabs is amazing. They have a great low end and clear mids/high that are smooth. They have mid and high frequency attenuation so you can really tweak the tone. Both are 4 ohms so the Crown delivers 350 watts to each.

Otherwise, the Crown is as light as can be and dead quiet. The M-Audio has excellent ASIO drivers. The Dell is light and simple (and configured to be used as a DAW only).

The Crown, Dell, and M-Audio live in a 3 space Rack Bag. Carrying two Acme's is no effort. Whole thing is really light and portable. Very pleased.

Just sharing,
Karma

Karma wrote:

Propellerhead Reason 6.0 software (http://www.propellerheads.se)

So, the main thing here is that I built around Reason 6. I'm not using it for all of the softsynths that most people think about when they think of Reason. The main thing for me is the amazingly beautiful emulation of an SSL 9000K board and the outstanding reverbs/effects that are a part of the package. Granted, Reason is a closed system (no using external VST's or VSTi's with it) but in this case I'm looking at it as a positive because it is so stable and efficient.
Karma

A friend told me the other day that Propellerhead have apparently "done a Radiohead" and offer a "pay what you think it's worth" upgrade..?

Cheers,
Andy

They did. Before this release they had two products (Reason and Record). Merged 'em into one product (Reason 6) and offered existing users of both the opportunity to pay what you want for the upgrade. They added some nice features (64 bit support, a new analog echo module, a great rave filter, audio destruction, etc.). I gave 'em $50 and felt that was fair since I had the bulk of the functionality by owning both products.

Still my favorite software of all time.

Karma