Reason is a powerful digital audio workstation (DAW) that offers a wide range of tools for music production, sound design, and mixing.
Mastering Reason can unlock your creative potential, allowing you to craft professional-quality music and explore the world of sound design.
Finding the right Reason course on Udemy can be a challenge, with so many options available.
You’re searching for a program that’s comprehensive, engaging, and taught by experts, one that helps you gain the skills and confidence to produce music in Reason.
We’ve carefully reviewed numerous Udemy courses and our top pick for the best Reason course overall is Producing Music with Reason.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Reason, covering everything from the basics to advanced techniques.
From setting up your studio and understanding the workflow to creating beats, melodies, and soundscapes, this course equips you with the skills you need to produce music in Reason.
While Producing Music with Reason is our top pick, other excellent Reason courses are available on Udemy.
Keep reading to discover our recommendations for specific learning styles and goals, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced user, or you’re focusing on a particular aspect of Reason like sound design or live performance.
Producing Music with Reason
Best Udemy course for learning Reason music production skills from scratch.
You’ll start by learning the fundamentals, like the structure of Reason, how MIDI and sound flow through the program, and navigating the sequencer, rack, and mixer.
From there, you’ll dive into hands-on exercises, such as creating a spacey piano sound and producing a full music track from start to finish.
You’ll learn how to create beats, record synth bass lines, set up pads, and record melodies.
The course even covers advanced sound design techniques for creating unique effects like a rising woosh.
Importing audio is also covered, so you can add finishing touches like impact sounds to your tracks.
The mixing section teaches you the fundamentals, like setting up a mixing session, using spectral mixing and sidechain compression, and finalizing your mix.
Installation and setup are thoroughly explained, including installing Reason itself, configuring general and audio parameters, and setting up MIDI controllers.
Bonus videos provide tips for improving your workflow with keyboard shortcuts and getting creative with Rack Extensions, Reason’s modular synths and effects.
You’ll even learn how to set up VST drums in Reason using NI Kontakt, a powerful sampler that integrates seamlessly with the software.
Propellerhead Reason 9 Course with David Wills
Best Udemy course for learning music production in Reason, covering recording, editing, mixing & mastering.
This course covers all the essential aspects of music production, from setting up your software to recording, editing, mixing, and mastering your tracks.
The recording section is extensive, spanning six parts.
You will learn how to record audio and MIDI, as well as how to work with different types of instruments and sounds within Reason.
The editing portion teaches you how to arrange and fine-tune your recordings.
You’ll learn techniques for cutting, copying, and moving audio and MIDI data, as well as how to use the various editing tools and functions within Reason.
The mixing section is equally comprehensive, divided into three parts.
You’ll dive deep into the Reason mixer, learning about levels, panning, muting, aux sends, insert effects, EQ, compression, gating, and bussing.
The course also covers basic mixing techniques, master bus compression, automation, mixing down, mastering, and exporting your final tracks.
Throughout the course, you’ll gain hands-on experience with Reason’s powerful features and workflows.
Synthesis with Propellerhead Reason - Europa
Best Udemy course for mastering Europa’s interface and sound design techniques.
The course starts by introducing you to Europa’s interface and how the signal flows through its various sections.
You’ll learn how to audition sounds effectively using the global controls.
Next, you’ll dive into the heart of Europa - its engines.
The oscillators are covered in-depth, teaching you how to shape and manipulate the raw waveforms.
The course also explores the modifiers, which let you further sculpt the sound using techniques like waveshaping and phase distortion.
A major highlight is the spectral filter, a powerful tool for creating complex, evolving timbres.
You’ll learn how to work with its harmonics and the unison feature to add richness and depth.
The mixer section is essential for balancing the levels of your sound sources, while the filter and amp sections let you shape the tone and dynamics.
The course doesn’t skimp on effects either, guiding you through Europa’s built-in FX.
Modulation is key to creating movement and expression, so you’ll learn to leverage Europa’s envelope, LFO, and modulation bus sections.
These allow you to modulate virtually any parameter for rhythmic, evolving textures.
The course takes you step-by-step through creating an instrument from scratch, showing you how to combine all these elements.
You’ll even learn to convert your creation into a super synth for added power.
Finally, you’ll put your skills into practice by making a full song, with guidance on building intense builds and explosive energy using the synths you’ve programmed.
Learn Music Production using Reason - In Under 3 Hours
Best Udemy course for learning Reason’s instruments and effects with hands-on guidance.
The course starts with an introduction to Reason and its interface, familiarizing you with the software’s instruments and effects.
You’ll dive into the sequencer and piano roll, learning how to create your first drum loop.
The course guides you through crafting basslines using both Dr. OctoRex and synth instruments.
It covers the sampler, allowing you to create your first synth riff or melody.
Quantizing, a crucial aspect of music production, is explained in detail.
You’ll learn about automation, a powerful tool for adding expression to your tracks.
The course teaches you how to bounce tracks in place and record external audio.
The mixer section equips you with the skills to mix and balance your tracks effectively.
Finally, you’ll learn how to export your finished track and where to find free, high-quality audio samples.
The course also provides handy shortcuts to speed up your workflow.
Players - Live Performance in Propellerhead Reason
Best Udemy course for mastering Reason’s Players device and live performance setup.
You will start by learning what the Players device is and how it’s laid out.
Then, you’ll dive into the different recording modes like Dual Arpeggio, Scales & Chords, Note Echo, and the Drum Sequencer.
For each mode, the course provides multiple video lessons walking you through its features and capabilities.
You’ll learn how to create intricate arpeggios, construct chords from scales, add rhythmic echoes, and program drum patterns.
The course also covers creating your own custom Players instruments for arpeggios, bass lines, pad chords, and drums.
You’ll understand how to set up and utilize these instruments for song writing and live performance.
Speaking of performance, a major portion is dedicated to configuring Reason for live shows.
Multiple videos guide you through setting up control surfaces, mapping parameters, and preparing your Players devices.
The course culminates with a live performance video showcasing all the techniques you’ve learned.
Throughout the lessons, you’ll gain hands-on experience with the Players’ powerful tools for composition, improvisation, and expressive real-time performance.
Grain Sample Manipulator - Propellerhead Reason
Best Udemy course for mastering Grain Sample Manipulator’s advanced features.
You’ll start with an introduction to grains and an overview of the synth’s interface.
The course dives deep into the global controls, sample window, and playback algorithms like spectral grain, grain oscillator, and long grain.
You’ll learn about the oscillator, filter, amplifier, and amp envelope sections.
The modulation sections are covered in-depth, including the matrix and how to use LFOs and envelopes for modulation.
The course also teaches you about the built-in effects and how to use them effectively.
An important part of the course is dedicated to sampling.
You’ll learn how to sample sounds and create your own unique samples.
The manipulation sections show you different techniques for manipulating and transforming your samples into entirely new sounds.
Throughout the course, you’ll be creating quick sounds and putting your knowledge into practice.
The hands-on approach ensures you truly understand the Grain Sample Manipulator inside and out.
Complex -1 - Reason Studios Propellerhead
Best Udemy course for understanding Complex-1’s interface and modules with hands-on practice.
The course starts with a walkthrough, introducing you to the various patches in Complex-1.
You’ll learn about the interface and how the different modules work, including oscillators, filters, envelopes, and more.
Understanding cables and routing is crucial, so the course covers that in depth.
You’ll gain insights into the signal flow within Complex-1, which is key to creating great sounds.
The performance panel is explored over two sections, giving you full control over your patches.
All the core modules are covered in detail - oscillators, noise, filters, shapers, comb delays, and envelopes.
You’ll learn how to use the LFO and clock modules to add movement and rhythm.
The mix module allows you to blend sounds, while the lag module adds smoothing.
The scale and amp module lets you shape levels and pitches.
The output mixer is explored, as well as the reverb for adding space and depth.
More advanced topics like the step sequencer, note quantizer, and Quant 2 module are included.
The function module opens up complex modulation possibilities.
Crucially, you’ll reconstruct patches to solidify your learning, before creating your own patch from scratch.
With its comprehensive approach, this course will have you mastering Complex-1 in no time.