Sought-After Player/Producer’s Recent Projects Credits Include Gnarls Barkley & Marilyn Manson
Chris Vrenna may be best known for his lengthy tenure and seminal recordings with industrial pioneers, Nine Inch Nails (with whom he won a Grammy Award in 1995 as the band’s drummer). But in the years since striking out on his own in 1997, Vrenna has become a sought-after producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter, and programmer, working with bands including Rammstein, U2, Weezer, P.O.D., David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Gnarls Barkley, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Green Day, Live, Adema, the Wallflowers, and with his own electronic outfit, Tweaker. As a composer, he’s scored music for popular video games including Area 51, Doom 3, Need For Speed, and Quake 4.
No matter the application or format, Vrenna says Propellerhead’s Reason figures prominently in his production process.
“I go way back with Propellerhead,” Vrenna reflects. “I used Rebirth way before Reason as I was a huge ‘mods’ collector. Now, I use Reason both in the studio and live. It’s so versatile; as a synth rack, sampler, and effects system. Reason is my main live tool, as well, and the center of my keyboard rig. It takes all the worry out of performing. I set up key-zones in the Combinator, trigger samples using NN-XT, and then build synth patches within Subtractor and Maelstrom. And switching files between songs is super fast. And for specific effects, I can route one sample or a whole synth to distortion, delay, reverb, etc. It would have taken racks of gear to do what I can do within Reason.”
While Vrenna has not completely replaced his hardware tools with virtual sythns and sequencers, he does admit that there is an immediacy and ease of use that only software can provide. “I still love hardware, but software like Reason sounds so good, and at the same time, is much easier to work with. I work on so many projects at once, that bouncing between songs is easy. And, it’s much faster to create with the GUI that Propellerhead developed.”
Some of his other ‘must-have’ Reason features run the gamut from sound to simplicity. “There’s too many to list, but the sounds, the effects, and the ease in which I can program, would be at the top of the list. The NN-XT is an awesome sampler, too. I can do so much in just one piece of software.”
Making use of Reason’s sound banks, Vrenna says he owns almost every ReFill available, his favorite of late being, “Abbey Road Keyboard”. So what’s in his current Reason Rack? “I like to build a rack from scratch for every song or project I do. It keeps me fresh.”
About Propellerhead Software
Propellerhead Software is a privately owned company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Formed in 1994, Propellerhead has created some of the most innovative new music software (ReBirth, ReCycle and Reason) and technology standards, including ReWire and the REX file format, which are used extensively in all kinds of music production. Propellerhead ReBirth program was the first virtual emulation of vintage analog gear—a trend that now dominates music software. www.propellerheads.se
Media education institution taps famed music producer to lecture in six-month music production series. Hosted in SAE Institute - Atlanta, the series will be streamed to SAE campuses worldwide.
Atlanta, GA — December 11, 2008 — SAE Institute continues its establishment of ongoing industry partnerships by announcing its newest with Grammy-winning producer, Bryan-Michael Cox. SAE working side-by-side with Cox, have developed a six-month workshop series in which Cox will serve as the primary guest lecturer during the Spring 2009 Semester.. The Bryan-Michael Cox production workshop series will guide students through a professional producer’s journey from the beginning stages of developing a music track to selecting the right publishing deal and management. more
C100 Provides Flexibility to Handle Current Productions, While Offering Unique Capabilities for Servicing the Facility Upgrade in the Future
NEW YORK – With an eye toward a major facility upgrade involving two separate buildings, MSG Media has installed a Solid State Logic C100 HD Digital Console as the centerpiece of their audio strategy. The C100 streamlines the current production flow for shows on five different MSG channels, while providing the flexibility to efficiently address the planned move into a new location near Madison Square Garden. The C140 HD with 32 channels additionally allows MSG Media the opportunity to offer high end recording and mixing capabilities to concert clients to increase business opportunities. more
University’s Renovated Recording Studio Reopening December 2008
TOWSON, MARYLAND, DECEMBER 16, 2008—The Recording Studio of the Towson University Department of Music (RSTUDM) has turned to Aviom for assistance in educating the next generation of music professionals. The RSTUDM is a newly constructed facility that was just completed as part of the renovation and expansion of the Towson University Center for the Arts. The Aviom gear in the RSTUDM will be used to teach students the fundamentals of recording, along with the importance of working both quickly and efficiently when dealing with professional recording artists. more
HOLLYWOOD, DECEMBER 9, 2008 — EASTWEST, the industry leader in soundware development and distribution, is helping to soothe these beastly financial times with its Super Holiday Sale. The company is offering discounts on its entire line of products, as well as two for one PLAY bundles to composers and performers world wide. more
Matrix Feature Set Pulls Together Analogue and Digital Equipment
CHICAGO, IL Keith Cleversley, the creative force behind the Playground Recording & Mastering Studio and veteran producer of innovative alternative bands such as the Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Hum, Flickerstick, Verve, Posies, and Urge Overkill, recently discovered the new Solid State Logic Matrix and immediately centered his new studio around this powerful new addition to the SSL family of industry standard consoles. Matrix, which offers SuperAnalogue™ 16 channel, 40 input, line-level mixing capabilities with inbuilt signal router and multi-layer digital workstation control, allows Cleversley to combine the Playground’s mountain of analogue outboard gear and the Pro Tools™ HD3 Accel System into a streamlined working environment. more
Los Angeles, CA, December 03, 2008—Grammy-award winning recording/mixing engineer, producer and songwriter, Khaliq Glover (also known as Khaliq-O-Vision), who has worked with such leading artists as Patti LaBelle, Prince, Usher and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, needed a drive he could depend on. This is why he decided to go with Avastor. more
Bon Harris made a name for himself in the early ‘80s/mid-90s as the founding member of the quintessential British industrial group Nitzer Ebb, programming the band’s signature sound. In the years since, the composer, producer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has become an in-demand collaborator working with Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, Evanescence, AFI, Avril Lavigne, Bush, Marilyn Manson, Billy Corgan, and with his new band Maven. Propellerhead’s Reason has played an integral part in his production work since the software’s inception—from that of principal sound generator and mangler, to idea ‘sketch pad’ and sonic layering tool.
“Reason is a constant musical companion for me,” he explained. “It is so well put together, is very efficient, stable, and flexible. I can assemble any signal chain imaginable, without frustrating limitations, in a very quick, simple fashion. Reason is also very democratic. Everybody has it, or access to it. It’s become a common musical language, making it very easy to collaborate. And with ReWire connectivity, I can work on a musical sketch anywhere, and plug that into a host for expansion and refinement if needs be. As I’ve said often, Reason is like a Swiss Army Knife for music production… except it’s Swedish.”
The ability to have an onboard exhaustive library of sounds and sound banks provides Harris with an unlimited palette of tools at his immediate disposal. “I have a large library of sounds now at my disposal, so it’s very easy for me to call up a pre-assembled rack, or build one from scratch, using any style or combination that I can think of. I use the Factory and Orkester sound banks often. They are particularly handy if you find yourself in a situation where someone has Reason installed, but doesn’t use it often. You can always rely on that collection of sounds to be there, so it’s good to get to know them. I wonder how many computers in the world have those sounds installed. I don’t use presets much, but the Subtractor, Malström and Thor patches are excellent to have on hand if you need some ‘habit breakers’. Not to mention the Redrum patches, to kick things off quickly. The NN-XT is very quick to browse, audition and load sounds, too. Browsers are not generally considered to be the sexiest part of any software, but try working with a clumsy one and watch the hours and inspiration melt away. Reason’s browser is top notch. My hat goes off to The Browser Master(s)!”
But perhaps the most significant boon to his workflow is Reason’s flexibility, speed and portability. And for an artist that is constantly on the go, it’s easy to see why Reason has become an integral part of his workflow. “As soon as I can think up an idea, I can execute it, save variations, re-load alternatives, etc. Reason allows me to work very swiftly. I can also bicycle over to a studio with a complete, mixed arrangement in my backpack. That didn’t work so well with the System 100m’s, Moog Modulars, etc. The semi-modular nature is a dream for modular synth fans. It allows you to achieve sounds that would be difficult, if not impossible, using hardware. I still use software and hardware together, but the advantages of software are portability, total recall, and a small physical footprint. With software and a laptop, you can make an album at the kitchen table, on the bus, laying in bed, wherever. My favorite is at the library, actually. I take some sandwiches and make a day of it. Just keep the headphone level down! Whether you are using a laptop or a full-featured studio setup, Mac or PC, Reason is very consistent and allows you to get music written without imposing limitations.”
So, what’s in Bon Harris’ Reason rack?
“Depends on the situation. If I’m scoring for picture it’ll be stuffed with NN-XT’s, maybe a couple of Dr Rex’s, reverbs and delays. If it’s more band type stuff then Subtractors and lots of effects. The rack will change to suit the situation, and Reason proves flexible enough to handle it all very well.”
About Propellerhead Software
Propellerhead Software is a privately owned company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Formed in 1994, Propellerhead has created some of the most innovative new music software (ReBirth, ReCycle and Reason) and technology standards, including ReWire and the REX file format, which are used extensively in all kinds of music production. Propellerhead ReBirth program was the first virtual emulation of vintage analog gear—a trend that now dominates music software. www.propellerheads.se
Sought-After Player/Producer’s Recent Projects Credits Include Gnarls Barkley & Marilyn Manson
