Propellerhead 99-101-0026 Balance with Reason Essentials

I have been use Reason since version 1 and one thing I've always fought was the audio interfaces. I started with an M-Audio Fastrack Pro and used it for years. It never quite worked right for me but I kept it just because it's all I could afford at the time. This past year I purchased a Scarlett 2i2, which was great but I still had a few issues trying to achieve low latency and it refused to work on a USB 3.0 port. I know it's a 2.0 device and won't get 3.0 speeds but it should be backwards compatible with the 3.0 protocol. Every time I plugged it in I got a BSOD.I was on the fence about buying Balance since I already owned Reason 6.5. However, since it is so highly rated I had to give it a try. I didn't need Reason Essentials but if there is any complaint it would be that they don't sell Balance separately.Installation was a breeze. Simply install the latest driver, open Reason, register it, install your license code to the built in ignition key, and start playing. From the start I was able to achieve 96kHz with a 2ms latency with no pops and clicks. I could never achieve this with my other audio interfaces. It actually works on my USB 3.0 port. Now I have a free port for other things. The audio is clean and clear!One of things I love about this interface is even though it's 2 in 2 out, there are multiple inputs so I can have two mics, two guitars, and two other line level instruments all plugged in at the same time! I can only record 2 inputs at a time but...I can have them all plugged for my convenience. No more plugging and unplugging to switch instruments. Genius on Propellerheads part if you ask me!If you're looking for the best audio interface you could use with Reason then look no further. Balance just works! It was designed specifically to work with Propellerhead software. Though, it doesn't stop there! You can use it with other stuff as well! After years wasted trying to find the right interface I finally have one that I know I'll be using for a very long time!

I am a 30+ year bassist, I grew up with the whole electronic interfaces when digital audio workstations were young. I have to tell you, i've never encountered something so well built in a very long time. I like you thought, it's just too darn expensive, it looks cheap, etc.. I have to tell you, I was so surprised from the minute I pulled it out of the box. A feature, it applies all your keys from your USB-Dongle right into it, the minute you register it at propellerhead software.Such a joy it is to use, the only gripe I have with it, there's only ONE headphone audio out, which means, if you have friends over, you'll need a headphone amp/splitter with it.That said, that's my ONLY gripe... so easy to use, sturdy, great knobs (no jokes please), construction well worth every penny!Do yourself a favor, stop trying to make OTHER products work with Reason/Record - this is all you need.

Wanted a good portable interface for my Pro Tools Laptop and a Reason upgrade to 7 so at a price of 270.00 to get both-a no brainer. However, Based on other reviews I was hoping for a little bit better audio results. I am a major label recording and mix engineer and use Pro Tools HD- The industry standard for professional recording so my review of this will be coming for that perspective. First the mic pre's- These will NOT give you that major label quality sound. They are decent. They are a bit thin and have no balls. If you buy a professional mic pre to go line in on this you will get a much bigger sound. D/I for guitars is decent but if you get a nice tube D/I you will get a bigger sound. Converters- The converters on this are very clean and have nice top end, they lack some punch on the bottom however. My Pro Tools 192 I/O converters give me 30 percent more on the bottom and about 50 percent more overall in sound quality over these. A lot of it could be that this is a -10 audio device(consumer grade) and Pro Tools 192 I/O is +4(professional audio grade). So there you have it. This little guy is good for demos and semi pro recording stretching it to pro if you don't need the big pro sound-but it is a stretch. When I need that big pro sound I will stick with my HD system:-) One other thing to note is this unit does not have digital in so you will always be stuck with the sound of it's input and converters.

I've been working with Balance for the past month or two, and I have to say I'm incredibly surprised with the versatility and performance behind this sleek box. Balance provides an unmatched sleekness in design that has eliminated my need to fumble with cords around the back of my computer. What's even better is how easy it is to move it from my studio computer to my laptop when I'm on the go and get the same level of performance on the go (this was great for when I spent a month with the family around the holidays).But with simplicity also comes options. For my larger projects I have the option to route any thing through the direct monitoring (slave computers with sample libraries to stick with Reason's superior DAW? I think so!). This was an unexpected pleasure.I was also pleasantly surprised when I connected my condenser mic directly into Balance and bypassed my usual pre-amp box for a live radio interview - the quality was superb and I had no issues finding a good sound.Of course, I haven't even gone into the great features like Clip safe, but I think things like that are obviously extremely useful. This device is powerful and exactly what you need if you're a professional musician who finds themselves on the go and at home - Reason or not.

Nice piece of recording software. Fairly straight forward, documentation a bit difficult to negotiate (700+ pages). If you are familiar with digital recording this will be easier for you. If not, like me, it will be a learning process. There are several on line videos that help somewhat, but again they move pretty quickly and assume the user has a basic understanding of digital recording. However, for the price it's a good place to start. I came to Reason after attempting Pro Tools (it was a gift) at least I've been able to put down a couple of songs. Now comes the effects, loops, etc. Back to school.

Firstly, if you have any version of Reason (full Reason, not Essentials) when you order this unit then you will be given a full upgrade to the latest version of Reason, in my case from 6.5 to 7. This is not obvious unless you look carefully at the Propellerhead site and it makes this unit something of a bargain because a Reason upgrade alone (best price) is £90.Secondly, this unit is really useful. It looks great and works perfectly. I upgraded Reason (install the included Essentials software, register it with the supplied codes, then Propellerhead will automatically give you the Reason upgrade via a download), installed the latest Windows drivers for Balance (via the Propellerhead site), plugged in to a USB 2.o port, chose ASIO BALANCE as my input Audio device in the Reason config and off it went. I plugged in a guitar and Balance gave me perfect performance with good sound quality. The headphone output is just adequate but drives my Sennheisers to an acceptable volume. I will probably take advantage of the outputs to drive an amp and speaker before too long. Bear in mind that you can't use Balance AND your computer's soundcard simultaneously with Reason. It has to be one or the other.Highly recommended!

This is an amazing piece of hardware and I don't think Propellerheads really do enough to market exactly what it is. It's a recording device and that's what most people stop at but it's more than that. It's also a high quality soundcard type device with its own ASIO driver which lets you record with a latency of 2ms. I use headphones primarily so I just plug them into the jack socket on the right hand side of this unit. If you want to plug in PC speakers then you could use the same jack socket with a 6.35mm to 3.5mm converter (which it doesn't come with) or you could plug in studio monitors to the left and right mono out sockets on the rear of the device.A nice thing about this is that I could also use it on my laptop, giving it the same high quality audio capabilities as my desktop so my set-up becomes completely portable if needed. I took out my old sound card now that I have this and it replaces all PC audio, not just ASIO drivers. Obviously it doesn't do fancy surround sound or anything so you would still need your internal sound card if you have a surround set-up for playing games or movies that utilise surround sound.For recording, I've only used it so far with a mic which worked very well. The 2x XLR mic sockets on the back provide phantom power and both have independent power buttons.I noticed a slight buzzing sound when I first tried it out but it turned out to be my cordless landline phone base station that was too close to the Balance and caused interference. It went away completely when I moved the phone away.It also acts as an ignition key that saves your license information so you wouldn't need this and an ignition key to authorise your Reason session.As for downsides. The USB cable supplied is only 1m long which is barely enough to place the unit on your desk straight above the computer. I bought a longer USB cable so that I could reposition it on the opposite side of my desk. The cable must be plugged directly into a USB port on the computer and not a hub unfortunately so supplying a short cable like this did seem to be a bit counter-intuitive.The input selector LED indication lights on the buttons could be brighter. They are elegantly subtle and good enough for my purposes but I'm sure there would be a lot of situations where others would find this a slight annoyance in brightly lit areas.I would have liked it to come with a padded carry case also as it's quite a unique shape and isn't something you would want to knock around when on the move.Pros:High quality low latency ASIO recording device.Supplies phantom power for mic sockets.Replaces your need for a sound card (Stereo only).Contains licensing info so replaces the ignition key.Powered via USB so no additional mains supply required.Gives your laptop the same audio capabilities as your desktop.Cons:LED's could be brighter.USB cable supplied is too short.A carry case would be nice - even if sold separately.

I've loved Reason software for years. I use it on a Macbook Pro.I've used a variety of USB interfaces and they've been fine.But this is on another level - which is what I'd expect from those perfectionists at Propellerhead...Solid, beautifully designed, very low latency.I plug in microphones (instruments and vocal), electric guitars, electric acoustic / classical guitars / basses etc etc.Built in tuner is useful.I really couldn't see how they could make it any better. Cheaper yes, better no!

Reminds me of the thrill of buying your first piece of Apple gear. The packaging, the feel of the product. The design is worthy of an award. The sound is sublime. If only Reason accepted video, it would be the ultimate DAW in the world. This replaced my Pro Tools LE set up and my recordings sound infinitely better. Clever people those Propellerhead

This is a great device. Excellent build quality. If you are into home recording look no further. A great partner for Reason or Reason Essentials

Just what I wanted - brilliant..

i recently purchased reason 6 hoping that i will be able to record and mix my music almost on professional level, but i must say...balance is the product, that makes the whole experience with reason complete. it works perfectly, it looks stunning. it is simply a sweet device. the price is also little more reasonable now (compared to as it was released), so definetly worth the money too.