| Type | Private[1] |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm |
| Area served | Digital audio production |
| Products | Reason, ReCycle, Record, ReBirth RB-338 |
| Website | www.propellerheads.se |
Propellerhead Software is a music software company, based in Stockholm, Sweden, and founded in 1994.[1] They are most notable for the studio emulation Reason.
Contents |
Propellerhead Software was founded in 1994 by Ernst Nathorst-Böös, Marcus Zetterquist and Pelle Jubel, who still hold prominent positions within the company.[1] Their first release was ReCycle, a sample loop editor that could change the tempo of a loop without affecting the pitch. The export medium was Propellerhead's own REX format. ReCycle was launched in conjunction with Steinberg, who marketed it as a companion to Cubase, as it brought a simple way of gaining control over tempo and timing of audio loops.[2]
In 1997, Propellerhead released ReBirth RB-338, a step based, programmable sequencer which emulated classic Roland instruments commonly associated with techno: TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer and the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. It was hailed as an affordable alternative to buying old, unreliable hardware devices. Roland Corporation requested that an acknowledgment be added to the ReBirth packaging and splash screen; the unofficial endorsement became a marketing boost for Propellerhead, and they have retained a close relationship with Roland ever since.[3]
ReWire was developed jointly between Propellerhead and Steinberg for use with their Cubase sequencer. Released in 1998, it provided a virtual audio and synchronization connection between Cubase and ReBirth. In January 1999 the protocol was opened for general use by third parties without any license fee,[4] to allow communication between different sequencers.
Propellerhead soon focused their attention on their new product, the award winning[5] Reason, released in 2000. Reason was an entire studio emulation complete with virtual cables and representations of a subtractive synthesizer, sampler and drum machine, alongside a REX file loop player, a pattern sequencer and a multitude of effects units. Making Reason's appeal even greater was the ability to create as many of each device as a computer could handle and a simple sequencer for notes and device automation. Additionally, Reason could run on average spec computers and was extremely competitively priced.
In May 2009, Propellerhead announced a new product, Record.[6] Designed for recording, arrangement and mixing, Record is made along the lines of Reason and continues the tradition of emulating hardware and the rack.
Record emulates a recording studio, with a mixing desk, a rack of virtual instruments and effects, and an audio and MIDI sequencer. It is also made to work alongside Reason; if Record is installed on a computer with Reason on it, the modules from Reason will be usable inside of Record.[7]
Released September 9th, 2009, Record has been praised for its stability, seamless integration with Reason, and sound quality[8], and has received a number of awards, including Future Music's Platinum Award[9], Computer Music Editor's Choice and Performance awards [10], and the MusicTech Excellence award.[11]
On May 1st 2010, Propellerhead released their first app for mobile platforms; a remake of their ReBirth RB-338 software for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Developed together with Retronyms[12], it's a 100% port of the original with added functionality for sharing song files with other iPhone users, zooming and panning.[13]
July 11th 2010, Propellerhead announced plans for Reason version 6 which includes all the features of Record 1.5. This allowed Propellerhead to discontinue Record and create two different versions of Reason. [14]
The name propellerhead comes from the pejorative term used to deprecate science fiction fans and other technophiles, who are stereotypically drawn wearing propeller beanies.
From early on, Propellerhead used the Internet as both a marketing tool and as a method of ensuring they could communicate with their user base. An Alpha version of ReBirth was made available for free download on the Propellerhead website in December 1996, and the company even searched the internet for active users of the TB-303 and sent them invitation emails to try the new software.[15]
The user forum has always been at the forefront of the Propellerhead community, with many employees checking them every day.[16] Allowing users to make requests and suggestions directly to the developers led to the first downloadable ReBirth update in 1997, and still today registered users of Propellerhead software can download updates and much additional content online.
ReFills compress sounds, settings and instrument configurations into single files, and are the only way of mass importing additional sounds into Reason.