Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers ReFill: A Review and Tutorial

How to Make Amazing Reggaeton Beats with Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL

If you're a fan of reggaeton music and want to make your own beats using Reason, you're in luck. Propellerhead Software has teamed up with three-time Grammy winners, The Salazar Brothers, to bring you the ultimate ReFill for reggaeton production: Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL.

Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL

This ReFill is packed with over 360 megabytes of samples, loops, patches, MIDI files, and demo tracks that will help you create authentic and professional-sounding reggaeton beats in no time. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, you'll find everything you need to get started and inspired.

In this article, I'll show you what Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL is, how to use it, and some tips and tricks to make your reggaeton beats stand out. But first, let's take a quick look at what reggaeton is and how it originated.

What is reggaeton and how did it originate?

Reggaeton is a genre of music that blends reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and Latin American and Caribbean rhythms. It is largely shaped by the African diaspora and sung primarily in Spanish. It started out as reggae en español in Panama, where West Indian workers brought Jamaican popular music to build the Panama Canal. It then evolved and became prominent in Puerto Rico, where it was also known as el underground. Some people spell it as regueton, meaning super reggae, reggae Puerto Rican style.

Reggaeton has some distinctive characteristics and elements that make it recognizable and unique. Some of them are:

• The dembow rhythm: This is the signature beat of reggaeton that consists of a four-beat pattern with a heavy emphasis on the third beat. It originated from the song "Dem Bow" by Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks.

• The bass: This is the low-frequency sound that provides the foundation and groove for the dembow rhythm. It can be synthesized or sampled from various sources.

• The percussion: This is the high-frequency sound that adds flavor and texture to the dembow rhythm. It can include instruments such as snare drums, hi-hats, cymbals, claps, cowbells, timbales, congas, bongos, maracas, guiro, etc.

• The vocals: This is the main element that delivers the lyrics bells, shakers, etc. They are also organized into folders such as dembow, dancehall, hip-hop, etc.

• Over 100 instrument samples and loops: These are the sounds that add melody and harmony to your beat. They include instruments such as bass, synths, pianos, organs, strings, horns, guitars, etc. They are also categorized into folders such as chords, leads, pads, etc.

• Over 50 vocal samples and loops: These are the sounds that add flavor and personality to your beat. They include phrases, hooks, choruses, ad-libs, effects, etc. They are sung or rapped by The Salazar Brothers themselves or by guest artists such as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Pitbull, Sean Paul, etc.

• Over 50 scratch samples and loops: These are the sounds that add spice and flair to your beat. They include vinyl scratches, cuts, spins, etc. They are performed by The Salazar Brothers using their turntables and mixers.

• Over 50 patches for Reason's devices: These are the sounds that you can tweak and customize to your liking. They include patches for devices such as NN-XT Sampler, NN-19 Sampler, Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player, Redrum Drum Machine, Subtractor Synthesizer, Malström Synthesizer, Thor Synthesizer, Combinator Multi-Instrument, etc.

• Over 50 MIDI files: These are the files that contain the notes and chords for the instrument samples and loops. You can use them to edit or modify the melodies and harmonies of your beat.

• Over 10 demo tracks: These are the tracks that showcase how to use the ReFill to create different styles of reggaeton beats. You can use them as inspiration or reference for your own projects.

To use Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL in Reason, you need to follow these steps:

• Download and install the ReFill from the Propellerhead Online Shop or download the free demo version from the Propellerhead website.

• Open Reason and create a new project or open an existing one.

• In the browser window on the left side of the screen, locate and select the ReFill folder under the Factory Sound Bank folder.

• Expand the ReFill folder and browse through its subfolders to find the sounds you want to use.

• Drag and drop the sounds from the browser window to the rack window on the right side of the screen. Depending on the type of sound you choose, Reason will automatically create a device for it in the rack window.

• Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have all the sounds you need for your beat.

To create a basic reggaeton beat using Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL in Reason, you can follow these steps:

• Create a Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device in the rack window by dragging and dropping a drum loop from the ReFill folder to an empty space in the rack window.

• Select a dembow loop from the Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device by clicking on one of the eight slots at the bottom of the device. You can preview the loop by clicking on the play button on the device or pressing the spacebar on your keyboard.

• Create a Subtractor Synthesizer device in the rack window by dragging and dropping a bass patch from the ReFill folder to an empty space in the rack window.

• Select a bass patch from the Subtractor Synthesizer device by clicking on the browse button at the top of the device and choosing one from the pop-up menu. You can preview the patch by playing some notes on your MIDI keyboard or clicking on the keys on the device.

• Create a NN-XT Sampler device in the rack window by dragging and dropping an instrument sample or loop from the ReFill folder to an empty space in the rack window.

• Select an instrument sample or loop from the NN-XT Sampler device by clicking on the browse button at the top of the device and choosing one from the pop-up menu. You can preview the sample or loop by playing some notes on your MIDI keyboard or clicking on the keys on the device.

• Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have all the instruments you want for your beat.

• Create a mixer device in the rack window by right-clicking on an empty space in the rack window and choosing Create > Mixer 14:2 from the pop-up menu.

• Connect all your devices to the mixer device by dragging and dropping their audio output cables to the mixer's audio input sockets. You can adjust the volume, pan, mute, solo, and EQ settings of each device using the mixer's knobs and buttons.

• Create a sequencer track for each device by right-clicking on each device and choosing Create Track for [device name] from the pop-up menu.

• Record or draw your notes and patterns for each device using the sequencer window at the bottom of the screen. You can use the pencil tool to draw notes or clips, or use your MIDI keyboard to record them in real time. You can also use the MIDI files from the ReFill folder to drag and drop them to the sequencer tracks.

• Arrange and edit your notes and patterns using the sequencer window's tools and functions. You can use the razor tool to cut, copy, paste, or delete clips, or use the quantize function to align your notes to the grid. You can also use the loop function to repeat a section of your beat.

Congratulations, you have just created a basic reggaeton beat using Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL in Reason. But you're not done yet. You can still add some variation and spice up your beat with some effects, vocals, and scratches.

How to add variation and spice up your beat with effects, vocals, and scratches

To make your reggaeton beat more interesting and dynamic, you can add some effects, vocals, and scratches to it. These are some of the ways you can do that:

• Add effects to your devices using Reason's built-in effects units or the effects patches from the ReFill folder. You can create an effect device in the rack window by right-clicking on an empty space in the rack window and choosing Create > [effect name] from the pop-up menu. You can then connect your device's audio output cable to the effect device's audio input socket, and connect the effect device's audio output cable to the mixer device's audio input socket. You can adjust the effect settings using the effect device's knobs and buttons.

• Add vocals to your beat using the vocal samples and loops from the ReFill folder. You can create a NN-19 Sampler device or a Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device in the rack window by dragging and dropping a vocal sample or loop from the ReFill folder to an empty space in the rack window. You can then select a vocal sample or loop from the device by clicking on the browse button at the top of the device and choosing one from the pop-up menu. You can preview the vocal sample or loop by playing some notes on your MIDI keyboard or clicking on the keys on the device. You can also create a sequencer track for the device and record or draw your notes and patterns for the vocal sample or loop using the sequencer window.

• Add scratches to your beat using the scratch samples and loops from the ReFill folder. You can create a Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player device in the rack window by dragging and dropping a scratch sample or loop from the ReFill folder to an empty space in the rack window. You can then select a scratch sample or loop from the device by clicking on one of the eight slots at the bottom of the device. You can preview the scratch sample or loop by clicking on the play button on the device or pressing the spacebar on your keyboard. You can also create a sequencer track for the device and record or draw your notes and patterns for the scratch sample or loop using the sequencer window.

By adding effects, vocals, and scratches to your beat, you can make it more lively and catchy. You can experiment with different combinations and settings to find what works best for your beat.

Tips and tricks for making your reggaeton beat sound professional and authentic

Now that you have a reggaeton beat with some variation and spice, you can still improve it further by making it sound more professional and authentic. Here are some tips and tricks you can use to achieve that:

• Mix and master your beat using Reason's built-in tools such as the mixer device, the master compressor device, the master EQ device, etc. You can use these tools to balance the volume levels, frequency ranges, stereo width, dynamics, etc. of your devices and tracks. You can also use the metering devices such as the spectrum analyzer device, the level meter device, etc. to monitor your audio signals and avoid clipping or distortion.

• Adjust the tempo, pitch, and groove of your beat using Reason's built-in tools such as the tempo control, the transpose control, the groove mixer device, etc. You can use these tools to change the speed, key, and feel of your beat. You can also use ReFill contains over 2 GB of piano samples that are played by professional pianists using different pianos and microphones. You can use this ReFill to add warm and melodic piano sounds to your reggaeton beats.

• Propellerhead Reason Soul School: This ReFill contains over 1 GB of soul, funk, and R&B samples that are taken from vintage records and instruments. You can use this ReFill to add some retro and funky vibes to your reggaeton beats.

• Propellerhead Reason Strings: This ReFill contains over 1 GB of string samples that are recorded by a 22-piece string ensemble in a world-class studio. You can use this ReFill to add some orchestral and cinematic sounds to your reggaeton beats.

How can I contact Propellerhead Software or The Salazar Brothers for support or feedback?

If you have any questions, issues, or suggestions regarding Propellerhead The Salazar Brothers Reggaeton REFiLL, you can contact Propellerhead Software or The Salazar Brothers through the following channels:

• Propellerhead Software website: https://www.propellerheads.com

• Propellerhead Software email: info@propellerheads.com

• Propellerhead Software phone: +46 8 544 252 00

• Propellerhead Software address: Hornsbruksgatan 23, SE-117 34 Stockholm, Sweden

• The Salazar Brothers website: https://www.thesalazarbrothers.com

• The Salazar Brothers email: info@thesalazarbrothers.com

• The Salazar Brothers phone: +46 8 658 88 88

• The Salazar Brothers address: Söder Mälarstrand 61, SE-118 25 Stockholm, Sweden

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