Reason 8.2 Update is Available!

[selig]

Does anyone think we're moving toward an online only & monthly pay membership? I love this 8.2 update but things are starting to feel strange.

I've not seen or heard anything that would suggest that is happening. This move answers those who had suggested a quicker/better way to update without such large downloads, which also those who complained about the clunky installation process (another common request IIRC). 

I believe it may also make beta testing more straightforward, and other things related to maintaining and updating a growing code base, but don't quote me on that. 

It should also make it easier to issue more intermediate updates rather than waiting for a bigger update.

But in all of that I see no indication, nor reason for this to imply a different payment model. I confess I don't know what "online only" means - they've stopped delivering Reason on physical media years ago, and it's essentially been online only since then - or am I not understanding the phrase correctly?

[esselfortium]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

[selig]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

I understand the fear, I am saying I don't see that this change (auto-update) indicates in any way it's moving in that direction. Not sure how the two are being related here, to be honest.

[ckingram2006]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

This is another reason that I have been very careful with RE purchases. There will be a time when Reason goes subscription as Protools has already started. Although you own your perpetual license for Reason they can and will require a subscription or annual renewal to receive any additional upgrades when this model goes into effect. There is nothing in the RE licensing that would prevent them from discontinuing support of older generation RE if you don't upgrade when new SDK's are introduced. At this point you are left with the choice of upgrading (subscription) or staying with your old Reason version and losing access to your RE. 

[Last Alternative]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

What he said. That's what I meant. Online only login/monthly subscription. At least for now we know we're safe. I hope to God PH doesn't go that route. I'm sure we'd be broker than we already are.

[selig]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

This is another reason that I have been very careful with RE purchases. There will be a time when Reason goes subscription as Protools has already started. Although you own your perpetual license for Reason they can and will require a subscription or annual renewal to receive any additional upgrades when this model goes into effect. There is nothing in the RE licensing that would prevent them from discontinuing support of older generation RE if you don't upgrade when new SDK's are introduced. At this point you are left with the choice of upgrading (subscription) or staying with your old Reason version and losing access to your RE. 

I don't see this happening. Remember Pro Tools (and Adobe products) are being sold to professionals. In the case of PT I don't think the subscription model is exclusive either, so it's not a fair comparison, right?

Professionals prefer to have fixed costs that regularly occur, rather than random costs that randomly occur. A subscription may also make more sense to a professional that is using their software all day every day. 

Reason users are not at all in the same market IMO. I don't see how this market, which has far more 'casual users' than PT, would ever take to that option. Making it the ONLY option would be suicide. Even as a developer I don't know if I would take advantage of that route if there was an option. That doesn't leave many who would. And if no one would take advantage of it, again, it would be suicide to do so IMO.

Different markets, different models.

[ckingram2006]

T

In the case of PT I don't think the subscription model is exclusive either, so it's not a fair comparison, right?

The subscription model in Protools is not exclusive but here is the kicker:
If you have a license like myself Protools 11 perpetual license. If I decide not to upgrade or pay for the annual $199 upgrade or If I decide that I want to skip an upgrade until Protools 13, that is not an option. I will have to buy a new perpetual license at $899 or pay for a subscription each time I don't pay the annual $199 upgrade.

[selig]

T

In the case of PT I don't think the subscription model is exclusive either, so it's not a fair comparison, right?

The subscription model in Protools is not exclusive but here is the kicker:
If you have a license like myself Protools 11 perpetual license. If I decide not to upgrade or pay for the annual $199 upgrade or If I decide that I want to skip an upgrade until Protools 13, that is not an option. I will have to buy a new perpetual license at $899 or pay for a subscription each time I don't pay the annual $199 upgrade.

Sounds similar to getting 'Wupped' by Waves. Again, this may be the preferred path for those using the tools full time, but I don't see how it could possibly work for the more casual (both pro and hobbyist) user. Maybe if it was $5 a month or less. But otherwise, musicians are the LAST folks who have a consistent amount of cash on hand each month in my experience!    

[ckingram2006]

Sounds similar to getting 'Wupped' by Waves. Again, this may be the preferred path for those using the tools full time, but I don't see how it could possibly work for the more casual (both pro and hobbyist) user. Maybe if it was $5 a month or less. But otherwise, musicians are the LAST folks who have a consistent amount of cash on hand each month in my experience!    

Agreed.

[kitekrazy]

I'm not usually a troll but  for f***s sake... the last  32bit only processor is about 8 years old, there is NO reason in 2015 for software to be  32 bit only, so people complaining about 32 bit support, I'm afraid to be the one to tell you; It's time to upgrade your computer...

 64 bit is only needed to access larger amounts of memory.  You'd be surprised how many apps are still 32 bit.

[Jagwah]

Love the new colours, been wanting them for years to help distinguish important clips from others. Pink, purple etc - fantastic. 

Nice to know Reason has some attention being paid to it by Props.

[Biolumin3sc3nt]

It sure will be interesting to see how the Pro Tools business model plays out! I'll be sticking with v9.0.6 - It does what I need, for everything else there's Reason and Logic Pro. Sorry Avid, You're not getting any more of my money!

[Resonator]

Now I can say I'm finally happy with the browser. I like the way everything is shaping up. I'm looking forward to upgrading from 7 now.

[flightONE]

I'm not usually a troll but  for f***s sake... the last  32bit only processor is about 8 years old, there is NO reason in 2015 for software to be  32 bit only, so people complaining about 32 bit support, I'm afraid to be the one to tell you; It's time to upgrade your computer...

 64 bit is only needed to access larger amounts of memory.  You'd be surprised how many apps are still 32 bit.

That's a common misconception.

Adressing >4gb is one of the benefits on an x64 instruction set, but modern compilers are way past that point, these days  the real value of a 64 bit instruction set lies in the fancy instructions that let you use longer operands  and most importantly the wider FLOATING POINT math. The benefits of a wider data bus also extend well beyond the  total amount of RAM, DMA is better on a wider bus, you can pipeline narrower instructions (that is why phones or ipads use 64bit processors even though they only have 1or 2 gigs of RAM)... i can go on forever   I work designing DSP processors and general purpose CPUs, I pretty much see code being translated to assembly every single day, so this whole CPU architecture thing is kinda my deal...

Sure, there are some plugins, games, and apps like sublime text or np++ that are not ported to 64 bit yet... but upgrading to a 64 bit OS doesn't break compatibility with them, you can still use them on new systems.  In the HPC/scientific/professional fields 32 bit is becoming pretty rare.  Red Hat is  now only 64 bit, expect more Linux distros to follow,  OSX is 64 bit only since  10.7 which was released on 2011 FFS   and  Windows 10 IMHO should be  64 bit only... 

If there is a 64 bit version or whatever you're using I can't think of a reason why running in 32 bit mode might be better. The only good reason to stick with 32 bit used to be hardware compatibility... like with audio interfaces, wifi cards, webcams or so...  but  my point was that the last  32 bit only hardware was released 6-7 years ago,  if you are trying to run your brand spanking new  version of Reason with that hardware, that's a little masochistic in my book.

[flightONE]

T

In the case of PT I don't think the subscription model is exclusive either, so it's not a fair comparison, right?

The subscription model in Protools is not exclusive but here is the kicker:
If you have a license like myself Protools 11 perpetual license. If I decide not to upgrade or pay for the annual $199 upgrade or If I decide that I want to skip an upgrade until Protools 13, that is not an option. I will have to buy a new perpetual license at $899 or pay for a subscription each time I don't pay the annual $199 upgrade.

Sounds similar to getting 'Wupped' by Waves. Again, this may be the preferred path for those using the tools full time, but I don't see how it could possibly work for the more casual (both pro and hobbyist) user. Maybe if it was $5 a month or less. But otherwise, musicians are the LAST folks who have a consistent amount of cash on hand each month in my experience!    

If Props added Core  Reason features every 2-3 months or let me use all-you-can-use  rack extensions for a monthly fee(which is a pipe dream really)  then I could see myself paying something like 10-12 dollars a month (which is kinda like the  $129 yearly updates)   but only if I am getting new features or content... If they are going to charge 50  a month or pretty much a monthly fee for bug fixes, then that's a little sucky and I wouldn't see myself buying into that business model..

It would also be interesting to see how  Rack extensions play into this.

But seriously though... every major software house is thinking about SaaS (software as a service AKA monthly fees) because it makes business sense...  so while we don't have any concrete evidence that Reason is going that way yet, i think it's valid to ask what if it happened! 

[Soft Enerji]

Just downloaded and installed with no issues as per usual. Nice new colours, a minor thing but very welcome.

With regards to the subscription fears mentioned above, Cakewalk's version seems to be a fair deal. Buy a subscription for a year and you keep what you have at the end of it. I normally skip every other Sonar upgrade and I'm sticking with X3 Producer for now because at this point I don't see any benefit in the upgrade to Platinum, but maybe in a year or so I'll buy in to the sub, depending on what's on offer.

Cheers

Mark

[zakalwe]

If there is a 64 bit version or whatever you're using I can't think of a reason why running in 32 bit mode might be better. The only good reason to stick with 32 bit used to be hardware compatibility... like with audio interfaces, wifi cards, webcams or so...  but  my point was that the last  32 bit only hardware was released 6-7 years ago,  if you are trying to run your brand spanking new  version of Reason with that hardware, that's a little masochistic in my book.

maybe if you want to run a 32bit rewire host for VST compatibility.  i know you can bridge but some DAWs need third party apps to do that and there are still a lot of really popular freeware 32-bit plugins like the variety of sound stuff.

but it still seems a tad early to do this, given that windows 7 is going to have been OEM installed in 32bit version on a lot of still current, if creaking, hardware.

[jivemaster]

Selig, the fear is of Reason moving to a subscription-based model like Adobe Creative Cloud, in which you can only keep using the software for as long as you keep paying (and as long as the developer keeps the authorization servers running).

What he said. That's what I meant. Online only login/monthly subscription. At least for now we know we're safe. I hope to God PH doesn't go that route. I'm sure we'd be broker than we already are.

Not sure why people are worrying about subscription models when all that Propellerhead have done here is finally catch up to software released over the last 10 years by offering automatic updates. Tbh it was terribly primitive that you had to essentially reinstall an entire new copy of the software each update, so this is a welcome feature. And online login was always a method to get into the software for the last few versions. Get a grip.

[Last Alternative]

Get a grip? LOL I have no problem with online login. My concern is if anyone else shared my concern about PH moving toward ONLY being able to use Reason by logging in/monthly subscription... with all the changes happening and all it's pretty understandable. I think your approach is a bit rude.

[prndrsn]

But seriously though... every major software house is thinking about SaaS (software as a service AKA monthly fees) because it makes business sense...  so while we don't have any concrete evidence that Reason is going that way yet, i think it's valid to ask what if it happened! 

Software as a service doesn't necessarily imply monthly fees for the main product though, it can also be about having your primary source of revenue coming from services around your product. Windows 10, for example is going to be a free upgrade, most notably even for pirated versions. Microsoft is turning towards software as a service, but Windows isn't the service, services for Windows are. The important thing for MS is no longer that people buy Windows, but that they use it. When money is made primarily from surrounding services getting as many people as possibly to use the product that the services are for is high priority. These services doesn't have to be subscription based either. Taking a cut of third party applications sold through an app store is one example of SaaS. The app store is the service provided. Google is probably the best example. Almost all their services are free, because revenue is generated in various ways from the data and information supplied by the userbase. Free services means more users, and more users means more data and information, which means more revenue. Although it's not really a service, the videogame console market works in a similar way. Consoles are typically sold at a loss for the company, because the main revenue stream comes from licensing fees from publishers/development studios, and the more people who buy consoles, the more money they make from games.

If Propellerheads are going towards SaaS, I think it's more likely it's going to be about making money through cuts of rack extension sales and licensing the SDK to rack extension vendors; maybe subscriptions to cloud storage with automatic syncing and backups of songs and ReFills and your own patches and samples, online collaborative tools, and maybe occasional free rack extensions and ReFills. Something I strongly doubt is that Reason itself is going to become a subscription service in the sense that it stops working if you're not paying a monthly fee. That would be a disaster.

Personally, my experience has been that companies moving to an SaaS model has been of benefit to me as a consumer, because I usually neither want, nor need, the paid services and thus I do not pay for them, while the main product that I do use typically becomes free or much cheaper.

[Ostermilk]

Just downloaded and installed with no issues as per usual. Nice new colours, a minor thing but very welcome.

With regards to the subscription fears mentioned above, Cakewalk's version seems to be a fair deal. Buy a subscription for a year and you keep what you have at the end of it. I normally skip every other Sonar upgrade and I'm sticking with X3 Producer for now because at this point I don't see any benefit in the upgrade to Platinum, but maybe in a year or so I'll buy in to the sub, depending on what's on offer.

Cheers

Mark

Cakewalk's methos seems to work well (for them) from a users perspective it involves a price hike being twice the price of the previous version upgrade around every 18 months for $99 as opposed to $199 annually as it is now.

The good thing about Sonar is that you get to keep what you paid for if you no longer choose to subscribe and can join back in at any time.

Personally I think it's fair to consider that new pricing models may be in the pipeline as the new upgrading method certainly facilitates some changes there if the Props decide to do that at some point.

It's certainly the way things are going and it isn't exclusive to professional markets anymore.

Frankly I'd be surprised if Reason doesn't go that way before too long, it's certainly better placed to do that now, it's just the sign of the times but it's not necessarily a scary thing as companies will still have to offer bang for buck for customers to buy and nobody is going to be in a rush to completely price themselves out of any market.

[NMRosta]

 

Nice.. but i still dont get why there is a gray grid in the left korner. :s0403:

[Fredrik]

Hi!
I use three workstations in my studio. I am using Reason 7.x on the laptop and 8.1 on the other two desktops.
If I load Reason 8.2 on, say, the laptop, will the changes affect my other two machines in any way? Like the authorisation methods? I don´t have internet on all three machines. Will all three authorisation-types still be/stay available for the desktops not using Reason 8.2? I usually take the laptop to clients or to my other workplace, where I spend a lot of time. I always used the "authorise computer&keys" method on the laptop, meaning no internet or USB-key-authorisation needed.
 I don´t know if I got this right, but I thought I read something about the Props getting rid of some of the authorisation methods, that´s why I am worried.

I will not be updating to 8.2, if any workstation other than the one I updated Reason on will also lose the ability to use the "authorise computer&keys" method!!

Really, I need to know, so I can be sure it is safe or unsafe to upgrade. So if anybody can help me out here, thanks in advance.

Andy

Reason 8.2 doesn't remove any authorization methods. The new thing is that it doesn't require installation of USB ignition key software. It's still available as separate download.
If you already have things setup for Reason 8.1, there should be no problem updating.

Fredrik

[Tincture]

I saw the mention of "Revert" for the browser and thought "hurray, hurray, hurray!". But now I think I have read somewhere that it "reloads" the patch used before browsing, rather than actually just going back to its previous state. Can anyone confirm/deny please?

The reason it matters to me is that I quite often tweak patches quite a bit after loading them and so "reloading" the patch wouldn't take me back to where I was before browsing :/

[rcbuse]

Nice.. but i still dont get why there is a gray grid in the left korner. :s0403:

You an always hide the input section if it bothers you.