Ways to improve Reason+ (ranged by increasing cost)

[Billy+]

Well I managed to find a reasonable date, as you can see from this photo.

IMG_2474.JPG (46.76 KiB) Viewed 2303 times

As you can see this was during the stream when Adam produced Chiroptera.

[Billy+]

So ok maybe I should have said a few months ago, but it definitely wasn't a year ago!

[Billy+]

Courtesy of the way back machine "November 12 2020"

http://web.archive.org/web/202011120153 ... ition-key/

IMG_2475.PNG (437.03 KiB) Viewed 2301 times

[joeyluck]

That's interesting indeed. I'm not even sure how someone would've navigated to that page, aside from a search. Were you just searching for it one day? Perhaps they had quietly made it available again for people on older systems and Reason versions? There wasn't a blog post or anything about it being available again in the form of a generic WIBU key. As good as RT is at spotting things, I hadn't seen anybody mention this until now.

[bxbrkrz]

Presonus Sphere only requires computers to be authorized once per month, so if R+ implemented that it might be a good alternative to the dongle.

Just chiming in here to say that this is how we would like to solve it - basically requiring an internet login at least once a month, and ability to work offline otherwise, but without a need for dongles or third party software. We think we can come up with a much simpler solution than the offline solution we currently have in place. Still figuring out some of the details around security and the like though.

How likely could you create an app on our phone +wifi on our computer be possible. I would not want to use any other services like Google authenticator, or other platforms/services. Something like Steam Guard.

[Billy+]

I would question that ignition keys have been discontinued for years as ignition key were available for purchase on the Reason Studio shop up until a week or so ago.

There was even a discussion during one of Adams streams on twitch a few months back as I have a nice red one and the one available was a yucky silver codemeter version.

Well I'm not sure if that's an acknowledgement that we both got it wrong but as I said it was during one of Adams streams and a few of us started discussing the ignition key and I just went to the shop searched for ignition key and the conversation went on from there.

I guess I should have checked my post as I would have said (up until a few weeks or so ago) but either way I don't think my comment deserves to be labelled as absolutely false, but it certainly wasn't a year or years ago!

[joeyluck]

I would question that ignition keys have been discontinued for years as ignition key were available for purchase on the Reason Studio shop up until a week or so ago.

There was even a discussion during one of Adams streams on twitch a few months back as I have a nice red one and the one available was a yucky silver codemeter version.

Well I'm not sure if that's an acknowledgement that we both got it wrong but as I said it was during one of Adams streams and a few of us started discussing the ignition key and I just went to the shop searched for ignition key and the conversation went on from there.

I guess I should have checked my post as I would have said (up until a few weeks or so ago) but either way I don't think my comment deserves to be labelled as absolutely false, but it certainly wasn't a year or years ago!

No I stand corrected. It was removed from the shop over a year ago and that was true. People here are aware of that happening and there is discussion here from that time. I had no idea it snuck back into the shop in the form of a generic CmStick... Whether that was weeks ago or months ago, I had no idea any form of ignition key had returned to the shop since more than a year ago. I also was not aware that other retailers are still selling the original Propellerhead Ignition Key, such as Musician's Friend/Guitar Center...

[Billy+]

Well my reference was directly from Reason shop, I would not even consider any other retailer for such an important item.

[strange_scenery]

Presonus Sphere only requires computers to be authorized once per month, so if R+ implemented that it might be a good alternative to the dongle.

Just chiming in here to say that this is how we would like to solve it - basically requiring an internet login at least once a month, and ability to work offline otherwise, but without a need for dongles or third party software. We think we can come up with a much simpler solution than the offline solution we currently have in place. Still figuring out some of the details around security and the like though.

Glad to hear it, as I am currently trying out Presonus Sphere for a month and that is one of the small touches I really like about it.

[jamespember]

Just chiming in here to say that this is how we would like to solve it - basically requiring an internet login at least once a month, and ability to work offline otherwise, but without a need for dongles or third party software. We think we can come up with a much simpler solution than the offline solution we currently have in place. Still figuring out some of the details around security and the like though.

What about license holders, are we still going to be able to work off line always?

And I also have an ignition key that's working fine will I still be able to use it on my mac (I have no plans to upgrade to big sur) will I be able to put my Reason 12 license on it if / when V12 it's released?

Yes, we will of course never break anything for existing users. Most likely we'll come up with a new solution initially for Reason+, that may then also be available to all users over time.

[jamespember]

Just chiming in here to say that this is how we would like to solve it - basically requiring an internet login at least once a month, and ability to work offline otherwise, but without a need for dongles or third party software. We think we can come up with a much simpler solution than the offline solution we currently have in place. Still figuring out some of the details around security and the like though.

Glad to hear it, as I am currently trying out Presonus Sphere for a month and that is one of the small touches I really like about it.

Nice! Would you mind sharing more about what you like about it specifically? Share as much detail as you want/can - that's really helpful. I will also do some research on Sphere to understand it more.

[Heigen5]

But will the dongle still keep working after that then?
Because I rather use a dongle to use Reason.

[OverneathTheSkyBridg]

I think a very important tier to add to Reason+ is a rent to own option for first time users as well as upgraders. As an R11 Suite user I would welcome that.

[Michaellos]

But will the dongle still keep working after that then?
Because I rather use a dongle to use Reason.

And silence from Reason Studios was the answer ((

[Billy+]

What about license holders, are we still going to be able to work off line always?

And I also have an ignition key that's working fine will I still be able to use it on my mac (I have no plans to upgrade to big sur) will I be able to put my Reason 12 license on it if / when V12 it's released?

Yes, we will of course never break anything for existing users. Most likely we'll come up with a new solution initially for Reason+, that may then also be available to all users over time.

But will the dongle still keep working after that then?
Because I rather use a dongle to use Reason.

And silence from Reason Studios was the answer ((

If you want James to respond to questions it will definitely help to quote him into it so he can see your talking to him specifically. He's answered just about everything I've quoted him in on....

[Heigen5]

What about license holders, are we still going to be able to work off line always?

And I also have an ignition key that's working fine will I still be able to use it on my mac (I have no plans to upgrade to big sur) will I be able to put my Reason 12 license on it if / when V12 it's released?

Yes, we will of course never break anything for existing users. Most likely we'll come up with a new solution initially for Reason+, that may then also be available to all users over time.

But will the dongle still keep working after that then?
Because I rather use a dongle to use Reason.

And silence from Reason Studios was the answer ((

If you want James to respond to questions it will definitely help to quote him into it so he can see your talking to him specifically. He's answered just about everything I've quoted him in on....

Ok. Great news that dongles will still keep working. Thanks!

[jamespember]

If you want James to respond to questions it will definitely help to quote him into it so he can see your talking to him specifically. He's answered just about everything I've quoted him in on....

Ok. Great news that dongles will still keep working. Thanks!

Hi there!

Yes, trying to keep up as best I can in here, but it's inevitable I'll miss things. Either quote me or DM me if it's a real urgent question!

[Billy+]

Hi there!

Yes, trying to keep up as best I can in here, but it's inevitable I'll miss things. Either quote me or DM me if it's a real urgent question!

Hope you was ok with me pulling it all in like that, I think they missed your response to me..

[strange_scenery]

Glad to hear it, as I am currently trying out Presonus Sphere for a month and that is one of the small touches I really like about it.

Nice! Would you mind sharing more about what you like about it specifically? Share as much detail as you want/can - that's really helpful. I will also do some research on Sphere to understand it more.

Besides authorization, here are a few other things I've liked about Sphere:

New education videos/livestreams each week. I like the concept, and they have a mix of different topics, but it seems geared more towards recording and mixing, while I'm more interested in songwriting and sound design. I really like the Reason youtube videos that focus on a specific device, such as the Europa/Grain videos from when Reason 10 first came out, as they start off with the basics and then go into advanced/unique uses for the device. Something like this would be valuable to me because I'm not really interested in sound packs since I want to create my own sounds, so I'm very interested in educational resources to help me do this. Even just a video overview from the creator of the week's sound pack on their process of creating it might be interesting.

Syncing/restoring Studio One user settings to the cloud. I thought that was nice as it makes moving your settings between computers much more seamless, especially since Studio One has extensive settings with custom keyboard shortcuts and macros and custom visual settings. I don't know if that's as relevant to Reason though, since there are less things to tweak in the settings. Presonus Exchange is not exclusive to Sphere, but was another thing I found interesting, as it allows you to share custom keyboard shortcuts, macros, themes and presets with the global Studio One community.

For managing the extra content it initially seemed super clunky since it seemed like you had to go to the sphere website and download everything individually. However, even though it is less obvious it turns out you can download and manage everything inside Studio One which is a nice experience. I always found the process to install Rack Extensions a bit clunky, as you have to login to the Reason website, click authorize all, open the authorizer and then restart Reason, but it looks like you guys are already heading towards a better solution with the companion app.

Beyond that I haven't done too much of a deep dive into Studio One or Sphere because I only picked it up for a month for a video project and as a kind of extended demo. If I were going to do more video work or was doing audio production professionally I would definitely either buy Studio One or continue with Sphere, but as someone doing this for fun, there wasn't anything I really needed. Also I found that I prefer Reason's pitch edit to Melodyne, and that while Studio One's instruments and effects are competent, they are kind of generic and uninspiring. Overall, it was interesting how I found Studio One and Reason to be completely opposite and complementary sides of the DAW coin. Studio One has a great workflow, UX and implementation of basic DAW features, but it doesn't really have any unique or killer features that make you have to have it. While Reason, even though basic features can be lacking or clunky, it has so many unique features and sounds you can't find anywhere else.

[jamespember]

Nice! Would you mind sharing more about what you like about it specifically? Share as much detail as you want/can - that's really helpful. I will also do some research on Sphere to understand it more.

Besides authorization, here are a few other things I've liked about Sphere:

New education videos/livestreams each week. I like the concept, and they have a mix of different topics, but it seems geared more towards recording and mixing, while I'm more interested in songwriting and sound design. I really like the Reason youtube videos that focus on a specific device, such as the Europa/Grain videos from when Reason 10 first came out, as they start off with the basics and then go into advanced/unique uses for the device. Something like this would be valuable to me because I'm not really interested in sound packs since I want to create my own sounds, so I'm very interested in educational resources to help me do this. Even just a video overview from the creator of the week's sound pack on their process of creating it might be interesting.

Syncing/restoring Studio One user settings to the cloud. I thought that was nice as it makes moving your settings between computers much more seamless, especially since Studio One has extensive settings with custom keyboard shortcuts and macros and custom visual settings. I don't know if that's as relevant to Reason though, since there are less things to tweak in the settings. Presonus Exchange is not exclusive to Sphere, but was another thing I found interesting, as it allows you to share custom keyboard shortcuts, macros, themes and presets with the global Studio One community.

For managing the extra content it initially seemed super clunky since it seemed like you had to go to the sphere website and download everything individually. However, even though it is less obvious it turns out you can download and manage everything inside Studio One which is a nice experience. I always found the process to install Rack Extensions a bit clunky, as you have to login to the Reason website, click authorize all, open the authorizer and then restart Reason, but it looks like you guys are already heading towards a better solution with the companion app.

Beyond that I haven't done too much of a deep dive into Studio One or Sphere because I only picked it up for a month for a video project and as a kind of extended demo. If I were going to do more video work or was doing audio production professionally I would definitely either buy Studio One or continue with Sphere, but as someone doing this for fun, there wasn't anything I really needed. Also I found that I prefer Reason's pitch edit to Melodyne, and that while Studio One's instruments and effects are competent, they are kind of generic and uninspiring. Overall, it was interesting how I found Studio One and Reason to be completely opposite and complementary sides of the DAW coin. Studio One has a great workflow, UX and implementation of basic DAW features, but it doesn't really have any unique or killer features that make you have to have it. While Reason, even though basic features can be lacking or clunky, it has so many unique features and sounds you can't find anywhere else.

Right, thanks for this!

[Michaellos]

Ok. Great news that dongles will still keep working. Thanks!

Hi there!

Yes, trying to keep up as best I can in here, but it's inevitable I'll miss things. Either quote me or DM me if it's a real urgent question!

Hi James,

Once again could you please clarify the situation with usb ignition key. Many of us are really nervous about that it may stop working in future versions of Reason, i.e the option to activate and use it will be removed. So, what exactly can we expect, will it be so or not ?
And the other question is - we know for now, that ignition is actually CMStick from Wibu. So, will I have any problems with activating and using it as an replacement item if something goes wrong with my current key ?

Thanks

[froggo_gfx]

Maybe our (edit: an?) age group is not reacting well to whom the colorful designed packs are for?
I remember the first time I "tried" Reason. I thought it was so full of colors and so much fun to look at, compared to Cubase. I don't think the design is amateurish, imho. They know who they are targeting. Cubase, Protools, Logic, they can be dark and serious, but "having fun" has always been part of Reason's design language.
To me the most urgent problem with Reason and R+ is that dongle situation. There is another thread focused on that already, of course.
Cool stuff to think about in that list.

No-no, I’m not saying that pack designs look like they target amateur musicians. What I mean is that they’re themselves made by amateur graphic designers. Ultimately this changes nothing as it’s their actual content that matters but it leaves a weird impression after all at least for me.

[jamespember]

Maybe our (edit: an?) age group is not reacting well to whom the colorful designed packs are for?
I remember the first time I "tried" Reason. I thought it was so full of colors and so much fun to look at, compared to Cubase. I don't think the design is amateurish, imho. They know who they are targeting. Cubase, Protools, Logic, they can be dark and serious, but "having fun" has always been part of Reason's design language.
To me the most urgent problem with Reason and R+ is that dongle situation. There is another thread focused on that already, of course.
Cool stuff to think about in that list.

No-no, I’m not saying that pack designs look like they target amateur musicians. What I mean is that they’re themselves made by amateur graphic designers. Ultimately this changes nothing as it’s their actual content that matters but it leaves a weird impression after all at least for me.

Just FYI, they're made by the same person who makes all the art/graphics for Reason including our website, all the Rack Extension branding/logos, emails etc.

[froggo_gfx]

Just FYI, they're made by the same person who makes all the art/graphics for Reason including our website, all the Rack Extension branding/logos, emails etc.

Okay, let me put it this way: it doesn’t matter if it’s lack of mastery of his tools or fully realised but misleading intent that makes his work look this way. I won’t attempt to engage in deep critique of these packs’ design because I’m not a professional designer myself and could only voice my personal preferences. To me they just don’t look on par with competition.

And what I can do is assume that, for those who has the same impression, this feature itself doesn’t look like major selling point in part because it doesn’t seem like it received enough attention from your side in the first place

[jamespember]

Just FYI, they're made by the same person who makes all the art/graphics for Reason including our website, all the Rack Extension branding/logos, emails etc.

Okay, let me put it this way: it doesn’t matter if it’s lack of mastery of his tools or fully realised but misleading intent that makes his work look this way. I won’t attempt to engage in deep critique of these packs’ design because I’m not a professional designer myself and could only voice my personal preferences. To me they just don’t look on par with competition.

And what I can do is assume that, for those who has the same impression, this feature itself doesn’t look like major selling point in part because it doesn’t seem like it received enough attention from your side in the first place

Thanks for the feedback! Who do you think does covers really well? I'll make sure to pass that onto the design team.