Gaja wrote:(...that wouldn't make sense, but you could)
"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." - somebody famous probably said this
Last Alternative wrote:simple user-friendly stock devices ... are standard in every other DAW. I don't like complicated. Making a custom device as complicated as you're talking about is a bit beyond my desire to even learn, much less want to deal with
This highlights part of why Reason is not more popular than it is. On one hand you can do things with such freedom that you can do things that don't make sense. On the other hand you have to deal with complexity when trying to achieve what you wish you had already. Things that don't make sense are often impractical or teach bad practices. Pulling one's hair out over complex patch design is not user-friendly, it's user-challenging.
If every other DAW is doing it wrong while Reason is getting it right, then why are so many using the other ones instead? Simplicity, immediacy, restrictions that promote strategy and productivity. Focusing on the music, providing visuals that inform or clarify, and no eye candy or wire sims (outside of plug interfaces). Those are some damn good reasons for not using Reason.
Last Alternative wrote:I enjoy what I have but do not enjoy what we should have here in [2015]. Old samplers, limited audio editing, outdated soundbanks, etc.
Good day, Sir.
Love it. Very well said.
The biggest mistakes for me are the nonsensical refusals to integrate with the rest of the industry. This serves to hurt their users in the form of stunting their growth and hindering their creative potential. If I must be specific beyond that, I would have these criticisms.
1. MIDI Notes/MIDI features
I have done computer programming. Timed events have a start and an end. Flat rectangular graphics contain 4 points, one per corner. It is exceedingly easy to write code that resizes the rectangle from the left as well as the right. Not having left-hand edge editing for MIDI notes until 2015 is absurd. Still not having decent MIDI editing tools to this very day is unthinkable.
2. Complexity by Necessity
To get anything decent out of the program, I have no choice but to route and wire and patch and workaround my way through a marathon of things. Even if I setup templates - which I have done extensively - this involves a lot of time spent upfront when I'm not actively creating music. I want to be able to work quickly and then go in and finely tune things as needed.
3. Everything is Deliberate
No matter what I'm trying to do, I always feel like a Swedish scientist in a lab coat is hovering over my shoulder constantly asking me "are you sure you really want to do that?" I have to be specific to the point it's obstructive and I'm always fighting against a very rigid interface whose very feature set implies more than it actually delivers. It doesn't help that it graphically reminds me of Windows 95. Using a preset in Massive while running in standalone mode is a more inviting user experience.
To recap all of that, I feel like I'm visiting a museum display every time I reach for a device. Money is the only thing delaying my transition away from the platform.
Speaking of transition, I really do think there should be a "Rethink Reason" type of thing somewhere that does a very unbiased rundown of the real cost of using Reason versus the value in other DAWs. Maybe a gut check of tracking how many projects get finished, how much growth in production technique actually occurs over a certain period of time, whether or not a lot of time has been spent without gaining any results, the whole works when it comes to the day-to-day of Reason producers. I know what working professionals outside of Reason typically think, but it would be a valuable service to prospective users who want the straight answer from current and veteran users before choosing to invest.
Alternatively, a "Reason Rehab" type of thing would be terrific for people who want a more satisfying experience than what they found in Reason but don't know which VST host to migrate to. Both ideas would be sort of a support group for people being brave and giving up their addiction to/leaving the abusive relationship with the PH closed bubble.