Reason updates (11.3.7 / 11.3.8) and Reason+

[jamespember]

Just found this whilst snooping around the trial:

Some choice lines of corporate fluff in this video:

"..a subscription service for people who make music because they love it" Ok cool well I hate music so i guess subscriptions aren't for me
and "...use the Rack inside Reason, our included DAW." which kinda makes the DAW sound a bit like a throwaway extra.

Gotta say, these weekly companion sound packs are very reminiscent of those meal recipes and ingredient packages you can order and cook at home yourself. Also seems a bit like the old "paint by numbers" .
Good thing I can turn a few knobs and make it sound like me

Hi there

One might say corporate fluff, but let me explain how we are thinking about this.

Reason has struggled of recent times to break out of our niche. We have a very loyal and engaged audience (this thread is evidence of that), but we have struggled to attract new users. There are a variety of reasons for that (which we can go into at another time) but one of the things we think is really holding Reason back is the way we talk about it. Making music isn't about the gear. And we think we've talked too much about the gear in our marketing. Reason+ is an attempt to look up a little, and realise that making music is about being creative and expressing yourself.

And we think Reason's BIG superpower, compared to say, Splice or Arcade is that Reason is a sound design machine. The best music has always been unique, and we think Reason can give a music maker the tools to sound unique, hence Sound Like You.

Perhaps my "marketing" hat is sitting a little too tight, but I do believe this and think Reason+ can vastly expand the number of Reason users out there. And that can ONLY be a good thing for you all, the hardcore fans who want us to invest more in the core product.

[jamespember]

I'm struggling to keep up here with the posts guys. Will break for lunch and get back to as many as I can later on!

[Aquila]

I personally feel obliterate access is a little harsh

Sorry, it was the only adjective I could think of at the time...but you get my gist anyway

[Loque]

Is it possible to work offline if you only have a the subscription licens?

Yes.

[jamespember]

Also I don’t understand to whom this service is being marketed for. Clearly Reason struggles to reach new audiences, but are RRP and now this subscription enough to compete with other platforms? With absolutely zero new content?

Quirkiness and author’s touch on familiar devices were always strongest side of Reason at least for me (a user since v5). ReasonStudios have amazing concepts (Players, visual cable patching) and technologies (Physical modelling engines, Pitch Adjustment) on their hands, why not bet on them and make at least couple new devices before announcing subscription service? Why not present some transparent development goals at least, to show why somebody who already seen all of what’s included in subscription should become a subscriber.

Reason has struggled of recent times to break out of our niche. We have a very loyal and engaged audience (this thread is evidence of that), but we have struggled to attract new users. There are a variety of reasons for that (which we can go into at another time) but one of the things we think is really holding Reason back is the way we talk about it. Making music isn't about the gear. And we think we've talked too much about the gear in our marketing. Reason+ is an attempt to look up a little, and realise that making music is about being creative and expressing yourself. We think that by broadening our communications, we can reach and influence more people than ever before.

And we think Reason's BIG superpower, compared to say, Splice or Arcade is that Reason is a sound design machine. The best music has always been unique, and we think Reason can give a music maker the tools to sound unique, hence Sound Like You.

Perhaps my "marketing" hat is sitting a little too tight, but I do believe this and think Reason+ can vastly expand the number of Reason users out there. And that can ONLY be a good thing for you all, the hardcore fans who want us to invest more in the core product.

[Rising Night Wave]

previously i asked if it is a new version like v12 but it is still version v11. it is all okey.
i downloaded a trial version. and, yes, i am about to buy a yearly subscription.
i like reason and that is it. i will stay at reason. it is not bothering me if they have subscription play.
it is pointless.

good job reason studios. thumbs up!

[Faastwalker]

There's a post by a respected Rack Extension developer expressing concern that the new website layout makes it virtually impossible for users to find new Rack Extensions.

Can this please be addressed?

I mean, the website has been live for less than an hour, and after working on a brand new service for a year, we'd like to make Reason+ the hero for a little while! Hence the simplified website.

Seriously? It's obvious this change has been implemented to give the impression that Reason+ is the only way forward. That was my first impression when I went to the page at least. The Reason+ message is pretty clear from the home page without moving the 'shop' link into obscurity right at the bottom of the page. Pull the other one!!

[jamespember]

I’m really saddened by this move, though inevitable I guess.

What do you mean always up to date reason? I buy my liscence and my reason is always up to date as I install bug fixes - don’t try and sell it like you guys are there fixing bugs daily and making updates, that sucks

Weekly sound packs - no one that helped you guys build this company asked for this. The market is over saturated , again, wtf. That sucks

Now my suite purchase feels like a cash grab before the planned transition to subscription. Man, reason+, jeez. Genuinely, I’m out. I know I’m just a number, but I’m gutted as been around since v1.

Your subscription also gives you major upgrades too. So Reason 12 is included with your subscription too. And then whatever updates and upgrades come after that.

Sad to hear you feel this way. Here to talk it out if you want

[DaveyG]

Questions:
Will Reason+ require an Always On internet connection?
How often does it have to connect to remain authorised?

[cursors]

It's a sad day.

[jamespember]

Is it possible to work offline if you only have a the subscription licens?

Yes.

To clarify a little. You need to be online to login to Reason if you want to use all your devices you get via the subscription. But once logged in, you can of course be offline. An improved offline mode for Reason (without codemeter) is something in our plans for 2021.

[DecafDreams]

And as you say, new users means more sustainable revenue streams which means more investment in Reason.

I think you really should consider some adding some further subscription points as I outlined on here: viewtopic.php?p=537150#p537150

Your one price fits all is too high and isn't a great entry point to get new people onto the platform beyond their 30 day trial. I think you need a freemium subscription and then tiered levels of premium access to incentivise further investment in the platform.

Perhaps you already have all this in the pipeline and are starting simple, which makes sense...

[zoidkirb]

Hi there

It's all good man, just having a laugh. You've got to really, right?
Whatever brings in more new customers can only be a good thing.
As long as old licenses continue to exist and be upgraded then we're golden

[guitfnky]

I also never really understood this whole sound-chasing thing. isn’t there some plugin that’s advertised to have millions or billions of presets? having a great sound palette is important, but if you spend so much time looking through sounds, you’re not doing the important thing—making music.

I think the point should be to find quickly the right patch and than continue making music. This is way i always want a tagging db for all my patches (for samples i have one).

I make all the patches on my, because most patches do not fit my taste and creating a good patch can eat up to hours(!). If i am in the flow, and just need "that special sound", i want to have it immediately. If R+ or Companien could get it for me quickly, i am interested. So i need a search like: "psy synth lead fx strange simon possford shpongle" or "vocoder sphongle dmt". If this works, i am in...

I’m with you. most of the stuff I make is my own. I get frustrated with too many preset options to choose from, so I either start something from scratch if I know what I want, or flip through a handful of presets until I find one that’s not utterly terrible and tweak the hell out of it to make it my own.

I won’t need R+ because even with good tagging there’s just way too much already to even know where to start, but yeah, if it has solid searchability, I can see that being useful to some.

[jamespember]

Because it seems to be the only way to keep up with the latest Reason version and other related stuff in the future?

As far as I know only those who pay 20€ month will get what I've paid (upgrades from all the way from R5 that I've paid for) as of now, the latest Reason version and whatever the future content will be.

So as a paying customer for years I feel shafted since anyone can now get what I've paid thousands of euros for 20€/month (not bitter, cool for new users).

But actually because I'm using Reason so little these days I might as well pay them 0,5€ for every time I start Reason, that would be cheaper for me monthly.

yeah, but those people paying $20 a month don’t get to keep it. they lose if they stop paying. you get to keep it forever.

but i guess if you don’t use it much to begin with, I can understand the frustration.

Also, we're trying to get Reason to as many people as possible here. If some prefer a lower upfront cost with a monthly subscription whilst others prefer to pay upfront and own - that's totally cool with us.

And it is not the only way to keep up to date. You can still buy everything as you could yesterday. You can still buy and own Pattern Mutator or Reason 12 when that comes. Or you can get it included free in Reason+.

[Billy+]

I'm struggling to keep up here with the posts guys. Will break for lunch and get back to as many as I can later on!

Oops, I think we broke him.

Would just say keep things nice a friendly peeps it's not often we get direct access to management.

[DecafDreams]

• Freemium: $0 a month - Reason Intro equivalent of stuff - get people engaging and invested in the platform. Only free packs downloadable.
• Bronze: $10 a month - Reason stock equivalent but no REs extra, Access to most sound packs inclusive.
• Silver: $20 a month - Reason Suite equivalent and all future RS devices. Access to all sound packs inclusive.
• Gold: $40 a month - The whole RE shop pick and mix at all times. Access to all sound packs plus you get ReCycle+ and some special Platinum-only sound packs.

This is a interesting idea, maybe not $0 for Intro, better for 5 bucks or something like this.

The thing with other RE is interesting too. Currently you get for $20 RE subscriptions a value based amount of RE, so in fact its already available and tbh, 20 bucks for more ~500 RE is a bit too less.

Whoops: RE subscription is removed

I definitely think a one size fits all approach is the wrong model long-term. Subscription works best when it's like a gateway drug and something forces the user to increase their subscription level to get rid of an annoyance. On Spotify it's adverts if you use the free service. On Reason+ it would be missing out on exclusive content that a subscription level doesn't cover that would entice the customer into paying more.

[jamespember]

Hi there

It's all good man, just having a laugh. You've got to really, right?
Whatever brings in more new customers can only be a good thing.
As long as old licenses continue to exist and be upgraded then we're golden

Indeed! This is really just about getting Reason to as many people as possible, which has to be all our goals right?

[helmutson]

Farewell Reasonstudios ! After all these years (since V 1.0)of love and respect for this company, called Propellerheads before,I have to accept that mostly everything I liked so much is gone. All these good people from the very first days are gone, it's simply not any longer that inspiring circle of people I trust so much. Maybe I'm too old for new ideas, but the point is, I don't feel home any longer ... the spirit is gone. Good luck for everybody .

[jamespember]

I'm struggling to keep up here with the posts guys. Will break for lunch and get back to as many as I can later on!

Oops, I think we broke him.

Would just say keep things nice a friendly peeps it's not often we get direct access to management.

Don't worry, I have thick skin But yes, I'm here to answer honestly and transparently, so it would be appreciated to keep things pleasant

[jamespember]

And as you say, new users means more sustainable revenue streams which means more investment in Reason.

I think you really should consider some adding some further subscription points as I outlined on here: viewtopic.php?p=537150#p537150

Your one price fits all is too high and isn't a great entry point to get new people onto the platform beyond their 30 day trial. I think you need a freemium subscription and then tiered levels of premium access to incentivise further investment in the platform.

Perhaps you already have all this in the pipeline and are starting simple, which makes sense...

So yeah, of course we are thinking about multi-tiers, but we wanted to keep things easy and clear at first. But yes, likely we'll look into different tiers and offers.

[Edin_16]

I have to say, that I dont like the subscription model. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but if you listened more to the user base, maybe Reason would not had struggled so much to attrct new users. New and old users want to have a good WORKFLOW in the DAW and not more and more sounds, refills and synths. You can get that stuff so easy for free, record it on your own, I DONT WANT MORE & MORE, I need to have a rest of that mentality and I need music to break out of "consumism"

Why is this so hard to understand? I mean, Behringer for example listen to their userbase and their business explode, they need no extra investors or fancy strategies to attrct new users. OK even some things are maybe a bit to "copied" from a morality perspective.

All what reason needs is one thing: no more extra fancy Sounds and Players in masses, because Reason is great as it is. Reason needs just more DAW featueres, a dedicated controller, better recording flow, better MIDI implementations and stuff like this ... technically improvements to inspire and fasten workflow.

But its like talking to a wall here, its all the years like 75% the opposite what is requested and so its clear that there is a struggle.

Greets & stay healthy!

[danc]

Also I don’t understand to whom this service is being marketed for. Clearly Reason struggles to reach new audiences, but are RRP and now this subscription enough to compete with other platforms? With absolutely zero new content?

Quirkiness and author’s touch on familiar devices were always strongest side of Reason at least for me (a user since v5). ReasonStudios have amazing concepts (Players, visual cable patching) and technologies (Physical modelling engines, Pitch Adjustment) on their hands, why not bet on them and make at least couple new devices before announcing subscription service? Why not present some transparent development goals at least, to show why somebody who already seen all of what’s included in subscription should become a subscriber.

Reason has struggled of recent times to break out of our niche. We have a very loyal and engaged audience (this thread is evidence of that), but we have struggled to attract new users. There are a variety of reasons for that (which we can go into at another time) but one of the things we think is really holding Reason back is the way we talk about it. Making music isn't about the gear. And we think we've talked too much about the gear in our marketing. Reason+ is an attempt to look up a little, and realise that making music is about being creative and expressing yourself. We think that by broadening our communications, we can reach and influence more people than ever before.

And we think Reason's BIG superpower, compared to say, Splice or Arcade is that Reason is a sound design machine. The best music has always been unique, and we think Reason can give a music maker the tools to sound unique, hence Sound Like You.

Perhaps my "marketing" hat is sitting a little too tight, but I do believe this and think Reason+ can vastly expand the number of Reason users out there. And that can ONLY be a good thing for you all, the hardcore fans who want us to invest more in the core product.

Now that you've got your marketing house in order and hopefully got a more robust financial model that ensures money trickles in every month (rather than lump sums every time you launch a new DAW version).. MY question is this.... "When will you sort out the sequencer issues?" Nearly everyone on here is asking to get this sorted, e.g. track folders, yet there seems to be a complete ignore us attitude from Reason Studios on this.

For years I was a Reason only user and due to the non evolving sequencer I jumped ship to Studio One (which is a true workhorse). I still use Reason, but only as RRP. I will happily return back to Reason DAW (as I miss many great Reason things now that I sit in S1) but there is no way I would consider that until the basic features are fixed. And until then I can't justify subscribing.

[hfw]

I’m really saddened by this move, though inevitable I guess.

What do you mean always up to date reason? I buy my liscence and my reason is always up to date as I install bug fixes - don’t try and sell it like you guys are there fixing bugs daily and making updates, that sucks

Weekly sound packs - no one that helped you guys build this company asked for this. The market is over saturated , again, wtf. That sucks

Now my suite purchase feels like a cash grab before the planned transition to subscription. Man, reason+, jeez. Genuinely, I’m out. I know I’m just a number, but I’m gutted as been around since v1.

Your subscription also gives you major upgrades too. So Reason 12 is included with your subscription too. And then whatever updates and upgrades come after that.

Sad to hear you feel this way. Here to talk it out if you want

Thanks, appreciate the reply’s today. What I mean is that I feel the way it is painted with the marketing words. Always up to date. Like if you don’t subscribe it won’t be. Of course I can see you assure it will be and I believe that, but it’s the shady wording and tactics, it’s low and crap that everyone’s forced to compete like this.

It’s good to hear that you can still buy a licence outright, but the tactics from your marketing don’t fill me with confidence so I’ll be keeping 11 and calling it a day. Thanks again for responding today though. It’s good yous we’re prepared for the sadness with long term users.

[MattiasHG]

Also I don’t understand to whom this service is being marketed for. Clearly Reason struggles to reach new audiences, but are RRP and now this subscription enough to compete with other platforms? With absolutely zero new content?

Quirkiness and author’s touch on familiar devices were always strongest side of Reason at least for me (a user since v5). ReasonStudios have amazing concepts (Players, visual cable patching) and technologies (Physical modelling engines, Pitch Adjustment) on their hands, why not bet on them and make at least couple new devices before announcing subscription service? Why not present some transparent development goals at least, to show why somebody who already seen all of what’s included in subscription should become a subscriber.

It's a good point about presenting some transparent goals, and I alluded to it in my blog post. It's something I think Reason+ actually allows and requires us to do more of. We've got a new synth coming up real soon, it's going in to beta this week, that I can't wait to talk even more about and there'll be more things like that. And to be even more explicit at the Reason application and plugin, we're committed to keep improving it (regardless of if you buy upgrades or subscribe). There's an upgrade in the works with hi-res, workflow features and some other really exciting things. The closer we get, the more we'll have to share of course!

In terms of competing, I don't believe music making is like driving where once you have a car you can go from A to B so why on earth would you want another car? Musicians have very different needs, ideas, things that inspire them and so on. There's room for plenty of musical instruments in this market. I think Reason's strength is how unique the devices are (you'll find no straight up Moog clones or an LA2A here!) and how the rack really allows for both deep sound design and great patches in Combinators. You guys know this of course, you're already Rack citizens, but to your question about competition I think that's relatively unique and something I hear over and over again that people love about Reason.