Reason Studios 13 or 14 (Future Talk)

[jam-s]

I mean sending different MIDI to different instruments, like you can in the DAW. The modularity of Reason becomes way less useful in the Rack plugin for me because everything gets triggered by the same MIDI.

To some extend you can do this with some free players (like CVPT and Recieve Notes and optionally Select Program) and a little CV routing in the RRP and automating the destination.

But in general RS intention is one RRP per instrument as the plugin is not multitimbral (unlike Kontakt).

[Creativemind]

So like using VST's in Combinators do you mean?

I mean sending different MIDI to different instruments, like you can in the DAW. The modularity of Reason becomes way less useful in the Rack plugin for me because everything gets triggered by the same MIDI.

You just create different RRP's on different tracks within your host daw for that.

[Dalle]

I mean sending different MIDI to different instruments, like you can in the DAW. The modularity of Reason becomes way less useful in the Rack plugin for me because everything gets triggered by the same MIDI.

You just create different RRP's on different tracks within your host daw for that.

But you can’t send CV between those instances, which again takes away from Reason’s modularity.

[Tweak]

You just create different RRP's on different tracks within your host daw for that.

But you can’t send CV between those instances, which again takes away from Reason’s modularity.

This(no cross instance CV) and the fact I can't house VSTs in the RRP mean I can't use most of my normal workflows.

[iTrensharo]

, we've got it really good as music makers. And you can get all the sounds you'll ever need to make chart hits for $10 on Plugin Boutique.

Few can remember that Pro Tools offered the first free DAW back in the 90s. Unfortunately it was the most unstable software I've ever seen. It got loads of bad revues on Cnet.

There's also some high quality freeware. You can also use Bandlab and Tracktion for free. Some developers understand they need to be competitive. Some don't understand raising upgrade pricing over 30% reduces loyalty and the improvement doesn't match that increase.

PCs in the 90s were not really that great in general, nor were the OSes running on them (Windows NT was not standard in the broader Consumer Market in the 90s).

And, beyond that, Pro Tools and Media Composer were designed primarily for running on certified PC/Mac systems with Avid hardware, back then. Running on anything else was not supported, so it was extremely YMMV.

Avid didn't even officially support Ryzen CPUs until quite recently, and they didn't support anything below an i5 for Intel.

Lol. Pro Tools and Media Composer are practically Enterprise Software, if we're being frank.

I think the relative homogeneity of Macintosh systems has a lot to do with them becoming so popular in the creative space. PCs have always struggled with the Fragmentation issue (similar to Android vs. iOS).

I doubt most users downloading a free DAW were Mac users reviewing the software on CNET, as the price disparity between PCs and Macs was even higher back then

[EnochLight]

PCs in the 90s were not really that great in general, nor were the OSes running on them

Disagree. My PC (hand-built by yours truly) was freaking awesome. Played the original Half-Life on it and it changed my life forever. Horsepower was more than enough to be a music production machine. Mac's were garbage and Steve Jobs had literally just came back to Apple in 1997 and the iMac couldn't game for shit.

What was missing - was great audio production software for the masses. Ableton Live, Reaper, and Reason didn't exist (though ReBirth and ReCycle did!), and most other DAW were moving along into uncharted territory. Cakewalk and Cubase didn't even resemble what they are today. Everyone wanted Pro Tools, even though it was never meant for the home bedroom recording artist. Trackers were a forgotten art. Decent virtual synths were extremely limited, and advanced effects were few and far in between. Propellerhead's ReBirth was the game changer, IMHO. But I digress - PC's got a bad wrap in the 90's, and much was undeserved.

[plaamook]

But you can’t send CV between those instances, which again takes away from Reason’s modularity.

This(no cross instance CV) and the fact I can't house VSTs in the RRP mean I can't use most of my normal workflows.

Same.
I have no idea if I’d switch over to another Daw if they changed this but as it is RRP is completely useless to me. Untangling years of work just to be able to switch to another sequencer….I think I’m going to have to wait for props to pull their play heads out of their asses!

[Creativemind]

You just create different RRP's on different tracks within your host daw for that.

But you can’t send CV between those instances, which again takes away from Reason’s modularity.

True.

[Creativemind]

Have Reason Studio's forgotten about this workflow update they promised? that is a rhetorical question. Lol!

[visheshl]

Ok, so as far as im concerned, my workflow is pretty set.
For music production its Ableton+ RRP.
It works well, and i don't really need any further improvements i guess.

For live sets, i tried Ableton session view, but last time i got feedback that, hey you're just triggering clips...whats the big deal in that...so i thought maybe i should move towards using devices rather than clip based sets.
So i tried reason standalone for this, and so far, its amazing, especially using the rack with a vertical touch screen, simply amazing.(multitouch support would take this to another level definitely)

Im finding the new combinator very helpful with live sets too.
But im finding a few things really annoying.
Since players can't be folded individually, it takes up too much screen real estate, what i would like is that players like polystep, kompulsion etc when folded only show the pattern buttons and hide the rest of the complexity.
Also it would be nice to have nested combinators, for example i build a good fx chain combi, it would be great if i could put it inside the main combi instrument im working on, as it is.

Next thing is, since the reason rack can really get very big really quickly, it becomes cumbersome to navigate the rack quickly, especially important in a live setting, so rack folders with an accordion menu like function would work well.
In an accordion menu, all other menu items automatically close when you open one of the menus.
So lets say we have devices grouped into rack folders, you could open one of the folders, and all other rack folders close automatically, decluttering everything else and letting you focus on the device group at hand.
Also rack markers would be a nice addon. Put a marker anywhere in the rack(on the racks side rails), and when you click it in the markers list, the rack scrolls to that position.(marker list, could be docked to the right side of the rack)

These are few of my wishes, which I'd like to be ideally addressed in the next point updates of R12 itself, but im aware that it could take years to get these functions into reason...so im not counting on it, but it would definitely make me a happy customer.
Other than that, everything else is pretty solid i guess.

[jam-s]

As pretty much all of these QoL features have been requested for many years and given the so far observable speed of implementing any new features, I'd not expect them to implement a lot of those useful features before R15 the earliest. (If any of those get implemented at all.) Of course RS could be nice and surprise us all by making R13 a huge step forward wrt QoL features.

[mbs]

An option to choose your own metronome sound could be worth the upgrade

yes, then it would be only 10-15 years too late.

[Jackjackdaw]

For live sets, i tried Ableton session view, but last time i got feedback that, hey you're just triggering clips...whats the big deal in that...so

Someone complained about launching clips at an electronic music gig in 2023? I wouldn’t pay it any attention. It’s all clip launching and knob twiddling in one way or another. You want to escape that you need to join a band and play instruments.

[moalla]

Yesterday we made recordings with Ddums and ambience sounds in a Decca Tree microphone order around a 26inch hanging bass drum…
So with 3 Tracks the space of Tracks in the sequencer is very limited, I could deexpand the tracks, but when I try to generate alter tracks via the alt button, the howl arrangement becomes more and more confusing, especial when your in the mood to experiment with voices and the way to organize the next 3 track Decca rec gets mixed up and needs to much time/concentration. At this point a group tracks function would be a nice thing, especial for binaural stuff with different recording techniques and microphones. We need loop markers and a right click selection menu in sequencer mode, it still works but not fast as it could be!

The thing with the clips is a good thing, but when a f…ing controller usb connection gets every time lost on my als labtop win10 after a unspecific time, I ask myself at the end, do Ineed this unstable shit!?

[Kilsane]

A few ideas in bulk, some may be good and others wacky

. A player that will serve as a notepad (perfect for commenting on a track / a combinator / an effect chain or the sound design of a patch ....)
. A clip launcher like bitwig or ableton, but Reason way
. Improvements to the piano roll (color on the notes, display the scales, right click to delete a note, etc.)
. Humanization and struming functions integrated into the piano roll
. Move some functions of the F8 menu directly into the piano Roll bar
. Be able to duplicate/move an entire block to another by right-clicking on a block
. Being able to switch a Rack to full screen (good for focusing on a rack for sound design and other settings)
. A larger color palette
. The ability to hide tracks that are part of a bus in the mixer
. A new version of the SDK to give developers more possibilities to produce even more extraordinary Racks
. A better integration of Midi (Implementation of MPE and Midi 2)
. Improve bouncing audio to MIDI (because results are currently poor)

it's just ideas like that

[selig]

A few ideas in bulk, some may be good and others wacky

. A player that will serve as a notepad (perfect for commenting on a track / a cominator / an effect chain or the sound design of a patch ....)

There are already REs that do this, and a Player is not a good way to do this as it requires an instrument to be attached in order to even ‘exist’ in the rack.

[Kilsane]

A few ideas in bulk, some may be good and others wacky

. A player that will serve as a notepad (perfect for commenting on a track / a cominator / an effect chain or the sound design of a patch ....)

There are already REs that do this, and a Player is not a good way to do this as it requires an instrument to be attached in order to even ‘exist’ in the rack.

I just put it in player because it makes it easier to comment on a patch or the entirety of a combinator since it will be linked to the device (I find that it could be more practical) everyone has their own opignon, I accept the points of different view

[chimp_spanner]

I'm always ping-pong'ing between Reason and Live, as Live has many things I'm waiting for. But they're not even that big, IMO. If Reason had the following;

- Folder tracks
- The ability to hear notes in the editor when nudging with arrows
- Step input integrated into the sequencer
- Re-pitch time stretch algorithm
- A dedicated beat slicing instrument, again with warping modes including re-pitch

Then I could happily continue to work almost exclusively in Reason for the foreseeable future. Obviously I know this list is unique to me and everyone's gonna have their own priorities but I feel like we could get some of these in a point update. But I've been waiting a very long time for them and so I find myself gravitating more and more towards Live. When I do though I end up missing;

- Reason's automation
- Its instruments (which are visually distinct, larger and easier to use
- Audio pitch edit
- Clip behaviour (overlapping clips in Live basically removes MIDI/audio content until you resize, or under some conditions it's just gone forever)
- The mixer, which IMO is way better than Live's

So I dunno. Some days I just don't know which DAW to call home. Can one of them just have everything I need...IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK lol

[mcatalao]

Now that many manufacturers are offering samples, Reason Studios has jumped on the bandwagon.
There is splice, there are producer loops etc etc.

Really? Reason has samples/samplers inside it since it's inception and you feel its only now jumped the bandwagon????

[dvdrtldg]

Would be amazing if they update "ancient" devices.

Adding Thor new oscillators, filters, fx and import wavetables.
Kong with more sound design options and fx.
Dr. Octo with a large sample display and sound design synthesis options per slice.
NN-XT, with granular synthesis.
Malstrom with same fx processor of Algoritm
And a Combinator update with more CV inputs.

A kind of Reason Revisited

I almost want this to happen, just to see the "Why doesn't Reason Studios do [thing I want] rather than [thing I don't want]" crew lose their fucking minds

I only have one remaining major wish, and that's for internal MIDI out. All the other limitations of the Reason DAW I can happily live with

[jaeproduced]

I believe Reason 12 will be the last version of the permanent license. None thing but subscription service from now on with monthly to quarterly fixes & updates. And like Pro Tools you will not be able to update without being apart of the subscription service which every company that's sold to private equity firms have adopted. Let's hope I'm wrong...

[Popey]

I do not believe 12 will be the last version however I do think it is possible that version numbers might have a longer lifespan and not be released as often.

I only think this as I feel rs will be creating new players, instruments, fx and qol improvements but are a fairly small team as far as I am aware.

The way I see it some of the above will be in the next version but some will be for sale separately as they need to keep the subscription unique in some ways from perpetual so you can see the added value as a potential customer.

All the above takes time so would expect the longer timescales between version numbers.

Just my opinion of what might possibly happen.

[TritoneAddiction]

I believe Reason 12 will be the last version of the permanent license. None thing but subscription service from now on with monthly to quarterly fixes & updates. And like Pro Tools you will not be able to update without being apart of the subscription service which every company that's sold to private equity firms have adopted. Let's hope I'm wrong...

I think RS would like to go subscription only. But I also think they realize they are not in a position to do so. I don't think it will happen, especially after the Waves fiasco. They would simply lose too many customers who are not ready to go down that route. Myself included.
Who knows how things will go further down the line, but I would be very surprised if we at the very least don't get a Reason 13.

[EnochLight]

I believe Reason 12 will be the last version of the permanent license. None thing but subscription service from now on

Reason Studios is not a company like - say for instance - Adobe. RS only have 1 product really and it’s a fairly niche product. If they went subscription only, they’d absolutely kill off a massive portion of their revenue IMHO.

Adobe had some rough times when they packed all of their creative products under the CS subscription model (personally, that’s when I abandoned Audition), but they survived because they have so many different products to offer, and many - if not most - of those products were already industry staples that many couldn’t work without.

I believe RS will continue to offer perpetual licenses going forward, but just like “bog standard Reason 12”, they won’t have all of the content access, included RE’s, etc. As the years progress, the divide in value between the perpetual license and the sub is only going to widen.

I think RS would like to go subscription only. But I also think they realize they are not in a position to do so. I don't think it will happen, especially after the Waves fiasco. They would simply lose too many customers who are not ready to go down that route.

^^ THIS ^^

[Caelo]

I don't think Reason sucks, I think it is 60-70% good. I just would love to see 2 upgrades: VST3 and M1 compatibility. After that, I am good.

They already implemented both VST3 and M1 support. So I guess you are set.