Happy about the Reason Rack Plugin!

[svenh]

I am a Reason user who have used Reason less and less in recent years, mainly because of the sequencer and the mixer. Sure, most (if not all) of the things that I want to do are possible in Reason, but the workflow is almost always much simpler in Ableton Live.

I am now very happy to get easy access to all these formerly "Reason unique" devices (e.g. Radical Piano, Scream 4, Thor, Selig Leveler, Complex-1 to mention a few that I like a lot) in Live! These devices will get a lot more use in future projects! There are obviously still a few bugs to sort out, but I have no doubt that this will be done over time!

Still, it would be nice if the Props (or rather Reason Studio staff) made a big workflow overhaul in Reason with the next release. I still like the looks of the Reason GUI better and the integrated pitch editor for vocals is great!

Keep up the good job Reason Studios!

[Flandersh]

I agree with you. I stopped using Reason when the mixer was introduced because it ruined my workflow. However I hoped for a future in which the original Reason rack would return, and thought I did not find it likely, it happened with Reason 11. So I upgraded and is very pleased with the Reason Rack Plugin.

[ShelLuser]

There has always been ReWire... I'm a rather die-hard Live + Reason user, been using this combination ever since Live 8 & Reason 4 and I think it's somewhat ironic that we're now at Live and Reason 10. I tried Reason 11 (free upgrade because I upgraded to 10 after the 1st of August) and I also tried the VST.

Each to their own, I ended up removing the whole lot and moving back to my "10 series"; so Reason rewired into Live.

And here is the fun part: I can really see where you're coming from and I think it's awesome that you found a new way to implement Reason into your setup. In the end it's all about results afteral.

But having experienced what 2 sequencers can do combined and having worked with blocks (and taking a liking to it).... I'm not a believer. But the thing is: it's all about context, seriously. I don't like the VST as much as you do, but I also know why that it so.. because I've become too familiar with the Reason workflow (press tab & flip the rack, press del and remove a device) but even more important: I know that they could have made this work in the Rack VST if they tried hard enough. I mean.. Native Instruments could do it, so.....

See, that's just my impression of the whole thing and despite my criticism I honestly enjoyed reading your post. And I can definitely see where you're coming from.

But I stil hope you can forgive me for sharing that... Live + Reason 10 (rewired into Live) can still be a game changer.

[guitfnky]

as someone who's held off on purchasing it, I'm still sort of getting excited about using it as a VST. it's sort of sad, but with the v11 announcement, I've started looking at other DAWs, and it's apparent I've been missing out on a lot. the reason I came to Reason in the first place was because it was intuitive, and it isn't bloated with unnecessary features, but I always expected them to fill out the features that were sort of obviously lacking. they've nicked away at a lot of the bigger things over the years, but they just haven't addressed most of the smaller (yet arguably more crucial) features that most other DAWs have had for years, or even decades. and so now I'm starting to learn other software.

of course, now that I've gotten so used to Reason, I find that I've become heavily dependent on it for my non-guitar instrumentation. I need to reach for a synth? it's a Rack Extension. I need to reach for an electronic kit sound? Rack Extension. and then you've got all the incredible effects... how could you NOT want to use Reason for everything? well, it's the workflow...

so I load up Cakewalk, and it's sort of incredible. on top of a sequencer and basic tools that are a dream to work with (so far...I'm still learning), they've even got a channel strip setup that rivals (yet does not equal) what you can do with the Reason rack--complete with a bunch of really fantastic-sounding plugins that remind me a lot OF the Reason channel strip.

but at the end of the day I need to be able to make my weird brand of music, and for that I need instruments. I've got my guitar, and I've got my bass, but I don't have any of the instruments I'm used to having with Reason. sure, I could Rewire v10.4, but I've tried Rewire before, and it was such a pain in the ass, I'm glad I soon won't need to worry about it anymore.

so I will be upgrading to Reason 11 at some point. I want to learn Cakewalk, and I want to use my Reason instruments and effects with it. but I love Reason AS A DAW, and I hope to hell they do what you're suggesting...that they actually build out the basic tools that almost literally every other DAW has by now, and stop acting like Reason can't possibly compete with the big boys in terms of being an honest-to-goodness professional DAW. it can. it should.

and hopefully, it will.

[VIVIsect]

I've played around with the rack some in Ableton Live (my main DAW) and I'm liking it, but I still feel that it is very much hobbled by the lack of MIDI out. It's a pretty glaring omission. I know they've hinted that they're (maybe? possibly?) working on implementing it, which is nice. But it really needs to come sooner rather than later. And then there's the stuff with the delay compensation not reporting correctly, with only a vague "yeah, it's fucked, we're looking into it" response and no update in sight. The thing needs some work.

[Jmax]

It's funny I actually love Reason's sequencer. Aside from the NON ability to scroll up and zoom, which drives me NUTS!

[superpop]

I agree with you. I stopped using Reason when the mixer was introduced because it ruined my workflow. However I hoped for a future in which the original Reason rack would return, and thought I did not find it likely, it happened with Reason 11. So I upgraded and is very pleased with the Reason Rack Plugin.

Yes. I don't like the mixer either. Another screen to pay attention.
All I need is rack and sequencer.

[ShelLuser]

Apologies for a double post but....

but I love Reason AS A DAW, and I hope to hell they do what you're suggesting...that they actually build out the basic tools that almost literally every other DAW has by now, and stop acting like Reason can't possibly compete with the big boys in terms of being an honest-to-goodness professional DAW. it can. it should.

^ this.

I couldn't agree more. Reason has all it takes, heck... If people could make music with Reason 4 (which didn't even have audio recording) then why would this be an issue now? Sure, the game changes and demands also change and I definitely agree if you say that Reason needs more before it can compete with the main stream DAW's head on (then again... there are also plenty of people who don't consider Live to be a "real" DAW yet you get to see it pretty much everywhere... Props introduce Rack VST, first picture shows Live, Native Instruments showcases a new device: 90% chance you get to see Live. Heck, Live Lite even ships with some of N.I's hardware...

And just to make sure: plenty of people still do not consider Live to be a 'real' DAW today ("Recording stuff into a spreadsheet? What are those guys thinking!"). Not everyone is familiar with the "right tool for the job" approach.

And on a somewhat offtopic aspect: this is one of the main reasons why I grew such a like to Reason back in the days (Reason 4). It pretty much got the same amount of criticism (within context) as Live did. Yet despite their "immature setups" people still managed to make high quality music on both platforms.

Gee, I wonder how that happened?

(pardon my cynical last comment.. all I'm saying, just like you, is that Reason is way too often highly underestimated and under appreciated).

[SebAudio]

Happy too ! The only thing that stops me from buying it is the small size of the rack. Hopefully they’ll add different (and bigger !) sizes to choose from in a next update.
Of course there are some omissions like they don’t use the computer keyboard. I’m sure they’ll all come in future releases.

[chimp_spanner]

I’ve somehow found myself with four DAWs. Reason 11, Cubase Pro 10, Studio One Pro 4 and Maschine. I’ll admit I’ve been flirting a bit lately, seeing what’s been going on while I’ve been in Reason land. But I kinda feel like I’m in limbo because now I realise that no DAW has everything, or rather they all have things about them that I wish I could take with me to another host.

Maschine has excellent pattern and scene controls but the lack of a linear sequencer makes arranging hard work

Studio One has cool/inspiring pattern sequencers built right into the main program (not to mention dozens of tiny, well thought out workflow features) but underdeveloped audio correction tools

Cubase has excellent audio editing and MIDI but parts of the program are clunky and uninspiring *and it requires a dongle at all times*

Reason has the perfect automation system for me + player integration and is overall still my fav but is missing things like folders and about a half dozen small things i desperately need

Obviously the Rack VST addresses this to some extent as I can at least take all my favourite sounds with me to any host. I’m still waiting for news on the PDC fix as I’m terribly anal about these things and if I know somethings not working right I’ll convince myself it’s having a negative impact. Hopefully that’s coming soon. And Reason AU is gonna be a game changer for me as my least favourite thing about Maschine is that I don’t like being locked into Komplete sounds (and I don’t know how to edit them like I do Reason). So really looking forward to that.

As I’ve said elsewhere I think the Rack VST is ultimately a great move. I still maintain that keyboard focus should be an option as clicking “flip rack” and having to right click/delete devices is a bit of a flow killer.

And I’d strongly urge reconsidering on the lack of VST inside the VST. If I want to control Serum with Scales and Chords, or play Superior 3 through a MIDI velocity curve Player, I can’t do it (except in Reason). Yeah it might open up the possibility for people to put the rack in the rack in the rack but hey, if that’s how they wanna spend their time...

[guitfnky]

all I know is that MIDI out of the VST had better also come with MIDI out from VSTs into the Reason DAW...if we don’t get that on the DAW side first, or at the same time, Imma be PIIIIIISSSSSEEEEDDD.