Announcing Reason 11

[gaclab]

Wow every step forward with this DAW is a fight. You can't express how helpful it would be to have a simple mix knob on the MClass compressor without getting into the weeds about ratios and whether you actually need it or not or talking about work-arounds. If you want to be able to export to MP3, then it becomes a discussion on if MP3 as a format is relevant anymore. The long list of basic features that Reason is missing is always met with an equally long list of justifications as to why it hasn't been added and that surely it will be added in the next release or two.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for open discussion. The features people are wanting should be discussed. It's just, don't you guys get tired of all this?

The list of things you guys want have been discussed to no end for YEARS. Meanwhile, the features never come and we're all just left waiting year after year hoping it's in the next release and then here comes justification after endless justification of why it isn't from other Reason users. Everyone is guessing.

If Reason Studios has zero intention or plan to add some of these basic features, then why on Earth can't they just state so, so that we can move on with our lives. Is that really so much to ask? I'm not asking to know what they are working on. Best I can tell, they do consider customer feedback but by no means do they use it as there primary guide to move forward. I'd love to hear someone argue otherwise. They essentially do whatever they want at any given time and they never tell you the direction. I've heard all the justifications for that too.

Some of us on here have been called conspiracy theorist for thinking this may be the end of Reason or at least a signal that the DAW isn't necessarily their primary focus going forward. Maybe we are crazy. What's even crazier to me though is this endless up down cycles of hoping the features you want will be added, they never are, and then we have endless discussions about why. Nobody knows. If history is any indication, you might get the features you've requested. You just might have to wait until 2030 though.

[tronam]

The features that were announced in Reason version 11 are a disappointment. Focusing on getting new users is understandable but ignoring the loyalist isn’t smart business.

This is what they should have done....

1. Name the version 10.5 and added VST3 DAW support along with the features they announced. That would have lowered expectations and made a lot of loyalist happy.
2. Offer a 50% off upgrade price of $75 for a limited time.
3. A short while later have 10.6 with improvements, then 10.7 with AUX support, then 10.8 for improvements but add 2 new features that users wanted. This would end Reason 10.x on a good note.
4. Actually have Reason 11 come out early next year with a lot of the features loyal users wanted and have the male voice over guy in the videos.

These simple steps would have accomplished everything they were trying to achieve. It seems to me that this company is only interested in making sounds to sell and not improving the DAW. I also think they are looking to get bought out.

What do you think?

It's been 2 years since v10 was released, longer than most Reason development cycles. Expecting to drag out v10 even longer is a ridiculous notion for a company operating in such an expensive country. For all we know there were also major under-the-hood architectural changes that needed to be done in order to make all of this possible. There is nothing unusual about this product launch: one controversial tentpole/showcase feature, and a small handful of much requested DAW improvements. The problem is that everyone's list of requested features is different, so the threads always explode with people complaining about RS/Props not listening. Full version upgrades are not feature dumps and never have been.

It is not necessary to upgrade every single version. Skip one if needed or wait until a desired feature is added. The upgrade price is the same, regardless. It's already a great value for any Reason 1-9 user who can now get both Europa and Grain (truly great instruments) for less than the cost of Europa alone and be able to use all of Reason's instruments in their DAW of choice.

[ShelLuser]

First of all an important disclaimer: Reason is not my primary DAW (but a very strong supporting one; I love my 2 main DAWs) so obviously I'm less focused on specific features.

If Reason Studios has zero intention or plan to add some of these basic features, then why on Earth can't they just state so, so that we can move on with our lives. Is that really so much to ask?

Good point but I can understand their stance in this too. If they say no, then what's going to happen? From their point of view I think it's better not to comment and simply keep all options open. If you add said feature: happy customers. If you don't then I suspect a majority won't mind because they never really expected anything.

Now, I don't want to imply that I have a good overview of the Reason community, I definitely don't. But it is important to keep in mind that there's a huge different - generally speaking - between the "vocal majority" and the "paying majority". If 200 people voice their opinion about "needed changes" yet 4000 buy the product "as is", guess what's not going to happen?

I'm not claiming this is the current situation, but it is something to keep in mind. At least I think so.

[tronam]

... and have the male voice over guy in the videos.

Seriously?

This is one of the weirder complaints I've seen. Frank is not a RS/Props employee, so it's not like they've got him strapped to Reason videos for the rest of his life. How important is this anyway? Kind of like with the name change. Considering that for more than a decade now Propellerhead Software has almost exclusively been known as "the Reason company", it makes total sense to leverage that brand identity. ReBirth is dead, Rewire is going away and ReCycle is barely on life support. Complaining about the name change feels more like nostalgia attachment issues than anything else.

[DParris]

The problem is that everyone's list of requested features is different, so the threads always explode with people complaining about RS/Props not listening. Full version upgrades are not feature dumps and never have been.

It is not necessary to upgrade every single version. Skip one if needed or wait until a desired feature is added. The upgrade price is the same, regardless. It's already a great value for any Reason 1-9 user who can now get both Europa and Grain (truly great instruments) for less than the cost of Europa alone and be able to use all of Reason's instruments in their DAW of choice.

Yes, yes, and yes.

[kitekrazy]

Wow every step forward with this DAW is a fight. You can't express how helpful it would be to have a simple mix knob on the MClass compressor without getting into the weeds about ratios and whether you actually need it or not or talking about work-arounds. If you want to be able to export to MP3, then it becomes a discussion on if MP3 as a format is relevant anymore. The long list of basic features that Reason is missing is always met with an equally long list of justifications as to why it hasn't been added and that surely it will be added in the next release or two.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for open discussion. The features people are wanting should be discussed. It's just, don't you guys get tired of all this?

The list of things you guys want have been discussed to no end for YEARS. Meanwhile, the features never come and we're all just left waiting year after year hoping it's in the next release and then here comes justification after endless justification of why it isn't from other Reason users. Everyone is guessing.

If Reason Studios has zero intention or plan to add some of these basic features, then why on Earth can't they just state so, so that we can move on with our lives. Is that really so much to ask? I'm not asking to know what they are working on. Best I can tell, they do consider customer feedback but by no means do they use it as there primary guide to move forward. I'd love to hear someone argue otherwise. They essentially do whatever they want at any given time and they never tell you the direction. I've heard all the justifications for that too.

Some of us on here have been called conspiracy theorist for thinking this may be the end of Reason or at least a signal that the DAW isn't necessarily their primary focus going forward. Maybe we are crazy. What's even crazier to me though is this endless up down cycles of hoping the features you want will be added, they never are, and then we have endless discussions about why. Nobody knows. If history is any indication, you might get the features you've requested. You just might have to wait until 2030 though.

That exists in all forums. The exceptions are ones that are heavily moderated and they ban the "complainers". Then there are forums where the developers participate and have a thick skin about the criticisms.

[ltbrunt00]

While working in Bitwig today as I was getting that itch to save and export my project to load up in Reason, it just dawned on me that in 26 days I will be able to use my Selig devices in Bitwig. I use the my other DAWs only to breakup the creative rut since they force you to do things differently than reason. It will be interesting to load up all my Rack Extensions in Bitwig that is until I get frustrated with the Bitwig mix channels and then I will go back to reason to use the SSL Mixer.

[ShelLuser]

This is one of the weirder complaints I've seen. Frank is not a RS/Props employee, so it's not like they've got him strapped to Reason videos for the rest of his life. How important is this anyway?

Well, for the record, I miss Frank too. I think he has a great voice, and he really put his mind into the videos. He honestly sounded enthusiastic which I can't say for the current female voice over. Get someone who is really good at their job, not someone who happens to be of a specific gender would be my take on this. Not implying that this is the situation here, but it is something you see happening more often within the current business environments: getting people onboard because of who they are, not because of what they can do.

But that's getting very offtopic and would dive into politics which is generally not the best of topics.

Bottom line though... I miss Frank and all the cool micro tutorials as well.

[djadalaide]

They haven't delivered what most of us want, we don't want the reason rack inside ableton live.

We want ableton live inside the reason rack.

[Jagwah]

Seriously?

This is one of the weirder complaints I've seen...

Pretty sure this is more of a light-hearted joke (male voice-over guy). He is missed though, sure.

[QVprod]

The list of things you guys want have been discussed to no end for YEARS. Meanwhile, the features never come and we're all just left waiting year after year hoping it's in the next release and then here comes justification after endless justification of why it isn't from other Reason users. Everyone is guessing.

If Reason Studios has zero intention or plan to add some of these basic features, then why on Earth can't they just state so, so that we can move on with our lives. Is that really so much to ask?

Well the things they said they'd never do, they ended up doing. No point in saying there's no intentions unless they know for sure there's no intentions. The list of things people want is not only endless but also very diverse. Some people want Ableton style clip launching, others want a score editor. No Daw (to my knowledge) has both of those things. Worth noting that every feature added in R11 Standard was a feature request. Problem for people on a personal level is waiting for things that aren't promised and then being disappointed. If you need a certain functionality, get something that provides what you need. Take control instead of waiting on someone else's unconfirmed timeline.

They haven't delivered what most of us want, we don't want the reason rack inside ableton live.

We want ableton live inside the reason rack.

The common theme seems to be people assuming their personal wants are the majority.

[Heigen5]

Actually there could be lots of us who would like another DAW inside Reason - yeah that way around instead. That would require VST3 support and nothing else.

[QVprod]

Actually there could be lots of us who would like another DAW inside Reason - yeah that way around instead. That would require VST3 support and nothing else.

Not saying there aren't any. But majority? Probably not, or at least Propellehead Reason Studios' market research probably says otherwise. I was open to Bidirectional Rewire or Rewire master myself. Even made a video of how to sort of accomplish that with Ableton a while back

Vst 3 support wouldn't be the answer to that though. I think only FL Studio can run as a plugin. Most DAWs don't even have Rewire slave capability, only master.

To me though, it only makes sense that if a common complaint of Reason is the sequencer, because people want the functions of other DAWs (despite not wanting to use other DAWs?) but people love the Rack, then give them the Rack to use in their sequencer of choice. Doesn't mean they won't update Reason's sequencer functions, but will Reason ever have a sequencer with all of the same functions as that other DAW that someone kind of likes? Probably not. Does that make it less professional or sub par? Of course not, but something else may very well fit your workflow better whether completely or for just certain situations. I mean people still love Machine despite it being very limited compared to pretty much every DAW. Having the access to the Rack in all those situations (without Rewire) Whether using Reason standalone or Reason Rack Plugin is super useful. And just think; if you happen to be buying another DAW for the first time, You don't have to stock up on VSTs to replace the Reason stuff. May not be the solution everybody wanted, but we can't deny that it still is a solution. Going by the feedback outside of this forum, the majority seem to be on board with it. IMHO, it sounds like they've been listening and have responded accordingly.

[esefelipe]

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention, but a real game changer is the ability to have Reason patches in Mainstage without the Rewire stupidity. Reason will truly be stage-friendly and portable at that point.

This is especially important for me because I do all my writing in Reason (mainly because of familiarity and the huge collection of custom presets I’ve made). I hate how hard it is to take synth sounds I’ve created and move them into Mainstage while retaining playability.

How soon does Reason Rack AU drop? I’ll pay the upgrade price just for that.

[QVprod]

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention, but a real game changer is the ability to have Reason patches in Mainstage without the Rewire stupidity. Reason will truly be stage-friendly and portable at that point.

This is especially important for me because I do all my writing in Reason (mainly because of familiarity and the huge collection of custom presets I’ve made). I hate how hard it is to take synth sounds I’ve created and move them into Mainstage while retaining playability.

How soon does Reason Rack AU drop? I’ll pay the upgrade price just for that.

Yes exactly! I mentioned Mainstage earlier in the thread. Mainstage's Rewire is kind of annoying to deal with and Logic's stock instruments (aside from Alchemy) really don't compare to Reason's. Looking forward to efficiently using Reason's instruments and some REs live.

[boingy]

How soon does Reason Rack AU drop? I’ll pay the upgrade price just for that.

From the FAQ: "We're working hard on an AU version of Reason Rack Plugin and plan to release it as a free update before the end of 2019."

[exxx]

Consider the pattern of reason and there will be no upgrade discount until the end of the year. To make as much profit as possible until AU application

After that?

Now that there is no refill to make it into a rack, it seems to be time-consuming to add sample loading to rythmic or to separate existing RACKs, for example KONG DRUM effects.

[tronam]

Consider the pattern of reason and there will be no upgrade discount until the end of the year. To make as much profit as possible until AU application

After that?

Now that there is no refill to make it into a rack, it seems to be time-consuming to add sample loading to rythmic or to separate existing RACKs, for example KONG DRUM effects.

I wouldn't expect a Reason upgrade discount until next spring or summer at the earliest. There will be RE sales though from Black Friday through Xmas.

[Krell]

Is it me or does the upgrade pricing seem kind of high? Thats pushing AU$200 for basic and nearly AU$370 for suite here in Oz, and thats on top of the money already dropped on the full Reason v10 app. Hmm

$129 basic upgrade
$249 suite

[Jagwah]

Is it me or does the upgrade pricing seem kind of high? Thats pushing AU$200 for basic and nearly AU$370 for suite here in Oz, and thats on top of the money already dropped on the full Reason v10 app. Hmm

$129 basic upgrade
$249 suite

$129 has been the standard upgrade price since I've been here on Reason 4.

The problem is our weak dollar, it sh*ts me to tears I tell ya.

Right now we are at 0.67 United States Dollar! I remember a few years ago when we went in the plus a little bit, what a rort!

[tronam]

Is it me or does the upgrade pricing seem kind of high? Thats pushing AU$200 for basic and nearly AU$370 for suite here in Oz, and thats on top of the money already dropped on the full Reason v10 app. Hmm

$129 basic upgrade
$249 suite

$129 has been the standard upgrade price since I've been here on Reason 4.

The problem is our weak dollar, it sh*ts me to tears I tell ya.

Right now we are at 0.67 United States Dollar! I remember a few years ago when we went in the plus a little bit, what a rort!

I'm pretty sure $129 has been the upgrade price since the very beginning. I can at least verify Reason 3 was $129, but I bought v2 as a retail box and can't find the receipt.

[KarmaFunkarma]

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention, but a real game changer is the ability to have Reason patches in Mainstage without the Rewire stupidity. Reason will truly be stage-friendly and portable at that point.

This is especially important for me because I do all my writing in Reason (mainly because of familiarity and the huge collection of custom presets I’ve made). I hate how hard it is to take synth sounds I’ve created and move them into Mainstage while retaining playability.

How soon does Reason Rack AU drop? I’ll pay the upgrade price just for that.

FWIW, if you're a MainStage user, do yourself a favor and check out GigPerformer (gigperformer.com). I find it way more flexible than Mainstage, it runs on Windows or Mac, and it supports AU, VST and VST3. Super stable for live use. I should be able to run the Reason Rack VST3 in it as soon as I get my beta invite.

[musicman691]

How soon does Reason Rack AU drop? I’ll pay the upgrade price just for that.

From the FAQ: "We're working hard on an AU version of Reason Rack Plugin and plan to release it as a free update before the end of 2019."

All that is corporate speak for 'don't expect it before 2020' and just like Slate Digital's 'soon'. Why they couldn't have gotten both vst & au out at the same time is beyond me. For that matter how about throwing in aax format for us PT users? Extreme radio silence from corporate on that little nugget.

They'll probably have a Warner Brothers cartoon (full of Bugs (Bunny)) public beta release of R11 au masquerading as a gold release by Christmas 2019 and stable in 2020.

[kimothebeatmaker]

Has the High Resolution GUI lag been fixed? Im tired of running it in low resolution mode on my 4k screen....i wear glasses and it gives me a headache due to me squinting at the blurry GUI all the time.

[va3rwt]

I hope with the Pluging version that you can drag midi from Dr OctoRex into Cubase
this is my biggest hope