Would you consider switching to Propellerhead Reason as your main DAW?

[ganym3d]

No way!

[SLiC]

I had the chance to upgrade from a free version of Reason I got with a keyboard to the full V 10 for 99 USD (offer is still on) and I still had no interest. Its absolutely horrible on a 4K monitor, small, fiddly (hate the mixer) and very basic in terms of DAW ability. The rack stuff still sounds great, no issues there, but nothing I don't already have covered (better) with my existing VST collection.

It just looks more dated and falls further behind other DAWS every year, its the basic paradigm that doesn't really work anymore, the rack is a hindrance, Bitwig or Live Racks make far more sense, you have far more flexibility, connection and modulation options with Bitwig, so why the rack?

[dellboy]

All new DAWs seem daunting at first look, but as we learn all the shortcuts and Idiosyncrasies we either learn to love or hate them. Or even worse, we are neutral about them.

When I booted up this DAW it seemed very cluttered.

Gimmicky.

It needs a declutter button.

Would I "consider" using it ?

I tried it for an hour.

How many hours would I need to use it before I either love or hate it

[jonljacobi]

My preferred answer is "Good God NO!".

I don't like closed systems of any (almost) sort. And what would I do with all my favourite Waves, Plugin Alliance, etc, etc, plugins? Not to mention the synths!

Why polls don't mean much.

[jonljacobi]

No for one reason. The interface has too many tiny elements.

[inkwarp]

a new ( customizable) GUI and i would consider it.
it's a good prgram and i have made some good stuff in it in the past.
but the 'fixed box' gui i don't like and it amazes me that it is STILL the same after all this time.
plus i think the instruments are pretty cool. ( Thor, Kong etc)..

[Jace-BeOS]

I don't think the Racks are usable (in terms of GUI) in more than 1920x1080, and even at that resolution the monitor should be at least 27"! I hope this is will be the next step for Propellerhead especially the 4k monitors are getting more popular with time.

This so much! I normally use Surface Pro 4 (2736x1824) and just for kicks I launched Reason last weekend on our family laptop that's only 1080p. I was shocked to find out that not only I can see more (2 full Rack columns), but also that the picture is much sharper! On Surface Pro I need to run Reason at 200% Wondows scaling for it to be sharp, which means it's effectively a 912p display and thus can only see 1.33 Rack columns. I've (still) a good eyesight and I could work easily at 175% or 150% and things wouldn't be too small, but they're just blurry and fuzzy, because of uneven scaling... Fix this shit, Props!

Just a friendly note: your quote tags aren't correct. EnGee said what your quote attributed to me.

[THE INTRANCER]

I'd also like to add, that Reason's SSL Mixer doesn't fit on my screen, that's why I cut it in half.

[chk071]

No for one reason. The interface has too many tiny elements.

Additionally to that, i would say the bigges gripe i have with Reason is that it strayed so far from its original concept. I also kind of hate the integrated synth devices, they sound bland and uninspiring to me.

[inkwarp]

No for one reason. The interface has too many tiny elements.

Additionally to that, i would say the bigges gripe i have with Reason is that it strayed so far from its original concept. I also kind of hate the integrated synth devices, they sound bland and uninspiring to me.

I assume you are talking about the subtractor synth. it is and always has been weak. you have to layer it a few times to get some fatness into it. i do still think thor is excellent and there are other good things, the rex player... the one thing i totally forgot to mention, this is no exageration, i have never had a crash with it - not a one : )
and when i had a slower computer Reason would always run smoothly.
so kudos to them for that. Ultimately their intransigence on allowing VST in for instance, that has cost them a lot i think.
i will say though, i can make a full track with it and it alone.
so i am fond of it, there are just so many other options today that it's fortunate they are still able to turn a profit ( if they are making one that is).

[Aloysius]

Well the software said my computer was too slow to playback one of the demo songs. Therefore, I'll pass.

Same here.

However, I rebooted and the demos play ok now.

I downloaded again, installed and rebooted. That worked. I'm not going to buy it. I've purchased other 'bargain' DAWs that I never use. There's nothing in Reason for me except the promise of sore eyes from trying to read the tiny font.

[jjpscott01]

Already the DAW I use the most. Opinions on Reasons interface have always been extremely polarizing. Its either what draws many to the software in the first place or what steers people away. I am personally in the camp of those who love it. I love the way it looks, the way it's layed out, the fonts, the colors, and its simplicity. I'm assuming the idea of Reason being cluttered is largely based on how you use it. I have a 3 monitor setup and for me the its the most clean un-cluttered DAW out there.

All of this of course is subjective but aside from visual aesthetic, Reason is (like many others have already stated) un-matched in stability. Whats crazy is even after opening its ecosystem to VST's last year, its still rock solid. The in-line pitch editor introduced in 9.0 is the best of any DAW out there, killer RE instrument and effects are still coming out today, its plugin integration into the rack is superb, and there is just something about it that feels like it inspires creativity.

Maybe the most appealing quality for me is the fact that with the massive Rack Extension library I own, I can potentially go to any studio or establishment in the world, log in to my Propellerhead account, download my software and every RE on my account, activate it right there and get to work. This may sound like a useless feature to some, but I work in the IT/Web world where I build and update new computer rigs on a daily basis. With most other DAWS, changing or updating hardware is more trouble than its worth in terms of licensing and reinstalling plugins. With Reason, its all one solid, stable, simple package.

Now in version 10, its more powerful than ever so I see no reason why it couldn't be your main DAW unless it just doesn't fit your workflow.

[THE INTRANCER]

Already the DAW I use the most. Opinions on Reasons interface have always been extremely polarizing. Its either what draws many to the software in the first place or what steers people away. I am personally in the camp of those who love it. I love the way it looks, the way it's layed out, the fonts, the colors, and its simplicity. I'm assuming the idea of Reason being cluttered is largely based on how you use it. I have a 3 monitor setup and for me the its the most clean un-cluttered DAW out there.

All of this of course is subjective but aside from visual aesthetic, Reason is (like many others have already stated) un-matched in stability. Whats crazy is even after opening its ecosystem to VST's last year, its still rock solid. The in-line pitch editor introduced in 9.0 is the best of any DAW out there, killer RE instrument and effects are still coming out today, its plugin integration into the rack is superb, and there is just something about it that feels like it inspires creativity.

Maybe the most appealing quality for me is the fact that with the massive Rack Extension library I own, I can potentially go to any studio or establishment in the world, log in to my Propellerhead account, download my software and every RE on my account, activate it right there and get to work. This may sound like a useless feature to some, but I work in the IT/Web world where I build and update new computer rigs on a daily basis. With most other DAWS, changing or updating hardware is more trouble than its worth in terms of licensing and reinstalling plugins. With Reason, its all one solid, stable, simple package.

Now in version 10, its more powerful than ever so I see no reason why it couldn't be your main DAW unless it just doesn't fit your workflow.

You need 3 screens to make reason uncluttered ? Isn't that an evident problem right there with Reason fundamentally..and a waste of electricity and money ? Personally I found using two monitors with Reason to be a huge over compensation for my use with the program. Reasons GUI is so poorly integrated within itself, and it all stems from the legacy in that it wasn't intended to be like any other daw from the outset.

It's like they have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and the core of it is still living in the year 2000. I doubt even Propellerheads envisioned way back then that they would still be working on Reason, but rather working on a completely new piece of software instead.

When I jump ship to SO2 / SO3, it's one window approach to everything was a godsend, I could have hundreds of tracks without needing to use 7 monitors to see what the hell I was producing as it would be with Reason and have access to the full GUI.

Personally I don't think Record was ever intended to be integrated into Reason but to be a completely new project with VST support built right in. VST support was already planned back then, but users were left to wait another 8 years to see it, even though it was requested for 7 years prior by it's users.

RE's are a waste of money imop... (you can't get rid of them till you are 6 feet under by which time it's too late). I was hoping EU legislation would force them to do so, Brexit is around the corner... so who knows if that makes any difference..

Users were led up the garden path into believing that true VST support wasn't going to actually come, and now that it has, they have essentially shot themselves in the foot and hence why the cheap upgrade offer for Reason Adapted users....or whatever they are calling it nowadays.

Using VST's and the installation of them is pretty painless, much less so than having to deal with RE's' downloading them (often failing downloads), logging in and out, having a dongle plugged in and taking up ports...(offline and tied to my machine hasn't ever appealed to me either).

Anyway's it's too early in the morning to post much else on all this...

[EnGee]

You need 3 screens to make reason uncluttered ? Isn't that an evident problem right there with Reason fundamentally..and a waste of electricity and money ? Personally I found using two monitors with Reason to be a huge over compensation for my use with the program. Reasons GUI is so poorly integrated within itself, and it all stems from the legacy in that it wasn't intended to be like any other daw from the outset.

It's like they have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and the core of it is still living in the year 2000. I doubt even Propellerheads envisioned way back then that they would still be working on Reason, but rather working on a completely new piece of software instead.

Cluttered!
They should have chosen your design to make it 'uncluttered':
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=499757

[VariKusBrainZ]

Why does it scan my Vst folder at every startup, Ive got hundreds so it takes ages?!