Reason 8 - Official

[tonkatodd]

If Apple is giving OS X Yosemite away free to Mavericks users, Propellerhead should give Reason 8 away free to Reason 7 users. There's not enough difference!

With Apple you have to buy their hardware which is their profit maker. Reason 8 has changed the way I work with Reason. It's faster and better as well as more fun.

[saturdaysaint]

FWIW, my friend showed me the beta forum and it's a shitstorm. Multi-monitor users hate that the browser is locked to the sequencer, laptop users hate that the browser takes up too much screen space and doesn't provide that much more value than the old browser. To add insult to injury, the device lists consist of big graphical images of the devices/REs, so it's way less functional than Live's browser or even the old way of just right-clicking in the Rack and inserting your device. Key commands are really lacking so there's like 10x more mousing around.

I'm a huge Props fan (I've defended the 6, 6.5 and 7 updates tooth and nail!) and the updates look like a good foundation, but I really think they've managed to kid themselves if they think this is a workflow improvement over Reason 7. They needed to knock the browser out of the park, and they didn't - it's basically the same old one, just bolted to the left side of the screen with drag and drop (which is admittedly done well).

[krucial]

FWIW, my friend showed me the beta forum and it's a shitstorm. Multi-monitor users hate that the browser is locked to the sequencer, laptop users hate that the browser takes up too much screen space and doesn't provide that much more value than the old browser. To add insult to injury, the device lists consist of big graphical images of the devices/REs, so it's way less functional than Live's browser or even the old way of just right-clicking in the Rack and inserting your device. Key commands are really lacking so there's like 10x more mousing around.

I'm a huge Props fan (I've defended the 6, 6.5 and 7 updates tooth and nail!) and the updates look like a good foundation, but I really think they've managed to kid themselves if they think this is a workflow improvement over Reason 7. They needed to knock the browser out of the park, and they didn't - it's basically the same old one, just bolted to the left side of the screen with drag and drop (which is admittedly done well).

It would be wise you try the browser yourself and not go by what your "friend" showed you in a thread. "Its basically the same old one". A million miles away from the truth.

I don't get the issue that multi monitors user have at all. You you think the browser would make more sense for them. You have the Sequencer on one screen, the Rack on the other. You drag and drop to the Sequencer then do your parameter tweaks for synths and FX in the Rack. Cant you still drag and drop to the detached Rack as well? I can understand laptop users complaining.

[saturdaysaint]

I used the browser for several hours. It's the same list of favorites and soundbank folders with faster search and drag and drop (OK, there are now lists of instruments and effects but their cartoony icons make them unusable). There are actually some notable downgrades - you can't arrow up and down to preview patches in the browser (you have to double click and actually load the new device).

Maybe it's just my way of working, but I found that it made little difference in my workflow other than making everything much more cramped on my friend's 13" MacBook Air. My most common tasks are still way faster with the right-click menus. You still have to go through a series of bounce dialogs to take clip from the sequencer into one of the samplers. Maybe if the key commands were at all adequate (is there even a command to jump to the search box?) or if they adopted Live's way of nesting presets under their instruments, it'd be different for me. I just hope to god they improve this before Reason 9, although it usually takes developers 2 or 3 versions to work themselves out of the UI wilderness...

[krucial]

OK cool. Like I said I understand laptop users having an issue. Personally I don't think I could use Reason on a laptop for a long period of time that goes for the old browser too. Maybe just to sketch ideas out. I only use one monitor at the moment and its quick for me to just use shortcuts etc to get show/hide Rack, Mixer etc. I guess it may just come down to adapting to a new work flow. Hopefully they take care of the double clicking to preview patches. How it is now in version 7 is a strength of Reason IMO.

[softska]

I don't get the issue that multi monitors user have at all. You you think the browser would make more sense for them. You have the Sequencer on one screen, the Rack on the other. You drag and drop to the Sequencer then do your parameter tweaks for synths and FX in the Rack. Cant you still drag and drop to the detached Rack as well? I can understand laptop users complaining.

My rack is on my right screen, that's bloody far to drag samples onto Kong or NNXT what have you. Obviously user can work around it but that's like a half-assed attempt to their idea of workflow — just make it detachable like the rest. Logic X has the same stupid idea of library browser, but their interface does not rely upon drag and drop.

Seems almost hilarious they design something that forces single screen when the last 7 ver basically twist your arm to use multiple ones. At least give us vertical split damn it (please tell me I'm wrong)

There are actually some notable downgrades - you can't arrow up and down to preview patches in the browser (you have to double click and actually load the new device).

That's very disappointing.

[D-Fusion]

I used the browser for several hours. It's the same list of favorites and soundbank folders with faster search and drag and drop (OK, there are now lists of instruments and effects but their cartoony icons make them unusable). There are actually some notable downgrades - you can't arrow up and down to preview patches in the browser (you have to double click and actually load the new device).

Maybe it's just my way of working, but I found that it made little difference in my workflow other than making everything much more cramped on my friend's 13" MacBook Air. My most common tasks are still way faster with the right-click menus. You still have to go through a series of bounce dialogs to take clip from the sequencer into one of the samplers. Maybe if the key commands were at all adequate (is there even a command to jump to the search box?) or if they adopted Live's way of nesting presets under their instruments, it'd be different for me. I just hope to god they improve this before Reason 9, although it usually takes developers 2 or 3 versions to work themselves out of the UI wilderness...

So What i was afraid for turned real.
My workflow is rightclick create instrument and browse with arrow Keys.

I Even hate vsts with mousing and doubleclick for browsing presets.
So for me this is a big step back.
So v 7.1 will be my last until that is fixed.

[saturdaysaint]

I don't get the issue that multi monitors user have at all. You you think the browser would make more sense for them. You have the Sequencer on one screen, the Rack on the other. You drag and drop to the Sequencer then do your parameter tweaks for synths and FX in the Rack. Cant you still drag and drop to the detached Rack as well? I can understand laptop users complaining.

My rack is on my right screen, that's bloody far to drag samples onto Kong or NNXT what have you.

Yeah, now imagine mousing all the way over to the left hand side of your screens every time you want to browse any instrument's presets. It might be alright if there were decent keyboard shortcuts, but it's basically unusable without a mouse.

[McBain]

Is there absolutely no way to use the arrow keys to scroll? Can you at least audition presets within the devices themselves used the devices arrow keys? Major oversight by the props, seems like.

[thetechnobear]

errmmm, I think R8 has pretty good keyboard navigation for the browser, basically if you insert a device, you can then use arrow keys etc to navigate the appropriate 'patches' in the browser and select... if you don't want to drag and drop you don't have to.
(can't say more, as under NDA, but just thought Id balance a view that seems a little incorrect, also we should remember that R8 is still in beta, so its not necessarily 'feature' complete and other things may be added yet or changed)

[saturdaysaint]

You can arrow up and down (ie like you could before) but you have to hit enter to load any patch and there's no way of tabbing over to a different "favorite" or the search bar that I could find. And unlike before, the browser always takes up screenspace! How is that an improvement?

[thetechnobear]

as i said, its a beta, so not final… raise your issues in the PH beta forum, thats whats its for, to get feedback etc, before its released.

[davidvilla]

Really technobear? When have they actually made a significant change during beta? I don't remember a single instance, and I've been using it since v 2.5.

DV

[tonkatodd]

I used the browser for several hours. It's the same list of favorites and soundbank folders with faster search and drag and drop (OK, there are now lists of instruments and effects but their cartoony icons make them unusable). There are actually some notable downgrades - you can't arrow up and down to preview patches in the browser (you have to double click and actually load the new device).

Maybe it's just my way of working, but I found that it made little difference in my workflow other than making everything much more cramped on my friend's 13" MacBook Air. My most common tasks are still way faster with the right-click menus. You still have to go through a series of bounce dialogs to take clip from the sequencer into one of the samplers. Maybe if the key commands were at all adequate (is there even a command to jump to the search box?) or if they adopted Live's way of nesting presets under their instruments, it'd be different for me. I just hope to god they improve this before Reason 9, although it usually takes developers 2 or 3 versions to work themselves out of the UI wilderness...

So What i was afraid for turned real.
My workflow is rightclick create instrument and browse with arrow Keys.

I Even hate vsts with mousing and doubleclick for browsing presets.
So for me this is a big step back.
So v 7.1 will be my last until that is fixed.

You can still right click. I think it's even categorised in instruments,effects etc and also via manufacturer. You can pretty much just use Reason how you use to but I find it easier and quicker the new ways. When you click the patch browser in the device like normal a orange border will indicate the device is focused and the browser will automatically navigate to the devices presets and files to either drag and drop or to double click to select. You can also just use the device arrows to select and pretty sure you can use arrow keys but I haven't tried but I'm assuming you can.

[Tronam]

Beta testing is rarely a "new feature" phase of product development, so I doubt we'll see any changes from now until release beyond bug fixes. I'm glad to hear that right-click adding of devices is still there. It's also relieving to know arrowing up/down with the keyboard is still viable, even if requires pressing the ENTER key to load it. The old browser is a mixed bag in that respect because you can't actually turn that feature off which can make arrowing through patches, especially combinators, sluggish. A good compromise for R8.1 might be to include some kind of "Autoload" checkbox in the browser to simulate the old behavior. For users who detach the rack to put it on another monitor, they should consider giving it its own browser so the sequencer window can be completely hidden away. I'm curious to know what they've done with the Tool window.