Reason 8 - Official

[napishu]

Since some of you have access to beta software can you at least list some of the most notable ones being made. Apart from two new amps, new browser, dragndrop, shiny new gui and doubleclick to add or resize notes what are the most notable changes done there i am really interested?

Nothing else

[kmonkey]

Now that's a disappointment

And as i said and if really that is everything - then price of this upgrade is well over the top..It should be Reason 7.5 and free..

[tonkatodd]

Now that's a disappointment

And as i said and if really that is everything - then price of this upgrade is well over the top..It should be Reason 7.5 and free..

For me Reason 8 is faster and fun to use. $129 isn't very much and worth it for the features they have added if you use Reason. If you're worried about paying $100 or so dollars a year on production software maybe look at freeware or Reaper, I think Reaper is like $50 and has some instruments and effects in it.

[TheNickC]

For me Reason 8 is faster and fun to use. $129 isn't very much and worth it for the features they have added if you use Reason. If you're worried about paying $100 or so dollars a year on production software maybe look at freeware or Reaper, I think Reaper is like $50 and has some instruments and effects in it.

A lot of people would consider $129 to be a pretty good chunk of change, especially for features like "double click to do things that should be a single click anyway"(really puzzling that more devs don't rip off FL's piano roll...) and "now we have a browser like every other DAW has had for over a decade"

You're right though that for those people who don't have a lot of disposable cash, Reason isn't the best option. As you said, there are other options out there. Reaper is cheap, there are some other cheap DAWS along those lines, FL gives free updates, trackers are free or cheap and might be a good thing to check out if you hate record and just want an instrument and a bare bones sequencer(Renoise's sampler is pretty powerful now in V3).

There are also a lot of good free VSTs out there so there's also that to consider. It makes sense that the props, not wanting to use VST, are better off moving away from the bedroom producer on a budget market and selling themselves as more of a premium product. Hard to compete with Reaper or FL + free VSTs for that demographic when you're developing all your own rack units and bundling them with the program

[Flandersh]

The old audio Rack + MIDI sequencer concept was amazing ; I wish we could get a new version of the original Reason concept. Maybe as a new product called 'Real' or something: http://www.scrabblefinder.com/starts-with/re/#words The interface being a MIDI sequencer and an audio rack only. It uses just those those two aspects, takes all the official Rack Extensions so far and adds some new innovative ones to allow better use of audio within the Rack environment. Removes in-app purchasing and discontinues the Rack Extensions store. Creates a new modular Effect that within the rack unit allows DSP plugins to be created and shared in an open format by all musicians; like Cycling 74 but done the Reason way. Allows for total live interaction, completely beating Live at its own game, whilst also allowing clever use of MIDI sequencing, audio triggering and total automation. Allows Combinators inside Combinators. And all of this within the original Rack + MIDI sequencer classic setup concept - but both windows can be scaled up to any resolution on a dual screen display by using vector-based graphics for all image components.

That would be a dream come true

[Tronam]

Now that's a disappointment

And as i said and if really that is everything - then price of this upgrade is well over the top..It should be Reason 7.5 and free..

The browser overhaul and retooled UI are worthy of a full version upgrade; x.5 updates don't generally alter look and workflow this significantly. It's mainly Reason 7 users in particular who are the least impressed with R8 and I'm not entirely convinced the Props are trying to sell it to them that hard. Annual full upgrades are pretty unusual for them, so I wonder if this was an accelerated strategic move to encourage lingering Reason 1-6 users to get up-to-date sooner than later. The cost is the same no matter what version you're upgrading from and it's in Propellerhead's best interest to get as many users into SDK 2.0 as possible. For pre-v7 users it's a good value (unless you're a classic Reason purist) and I think a lot of them will go for it. I'll probably be waiting for 8.5 or 9.

I must say though, finally being able to drag an audio file from the desktop or OS folder directly into a sampler or specific bar in the sequencer is nice. Reason is growing up.

[tonkatodd]

For me Reason 8 is faster and fun to use. $129 isn't very much and worth it for the features they have added if you use Reason. If you're worried about paying $100 or so dollars a year on production software maybe look at freeware or Reaper, I think Reaper is like $50 and has some instruments and effects in it.

A lot of people would consider $129 to be a pretty good chunk of change, especially for features like "double click to do things that should be a single click anyway"(really puzzling that more devs don't rip off FL's piano roll...) and "now we have a browser like every other DAW has had for over a decade"

You're right though that for those people who don't have a lot of disposable cash, Reason isn't the best option. As you said, there are other options out there. Reaper is cheap, there are some other cheap DAWS along those lines, FL gives free updates, trackers are free or cheap and might be a good thing to check out if you hate record and just want an instrument and a bare bones sequencer(Renoise's sampler is pretty powerful now in V3).

There are also a lot of good free VSTs out there so there's also that to consider. It makes sense that the props, not wanting to use VST, are better off moving away from the bedroom producer on a budget market and selling themselves as more of a premium product. Hard to compete with Reaper or FL + free VSTs for that demographic when you're developing all your own rack units and bundling them with the program

Propellerheads don't want to use VST because it's their competitors protocol bound by the development cycle of their competitor, Apple and Avid didn't do it either and have AU and AAX. People complain about upgrade prices every time and they even complain if they are free upgrades but the upgrade doesn't address their issue. Ableton was criticised with 9 because it had a new browser and a few new plugins and M4L devices and people lost their wig over it saying it was Ableton forcing people to upgrade to suite to get the M4L devices. It happens with Cubase every single time they update and Avid etc and even check out the Komplete 10 thread that has people complaining about new instruments but no updates to the core programs. It's cool Flstudio offer life time free upgrades but they also throw in free upgraded Demo's and bloat because tech companies today don't stay afloat by giving everything away and after the GFC many little companies either went under or severely cut back to live. People will complain about upgrades regardless and it doesn't mean they aren't warranted or justified but it's just the way it is.

[stroker_ace]

Now that's a disappointment

And as i said and if really that is everything - then price of this upgrade is well over the top..It should be Reason 7.5 and free..

I really hope this isn't naysaying, because I gotta tell ya, it sounds a lot like naysaying.

Or is this "good" and acceptable naysaying, as opposed to the naysaying you were queefing about, which is "bad" naysaying?

[festeringheap]

The browser overhaul and retooled UI are worthy of a full version upgrade; x.5 updates don't generally alter look and workflow this significantly. It's mainly Reason 7 users in particular who are the least impressed with R8 and I'm not entirely convinced the Props are trying to sell it to them that hard. Annual full upgrades are pretty unusual for them, so I wonder if this was an accelerated strategic move to encourage lingering Reason 1-6 users to get up-to-date sooner than later

I'm on 6.5 and I'm not interested that much in this upgrade. I didn't want 7, there's not much in both 7 and 8 to sway me. This is one slim upgrade for the price! Not a great strategic move if you ask me...

I must say though, finally being able to drag an audio file from the desktop or OS folder directly into a sampler or specific bar in the sequencer is nice. Reason is growing up.

Can a midi file be dragged in the same way? And onto a specific bar? Without opening up an ID8?

[kmonkey]

Can a midi file be dragged in the same way? And onto a specific bar? Without opening up an ID8?

That's a good question. I don't know but i am guessing that this is impossible but i would like to know is it possible to drag MIDI to the exisiting instrument track without ID8 being created...I hope

[TheNickC]

Propellerheads don't want to use VST because it's their competitors protocol bound by the development cycle of their competitor, Apple and Avid didn't do it either and have AU and AAX.

Proprietary tech such as this is also very useful because of the leverage it gives over consumers and other parties developing for the platform, it's disingenuous for these companies to claim it's solely to be less reliant on Steinberg. Though in the props case it did make more sense for the program to do their own thing because the whole appeal is the difference between the rack and typical plugin handling, I really don't think rack extensions was a bad idea itself.

[festeringheap]

Can a midi file be dragged in the same way? And onto a specific bar? Without opening up an ID8?

That's a good question. I don't know but i am guessing that this is impossible but i would like to know is it possible to drag MIDI to the exisiting instrument track without ID8 being created...I hope

If it can't even do that, how can they possibly expect to have workflow as the central theme for a 129 dollar upgrade? Five years they've had to work on that - they certainly know that users think importing midi is a pain in the butt.
It's almost like they put a half-assed implementation of something at the beginning, and the users, after cursing for years about it, thinks it's the greatest thing when it is finally corrected. At a price!

Reason need to be looked at by the coders of Thor for iPad. Now that's a work of genius - right from the get go.

[napishu]

Okay, Reason dead, sorry. RE sucks, go with other DAW and VST! Eaaahhh!!!

[softska]

Propellerheads don't want to use VST because it's their competitors protocol bound by the development cycle of their competitor, Apple and Avid didn't do it either and have AU and AAX.

Proprietary tech such as this is also very useful because of the leverage it gives over consumers and other parties developing for the platform, it's disingenuous for these companies to claim it's solely to be less reliant on Steinberg. Though in the props case it did make more sense for the program to do their own thing because the whole appeal is the difference between the rack and typical plugin handling, I really don't think rack extensions was a bad idea itself.

It wasn't, but the efficiency is seriously crippling under rewire. It is okay when running standalone w multi-core support, but when it is stuck on one core over rewire, you can hardly do much if anything w many heavier RE, which is a real shame.

You can tell their ambition to become a standalone DAW, but it is so far away even w their proclaimed "workflow" improvement (come on guys, let me highlight and move multiple faders at once already)

[trimph1]

Okay, Reason dead, sorry. RE sucks, go with other DAW and VST! Eaaahhh!!!

Why are you posting this...ermmm...stuff?