Reason 13 is GREAT and I can't recommend it

In this video, I explain why I think Reason 13 is a great update. Unfortunately, I still can't recommend it to most people. I've got an idea of what ‪@ReasonStudios‬ could do it make it better. I'd love to hear what you think!
00:00 - Introduction
01:12 - What's great about Reason 13
12:26 - Problems I have with Reason and why I struggle to recommend it to certain people
22:47 - How I think Reason Studios should change their business model in order to stay competitive
➕ Subscribe: bit.ly/2OR2LCR
🎸 Learn guitar: guitarnutrition.com/
📸 FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM:
👉🏻 @matthewstuartnz
👉🏻 / matthewstuartnz
🎸 LEARN GUITAR:
💡 The Musician's Guide to Fretboard Memorisation
💡 Introduction to Music Theory
👉🏻 ‪@guitarnutrition‬
👉🏻 guitarnutrition.com/

[@PaulOrtiz]

I say this as somewhat of a Reason fanboy but I still maintain there are no hard barriers to making music in Reason. A lot of things people wanna see from other DAWs are like, nice/impressive/whatever. But the actual business of composing, recording and editing notes and audio...you can do that, right now. I've made what I consider some of my best music in Reason despite having access to basically every other DAW. That said, I am in the process of moving mostly over to Cubase 13 Pro. 13 Reason versions in and I'm still waiting to be able to hear long notes without having to play the note-on message (note chase). Still waiting for some kind of means to organise my tracks (folders). Still waiting for user definable hotkeys. More colours. A dark mixer. Re-pitch time stretch mode. Audio pitch envelopes. MIDI note feedback on arrow selection + nudging. Punch in. I absolutely do not underestimate the work that goes into software development, but if we've waited literally years to get option/alt+click to collapse/expand all device vendors, I really don't know how much longer I'd have to wait to get these other things, especially if I don't even know if they're a priority to RS. I do hope that what they've done here is lay the groundwork for more significant changes in the future. It wouldn't make sense to implement X, Y and Z only to then change the sequencer layout/workflow and create more work for themselves. And I believe there was some hinting at that in their recent BTS video. And I will end by saying I'm still using Reason to compose. For certain styles of music, it's pretty hard to beat IMO. But for bigger projects where I need those kinds of industry standard QoL features that just aren't being requested by RS's focus groups...makes no sense to wait for em.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I think you're right about there being to hard barriers. At the end of the day making music isn't about what tools you are using. I guess I kind of view it the same way as recording to tape. Maybe not quite a perfect analogy but the idea being you could still record to tape if you wanted to. It's like how far behind does something have to get before it becomes redundant? I've also got plenty of music I'm really proud of sitting in old Reason sessions. If/when I ever revisit those projects now though I'll probably go through the arduous task of exporting everything to Ableton. I guess it kind of feels a little more futureproof.

[@chocomalk]

Fl studio just released an update with a similar stereo tool, a new synth and more stuff than I care to list, not to mention the 20 other updates in the last few years. There is more stuff in the last update than the last two versions of Reason. Plus they got rid of fav lists for external VSTs and their thumbnails making it way slower for me, I don't search with tags very often. I'll stick with 12 for now lol

[@Mike_Benz_]

FL are always like this, adding so much stuff, it always amazes me. I'm in the same boat as you, staying with 12, I rely heavily on the device Favs lists I've created over the years, and the thumbnails to see what device I'm looking for. I hope they bring it back with the addition of the new patch/sample browser.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Fair enough. If you're already on 12, I can see why 13 might not be too attractive. Yea the other DAWs updates typically make Reason's look embarrassing. The last Ableton update had a similar amount of new stuff.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I didn't even notice they had removed that but that's a pretty big issue now that I think about it!

[@chocomalk]

@@matthewstuartnz It's a huge issue for me, not for others but they are working on a "fix". Looking at their financials vs FL is a revelation considering I bought FL full version and Reason Suite 11 for the same price and never gave Imageline another dime since but Reason got a few hundred more for version 12 and some RE's. They need new management. I was just on Reasontalk and found this quote: "it continues to boggle the mind that RS can be that utterly clueless about how close they are to having a world-class, first tier DAW capable of truly competing with the big dogs. they’ve been ridiculously close for years, yet keep putting that off in favor of dumb overhyped instruments and effects (seriously, no matter how good it is, who needed a new vocoder?) Reason was positioned perfectly in the sweet spot to make it as powerful as anything else out there without being bloated or unintuitive. instead, they’ve introduced enough problems that they have to constantly work on bug fixes and stability." ^ this

[@chocomalk]

@@Mike_Benz_ I really hope they do fix it and the other bugs, we'll see lol

[@outerdarkness]

I used to teach Reason at a college.... but their customer service was horrific. They did not care at all about their customers and were absolutely no help when we had issues. For instance, we had purchased a multi-pack license which contained 10 licenses. The rub is rack extensions did not work with the multi-pack version. And when we asked about an upgrade path so we could get rack extensions their reply was there is none.... so to get access to rack extensions we would have to re-purchase Reason at full price. WTF?! We complained and they did not care.... so we stopped teaching Reason and took it out of our program.... Does Reason still save their audio files into the Reason song file? If so, that is crap. I love Reason but hate.... I detest the people that run the company.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Oh man that's a frustrating situation.. I've heard a lot of stories about people having bad customer service from Reason. That's never been my experience but maybe I just got lucky. I'm pretty sure Reason still does save audio files into the song file. Which I think is great if you don't know what you're doing. But not so much if you're a power user.

[@garyburrows-nn8rg]

@@outerdarkness I detest the people who run it as well .

[@matthewstuartnz]

Be interesting to know who's actually responsible for the direction.. or if it's really a team effort

[@MaestroRetardo]

Wasn't the main selling point of Reason 11 that the Browser was fully improved? They're selling that again as a main selling point only 2 versions later? What the...!? Sequencer Upgrade is another selling point on this upgrade...all they did was move the Edit Options from above the Piano Roll to the side of the Piano Roll. What the...!? Another selling point is "It looks good". Looks the same as Reason 12 to me. What the...!? Added Rack Extensions...those have nothing to do with Reason 13 update, hard pass. I'm sure they all can be used in Reason 12. What the...!?

[@matthewstuartnz]

I thought the browser was Reason 12 but there might have been something in 11?? I wonder if they will sell the new rack extensions by themselves (so they can be used in 12).. I suspect they won't and you'll have to buy 13 or sub to Reason+ (which would give you 13).

[@aunbowics]

i've been waiting for your opinion. you can say that again. i can't recommend reason13 either, but i still love reason.

[@matthewstuartnz]

It's a weird position to be in.

[@reasonexperts]

As a Reason / Ableton user myself I can only say this: Reason has always been always a few steps behind the competition and therefor every update will have a mixed bag of feelings. Especially the new sequencer workflow got me frustrated at first. Now I kind of adapted to the concept (because I am partially a potato and I have no idea what I am doing... so that makes perfect sense for me). The click areas you mentioned, yes... that is spot on. I sometimes scream at my screen like 'wtf man'. Then I grow up again, and start clicking on the proper spot. I am still abit surprised that this wasn't mentioned during the beta test phase (or addressed). But this comes simply because the sequencer of Reason Pre 13 simply didn't have this issue at all. After some weeks I somehow got used to things as they are now. But I guess ReasonStudios already gets a lot of feedback related to this update. So they can address issues with patches / updates for Reason 13 now. At least lets hope. Anyway, awesome constructive critism. I am somewhere on the same lines as you mentioned. I adapted to be handicapped.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Mmm.. sometimes I feel like it's a fine line between working with the constraints (adapting to being handicapped as you put it) and having legitimate issues with the UI design. For example, there are a lot of constraints and things I don't like about the UI experience of the Rack Plugin I didn't mention cause I decided they were just suck it up and deal with it type issues.

[@reasonexperts]

@@matthewstuartnz still. You have a few good points that are mentioned in this video.

[@ohnoitsaninja]

"I think reason should change their business model: I've been thinking this since reason 5 and it hasn't changed.. I'm genuinely surprised it's still in business

[@matthewstuartnz]

That's one of the Reason's I struggle to recommend it.. even though I don't want it do I'm kind of expecting it to get absorbed by a bigger company at some point.

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

Hey now, nice to see you back : I quit reason and never upgraded from 11 to 13 and a reason is the f*****g browser driving me absolutely bunkers, among other s**t like pricing REASON may R.I.P. I will use 11 as a plugin and nothing more .... Cheers 🥂

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks man! I don't blame you for quitting.. I think if I couldn't expense the subscription for my job I would probably have quit as well.

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

Dude : if they just gave back an option to use old browser : f**k ! I am so so so pissed .. I'd do subscription ....... Cheers 🥂

[@matthewstuartnz]

That's a big call. I didn't use any of the browser features they got rid of so I didn't even notice but so many people have complained about it

[@mattaldridge]

Bro, a Matt video on Reason? Christmas came early!

[@matthewstuartnz]

😂😂😂

[@KordTaylor]

👏🏻 I agree. It’s unfortunate as I remember when they started and they were such a great team. But yeah.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yup. I remember havign arguments with producer friends over a decade ago because I was trying to convince them why Reason was better than Ableton back then.. No way I could do that now

[@siphomthiyane7126]

I was so disappointed that they still haven't updated a simple thing like color swatches. It still comes with a bare minimum of color swatches.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Maybe that will be one of the big announcements in Reason 14? 😂

[@siphomthiyane7126]

@@matthewstuartnz 🤣lets hope so.

[@xkidmidnightx]

I really feel like they half A things. Take mimic as an example. It had time stretch, chopping, beat sync, but all of these are different t modes. You can’t auto stretch a sample you are chopping to the beat. Most importantly, you can’t affect slices individually. All the technology is in the device to do this, but it affects the whole sample instead of slices. I should be able to reverse, pitch and filter individual slices. I should be able to independently stretch slices. I should be able to tempo match the entire sample to the beat in slice mode. But no, they take the laziest possible implementation of it, which makes a potentially cool device pointless

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

It needs step separation.

[@xkidmidnightx]

@@HOLLASOUNDS that would be cool too, but I really just want the basics!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@xkidmidnightx Stem separation and independent zoom for the Rack.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I have a producer friend who loves Mimic.. But I feel the same way as you. As far as I'm concerned, both Maschine and the Ableton stock sampler are way more powerful than Mimic. I think I made a video pointing this out when they released it.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Honestly I would bet money this isn't coming any time soon 😔 I don't see how they could possibly be prioritising this when the rest of their workflow updates are so lazy.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Good to see You back, and hear your opinions I dont lime the 12 sequencer I was always getting lost and the resize bar was annoying, so I think the split view in 13 is good and reminds Me of Ableton. The tools I never knew where they was in 12 and never used them either same as You, however I won't be switching DAWs. I want to be able to independently zoom the rack quickly but cant, I also want stem separation.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea the tool menu was hidden way in some random window. I was going to talk about stem separation but I decided not too.. I don't know where Reason Studios sits on AI but I don't really see them adding it in as a workflow feature. FL and Logic both have it and I suspect it will be added to Live in the next update. I think for people who are happy producing in Reason Standalone, 13 has some great quality of life improvements. Just nothing ground breaking.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@matthewstuartnz Do You think Reasons Studios should spend all there time on DAW improvements and not there REs? I thought part of the idea of making those 4K graphic changes was so that it would be bettler to code for?

[@matthewstuartnz]

I think Reason Studios should spend their time focusing rethinking what reason could be as a plugin (like I talked about in the video). I don't see any world where they will ever come close to any of the competition in terms of workflow functionality as a DAW. I think they should focus on making a Reason Plugin (that can also be opened and used in standalone) and continue to work on the Reason Rack Plugin that already exists.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@matthewstuartnz Ok what You describe is exactly like MPC beats the free DAW version of the MPC Main Daw (Which dont have a name and thats stupid) both work as Stand alone DAW or as a Plugin where the entire DAW can be loaded into another DAW exactly as You describe. The MPC DAWs work on there own or inside another DAW and can work in tandem with MPC Hardware, where the DAW on the Computer works in tandem with the software on the MPC hardware. Wow that was harder to explain then I anticipated lol but its basically exactly as You describe you want Reason to be.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks for taking the time to explain that. I'm going to need to check that out

[@79halfnhalf]

Reason has gone from a second-rate DAW to borderline irrelevant. As a plugin, it's cool but as a DAW it can't compete with the likes of Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One or even Bitwig and Tracktion Waveform. New devices just don't cut it. It's not 2008 anymore. The aforementioned companies seem to add major quality of life improvements with each iteration. Reason adds a Poly synth like we don't have 500 synth plugins already. Reason has lost me because they consistently overprice under deliver. If Bitwig doesn't get their s**t together , and start listening to user feedback, they'll be next.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Honestly, this is very well said! I would pin this comment but I can't seem to figure out how to do that... 🤔

[@Macacos]

Meh. I use Reason every day and I don’t want to switch to anything else, and I’ve tried cubase, nuendo, live and others

[@matthewstuartnz]

Love to hear it! Curious what it is about Reason that keeps you there rather than looking at other options?

[@Macacos]

@@matthewstuartnz I just love the way it inspires me to make music. The way you create devices and connect them together to quickly come up with a sound just makes it so much fun. It’s almost like you’re playing with hardware.

[@clearwaterentertainment]

A lot of people talk negative about Reason cause that’s how the get more views and streams and make money. Reason is a beat making tool and has been used to make a number hit songs for big artist, from 2pac, TI , French Montana, J Cole, and the list goes on and on. The things that Reason can’t dude like make movies and etc we can as music (Two Channel Stereo) Honestly we don’t need. Then you mention FL Studio, that’s like a kiddies toy and has the worst sound engine. In fact in South Africa FL Studio is mainly used for kids music. I have always said, if you don’t like the DAW, why not use the one that works for you. This is like comparing cars. One may find Toyota’s Atrractive and that’s good for you, another may prefer BMW. The best way to compare this is let’s compare music,mixing, mastering,sound design and let’s see who comes on top. I love Reason and Happy with it. I make all types of music and pays the bills

[@jenslempke7883]

There is no DAW that for me feels even close being as creative and fun as Reason. For creating music that is. I mix in UAD Luna and Studio One (depending on the mixing tools I use) since Reason is too cluttered for that. Also I want a classic channels - busses - mixbus setup. But the quality of the instruments and effects in Reason are amazing and they actually had proper mastering tools built in for years, which many daws hasn't had. Anyway, for me Reason is my songwriting tool since I can have full screen view of all instruments and just can unfold the one I'm working on. Also you find creative solutions by connecting cables on the backside.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I think this is where Reason excels. When you have a setup like that and turn to other tools for mixing, etc

[@LosPompadores]

I love Reason. It was my first. I have a special bond with it. But the workflow in standalone, as a proper DAW with arranger, the workflow just provides too much friction. It's not intuitive, not even after years of use. Workflow in Ableton Live is the opposite. Live is fast, easy, flexible.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I have had the exact same experience. The old Reason/Record box is still propping up the Push 2 on my desk 😂

[@xlilxillx]

this should be a free update... embarrassing

[@matthewstuartnz]

The day I dropped this video I got the email announcing Ableton's free 12.1 update.. It had waaaay more line items that the entire Reason 13 update

[@carlosp.1846]

No way I pay 200 for upgrading from 12 to 13, for a delay, a synth I don’t need and a browser update that should be free because it finally became what it was supposed to be in first place in Reason 12. 99$ max

[@matthewstuartnz]

Is it $200 to upgrade the perpetual license?? Oh man..

[@Mike_Benz_]

I agree with a lot of what you have said, and I'm sure a lot of other people do too.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I hope Reason Studios pays attention. Honestly, I'd pretty much given up caring about what they were doing (which is partly why I hadn't made any videos for ages). Reason 13 has got me excited again with a couple of great rack extensions but tbh I don't think my interest will last unless they do something drastic.

[@Mike_Benz_]

@@matthewstuartnz 💯

[@lenglain]

The new browser is so frustrating its ALWAYS IN THE WAY! I dunno why they did this and trapped it in the reason window, and they dont let you dock it like it used to be at all anymore. Even in reason standalone you have to constantly manage the browser size and position while you're browsing through patches. Overtime, this becomes absolutely INFURIATING. What a completely baffling decision i dont get it.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea that was my first impression. I ultimately decided I didn't mind it in standalone but then again I don't really use standalone so might not have spend enough time to get frustrated. I HATE it in the Reason Rack Plugin though. Incredibly lazy design.

[@VojnovMusic]

Thanks for great concise overview of this update. Sounds like a great option (if update is discounted) for people who already own older perpetual license. Still I think the subscription model is something everybody should avoid. I am just against subscription models overall if you are not using (software) Reason all every day and it is your primary tool. With that said I used Reason from 1.0 and early pc days and just can't get over it, like a old nostalgic love :D. Though I use Reaper which is mind-blowing for the price I still have a lots of old Reason projects I would like to revisit with new tools... Thanks again for a great video, keep it up! Cheers

[@matthewstuartnz]

I totally get what you're saying about a subscription if you don't use it every day. I actually don't mind subscriptions (and often prefer them).. but I also use them almost every day for work 😅

[@avace917]

I subscribe, so I have 13 regardless. If I was doing perpetual, I'd probably skip it. It isn't necessarily bad, it's just not one of those "oh, I HAVE to have this or I'll never be able to breathe" updates.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea that's a really good way to put it.

[@avace917]

@@matthewstuartnz honestly, if more people just skipped instead of complaining, that would probably send a stronger message. My last perpetual license was 11 Suite because besides VST3, I knew 12 wouldn't be a big deal. I don't even remember what they added. Polytone is nice. It's good to have a quick stock retro synth for whenever I don't want to use the Arturia stuff for whatever reason. I skipped 8 and 9 because there was nothing in either that I needed. I knew VST integration would take awhile which is why I got 10

[@matthewstuartnz]

It's hard to skip when you have the subscription 😅 I do that with the Native Instruments Komplete stuff though. I think I'm on version 12 and they are up to 14 now. They just haven't added anything new I felt I needed.

[@colindias4820]

I was more glad to see you Matt .. Good that REason 13 has come out .. i will stick to R 12 for the moment now ... Am looking at other DAWS speciifically LUNA, CUBASE PRO 13 , or maybe Logic pro .. i like the Feel of those DAWs as im more into Live Recording and more of a band production needing sampled instruments ... maybe you could also have a look at LUNA and give your thoughts on it .. Cheers and have a great day

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks for the kind words! I'd definitely consider Logic if you're based on Mac. I haven't used Cubase so can't really comment on that but I know a lot of people swear by it. I tried LUNA when it came out and wasn't impressed. I think I made a video about that actually.. it's probably changed a lot by now. If I find some time I might revisit it. Be curious to know how you find it though if you check it out!

[@tangente00]

Good video. I understand the critic that they did not add new midi tools on the new left side bar, but it is kind of not necessary since all these things you can achieve in Ableton you can do in Reason too by using players. It is just a different concept. And Reason is in a kind of difficult situation. If they add these midi tools then they devalue their player devices or make them redundant. I am Reason user since version 1, tried others Cubase, Ableton and Logic (and Magix Music Maker, haha) and updated every version and I love it. 13 is the first version I will not upgrade anymore. By owning a perpetual license I am now a second class customer for them and they block me from several devices they have. We long time users feel ripped off. So I act also as a second class customer and will not upgrade. just one more positive point, in the 24 years I used reason it never crashed even once, never had any problems of any sorts.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea it has always been very stable. And I don't blame you for not upgrading. I don't mind the subscription model but I think essentially penalising people who don't want to be on it is dumb. Especially if they are claiming to still offer it as an option. In regards to MIDI tools, I'm not even necessarily talking about the functionality the players offer. Rather better ways to interact with the notes in the piano role. Take the reverse function for example. That's super basic but is hidden away behind a right click. Or even thinks like better velocity control, not selection options. Or if they really wanted to get fancy, you could have a feature where it takes your MIDI you've written in the piano roll and imports it into one of the players for further processing. That would be really cool and would be a legit reason for users like myself to actually use standalone.

[@tangente00]

@@matthewstuartnz Actually you can do that. There is free rack extension device "CV Player Tap" from Lectric Panda that takes any midi input, external or your piano roll, to feed it back into players as much as you want.

[@woo1649]

The last version of reason I used that was rock solid was ver. 8. Didn't upgrade again until 10. 10 had some issues. 11 until a few point updates in was a disaster and 12 causes unexpected crashes that when they happen I can no longer open those songs not even saved back ups. I have a growing list of songs that I now throw into a folder called broken songs in reason 12. Reason has never been able to explain what's going on nor has anyone from the forums. I have a pc that is about 9 years old but its well within the specs to run reason. I agree with all the frustration regarding the Qol improvements. I have fl studio, acid pro, ableton 10, tried a 90 day trial of studio one but they just don't work for me. Maybe because I started with reason 4 and my brain seems to be wired for it now.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Really?? Okay I'm going to check that out. Thanks!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I think you put it well. If you started with Reason and love the workflow, nothing else feels the same. I paid for the suite version of Ableton before actually trying it out so kind of forced myself to take the time to get to know it. But it sucked for about two weeks while I was getting use to it.

[@meru_lpz]

I just want Reason Suite back :(

[@matthewstuartnz]

Was that not just additional plugins? Or you mean them do a suite update that has a bunch of the new stuff too?

[@Macho_Beats]

My Reason Rack is crashing Ableton. 😢

[@matthewstuartnz]

Oh dear.. Not sure what to suggest other than basic troubleshooting steps. If you haven't reach out already, Ableton's customer service is great. Could be worth asking them even if it is still ultimately a Reason problem.

[@alexandersorbas1881]

They fvcked up when they thought REs will beat Vsts and concentrated on that…I think they will always stay a small company with a small fan base

[@matthewstuartnz]

I agree. But I feel like they should own that instead of trying to compete with the big players.

[@coldskoolbeatz]

I'm not sure about the new browser scheme. Plus, they got rid of favorites for devices which is a deal breaker for me despite using it as a plugin. Plus, they supposedly did a browser update in 11, I think. 2 "update" cycles later, and another browser "update"? Then most of these new tool ideas were taken from the RE store. So if you already own those tools, the new RS Rack Tools are useless. I'm sorry. I have to disagree that this is a good update. I think it's the worst in years since it fundamentally changes how you use the program.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Hmm.. fair enough. Those are some good points. I still think it's a good update. Although I think it's also an incredibly lazy update. Those deal beakers you mentioned aren't something something I use so I hadn't noticed it but you're not the first person to say that. I think it's crazy they got rid of it.

[@ChristopherJenkins73]

New Sub here! Thanks for the video.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks for the sub! 🫶🏻

[@_boof]

Long time Reason user here. This is the weakest update I’ve seen in the last several years. You know what’s insane? You can’t drag and drop a wav file from the browser into a VST. You can do that in almost every other DAW. It’s crazy to me I’m waiting for such a basic feature. They’re lucky I use RE’s otherwise I would’ve let go of them a while back.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea there are a lot of things about their VST implementation that is just lazy.. including a bunch of things with Reason Rack Plugin in other DAWs. You think it's the weakest though? I think it's better than 12.. But that's not saying much cause I thought 12 was a complete mess of a rollout.

[@adammassacre1981]

Ive been a user since the first reason JUST before Reason 2 was released. Ive upgraded and purchased quite a lot of software and RE's over the years so A LOT of cash has been handed over to Reason studios and to hit us with a £200 upgrade for 13 they can go shit. Cubase 13 pro upgrade was a third of the price and its a WAY better pro DAW. Yeah Reason is fun but its just a posh playstation videogame. I will stay play around with 12 but im out as far as a £200 upgrade.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I can't believe that's how much the upgrade costs 😭 I'm subbed to Reason+ so I didn't check but that's actually insane.

[@thereal_ineedHelp]

18:12 lmao, that’s so bad it’s actually kinda funny

[@matthewstuartnz]

The browser update two times in a row or the fact that it's locked in the plugin window?

[@machoman7655]

They use to have that with ReWire to be able to open stand alone with a different DAW. But for some magical reason they got rid of it 😂

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea ReWire is starting to seem real attractive recently.

[@djholla]

A good free daw is Universal Audio Luna. 😊

[@matthewstuartnz]

Have you used this much? I tried it when it came out but haven't looked at it since.. And do you still need an Apollo unit to use it?

[@djholla]

@@matthewstuartnz no you dont need a apollo anymore. the free version got no tape emulation, but i dont think you need it at the start. i tryed it and it feels realy fast and snappy. im a pro tools user and looking forwart to use it as my second daw :)

[@matthewstuartnz]

Interesting. I might revisit it then.

[@thegoodsherman]

yes, it's always only half-finished and implemented...and it takes an eternity until something is integrated...if at all. I always wonder what they do all the time... not much comes out of it... always just the absolute minimum... we don't need any new effects and synth... there are 1000 and much better ones. I've been using version 2.0 for a while and at the moment I'm still on version 10.0. I won't update either. Maybe it's time to change the DAW

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea. I do like the simplicity and creativity of a lot of their instruments, but your right, I think there are a lot of objectively better options.

[@allen394]

I have been a Reason user since R5, they have had a boat load of my hard earned money (I have bought a perpetual license for every update since R5. But I am finished with Reason for good now. The only truly good thing, is how Reason's virtual rack wiring can teach newbies and kids how to wire a hardware rack and mostly only big studios use outboard gear these days. Also AI is destroying the music business and will be coming for DAW'S, probably next week at it's current rate of acceleration. RIP Reason 😢

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea sure is an interesting time to be a musician with AI. Have you listen to Rick Beato talk about it at all?

[@allen394]

@@matthewstuartnz Yes I do watch his channel and Rick makes some very interesting points about AI.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, I'm not sure I agree with every point he's made but I think he's spot on with the overall sentiment.

[@ethannickerson1901]

That shrinking "cursor zone" thing is so annoying.

[@matthewstuartnz]

It feels like such lazy design. LIke it's a great feature to add but please do it in such a way that doesn't limit existing functionality 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ChristopherJenkins73]

Maybe Reason Should give it up as a DAW!? Focus on making it a reason rack! I 100% agree! Ive thought this for so long now. You definitely are on the same page as me!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Right! I think a pivot like this could make them insanely cool and relevant again!

[@blutheproducer9888]

Fl just took the biggest ish ever on Reason 13 biz model

[@matthewstuartnz]

Cause of free updates or did they do something I've missed?

[@AJWISE41]

ThirDEEN!!!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Is it the accent? 😔

[@AJWISE41]

@@matthewstuartnz I just never heard anyone say it like that.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I don't mean to 😅

[@thegoodsherman]

2024 and no mpe Support 😤🤦

[@matthewstuartnz]

Don't hold your breath haha. You know how long it took them to add VST3

[@forestsunset9617]

R13 is basically a few plugins they could have sold as extensions and minor changes to the DAW. Absolute bullsh*t, do they think we are stupid? They need to employ some developers to transform the DAW instead of getting that Ryan dude to make annoying videos telling us how "cool" and "rad" it is, when it isn't.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I think Ryan actually does a good job. But it's not like he's given much to work with. Has has to make the scraps he's fed look like something amazing.

[@forestsunset9617]

@@matthewstuartnz I don't shot the messenger, but like you said he needs actual good news to share, not pretend news. the guy looks like he's been held hostage.

[@matthewstuartnz]

That hostage comment is funny 😂 Do you remember his Ryan's Neat Beat Cheat Sheet videos or whatever? I actually thought they were great back in the day. I remember wanting other companies to make more tutorials like that but it's kind of flipped now.. I've actually been really impressed by the tutorials Native Instruments have been uploading on their main channel.

[@forestsunset9617]

@@matthewstuartnz I'm Reason user since v1 (I'm old) but think Ryan has produced some good videos. I just want the DAW to move on instead of pretending to!

[@matthewstuartnz]

I wholeheartedly agree

[@alainjulot3490]

Then $199? When logic is $199. They won’t get my money. It’s so disrespectful to me as a Reason 12 user. No special discount for current reason 12 users. I’m out!!!!

[@matthewstuartnz]

I only realised the update was $199 today.. It's ridiculous. I just uploaded a video comparing what is in the new Ableton Live 12.1 update (which is free) compared to Reason 13 (which is $199). Honestly, emabarrassing for Reason

[@jatari18]

Love your videos mate and great to see you publish another. Ive been using Reason since,...well, Rebirth lol. I agree with the overall sentiment in here and dind myself using it as a plugin rather than a standalone DAW - these days I frequent Bitwig as my main. Given your excitement over the new delay machine with guitar, I thought I'd share this gem with you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKKsY5KdqbqHsLs

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks! What made you choose Bitwig of Ableton (or any other DAWs)? And thanks for sharing that vid. That Bitwig delay sounds super cool 😍

[@garyburrows-nn8rg]

Bitwig ....no more money for reason . Crap company . They will fall

[@matthewstuartnz]

What do you like about Bitwig?

[@garyburrows-nn8rg]

@@matthewstuartnz multiple midi clock out . The synths are awesome . It's compatable with arturia controllers plus I can use reason as a vst . It's also Linux compatable . I got fed up with reason compatability issues . I'm done defending reason and it's marketing department . I'll keep 12 because I have projects still but I'm moving on to bitwig . Check it out . Cheers

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I'm kind of pissed Reason doesn't have any decent mapping for Native Instrument controllers.. My maschine and S49 are both useless when I try and use them in Reason and I can't be bothered setting them up manually. I've never tried Bitwig myself but have watched a few videos on it. Personally, I don't think it's for me. I'm pretty happy with Ableton. I do enjoy hearing why people choose it though. Linux compatible is a reason I've had a few people decide to use it.