Reason 13 vs Ableton Live 12.1 (an embarrassing comparison)

In this video, I show you how much more is included in the Ableton Live 12.1 FREE point update, in comparison to the $199 Reason 13 upgrade.
00:00 - Introduction
00:27 - Responding to your comments
06:03 - Reason & Record nostalgia
08:55 - What's in Ableton 12.1?
13:43 - How I use Maschine (Reason should do this)
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[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I used Reason up until 11. Nobody hates Reason more than people who truly love it and wish it didnt suck in all the ways that it sucks. Its constantly looking over at the "other guys" and copying their homework now. It has to be whoever is making decisions at the top. Management or something. Maybe they were not prioritizing the happiness of their most productive and talented software engineers and lost them, so they are slowly suffering from corporate brain drain - I dont know, but something has been wrong and the magic has been missing for a while now.

[@matthewstuartnz]

"Nobody hates Reason more than people who truly love it and wish it didnt suck in all the ways that it sucks." I like this comment. People often tell me to stop hating or just more on but I think this sums up why I haven't. Yea.. It'd be nice to know what actually happened.

[@S7V7N_SEAS]

Same here. I had reason since version 4, still have the boxes for every upgrade. I stopped using it at version 11 and started using Ableton and never looked back. I figured I would use it as a VST but the workflow is just that much better in Ableton. I wish they would actually revamp it and stop with the gimmicks but it is what it is. No real innovation it’s just stuck.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I still use it regularly as a VST but tbh I think I wouldn't miss it if I was forced to stop using it. Which I think says something.

[@trackmasters65]

I am able to do anything I want in Reason, but I have been really shocked at how they have been treating their users who keep asking for features that are now old hat in other DAWs. I used Reason back in 2004, then again in 2008. Then I stopped and reinstalled it in 2020 wanting to get back into music. And I found that the community had died. It's dead. There used to be Reason refill websites, a Propellerhead music conference, well-known producers promoting Reason, and a thriving online community. It's all gone because Reason has been so stubbornly silent in addressing user complaints over features they've been asking for over a decade now! Like... why? Why not just do it? So now, even though I love Reason for my own personal use, I find that the product I rely on so much might be a sinking ship and is completely disregarded by the broader producer community. And to boot, they for some reason made the decision to stop making their awesome high-quality KZbin tutorials and replaced those with amateur user-generated content and long, rambling live streams. Why would they do that? It's like they're self-sabotaging.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, I used to think their KZbin tutorials were some of the best in the game. And I know what you mean about not addressing things. I've made the comparison that I think Reason is a bit like Apple in the sense that they can seem late to the game with implementing features that their competition has. The difference is, when Apple releases a feature, it's rock solid and awesome. Recently, It's felt a lot like when Reason releases a feature, it's half-baked and lazy. I thought their roadmap they released after 12 was a good step in the right direction. And, after some delays, they did end up doing what they said they would. But they haven't really kept up with the dialogue.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

All of Reason history can bee summed up in one line dude: A DAW that refused to allow VST/ AU plugin functionality clear up until version 10, to a DAW that no longer wants to be a DAW at all and decided its actually a VST/AU plugin.

[@matthewstuartnz]

That's hilarious 😆

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

@@matthewstuartnz 🤘🏻

[@machoman7655]

I’m not ever updating Reason again.

[@matthewstuartnz]

You think you'll still keep using it?

[@machoman7655]

@@matthewstuartnz I’ll use it because I only use Reason to make beats. Eventually I’ll jump ship to Ableton or FL studio

[@matthewstuartnz]

It'll be worth it I think. Especially if you keep the Reason Rack Plugin

[@fionaskittle]

I still have that Record box too! I have it and a number of other physical Reason versions, I was using it since version 2.5. I switched to Ableton after Reason 13 was announced. It was honestly death by a thousand cuts for me. I'm extremely sad about it as Reasons skewmorphism is what made me fall in love with it - and I still love it. But at some point I realised that brand loyalty was keeping me around. Reason+ was the beginning of the end for me. I used to be able to just buy Reason, but being pushed to subscribe monthly to get the full range of Propellerhead devices was a non-starter for me. Note chase, track grouping and midi clip looping were the immediate features I found in Ableton when using the trial that made me realise I could never go back, and now I'm like, wait a minute, these are such basic features - it's inexcusable that Reason doesn't have them!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha yea, you'll find you keep stumbling on features like that in Ableton that you realise just make so much sense. Another one that I really love (if you haven't discovered it yet) is if you hold down Cmd you can click and drag up or down on a MIDI note and it will change velocity. Makes making expressive edits super quick and easy in the piano roll.

[@fionaskittle]

@@matthewstuartnzooop that one is new to me! Thanks for the tip! I've just been using the velocity controls on the bottom :D

[@matthewstuartnz]

Oh yea, it's a great one. Another thing I do in my default session is set the 'D' (caps lock matters) key to be the stop button. That way you can always push it twice to get back to the start of the track. Otherwise there isn't a keyboard shortcut for that unfortunately. If I think of any other useful tricks, I'll let you know.

[@bloodswarms]

I recently got the Cubase 13 upgrade. Normal upgrade cost is 129, but I got it for 69 on sale. Came with an astonishing amount of stuff for the money. When I saw the upgrade cost of Reason 13, and what it included, I actually laughed out loud and was embarrassed for the company and anyone who would be conned by it.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, I didn't see the cost initially cause I'm on Reason+. But I was pretty taken aback when people pointed it out to me.

[@bloodswarms]

@@matthewstuartnz I thought about getting Reason+. But I already have all but two of their REs outside of 13, and the stuff that comes with 13 isn't world changing. They don't release instruments and effects often enough that Reason+ is worthwhile because of what I already have. I'll probably buy Objekt this year. That's all they're gonna get me for.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Fair enough. Objekt is pretty cool

[@garrettbrown1871]

Iconica Sketch alone is worth double the upgrade price!

[@bloodswarms]

@@garrettbrown1871 It really is! And after the upgrade, they dropped the free stuff. They really know how to make their customers feel appreciated.

[@mjamiep12]

I'm wondering why they got rid of my favorite color scheme, "blue". Why would they do that? Why would they make that effort?

[@matthewstuartnz]

Mattias said it was because it was too much work to update three schemes and the new black is slightly more in the middle between the old black and the old blue (if I am remembering correctly).

[@cryptoholica72]

Honestly. I think this is really lame . Most guys complaining couldn't write a decent track to begin with no matter how many bells and whistles they have and I've heard some great tracks written on reason 3. Hell I've seen some amazing things done with juat the maelstrom alone. So whatever. I love reason and I love ableton for different reasons and I use both.

[@LossLeadas]

People go buy 3rd party vst"s to use in reason..but dont wanna pay for they plugins thats for sale. People want them for free 😂.... ALL DAWS HAVE PROS AND CONS...i test them all the time...its about what you know and what you do. Shalom

[@radradthad]

When they locked the high res refresh behind upgrading to 12 I knew I was done with reason. Even if they do fix all the stuff we’ve been complaining about for years ,like the awful midi editing that is so far behind EVERYONE, we would have to pay hundreds for it. Honestly wish we were in a different timeline where they didn’t ruin what I thought to be the most refreshing DAW of the bunch.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, it felt more fun when it was Propellerhead. Which version are you on now? Or do you not use it at all?

[@radradthad]

@@matthewstuartnz 11 only use the vst for effects in ableton. No other use for it really, never cared much for the sounds it came with.

[@matthewstuartnz]

That's mainly how I use it these days. Every now and then I dabble with one of the instruments but because I also have Komplete and NI controllers I find I tend to favour those

[@tymantis]

Editing midi in Reason is very frustrating and is one of the reasons why I stopped using Reason

[@radradthad]

@@tymantis incredibly frustrating for no reason and has been incredibly frustrating since forever. Makes no sense to me why this piece has remained the way it is after 13 “major” updates. The sad thing is the use of multiple midi lanes for one sound is such a cool idea completely botched by the fact that the midi snapping in reason is so annoying. It being so close to being good is what’s so infuriating.

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

Hey : keep in mind that 12 was $199 for upgraded combinator - VST 3 - support and HD GUI, 50 samplers not one proper pitch stretching tool 🤣🤣 if one is REASON 1.0 to 13 user, what is the value of reason now $1500 ? Also have you noticed that NI gives ZERO shits about updating Maschine Now : these are your words " EVERYTHING IN REASON SEEMS UNFINISHED" and I agree with this statement 100% Cheers 🥂 🥂

[@matthewstuartnz]

NI is on a MUCH slower update cycle based around hardware first. They released the Maschine+ four years ago and have recently refreshed their Komplete Kontrol keyboards and have been updating their software desgin. I think the Maschine Mk4 and Maschine 3 will be next in order to bring them in line with the new keyboards. I really hope the Maschine Mk4 has MPE pads though.

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

@@matthewstuartnz I have so much to say : but the comments is not the place : I will reply later with more cohesive ideas

[@matthewstuartnz]

Be keen to hear your thoughts!

[@garrettbrown1871]

Holy shit. Still no note chase? That should have been addressed like 10 years ago. I remember that being the most annoying part of reason. How much time is wasted that you have to go back to the start of the midi clips. Especially parts with drones.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yup.. I remember when I first tried a DAW with note chase haha. I was like oh this is how MIDI is supposed to work 😂

[@Mike_Benz_]

I agree, Reason 13 should have been a free update. I still love the program but I won't be upgrading to 13, I'll wait till 14 or a point update if they add more to make it worth upgrading.

[@Barney-ii1no]

I feel like if they dont go all in with reason 14 that's it they are done

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I think if you're already on 12 and don't particularly want want either polytone or ripley then 13 is an easy miss.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I'd really like to see the stats on their sales and marketing data. I'm super interested in what percentage of the user based is genuinely stoked with Reason and what demographic these users are.

[@tymantis]

Probably mostly idiots and Reason fanboys​@@matthewstuartnz

[@matthewstuartnz]

😂

[@MillisecondFalcon]

I hope RS see this as it's a fantastic summary of just how poor value for money R13 is. It says a lot when by far the best thing about Reason Studios is... Ryan! I know he loves Reason but it feels like his talents as a presenter\educator\ambassador are wasted.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Ryan is great! I've always been a massive fan of his work. And I can guarantee Reason Studios will see this video. Unfortunately, I just don't think they really care.

[@meru_lpz]

In my humble opinion, Reason needs to: - Bring down the price of their main product back to where it was before - Offer a Suite version (again) where they can justify charging more - Take clues from Roland Cloud's "Play for Life" offer to make the Reason+ subscription more appealing by letting customers keep one of the Reason Studio's Rack Extensions after a year of subscription.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Those are all excellent suggestions.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

4:07 Yes not having note chase is annoying so I bounce midi to audio, and if I need to edit something I bounce it to audio again.

[@matthewstuartnz]

That's a good idea. But an annoying workaround. I feel like we shouldn't have to be doing things like that at this point.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@matthewstuartnz I think alot of Reason users don't realise what We are missing out on.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Trying standalone after not using it for a few years made it painfully obvious. My original plan was to make my whole demo track in standalone but I couldn't do it. I felt like I was just hitting up against walls with every other thing I was trying to do.

[@djshmul1]

​@@matthewstuartnz yeah Reason standalone pain and they made it worse

[@_boof]

I’ve been using Reason since the Record/Reason days. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to turn Reason into a groove box. Something akin to Push. But Reason Studios again too caught up in nickle and diming their customers. Their videos feel a bit out of touch. I will keep them around because I use a lot of their instruments in other DAWs. But they need to make drastic changes to the fluidity of the browser dragging and dropping. More sample warping options. Make the sequencer as fluid as the rack. They should’ve hired me years ago but whatever. Here we are.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, I used to get so excited about a new Reason release. I would still love to be on the product development team though haha

[@vstpluginsonicxtc]

Good video! I have Ableton 12 (awesome with Max) and FL Studio 24 (always terrific for quick mad scientist vibes). But Reason 13 remains my go to music production tool (a user since Rebirth was released in the 90s) when I am not in Avid. The rack is so familiar to hardware and the sound quality is always top rate! Sorry, but the synths in Live and Fl Studio just are not comparable to the Reason devices for me. Grateful I can afford to dabble in different DAWs. In my view, if you enjoy working with hardware, Reason will often be a good fit. If you primarily like working with software, then there are numerous other options for a beginner that are way cheaper (e.g., Reaper). The one downside of being a Propellerhead fan for decades is that they always do what they want to do regardless of what users say. But in their defense, I have always had the most consistent fun making music on a computer using their products. Peace!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks for the great comment! Yea, I think Reason will always in in terms of overall fun vibes.

[@geraldgoodiii6993]

Last reason I had was 6. On a whim I tried whatever Live version that was out at the time. Never looked back. The workflow for reason was just such PITA! With Live and Bitwig .. the limiting factor is ME. I can do anything I want and fast.

[@matthewstuartnz]

"the limiting factor is ME".. I think that's a good way to put it. I think I feel the same way. The whole reason I switched to Live was cause there were specific things I felt were limiting me in Reason. I haven't found that yet in Live.

[@Barney-ii1no]

as a Reason user since reason 2 I am sadly going to move to another daw which I don't want to do, Reason has sort of always been a little bit behind with features I remember how long it took them to add the ability to record into Reason and how long it took them to add vst support I see this new update as embarrassing, it has got to the point were they are so far behind but what they are choosing to add to the daw is not what people want, I have seen many people actually say they prefer the old browser and the fact they took away the favorites menu is a downgrade. I wont be buying another version of Reason again they have lost a long time user :(

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I didn't noticed that about the browser cause I didn't use that feature but tons of people have said that to me. I don't mind a company being a little behind the pack as long as when they release a feature they do it well. I think Apple is a good example of this. Unfortunately though, lately Reason has been falling further behind and releasing features that I still think are just sub par.

[@djshmul1]

I feel the same , Reason user from 2000 and hard to believe, that I am thinking about Ableton, the new upgrade killed my workflow, no option's, and they took away a blue theme, can't handle this new browser and tool window so annoying, I was good with only edit area on the top.My subscription ends in December and I have Reason 12 license and lots of devices, but still paying for Plus , for sure if they will not give us a choice and make really notable changes , I am out too, I have Ableton lite , I'll start there

[@matthewstuartnz]

Live Lite will let you test the waters. And if you decide you like it and don't need/want all the Ableton stock stuff, Standard would be the way to go.

[@doodoogtube]

@@djshmul1 my friend. Trust me you should fall in love with Ableton. Just make sure you learn how to use Session View first to create the start (or ideas of a track) then transfer them over into the “Arrange View”. This in my opinion is the best way to use Ableton Live

[@matthewstuartnz]

Session view is great. I didn't use it at all for the first couple of years but since getting Push it's added a whole new dynamic to the way I work.

[@ChristopherJenkins73]

Excellent Follow up Video! 👊🏻✊🏻

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thank you 🙏

[@stephenedmonds2863]

Something as simple as markers still not available in 2024. Beyond the simple qol stuff though, the whole daw is just too far behind. It's a shame because it's fun to work with, but you really have to jump through hoops to do serious work. And for a daw that takes pride in an analog workflow, where's the analog sound? Why isn't there summing? Where are the vintage compressors and eqs? Why do they pretend that is an ssl mixer? It's a cartoon rendition. And how about update those old, old rack devices. 20+ year old code. I can go on, but I'm just pissing in the wind. I'm just bummed because I like the damn thing and want it to be successful.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I feel you man. I haven't even thought about the mixer in ages. It's a shame they don't make more of an effort to update it seeing as once upon a time it was a big selling point. But they haven't even given it dark mode 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@cjjmail]

I agree that a complete version of Reason in a plug-in would be awesome. Lack of VST’s in the plug-in is such a shortcoming. I used Reason from version 1 but gave up with it. It is still great fun to use but they obviously don’t have the resources to compete anymore. I would love to start using it again and a complete plug-in with piano roll and VST’s would give me the excuse that I need.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Unfortunately it becomes harder and harder to justify using Reason as anything but a 'fun' choice. Which is great if you don't have to choose one or the other with something else.

[@garrettbrown1871]

What blows my mind is that Propellerhead's Rebirth is what gave the company a spot on the map and 20 + years later there is still no 303 stock in Reason. That literally should have been the first instrument within reason. And not through the Rebirth input machine crap.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea.. It sucks cause they have such a rich history and I feel like they are wasting it

[@garrettbrown1871]

@@matthewstuartnz I know man. Its so sad. Changed the name to reason studios. So lame. Changed the logo to a cube. Also so lame. And what the hell is up with the website. I'm about to pass out trying to navigate it. I loved Reason when it was lean and mean. It really forced creativity. Now it's bloated. Well everything in the music software world is bloated now I guess!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Bloated yet somehow still missing so much 🤦🏼‍♂️ I remember thinking that 'Reason Studios' was a name change that made sense (although I thought Propellerhead was better) given the exciting possibilities of the Reason Rack Plugin when they released that. But unfortunately, I really don't think they have lived up to the potential that we all hoped for.

[@regyoung9307]

Thanks much for the follow-up. My thought is that they should not allow it to be opened as a standalone DAW inside another DAW. They should really just make the improvements people want to see in the standalone DAW. There's so much potential and a chance for them to be back in the upper echelon of DAWs if they just...listen to their customers. I like the new update, but I've been exploring other DAWs Ableton and Studio One over the last couple of years., and like you, I also use Maschine. I think the thing that's kept me from committing full time to another DAW is that none of the other DAWs are as inspiring to me upon opening it as Reason had been over the years. Visually, there is no other DAW as stunning as Reason. That keeps me hanging on. However, I think I will make the tough decision to commit to another DAW as a companion to Maschine...with Reason as a Rack Plugin. I'll likely still make beats in Reason from time to time. We'll see.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I think they should just improve the standalone version too.. But I don't think they will so I suggested what I think would be a good compromise (and remove the pressure to add all the workflow features in standalone). Basically, I don't think they will ever improve standalone enough (although that would be the best result I think) and so I think they should change direction with the product.

[@chocomalk]

To be fair, they added the ability to draw a ramp on velocity lanes in the tool area.... But let's be honest here, they can't even do QOL updates like adding new keyboards to their master keyboard list in the prefs. My Arturia keyboard can run FL Studio and Live almost completely and I don't expect that from Reason but it would be nice to have basic functionality without constantly assigning buttons.

[@matthewstuartnz]

To be fair, they did. And I appreciate that. But it's also such a tiny detail that to praise them for adding that in lieu of all the other MIDI tools they could add is awkward in itself. Omg that keyboard thing frustrates me to no end! Both my Native instrument Maschine and S49 controllers are basically useless in Reason 😭

[@glutenenjoyer__]

Imagine if they had hired Ekssperimental Sounds to do make his REs (which are hilariously expensive, by the way) as native devices. Reason would be looking a lot more interesting.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I haven't ever looked at those 🤯

[@guitar_genius]

The reason upgrades are good for the reason user specifically but not good for the modern day producer in general. So if you are coming from another daw, you will miss a lot basic stuff that was at your finger tips.

[@matthewstuartnz]

This is a great way of putting it.

[@theorize999]

I never ever have the problem of working on a drone and the bassline in the same track

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha fair enough

[@xkidmidnightx]

Dang. I use the capture thing in live all the time. It’s one of my favorite features. I’ll just jam over something for a few minutes then go back and check out what I did if I started to like what I was doing. But yeah, it’s really sad what’s happening to reason. They can’t decide if they want to be a daw or a synth rack. I kind of feel like they don’t have anyone there to work on the DAW side anymore. Even with the instruments, you can tell they are being lazy. I’ve complained about mimic before. It’s the perfect example of how they leave off the most basic features that people using samplers for chopping would need. Hopefully they come out with a .5 update or something.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I think a point update is much needed if they want to keep people happy.. But I'd rather they just announce a change in direction. I should give the capture thing I go. I think I just never tried it so it's not at the front of my mind when it comes to messing with stuff 😅

[@thegoodsherman]

Reason standalone as a vst Plugin is a great Point .. I hadn't even thought about it👍

[@matthewstuartnz]

It would be cool right!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Luna FREE only works with I lock, and I'm not doing that, so is unusable for Me. On that topic Reason 12.5 added a new offline register mode which was supposed to be for Plus users to be able to open Reason without always having a internet connection. The problem for Me is I'm a stand alone user and am expected to use that same system, and its annoying, you have to select a 1 month pass, or yearly pass and the yearly pass is only allowed to be on 1 computer. Currently I cant open Reason on My main laptop and its very annoying.

[@matthewstuartnz]

That does sound annoying.. How come you don't like ilok out of interest? I use it cause I have to but I don't love it. It's such an annoying piece of software

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@matthewstuartnz I dont use I lock because I dont want to have yet another thing to log into, before I make music, thats why I'm annoyed ablut having to log on for Reason Stand alone it basically defeats the perpose of a stand alone product. Also a interesting point as You show the Reason box, everything they do now is online, You cant buy a boxed and packaged product this saves them Millions of dollars, another example of Reason Studios maiximising profits but not delivering the value.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Can you buy boxed versions of any DAW these days?

[@reptilejesus829]

@@matthewstuartnz the really fun part is when it breaks with an update and you realize that there is no customer support of any sort (:

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha yea, I have had issues with that in the past actually..

[@deeplinkmusic]

I think an interesting question is whether or not 'good software' is simply a sum of its features

[@matthewstuartnz]

I would think so? As long as features includes UI considerations

[@iliravdyli4109]

Matthias as the product manager has to go and let someone else take over the direction.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I like Mattias.. but I also have no idea what he does so can't really comment haha

[@iliravdyli4109]

@@matthewstuartnz u should watch one of the latest video how they made reason 13.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I watched that.. and still have no idea about what they really do 😅

[@ignite137]

Honestly, since the departure of Ernst Nathorst, the new CEO has focused on marketing and business models rather than on innovation and implementing current standards.

[@glutenenjoyer__]

Innovation is basically illegal when your company has been besieged by a venture capital firm, which Reason Studios has. Only thing on the agenda is to maximize profits from existing assets with as little investment as possible. It's happening to NI as well.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Who took over NI?

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I don't feel like the new CEO has done anything that's impressed me.

[@ignite137]

@@glutenenjoyer__ Why do Studio One (PreSonus), owned by Fender, and Steinberg (owned by Yamaha) continue to innovate then?

[@ignite137]

@@matthewstuartnz They have joined with Brainworx and Plugin Alliance

[@DaddaPsy]

To be fair, it took Ableton Live over 20 years to get these features users been asking for. That being said, Reason has been around since 1997 haha. Anyway, I wouldn't trade Ableton for anything. People try to convince me switching over to Bitwig but I won't do that.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, my opinion would probably be different if Reason was a new company.. But I'm pretty sure they have been around longer than Ableton.

[@f1rstp3rsonngaming96]

Keep in mind reason Studio Worked 😔 2 years For 13

[@matthewstuartnz]

Even more insane when you add the years they worked on 12.

[@f3rny_66]

back in the ancient days I loved reason because it was so frictionless moving from a hardware workflow. However 20 something years later, they are still there, and the world have move on. Hell, even ableton was nice coming from trackers, but they adapted to the times (sometimes at a slow pace, finally they are having tags for plugins) but adapted anyway

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, I guess they all have the things that would be nice to that finally get added. But the key thing is actually finally adding them 😂

[@synthstuff9250]

Yeah Reason's DAW can't compete with Ableton at all, in fact, why do they even still bother with their DAW? And the Reason perpetual license upgrade cost to 13? LMAO they are on some mighty fine crack. Reason rack is cool, unfortunately the Reason+ subscription price is way out of touch with reality. It should be no more than 10 bucks a month. I can guarantee they aren't getting many subscribers at 20 bucks a month, its stupid.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea I wonder how many more people would sub at $10 month?

[@tnmlssvoid]

Reason is no longer competing as a full complete proper main DAW... All they want is new subscribers. Not even interested in perpetual license owners... They just want you to use the rack plugin in live... As a subscriber, of course...

[@matthewstuartnz]

Feels that way

[@Caelo_music]

I like all the DAWs. I don't have anything against anyone. I used FL Studio for 6 years (my first DAW), I have Ableton Live Lite, Logic Pro and tried a bunch of others. However, rn I just like Reason the most. You just can't compare the look and feel of a DAW and how well you can work with it on paper. Yeah, FL got free lifetime updates, however, everything they released in the last 5 years was not interesting to me, or at least not enough to give it another go, since the workflow is so different (and worse IMO). I think Ableton is great but I just dislike using it because of the navigation in the sequencer and it looks like a spreadsheet (dont get me wrong, I like the modern look but compared to Reason it's a sterile operating room, especially the devices). Now a days it's just not the software holding me back. My favorite music was made with software 10 years ago. I bet they didn't have MIDI chase back then. Great video and a fair comparison. However, too often new features sound great on release but rarely get adopted into the normal workflow. Reason needs to speed up their development for sure, however, for now I will stick to it. Have a nice weekend everyone.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea everything you've said spot on. It's all good to talk about feature sets but at the end of the day that isn't what's stopping people from making music.

[@tymantis]

Once again Reason Studios is overcharging for an underwhelming product and Ryan is trying to polish a turd as best as he can

[@matthewstuartnz]

Poor Ryan

[@tangente00]

I take a pragmatic view. Those missing features and tools, how often do you really need them? Sure there are situations you would love to have them and it might slow you down, but in the end this has rather a minor effect on your work and art. Those who now switch from Reason to Ableton, are they now producing better music?

[@matthewstuartnz]

I see what you're saying and that might apply to the specific differences in the 12.1 update. But honestly, the features and tools that Ableton has that Reason doesn't are things that I use all the time and have a major effect on what I can create.

[@tomverswyvel6370]

Studio one is the best .

[@matthewstuartnz]

Studio One is great!

[@Paulo-ut1li]

Oh boy, now you got me thinking about trying Ableton or Luna. I'm really a Reason user since 2005, but maybe it's time to switch. I heavily rely on Dr Rex loops, maybe it's the reason I'm not to leaving Reason yet (pun unintended).

[@matthewstuartnz]

Honestly, I would give Live a go. You can always use your Rex loops in the Reason Rack Plugin inside Ableton if you really miss them. Make sure you go into it with the expectation that it's probably going to take a week or two to get the hang of Ableton cause it is a bit different if you're really used to the Reason workflow. But I have no regrets about the switch. I think Ableton is better from a workflow point of view in virtually every way. And the company is consistently adding new and cool stuff with every release (as you can see in this video haha). Also, if you ever fancy getting a Push controller, it works AWESOME with Ableton.

[@Barney-ii1no]

other samplers can use dr rex files, I think the Ableton sampler can? and kontakt etc

[@Paulo-ut1li]

@@Barney-ii1no I didn't know about it, I'll trying loading .rex with kontakt. Thank you!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Really? I'm going to try that too!

[@AD-Dom]

Even Reaper is better than reason.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I've never given Reaper a good go cause it's not for me. But from what I've heard, I'd believe it.

[@monogramadikt5971]

the other good thing about ableton is its free ;) lol

[@matthewstuartnz]

Well the update is free haha

[@doodoogtube]

Reason is 🗑 I tried using Reason back in the day and then tried again 2 years ago (with the plug-ins inside my own DAW) and it just wasn’t worth the money to pay per month. They should just trash the DAW and become a Plugin company. The workflow is not intuitive, fast or easy to use. Making music should be fun not a chore.🙄

[@matthewstuartnz]

What do you think would be fair to pay per month for just the plugin?

[@doodoogtube]

@@matthewstuartnz $0.00 I’d rather buy my plug-ins outright instead of paying for them for 10, 15 or 20+ years no matter how cheap it is. … it sucks to pay for something, and if you decide to stop paying for it, you end up with nothing, not even an older version. You know what Imean?

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea.. especially since Reason also hasn't updated any of the old rack units forever!

[@mattaldridge]

🍿😄

[@matthewstuartnz]

Remember all those years ago when I used to try and convice you Reason was better than Ableton? Well... you were right. Ableton is better.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I feel like Reason is like the OP1. Fun, but expensive and not at all necessary 😂

[@mattaldridge]

@@matthewstuartnz bringing out that reason / record bundle made me feel so nostalgic, where did time go 😭

[@matthewstuartnz]

I know!!! 😭 I'll let you hold it when you come visit 😂

[@mattaldridge]

@@matthewstuartnz 😅😇

[@LossLeadas]

Hey just stay with ableton....yes reason need features. But is it a deal breaker? Do it stops your workflow? People dont think about thinks untill they realize they need it now..before a feature came..people still created music.. abelton live nice.. but the GUI HORRIBLE has no inspiration at all

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I actually like the Ableton GUI (after you mess with the colour scheme a bit).

[@tomverswyvel6370]

user interface is crap ..

[@matthewstuartnz]

I feel like it leaves a bunch to be desired 😅

[@bigdap100]

@Bitwig embarrasses Ableton. Ableton doesn’t even allow you to edit clips…that’s absolutely ridiculous 😂 And Ableton just now in version 12 allows you to see all the workflow.😂

[@matthewstuartnz]

What do you mean edit clips? And see all the workflow cause they added the new mixer panel?

[@bigdap100]

@@matthewstuartnz been using Ableton for over 15 years, and you still can’t edit your clips in the session view…you can’t cut, copy, or paste anything…you can only stretch quantize and use automation. In Bitwig, you can do ANYTHING…you can actually ADD more source material….it’s phenomenal. I love working with clip editing in Bitwig, it’s a dream to work with…

[@matthewstuartnz]

Oh you mean like change MIDI notes inside a clip but from arrangement view? If that's what you're talking about, LUNA can do that.. and I hate it 😅 I do not want Ableton to add that at all haha

[@bigdap100]

@@matthewstuartnz no, I mean audio. If you populate a clip slot with an audio sample, you can’t do simple edits, you can’t cut cop or paste anything…. The most fundamental thing in music production can not be done with an audio clip in the session view…it’s the most ridiculous thing ever.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Aahh I see what you mean.. Honestly, that's not something that bothers me. But thinking about it that would be a cool feature

[@alexandersorbas1881]

why do you even bother 🤣

[@matthewstuartnz]

Because I actually still love Reason and hope that by providing constructive criticism it might actually help improve a product I use regularly (but feel could be better).

[@alexandersorbas1881]

@@matthewstuartnz if you change the perspective from end user to business, you will agree, that the future for Reason as a DAW is not competitive anymore. There are way too many better DAW alternatives out there….so look at it as if Reason rewinded back to version 1.0 where it was just a sound module and has its best success… As a business it would beca waste of money trying to continue a route that just didn’t work out in the end…Reason is now what it was meant to be actually 😉

[@matthewstuartnz]

Sorry, I don't think I quite understand your point?

[@alexandersorbas1881]

@@matthewstuartnz Just think as a businessman not an end user...then you will get it

[@matthewstuartnz]

Are you saying how Reason is currently is their most profitable form?

[@autofocus4556]

It sucks for a Reason.

[@matthewstuartnz]

What's the reason?

[@autofocus4556]

@@matthewstuartnz just being punny.

[@matthewstuartnz]

😂

[@javonscott4777]

Isn't reason free

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I can't tell if this is a serious comment or if you're making a joke.. but no, Reason is pretty expensive as far as DAWs go.

[@javonscott4777]

@@matthewstuartnz I was just joking around 🤣

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha I thought so.. but you can never tell with comments

[@youtubevideos415]

Hahaha. obviously a paid video. Can't take anyone serious who uses Ableton. With that shitty UI that would even have looked retro in the 80s.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Haha you don't like the Ableton UI? I actually kind of dig how simple and minimalistic it is. But I get it. It's not the prettiest to look at.