Propellerhead 100800090 Reason 8 Upgrade

They promise in advertising if I bought the upgrade for Reason 8, I'll be entitled to receive de Reason 9 upgrade, I'm waiting

Propellerhead Software has been busy adding value and features to Reason 8, hoping to gain your love. Due to a recent promotion of $30 off I finally upgraded, still gritting my teeth.Our beloved Reason developers deserve some credit for making the Reason 8 upgrade more attractive. Freshly added to Reason 8.3 is an overhaul of the RV7000 reverb, adding "convolution" which uses pre-recorded samples of impulse responses to digitally simulate a physical space. I'd find this a lot more exciting if they had taken the time to overhaul RV7000's user interface as well. Companies like Fiedler Audio and Softube have layed down what appears to be a golden standard for the UI in reverb units: faders. I don't find the RV7000 impossible to use but rather unsightly. Its dials, color scheme, hidden screens that require a button push, and feel of operation are anything but attractive. That said it has always sounded great for those who know how to use it, and convolution adds lots of fun to the party. Reason can also now switch the currently playable instrument right from the rack. This is another "homework" item I don't feel like paying for that should have been a part of Reason since Day 1, just like the incredibly convenient new Z hotkey for zooming in and out of clips. I am sure glad they finally took care of the very basics that should have been in Reason 1. In the past one could click a rack instrument, play a note, and sadly notice that they are not hearing the instrument they just selected. Selecting the sequencer track was previously required but now we can stay in the rack, click around, and preview instruments without visiting the sequencer. Hallelujah?Original Review:Reason's previous upgrade to version 7 was impressive and well worth the cost, adding great features and bringing Reason to a more competitive level. With Reason 8 the value to existing owners seems far more limited.There are three main pieces to the Reason 8 upgrade: a new Softube guitar amp, a new Softube bass amp, and the addition of greater drag-and-drop capability in Reason's user interface.With Reason 8 Propellerhead Software has announced their plans to discontinue the relationship with Line6, stating their intent to completely phase out the Line6 amps that have been in Reason for many years in 2016. This makes the addition of the new amps welcome but also somewhat questionable to anyone who has invested time and money into using and purchasing Line6 amp models. Ta da! These are your new amps--you better like them because in a couple of years your old Line6-laden song files won't work properly without amp replacement. Fortunately these Softube amps are pretty hot stuff, which would be very welcome if Propellerhead software was not attempting to charge their existing customers $129 for these new amps which ultimately represent the discontinuation of the existing Line6 amps.The new drag-and-drop capability is nice but is basically 'homework' that should have been done a long time ago. As a Reason veteran who is used to the regular menu-based Reason workflow I didn't find the drag-and-drop enhancements to make any difference to my workflow; during my Reason 8 trial it was often minimized to the left. Once I realized this I made the determination that the Reason 8 upgrade presented no real substantial value at all to my music workstation while delivering the foreshadowing of important features actually going away.Sadly this isn't the only 2014 endeavor by Propellerhead Software that has left me unimpressed; recent iOS apps have felt dull and uninspiring. While I do feel a bit dis-regarded by Propellerhead Software at this particular time Reason remains a compelling platform that still has the amazing roots its always had. I could see things turning around in the future and will definitely be keeping an eye on Reason's evolution.

I've been seeing a lot of reviews saying the upgrade is not worth it because you don't get a lot of new devices. You do get a couple new devices but this upgrade is all about workflow. The new attached browser is much more intuitive then the old one. It works in the same way as the Ableton Live browser does where not only can you find devices and drag them into the rack or sequencer you can find a particular sound you may like and when you drag that sound to the project and it will automatically populate the rack with the instrument, effects and routing used to make that sound. The sequencer also received an overhaul. Being able to nest a tracks audio/midi and all the automation lanes makes things a lot cleaner. MIDI note editing is way better also. Being able to use the pointer tool to do multiple editing functions instead of having to constantly change tools for a specific thing finally brings Reason in line with the other DAWS out there. I'm not going to get into every improvement they did with this update, there's plenty of info on the Reason website as well as videos on YouTube that shows all of them. I love all the devices and all the crazy routing capabilities with the semi modular design of the racks but I've always used Reason as a rewire slave inside Ableton Live because Live has always been much more intuitive when it came to sequencing and recording but now with the new improvements in this upgrade I could see using Reason by itself more often.

I've always liked Reason but now it's definitely a formidable DAW. The ease of use with version 7 was pretty good but there were some small annoyances they've improved on in version 8. Although there is always the VST thing, version 8 has made Reason my favorite DAW.

marginal improvements for a 'version upgrade'yes - there are overdue, sensible workflow changes, and if you're a power user, you'll save some time(being able to change devices? you could DO that in pre-record versions - they took it out)really? To pay this much for refined improvements in WORKFLOW is ridiculous & gougingThis is an incremental fix - a v7.5 kind of release, while helpful, it doesn't fundamentally change a thingAnd the add on amp modeling? line6 was great, and this just means you're likely to see them drop the line6 stuff soon - thats it for 'new sounds'imo - they should have dropped a couple of their synths/fx extensions into the pile - at least give us something new to work withas for missing improvements:*where are MARKERS? And don't think BLOCKS do the same thing - I don'tpersonlly know anyone who actually uses it - I've tried, and it's awkward - you/I can't really work in context that way (i.e. run up to chorus, 2 bar lead ins, etc)*why have they not managed to put a RETURN TO ZERO button in? Even the most basic sequencers and recorders have RTZ, it shortens the turn-around/replay/go by 3 steps - talk about a time saver*What about some way of outputting MONO tracks? - no, everything HAS to be stereo(??)*how about MP3 for mixdowns, so you can send rough ideas easier - there are codecs for free, for god's sake*and while i'm at it, how about some way to identify the recorded audio? (you have NO WAY to know if it was done at 44hz/48hz/96hz 16bit/24bit - if you go to export a track native for mix, unless you have or keep copious notes, or you're the only one working on the session, you're shooting in the dark on export - that means something is getting altered/truncated/compressed - no way of knowingdon't get me wrong, this is a great, sketchpad for song/music writing - and a killer DAW PLUG IN (wish you could feed it audio) & worth it if you're on anything before Reason 7 - now, THAT was a version upgradebut if you're at 7, it's just a big RIP OFF - and still miles away from being really 'professional'.