Following closely on the heels of the recent launch of Reason 11, simultaneous with the announcement of Propellerhead Software becoming Reason Studios, the company announced today that Reason 11 is now available to an even broader host of DAW users – including Apple Logic owners – with the addition of AU support in version Reason 11.1. The announcement further underscores the significance of the launch of Reason 11, bringing the major update to Reason Studios’ flagship music-making software to a wider global audience of music creators. 

Reason 11.1, also now compatible with macOS Catalina, can be used as a standalone DAW or a plugin, offering immense value at affordable prices across the three available versions that offer entry-to-advanced combinations of Reason Studio’s legendary synths, instruments and effects. The Reason Rack Plugin, integral to all versions of Reason 11, brings the quality of renowned Reason Studios instruments and effects to any DAW. Flexibility in sound design and routing is further facilitated by access to the exclusive Rack Extension add-on market for yet more creative options. 

“With Reason 11 we wanted to make sure anyone could harness the power of the Reason Rack in a way that works for them: as a self-contained environment or a super-powered plugin.” said Mattias Häggström Gerdt, Product Manager. “The release of Reason Rack Plugin as an AU is the next step on this journey, opening the doors for users of Logic Pro X and many other hosts on macOS. Now more musicians than ever can join the multitude who already love using Reason to make music.”

Reason 11.1 is available now via the newly released Reason Studios website and authorised resellers worldwide. The software, which includes additional improvements and bug fixes, is also available for free download by registered Reason 11 users and at upgrade prices to owners of previous Reason versions.

If you’re a Reason 10 user, Drum Sequencer is free in the Propellerhead shop until the end of the month. Make sure to install the free 10.1 update and head over to the shop to get your copy of Drum Sequencer before May 31st!

RADICAL PIANO: KEY-HITTER

I’ve always hankered after a realistic Reason piano. Radical Piano delivers four, with physically-modelled variations on each! As if this wasn’t enough, mechanical noise can be mixed in and out, attack and decay tweaked and velocity response finely tuned (very helpful on a less-than-ideal synth keybed). The wealth of control is suitably daunting and the browser has a ream of radically different patches. They range from the standard choices to inspiration sparking, and just plain weird — long decay, absurd amounts of reverb and almost no intonation — ideal for… I’ll know it when the time comes. The onboard effects are easily manipulated with one-knob compression and reverb. The stereo width knob is probably my favourite feature, allowing the piano to morph throughout a track from reserved and mono, to epic and wide. Originally a Rack Extension (undoubtedly leaving some previous purchasers a little miffed), Radical Piano makes a worthy addition to the rack as a sound designer’s tool in Combinators; as a mix-compliant instrument; and, with a hammer-action keyboard and continuous sustain pedal, a viable stage piano for those using Reason live.

HUMANA: TEXTURE-THICKENER

A choir patch is often a sound I hear when visualising a track, but I was often disappointed by the sounds available to me in Reason, offering not much more than your typical ’90s digital synth. One of three sample-based sound engines (can’t really call them synths, as such) developed with Soundforge, Humana features three properly sampled choirs along with male and female solo sections, catering to the specific sonic needs of the producer. The powerful Mars choir lends itself to epic, filmscore-like tunes. It’s an all-male choir with plenty of bass end and punch. The female and children’s choirs also have their place, but like the other two sample devices (Klang and Pangea), Humana doesn’t set my imagination on fire. Instead, it fills the very specific role as a thickening texture, while Klang and Pangea will probably best serve to reinforce melody or harmony. Though not destined to stand on their own, these three modules bring an organic touch to the Reason rack, for some (often) much needed contrast to the predominantly electronic sounds surrounding them.

DRUM LOOPS: IDEAS QUICKER

Finally! Reason loops that were created within the last five years! Ask the nearest millennial producer and he or she will tell you: there is a stark difference between a 2010 dubstep loop and a 2016 one, for example. Last updated in 2010, Reason’s drum samples and loops were in desperate need of an overhaul, and that day has come. Including all the latest (and not so latest) sounds of hip hop, drum ’n’ bass and trap (which was on the fringes in 2010, and remains the sound of rap today since booming in 2012), drums in Reason have finally been updated. Personally, I’m still using NI Battery for all my drum samples, but a collection of contemporary loops allows for quick beats and an instant groove when a track isn’t vibe-y enough, or when a programmed drum beat isn’t quite providing the pocket required for the perfect bass take. I appreciate this inclusion, Propellerhead, and I hope many others in my demographic may start to make this their DAW of choice after its modernisation in this revision.

JUST GIVE ME A REASON

Reason 10: still the only place you can put an Audiomatic on everything; the home of patching and re-routing; and still my go-to DAW, despite the obvious allure of Ableton Live. Producing contemporary and relevant music is now eminently possible in Version 10, and, while taking said music to the live stage is still not an option (Mattias, please, give us a Performance Mode!), Reason has gone some way to closing the gap on the seemingly unassailable Ableton. Now more than ever, producers of the new millenium have a reason to contemplate this surprisingly affordable, highly creative alternative to Live, offering gigabytes of content and a wealth of sound now comparable to its rival.