Propellerhead Reason 8 review

The Sequencer has some workflow improvements of its own. Ctrl-dragging an object finally copies it to the new location. In the MIDI editor, double-clicking an empty space creates a new note, while double-clicking a note deletes it. It’s also now possible to drag notes from either end to resize them. Other limitations remain, though. Automation is relatively basic compared to rival recording software. The Sequencer and Mixer mute and solo buttons work independently of each other, which can lead to confusion. The mouse wheel is used to scroll and zoom the Sequencer timeline in various ways, but there’s no shortcut to zoom in and out to show a longer or shorter section of the track. 

The Mixer is closely modelled on professional hardware, but while it looks the business it’s not ideally designed for a computer monitor

Reason’s trump card has always been the quality of its virtual instruments, and that’s still the case in version 8. Other recording software such as Cubase, Sonar and Ableton has largely caught up, but only in their flagship versions with prices around £500. However, it’s disappointing to find nothing new in this release. The only new modules are a pair of effects covering guitar amp and bass amp simulation from Softube. These replace the existing effects from Line 6, which are scheduled to disappear from the software by October 2016. The new effects aren’t installed as standard and must be downloaded (for free) as Rack Extensions from the website. Most other Rack Extension are by third-party developers, but some are home-grown Propellerhead modules. Modules such as the Parsec Spectral Synthesizer might previously have been included free, but instead it’s a €99 upgrade as a Rack Extension.

Our criticisms should be seen in context. Reason 7 was a great success, and Reason 8 is even better. However, the improvements are modest considering the €129 (about £92) upgrade price – and in light of the other improvements that could have been made. Even so, if your main interest is in electronic music production, perhaps with a few live instruments thrown in, it’s an excellent choice.