I'm incredibly happy and proud to announce Reason 11 and Reason Rack Plugin. This is both a complete game changer and a normal Reason upgrade, so I wanted to personally write this blog post to talk a bit more about what Reason 11 is.
Reason Rack Plugin is just what it sounds like, Reason's Rack available as a plugin with everything you expect from that. It's filled with awesome devices and can fill many roles when making music. Maybe you want a great piano sound and simply play for a while, produce a chart-topper or build a procedurally generated piece that loops for hours without repeating. The Rack does all of this and much, much more. We want to share that experience with the world. And as a Reason user you can use Reason Rack Plugin to bring your favorite devices, Combinators and patches to any project or collaboration.
We believe making music is not a self-contained, in-the-box activity. Everyone does it differently and with different setups. Making the Reason Rack a plugin means you can tap into everything that's great about the Rack in any environment with minimal hassle. I've personally enjoyed using Reason Rack Plugin in Ableton Live for example, launching clips with my favorite Reason instruments, Players and Rack Extensions while improvising guitar over that. It makes for a different workflow and I end up with new music because of it.
At launch on September 25th, Reason 11 (and Reason 11 Intro and Reason 11 Suite) come with Reason Rack Plugin. It's currently VST3 but we're working hard to release an AU version in a free update before the end of 2019. We're looking into more formats too, like AAX, but I can't say more than that.
Does this news mean we’re abandoning Reason as a standalone music production software? Of course not! Reason 11 is much more than Reason Rack Plugin though. It comes packed with five new devices as well as top requested workflow features for the DAW. From small improvements that make a huge difference, like quickly drawing multiple notes at the current snap value, to crucial editing features like curved automation and crossfades.
While I have a special place in my heart for the half-rack devices, it was also time for a fresh take on modulation effects. Sweeper Modulation Effect and Quartet Chorus Ensemble are those new workhorse effects—covering a wide range of chorus, ensemble, phaser, flanger, and filtering. I'm particularly fond of Sweeper because of its extensive modulation and 40-stage phaser (most phasers are 2 or 4 stages). It sounds crazy! Not only that, but Sweeper includes oversampled versions of the filters from Europa so it's a great go-to filter.
There have also been many requests for rack devices based on our mixer. Now, with Reason 11, you can get the same great EQ and dynamics as part of your Combinator patches or use the Master Bus Compressor on your drum bus to really glue it all together.
I'm very proud of this release and we've all worked incredibly hard to make it happen. Whether you're a long-time Reason user or an Ableton user curious about cables, it's sure to change your music making for the better. We will continue to listen to your feedback, improving Reason and, above all, focusing on making music. It's an exciting time
Mattias Häggström Gerdt
Reason Product Manager
