Reason Studios Reason 12 £399
Now in both DAW and plugin realms, Reason gains a sampler and refreshed Combinator. Si Truss investigates
CONTACT WHO: Reason Studios WEB: reasonstudios.comKEY FEATURES Includes fullyfeatured standalone DAW and VST/AU/AAX Rack plugin. Upgrade price from £129. Also available with £20-per month Reason+ subscription.
Reason gained a new lease of life with version 11. Having slipped behind its competitors over the years, due largely to its long reluctance to accommodate third-party plugins, the 2019 update spun the rack-focused DAW on its head by allowing it to run both standalone and as a plugin. This meant that lapsed users, who may still have held a soft spot for Reason despite defecting to other DAWs, could reconnect with its hardwareinspired devices without having to fully upend their workflow. It was a smart decision on the part of Reason Studios (formerly Propellerhead), making Reason feel more relevant than it had in a decade.