And there’s clearly been some reassessment of how useful various parts of the interface are. The three main window sections - Mixer, Rack and Sequencer - are now easier to open, close and detach using the mouse thanks to thicker, labelled header strips. The transport bar can dynamically resize and rearrange its contents to suit different window sizes. The changes that have taken place are not just for visual effect, though. So Reason 8 is an odd mix, actually, of cutting-edge and more old-fashioned interface design. And then there’s the Mixer, the Rack, and all the devices which go in it, which are as photo-realistic, wood-grained and knee-deep in 3D as they ever were. But there are still some shadows lurking, there are virtual LED level meters in sequencer tracks, and an unusual 3D ‘paper fold’ motif used to separate out sections of the user interface. Much of the sequencer and transport have been positively steam-ironed, and now have a light grey look that is easy on the eye. So if you like the cool, clear feel of Windows 8, OS X Yosemite and recent releases of iOS, Reason 8 should be right up your street. In essence it’s now much ‘flatter’, shorn of the skeuomorphic shadows, reflections and 3D-like elements which in recent years have been deemed Very Bad by Apple and Microsoft alike. It’ll mean more to some users than others, but Reason has had a makeover.
Elsewhere it’s business as usual.With Reason already capable of driving external MIDI gear, and being extended with third-party instruments and effects in the form of Rack Extensions (Reason’s equivalent of plug-ins), where does version 8 lead this increasingly capable digital audio workstation? Two & A Half Dimensions Reason 8’s flatter, clearer design is immediately visible in the sequencer, transport and the new browser panel. So if you’re completely new to Reason, or haven’t kept up with developments in the last couple of years, do take a look at that review. It comes relatively hot on the heels of Reason 7, released in April 2013 and reviewed in SOS in the June 2013 issue ( That review summarises the ethos and history of the application, describes most of its essential capabilities, and explains how in recent years it has broken out of what was originally an insular, self-contained vision.
Reason 8 is the latest release of what is now a well-established DAW that has never been afraid to do things its own way.
Is there more to the latest version of Reason than a pretty face?
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