Propellerhead Reason 8.3 Now Available

propellerhead-reasonPropellerhead today released Reason 8.3, the latest update to their virtual studio for Mac & Windows. It’s the third update since version 8 came out.

Here’s what’s new in version 8.3:

  • New reverb effect – RV7000 is now MkII and gains a convolution mode, essentially allowing you to sample room characteristics.
  • Impulse Responses – A ReFill with a collection of Impulse Response content available on the web, along with some unique samples (like a Eurorack spring reverb, the Propellerhead kitchen, and the inside of a piano) and a bunch of patches making use of all this content.
  • Browser update – The browser is now available in the detached rack window, too. Propellerhead says this was the number one feature request since Reason 8 came out.
  • Time savers like “static value” now being accessible in the arrange view in the sequencer; Zoom to Selection (press Z to zoom in or out); and buttons for selecting what instrument you play in the rack are the icing on the update cake.

To update, open Reason 8.2 and hit the “Download” button.  You can grab the free RV7000 MkII ReFill here.

If you’ve updated, leave a comment and let us know what you think of Reason 8.3!

14 thoughts on “Propellerhead Reason 8.3 Now Available

    1. Reason is pretty dead. It’s progresion has slowed to a snails pace.
      *no live performance tools
      *no sample loading in RE
      *no mixer channel grouping
      *no mp3 export
      *no note to track for RE sequencers and arps
      *so many more lacking features…

      1. The only thing you can’t do that you mentioned is render mp3’s in reason. If you knew what you were talking about and if you knew how to root cc numbers to your midi controller you’d know that the other things on your list are easily doable in the program. Reason has a fast workflow for imagining something and then making it with design tools. It’s fast and tries to eliminate menu diving. I’ll be upgrading to reason 9 all the same. Iv used ableton and respectively I think the two programs do some things better than the other. I do agree however that the orkster soundbank needs an over haul.

        1. What are you talking about?
          That entire list is still undoable in reason!

          *no live performance tools
          ..ok so live performance is subjective obviously, reason is great as a keyboard rack but isn’t great as a live remixing tool of you own music. Juggling multiple channels and moving around track ques then having to manually unplug audio cables on the next loaded track to plug them into a seperate output on the virtual “hardware interface” within reason is so archaic. Then you have to wait until you close the previous track before midi hardware will change ‘focus’ onto next song. This is just one example..ymmv

          *no sample loading in RE
          ..not yet added to the RE SDK. This is common knowledge. I’m a registered RE developer.

          *no mixer channel grouping
          ..yes you can route to a bus channel but cannot link faders, or have scaled fader movements

          *no mp3 export

          *no note to track for RE sequencers and arps
          ..again not in the RE SDK. If your going to say that it’s possible to setup a midi loop back and record it in to a new track then I don’t count that as Reason doing it.. That is a workaround that shouldn’t be needed. It becomes very time consuming with large projects, it’s like multtracking a recording from an old mpc.

          *so many more lacking features…
          Here’s one.. The inability to record more than one midi channel at a time! Yes you play all your devices from say the octotrack sequencer, but if you try and record.. You can only record one midi channel per take!!

      2. I use Reason for live performances near exclusively. Pair that with the Nektar P6 and you’ve got a powerful live rig. More stable than any software out there, so you can trust it’s not going to crash mid show, or will it be hitting 80% on your CPU ‘meter’ with only a few effects in use. Very efficient.

        I’m not sure what you think live performance tool are, but many, like myself, don’t care about triggering loops and mapping a cutoff filter to a knob… then considering that a performance. Is Reason my main DAW, no – but is it dead? Not even close.

  1. I think that many people have move away from Reason as their needs grow.

    Ableton is a great program, don’t get me wrong… It just consistently places “the hardware/behind the rack” experience above having a quick workflow.

    Most engineers LOATH having to go behind their hardware racks… Why would anyone want to emulate this experience in software EVER?!?!?!

    reason has become unwieldy compared to when it first came out. The factory sound library is also OLD. Like 15 years old…

    1. I press a tab key to go behind the rack. I am not sure why this is something I would “LOATH”. Ableton is indeed a great program, just not great enough for me to be bothered with it no matter how slick their marketing is or how many “pros” use it. Live is just not my thing. I do love the ease of use and stability of Reason. Its funny I actually moved from Live to Reason. In the end its about making music with what you are comfortable with.

    2. With the modular craze strong enough that even Roland is bringing out Eurorack modules, i would think that many people would enjoy software that is like a big modular.

      Reason is a big modular synth where you can do tons of things that are difficult to achieve in Ableton as far as i know. One can use 30 lfos at once if wanted. You can split and merge audio and control signals easily. You can chain effect devices in strange ways and it’s easy to do.

      I have tried other DAWs and i stick with Reason. It’s the one i find the most fun and i find it quite cost effective with its quality mixer, multiple synths and effects included. The upgrades are affordable too.

      There are many things Reason doesn’t do but other software doesn’t do what Reason lets you do easily. It’s a matter of what you want and what you like. And Reason has crashed on me like 2-3 times in around 15 years of use, it is reliable.

      1. Reason is also used at my kids high school “digital music” class. Hundreds of kids are being taught how to create their first songs on it every year. It’s a wonderful tool for that too.

  2. Reason is not for everyone. It takes tinkering and learning to fully appreciate its user interface and features. I love that Propellerhead is trying to push new boundaries not just with their main software. I appreciate them taking elements of Reason and putting said elements to work in their mobile apps that I believe can be for everyone.

  3. Reason works fine & should you enhance it with powerful soundcard & refills you will never look back.
    Protools & Logic fans are just overating their DAWS of choice for nothing.
    There is a monster in reason if you are highly musical & creative.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *