Reason 13 and Reason+ subscription: At almost 25 years old, does this DAW still cut it?Reason 13 £499, or £199 if upgrading from an earlier version
Reason+ subscription £1 for first month then £19.99/month
reasonstudios.com
When Reason debuted in 2000, it was a breath of fresh air. At a time when many DAWs could seem daunting, its hardware-style rack of virtual instruments let you to get hands-on with music production while learning at the same time. There were even virtual patch cables to connect devices together — and fun quirks like removable screws.
Its sequencer and mixer were similarly approachable and, although it’s evolved, Reason’s workflow remains much the same today. Is that enough, however, when the competition has also become so much more capable?

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Having been away from Reason for a number of years, I spent some time with it to find out.
Reason license versus Reason+ Subscription
We have to start with the pricing model. You have two options: a one-off purchase of Reason 13 costing £499 giving you full access to the DAW and its core instruments and effects (known as Racks). If you bought Reason 12 after 1 January 2024 the upgrade is free, which doesn’t sit right with us. Reason Studios shouldn’t be dividing its customer base — if the company wants to reward Reason 12 buyers, it should reward them all regardless of purchase date. Considering the DAW is arguably more niche than the likes of Ableton Live, Logic Pro and FL Studio, it seems wrong to be alienating some of its customers in this way.
In any case, Reason Studios would prefer you to sign up for the Reason+ subscription, which starts at £1 a month, and then moves up to £20. This sub includes Reason 13, plus major updates like Reason 14, and gives you access to all Rack devices and sound packs, while the buyout option omits a number of modules compared to the subscription version. This is the best option if you want to try Reason out for a short while, and is perfect for new or casual music producers exploring what software to use.
But, over a number of years that monthly subscription fee will really add up. Ideally, Reason Studios would offer the full feature set to those buying Reason outright, as well as to subscribers which would seem like a fairer deal. Besides, if subscriptions as a concept really bother you, neither Logic, Cubase or Ableton Live currently use them.
Reason 13 browser
How to use Reason 13
Getting set up is easy, with a companion app managing your authorisations and downloads of the sound banks, Rack devices and additional sound packs if you’ve opted for the subscription.
Reason’s interface is quite unusual, defaulting to a multi-pane window within which you can show, hide and resize the mixer, rack and sequencer sections. There’s also a Devices list from which you can drag and drop instruments and effects into the Rack, including any VST plugins installed on your system.
Reason 13’s Browser lets you intuitively search quickly for any patches, loops or samples within sound banks or on your system. Bundled content is pre-tagged and you can edit tags for any item, as well as using category tabs and your own folder shortcuts to find things swiftly. There’s also auto-play of selected items which is helpful. The Browser is similar to Cubase’s MediaBay, and is a significant improvement on previous versions.
Because Reason shows you its various tools within a single window, the interface can get quite busy. But it is possible to detach the main mixer and rack sections to any additional monitor screens you have, making for a far less fraught workflow.
Reason 13 mixer
A change in 13 is that the sequencer will now split its Edit view into a new area so you can see your arrangement and the data being edited at the same time, just like Ableton Live, Cubase and others. There’s also a dark mode, if that’s to your liking.
Reason’s devices are pretty cool, with the developers adding new models while keeping the beloved original ones. There are synths and samplers, drum machines, loop players and a wealth of mixing and special effects. There are a few new devices in 13; Polytone is a warm analogue synth, Ripley a classic-sounding space delay, while new sidechain, gain and stereo tools boost your mixing toolset.
Then there are clever tools like the Combinator that lets you build multi-instrument and effect modules in a single container, Player instruments that generate MIDI, and utility devices for routing audio and MIDI creatively. All these can be freely routed by spinning the Rack around and patching cables which was, and remains, an incredibly powerful strength of this DAW.
There’s audio tracking too, with automatic time- and pitch-stretching, audio slicing and quantis. Reason’s audio editing features aren’t as deep as Cubase or Logic Pro, but they’re adequate for most users’ needs. You can’t get into very fine-detailed, sample-level manipulation of sound and its range of processing options is more limited, but if that’s not an issue for you, you’ll find the tools it does have are quick and effective to use. Automation is also straightforward, even though you can automate practically every single one of the thousands of parameters available to you.

Reason 13 rack
What is Reason Rack?
An interesting feature that Reason has had for a few years is that a version of the software – its Rack, minus the mixer and sequencer, can be used as a VST3 and AU plugin inside another host.
Load it up as a software instrument in another DAW and you’ll see its Rack and full complement of modules available to use as a source. None of the mixing or sequencing stuff is there since this would probably be overkill (although FL Studio uses it when in plugin mode) so you’re really just accessing all the sounds from another DAW.
There are plugin suites and bundles around that also let you add loads of modules to a DAW, like Arturia’s V Collection at £300, but Reason’s Rack is more varied in terms of the selection of types of modules it provides.
Reason is different to other DAWs. There are some big omissions when compared to Logic Pro and Cubase Pro, both of which cost less than Reason 13 at full price. There are no tools for working with surround, no scoring support, no video support, and no integrated support for working via the cloud. The depth of MIDI and audio editing tools is also limited in comparison.
Reason 13 sequencer
Despite that, Reason is a lot of fun to work with and more than capable of producing professional quality tracks. Its workflow encourages experimentation and the cabling system that’s been there from the start remains a strength. It has everything you need to play, program, mix and edit music and the whole approach – drag and drop modules, load up a sound, tweak, drag some effects and so on – is user-friendly in a way that most DAWs cannot quite match. That comes at the cost of a more streamlined feature set, but the content is strong (with the subscription version especially) and the integration of the sounds with other DAWs via plugin mode is genuinely useful.
Should you get Reason or Reason+?
For some people, Reason alone can be a creative studio for end-to-end music-making, especially since it can access your third-party plugin collection. Its strengths are its intuitive workflow, sound design and easy sequencing.
You may not abandon your existing DAW for Reason but its unique approach to sound design and its user-friendly sequencer make it a fine companion; an alternative way to compose and build tracks. And though the plugin mode isn’t as tight an integration as ReWire was – you could stream audio and MIDI between both DAWs for deeper manipulation — it can still capably complement your main DAW.
The £499 purchase is a hard sell compared to the subscription. It sadly has fewer Rack devices and is pricier than competing DAWs — though this feels like it’s by design. On the flip side, by taking the subscription option with its full set of sounds, you get to see how Reason fits into your workflow over a period of time without the big initial payment, so it might suit you well. After all, the launch offer of £1 for the first month means there’s no reason not to give it a try.

Reason 13 audio edit
Key features

Standalone DAW for Mac and PC
Wide selection of Rack instruments, effects and utilities
Supports VST plugins and works as a plugin in other DAWs
Audio recording, time and pitch stretching
Virtual cable routing system
New tag-based browser
5 new Rack modules
ReGroove MIDI system
Flexible window system
ReMote MIDI mapping system

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