Propellerhead Software rolled out version 9.5 of their long-standing Reason DAW earlier this year, and since version 8 was such a strong leap forward, I figured it was time to see what the new version brings to the table. Turns out, quite a bit.
(Updated August, 2018)
Thanks for dropping back into StudioWise. Today we’re talking about one of the heavy hitters in the DAW world, Reason. The last time I reviewed it was three years ago, when version 8 brought some massive improvements to the workflow and instruments. Back then, Reason had this reputation for being the outsider – the one stubbornly refusing to adopt VST support while the rest of the world moved on.
Then, out of nowhere, Propellerhead dropped the bombshell that Reason 9.5 would support VSTs. The internet, predictably, went nuts.
What is the Reason?
If you’ve never used Reason before, it’s worth understanding what sets it apart. Unlike most DAWs that try to hide the cables and circuits, Reason embraces them. The entire design mimics a real-world studio rack. You can literally flip the rack around and patch cables between devices like you would with actual gear, minus the tangled cords and swearing.
The mixer is a faithful emulation of a classic SSL console. It follows a proper analogue-style signal flow from input gain through dynamics, EQ, and inserts to the fader. Technically, any DAW can do that, but Reason’s visual layout gives it a more tactile, almost “engineer’s toybox” feel. You can patch almost anything to anything else, layer instruments, or create entire signal chains from scratch. It’s a playground for people who love both the technical and musical sides of production.
And then there’s the Combinator, which is basically a rack inside your rack. It lets you combine multiple devices into one super rack, with custom routing, split layers, and internal mixing. It’s brilliant for sound design, and once you start building your own instruments this way, you’ll understand why so many Reason users get hooked on the process.
Workflow and Sound Engine
Reason’s audio engine is rock solid and surprisingly flexible. It resamples and time-stretches audio in real time, so sampling, looping, and pitching are all smooth and artifact-free. Dropping samples onto drum pads or keys takes seconds. You can slice, rearrange, or process samples in creative ways without much effort, and it’s not just for beatmakers anymore.
For arranging, Reason has a few underrated tools like the Groove Mixer, quantize options, and Block Mode, which lets you build song sections and rearrange them like clips in Ableton Live. Once you get your head around it, the whole setup encourages experimentation more than most traditional DAWs.
There’s also the built-in Reason Shop, where you can grab Rack Extensions (basically Reason’s own plugin format), sound packs, and instruments. Prices are usually fair, sitting somewhere between $25 and $50, though the top-tier instruments can run into the low hundreds. Even so, you can build a serious toolkit here for much less than you’d spend buying VSTs elsewhere.
Performance and Real-World Use
Now, it’s not all perfect. Reason’s visual style and modular approach come with a bit of a performance cost. Projects tend to run around 5–10% slower compared to lighter DAWs like Reaper. That’s not a deal breaker for most sessions, but if you’re working with massive orchestral templates or 100+ track projects, you’ll hit a wall.
After a few polite support emails about this issue, I eventually stopped getting replies – which I’ll interpret as a quiet acknowledgment from Propellerhead that they’re aware of it. Hopefully it’s something they’ll continue to optimize. In the meantime, just be aware that all those flashy cables and animations do eat some CPU.
Still, for most users, Reason performs more than well enough. You just trade a little efficiency for a much more immersive and enjoyable creative experience.
Pricing and Value
Price-wise, Reason has always been surprisingly fair. Right out of the box, you get a huge collection of instruments, effects, and utilities – more than enough to produce a full record without needing anything else. And now that Reason supports VSTs, you can pull in your favourite third-party plugins too.
Compared to buying something like Cubase or Studio One with all their add-ons, Reason often works out cheaper in the long run. The included content is genuinely high quality, not filler.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it really comes down to what helps you make music. For me, Reason just feels like home. Even with the slight performance hit, I find myself more inspired here than in any other DAW. The tactile workflow, the rack-building, the visual feedback – it all just clicks.
I love the aesthetics, the rack and, of course, that gorgeous SSL-inspired mixing console is a dream to use.
In other DAWs, setting up effects sends and routing subgroups feels like a chore. In Reason, it’s fun. It’s what you want to do. That’s the difference. Even though the environment will take some getting used to, especially if you’re not familiar with how a real world studio works, I think you will find Reason 9.5 as immersive and creative as I have.
If you’ve never tried it, grab the 14-day trial of Reason 9.5 from their site. Set aside some time to really learn the rack, check out the official tutorials, and just mess around. I’m willing to bet you won’t want to give it back once you get comfortable.
Full details and trial download on Propellerheads site: www.reasonstudio.com
