Reason Studios have just trailed an upcoming update to their established DAW, Reason. Version 12, which becomes available from September, apparently focuses on improving the Rack — the skeuomorphic virtual hardware environment that forms an integral part of the Reason experience and which, since version 11, can also be run inside any other DAW.
As well as the Rack enhancements (which include increasing its resolution so that you can zoom into both stock and third-party Rack devices), Reason 12 introduces a new sampler. We don't know its name yet, but apparently it can be put to use on almost any source, from playing back your own samples to capturing live inputs and even importing audio from the project you're working on. Reason Studios describe it as adding a “magical something-something” to the sound, and add that it employs a “legendary” time-stretching algorithm, which hint at it providing something of the flavour of the classic Akais and E-mus of the 1980s.
Reason's Combinator will also be subject to an overhaul (including more CV inputs and more patches), and the new version will ship with an updated sound pack, and an improved browser to help you find what you're looking for.
Subscribers to Reason+ ($19.99 per month) will get the update for free, while anyone who buys or has bought a copy of Reason 11 after May 1st will be eligible for a free upgrade. Reason 12 will carry a full price of $399, and an upgrade price of $129.
