The latest version of the rack-based DAW will feature new tools for mixing and integrating hardware.
Propellerhead has unveiled Reason 7, the latest update to its rack-based DAW.
A longtime favorite of electronic music producers, Reason recreates the sort of hardware setup producers used before computers became such a central part of the process. Modules like samplers and sequencers are represented as gear mounted on a rack, and everything from routing to tweaking works more or less as it would with hardware, albeit with the flexibility of a DAW.
One of the major additions to Reason 7 is the ability to bring actual hardware into the mix. For the first time, the software includes an external MIDI instrument device, allowing Reason users to stay synced when working outside of the box. Reason 7 can also slice audio into individual notes or hits and convert them to the software's REX loop format, which allows you to tinker with them in other Reason devices. Propellerhead has also added level and pan controls to the rack, a spectrum analyzer and new bus channels to aid in the mixing process. In addition to a host of new sounds, Reason 7 will also feature the Audiomatic Retro Transformer, described by Propellerhead as a "future-retro effect." They've yet to set a firm release date—the second quarter 2013 is as specific as they'll get right now—but those who have purchased the current version of Reason since March 1st will receive a free upgrade once the new version becomes available. In the meantime, you can check out Propellerhead's Reason 7 trailer below.
Propellerhead will release Reason 7 in the second quarter of 2013 for a price to be confirmed.