Studio Tools > DAW • Deal ends April 14

Reason 13

Product Summary

Reason 13 is a fully self-contained music production environment from Reason Studios. It functions as both a standalone DAW and a VST3/AU/AAX plugin, meaning you can run it inside Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, or any other compatible host — or fire it up on its own and go from idea to finished track without leaving the app.

At its core is the Rack — a virtual modular signal chain where you wire instruments, effects, and MIDI players together however you like. It’s a workflow philosophy that’s different from most DAWs, and once it clicks, it’s hard to go back. Reason 13 adds five new devices to that Rack, a completely rebuilt browser, a reworked sequencer, and over 1,000 new patches, loops, and samples to the existing library — which already clocks in at 30,000+ sounds.

The star new instrument is Polytone, a dual-layer synthesizer built around warm, vintage analog tones. You can stack both layers for dense, lush pads or morph between them for sounds that evolve over time. Then there’s Ripley Space Delay — a delay/reverb hybrid that goes from clean tape echoes through to lo-fi, heavily filtered, and distorted ambient textures. Three new utility devices round out the additions: Sidechain Tool, Gain Tool, and Stereo Tool, which handle ducking, level control, and stereo widening respectively.

The sequencer overhaul is genuinely significant. It’s been split into an Arrangement view and a new Edit Area, so you can dig into note-level detail without losing your place in the bigger picture. Workflow improvements, improved zooming, and better access to editing tools make this version noticeably faster to use day-to-day.

The Browser has been completely rebuilt and centralises all patches, samples, and loops in one place. Everything in Reason is now categorised and tagged — covering over 20 years of Reason Studios sound design — and you can filter by name, type, category, or custom tags. You can also tag your own content.

The full instrument lineup includes Europa (wavetable), Thor (polysonic, six oscillator types), Malström (graintable), Grain (sample manipulator), Mimic (creative sampler), Kong (drum designer), Redrum, Rytmik, Humana (vocal ensemble), Monotone (bass synth), and several more. Effects cover everything from the Pulveriser and Scream 4 for destruction-style processing, through to a high-quality vocoder, Neptune pitch adjuster, and a full MClass mastering chain.

Reason also supports VST3 and VST2 plugins, Rack Extensions from third-party developers, Ableton Link over Wi-Fi, multi-core processing, 64-bit compatibility, audio comp editing, vocal editing mode, audio slicing, and advanced stem export — individual mixer channels can be exported with effects and the tempo track intact.

Key Features

🎛️ Workflow

• Rebuilt sequencer split into Arrangement and Edit Area for faster, more focused editing
• New unified Browser with category and tag filtering across all patches, samples, and REX loops
• 1,000+ new patches, loops, demo songs, and song starter templates added to the existing 30,000+ sound library
• Self-contained song files simplify project sharing and collaboration

🎹 Instruments & Synthesis

• New Polytone Dual-Layer Synthesizer — vintage-inspired analog sounds with dual-layer stacking and morphing
• Full instrument rack including Europa (wavetable), Thor (six oscillator types/four filter types), Malström (graintable), Grain, Mimic, Kong, Redrum, Rytmik, Humana, Monotone, Subtractor, NN-XT, NN19, and more
• Player MIDI FX: Beat Map, Dual Arpeggio, Note Echo, Scales & Chords

🔊 Effects & Processing

• New Ripley Space Delay — delay/reverb hybrid with filtering, noise, distortion, and extensive modulation
• New Sidechain Tool, Gain Tool, and Stereo Tool for clean signal management
• Full effects library including Pulveriser, Scream 4, Sweeper, Alligator, BV512 Vocoder, Neptune, RV7000 MkII, MClass mastering chain, and more

🔌 Integration & Compatibility

• Use as a standalone DAW or as VST3, AU, or AAX plugin
• VST3 and VST2 plugin support inside Reason’s own Rack
• Ableton Link support over Wi-Fi
• Advanced stem export with per-channel effects

System Compatibility

Mac

• macOS 10.15 or later (64-bit)
• Intel or Apple M1 processor
• 4 GB RAM (8 GB+ recommended)
• 5.5 GB free disk space required; 20 GB for optional content; up to 20 GB scratch space
• Monitor: 1280×768 minimum
• CoreAudio-compliant audio interface or built-in hardware
• VST Plugin use requires VST3 host; AU use requires AUv2 host; AAX requires Pro Tools 12 or later

Windows

• Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• Intel or AMD multi-core processor
• 4 GB RAM (8 GB+ recommended)
• 5.5 GB free disk space required; 20 GB for optional content; up to 20 GB scratch space
• Monitor: 1280×768 minimum
• ASIO driver audio interface required
• VST Plugin use requires VST3 host; AAX requires Pro Tools 12 or later

Formats: Standalone DAW, VST3, VST2, AU, AAX