Bastian Bux's favourite music software
Bastian's Bux of tricks
Following a couple of EPs in 2015, DJ/producer Bastian Bux has just released Oracle, his third, on Suara.
His tight, finely-honed productions take him deep into techno and dark house territory, and he’s also been drawing crowds as a resident for Elrow, based in Barcelona and Ibiza.
We asked Bastian to talk us through the music software he just couldn’t live without...
Steinberg Cubase 8.5
“I've been a Cubase fan since the early versions. It was the first professional DAW I used as a producer, so it's been more than ten years working with it and it still gives me everything that I need.
“At the minute I’m using version 8.5, which is just amazing. I love the improvements in the quality of the sound and the new features, especially the new mixer. It gives me the feeling that I can physically touch and manipulate the sounds.
“For many reasons, Cubase continues to be the most complete DAW out there for me.”
Arturia V Collection
“The classic synth emulations by Arturia have been essential on 100% of the stuff I've released as Bastian Bux.
“I love the CS-80V, which is the main synth on both my Stay and Teardrop EPs. Also, the Moog Modular has played a pivotal role in productions like Tresor and Prinzen. I use the Jupiter-8 for sounds like pads and atmospheres when I’m feeling too lazy to use my Nord. I couldn't live without this piece of software.”
Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2
“Its first version was the most complete and amazing soft synth I've ever seen, and version 2 is even better. It has every single sound you can imagine inside of it, from real instruments to cosmical textures.
“Now it is more flexible and gives you more freedom to manipulate its presets and waveforms, but it’s still a heavyweight for your CPU. I don't use it all the time because it takes quite a while to load presets and I'm a little bit impatient when it comes to my creative process.”
FabFilter Pro-Q 2
“What can I say about this software masterpiece that's not being said already? Trust me when I tell you that I've forced myself to try and experiment with other digital EQs out there, but I always end up using the FabFilter Pro-Q2 in almost every one of my projects. It gives you total freedom to manipulate, correct and mutate your sounds with clean, surgical precision.”
SPL Transient Designer
“Last but not least comes the Transient Designer from the SPL Plugins Bundle. It’s an emulation of the analogue audio processor, which is more or less a simplified compressor/gate that gives you absolute control over both the Attack and Sustain of a sound.
“I use the SPL TD in almost every track to control and attenuate the tails of the sounds, giving more dynamics to the whole mix which, means an extra cleanness and pressure in the final master.”
I’m the Group Content Manager for MusicRadar, specialising in all things tech. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 20 of which I’ve also spent writing about music technology.