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  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps

Paul Hartnoll's favourite music software

News
By Computer Music ( Computer Music ) published 16 March 2010

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Apple Logic Pro

Apple Logic Pro

“Logic Pro is where I do all my writing and I love almost every aspect of it. My favourite bits of it are its openness, the way I can work without it becoming too technical, unless I want it to - then it’s so vast I’d never see the bottom.

"The plug-ins are fantastic, too, but I know people who use Logic and bypass them for third-party ones without even trying them out properly. Fools! The synths are brilliant, as is Ultrabeat, but the sampler could do with being overhauled, as it’s way out of date compared to the competition."

FULL REVIEW: Apple Logic Pro 9

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Ableton Live 8

Ableton Live 8

“Without a doubt my favourite live tool, and I enjoy using it as a studio writing tool as well, but it’s a little bit more haphazard. Live is where I go if I don’t know where I want to go, if you know what I mean. It’s like a fun playground.”

FULL REVIEW: Ableton Live 8

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Sonic Charge Synplant

Sonic Charge Synplant

“This is absolutely incredible. I did a film score recently with just analogue synths and Synplant. It has a different mindset and that’s what you go to it for, plus it’s got some amazing capabilities. There’s the way that it’s like a different sound on each note, which you can then spin while it changes the assignment of where the sound comes from. It’s a really quirky but infinitely usable soft synth.”

FULL REVIEW: Sonic Charge Synplant

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
GForce impOSCar 2

GForce impOSCar 2

“We were given a beta copy of this and it’s one of the few soft synths that I always go to. I never feel like I’m compromising my sound by using this program rather than a hardware synth.”

PREVIEW: GForce ImpOSCar 2

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
LinPlug Albino 3

LinPlug Albino 3

“Albino 3 has a really lovely sound to it. If I make a good patch on it, I usually can’t replicate it with my hardware analogue synths, which, to me, is the measure of a good soft synth.”

FIND OUT MORE: LinPlug Albino 3

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Computer Music
Computer Music
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Computer Music magazine is the world’s best selling publication dedicated solely to making great music with your Mac or PC computer. Each issue it brings its lucky readers the best in cutting-edge tutorials, need-to-know, expert software reviews and even all the tools you actually need to make great music today, courtesy of our legendary CM Plugin Suite.

Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects… image
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects…
…with the latest issue of Computer Music magazine
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