Ableton Live
“I’ll be honest: In the early days, I chose Ableton cos I didn’t have much money and I needed something for both production and DJing. It’s been great to watch the program grow in capability and manoeuvrability. Out of all the main DAWs, it definitely gives you the biggest bang for your buck.”
Sonic Academy Kick
“I don’t always start with beats, but that doesn’t mean the drums don’t matter. Whether your track is being played on radio or to a crowd of 50,000 at a festival, tuning and shaping your kick is a fine art. This takes out all the guess work.”
ReFX Nexus 2
“Some people look down on Nexus because it’s all presets. So what?! What do you want to do? Spend every day tinkering with your latest plugin or pull up some sounds and actually write songs?”
Reveal Sound Spire
“This has been my go-to synth for quite a while. Again, it’s all about ease of use and being able to find sounds that make you smile. Our new Moog Sub Phatty is currently vying for my attention, but there’s still plenty of life left in this baby.”
Lennar Digital Sylenth1
“This is a plugin that’s been around for so long that people have got bored with it. I think that’s because they haven’t taken the time to make it their own. Experiment, get off the beaten track, and it will deliver. The bass in #Selfie came from Sylenth1, and for that, I will be eternally grateful!”