Darius Syrossian's favourite music software
The house hero reveals his five fave tools for creating his up-to-the-minute sound
Steinberg Cubase 4
“This is a very old version of the software, but I prefer it over the newer ones because it goes with my old-school way of working. I believe it’s not what you use but how you use it. Some of the best house music was made with very basic kit when acid house started!”
Toneboosters Barricade CM
“Because I use mostly hardware for making tracks, I really need to use a limiter for all my parts once I’ve recorded them. I like Barricade CM because it’s so simple and fast; I work really quickly and am quite impatient, so it’s perfect for me. It gives great results and keeps my levels in check.”
SKnote Snap
“This is a very simple piece of software, but I use it a lot. It’s good for brightening or dulling the sustain and attack of my sounds. It comes in handy for adding really good brightness to snares. That’s great for me, as snares play a massive part in my productions!”
Steinberg WaveLab
“All my editing is done in WaveLab, and for me, it is the best audio editor out there. I don’t use either Ableton or Logic, so this is a straight-up essential for me when making tracks.”
Image-line FL Studio
“Yes, you read correctly! Some people mock this software, but it plays a massive part in my tracks. Have a listen to my remix of Pushin On by Jem Atkins - those crazy synths you hear were made on an analogue piece of kit, then imported into FL Studio, chopped up and messed around with. Also, I love to manipulate drum patterns I’ve made on my Korg [synth].”
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