Mason's favourite music software
Nite Rite series producer picks his faves
Mason's favourite music software
The producer behind the Nite Rite series and Fashion Killa likes his plugins to go... way out there.
Hailing from Amsterdam, Mason is no stranger to the UK dance chart with numerous releases and has held the number one spot on Beatport for 2015’s Fashion Killa (Papapapa) on Loulou records.
Discover the software that Mason used to make this and his other material by clicking through the gallery.
Apple Logic X
“I can still remember the first time I ever saw audio being recorded into a computer; I knew it was the future. It was 1999 and I was doing music production course at university. They used Logic, so I immediately switched to Logic.
“The first six months of X were very buggy – I think there were over 400 of them – but now it’s settled down, it’s perfect.”
Arturia ARP 2600V
“I like to work fast. If you have to spend time working out how to get what you want from a synth, you lose that important energy you need when you’re creating a new song. The 2600 is, of course, a classic synth with a classic layout.
“It might look a little daunting, but everything’s there in front of you. It’s one of those few synths that will do almost anything I want it to.”
Xfer Recordings Serum
“I have been pretty loyal to the synths that I’ve been using for about five or six years, but I was very charmed by this one.
“When it comes to lead sounds, you need something that’s really going to cut through... that’s what Serum offers you. And the stronger you can get your original sound, the less time you spend trying to EQ it into position in the mix.”
Waves Gold Bundle
“Yes, I know everyone uses Waves, but it adds so much to quality of a song. Some of their tools – like the C4 multiband compressor – have been on my computer since the beginning of time and my settings have hardly ever changed.
“I’m not sure what city their headquarters are located in [Tel Aviv], but they ought to put up a Waves statue in their honour.”
Soniccharge Permut8
“Obviously, a vocal has to fit the song. If it’s a nice pop song, you have a nice pop vocal, but I like to get a bit dirty, funky and screwy, so you need a dirty, funky screwy vocal!
“Permut8 is the perfect tool. Although technically it’s a delay, the options are so vast that you can go completely crazy. But the real beauty is that, even when you go way out there, it never sounds cheesy or gimmicky – there’s always a touch of class.”
I take care of the reviews on MusicRadar and Future Music magazine, though can sometimes be spotted in front of a camera talking little sense in the presence of real musicians. For the past 30 years, I have been unable to decide on which instrument to master, so haven't bothered. Currently, a lover of all things high-gain in the guitar stakes and never one to resist churning out sub-standard funky breaks, the likes of which you'll never hear.