Ableton Live
“I use Ableton Live as a slave in the background of Logic on most of the singles and remixes that I make. It’s a really cool program for chopping up loops and messing around with noise to create intricate sounds. I create a lot of my soundscape here - those sounds and noises that sit quietly in the background of a track to give it some depth and mood.”
Spectrasonics Trilian
“This is the ultimate bass module - a one-stop shop for every kind of bass sound you could ever want or need to use. Trilian also includes the classic - and now discontinued - Trilogy bass module. I like the way that I can envelope the bass to really squeeze it tight and produce a beautiful compressed warm bass. In my opinion, Trilian is a must for every studio.”
Sonic Charge MicroTonic
“This is a powerful little tool for coming up with techy rhythms and randomisations. If you’re playing around with it and it drops something very strange on you, you can then dissect it and take away just the small intricate sounds/parts that you want. After that, you can add onboard FX and move the sound pattern around to create some very interesting ideas. MicroTonic has a unique sound - very synthetic and futuristic. It’s a must for any techno or dubstep producer.”
Native Instruments Reaktor
“You still can’t beat this modular synth for out-there sounds. When you’re searching for something to make your weird and wonderful, glitched-up, futuristic leads, this is the place to go. Reaktor is a monster of a plug-in, and it contains so much to do and fuck with.”
Native Instruments Maschine
“I like using Maschine because it reminds me of the old Akai samplers. It’s a nice way to play around and create some interesting drum programming. I always appreciate having something in my studio that allows me to get hands-on with tasks like the programming of drums.”
Read Native Instruments Maschine review
Steve Lawler’s Loopmasters sample pack is out now - click here to buy.
Liked this? Now read: Carl Craig's favourite music software
“You can even buy and create models of instruments that are impossible to build in the real world”: Don't know where to start with virtual instruments? We're here to help
Spitfire Audio's latest instrument captures the sound of the Radiophonic Workshop, the hugely influential BBC department "purely for making bonkers noises"
“You can even buy and create models of instruments that are impossible to build in the real world”: Don't know where to start with virtual instruments? We're here to help
Spitfire Audio's latest instrument captures the sound of the Radiophonic Workshop, the hugely influential BBC department "purely for making bonkers noises"
