Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • "She knew what she'd created": Back to Black
  • Trower's '80s supergroup
  • Music theory tricks
  • Stage Tour game
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps

What So Not's favourite music software

News
By Computer Music
Published 5 November 2018

Aussie producer and DJ Chris Emerson unveils his favourite tools for adding a little chaos in the studio

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

Ableton Live 10

Ableton Live 10

“I actually started out as a DJ and moved into ‘making songs’ via mash-ups, bootlegs and remixes. Ableton provided the perfect platform for that and I’ve been with it ever since

“It isn’t perfect, but what Live does offer is an insane amount of audio manipulation. It lets you do to things that make no sense, but it’s those crazy ideas that make songs stand out.”

Read Ableton Live 10 review

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Sonic Charge Synplant

Sonic Charge Synplant

“A tool that offers you the chance to experiment. All you need to do is grab a chord progression, set up an arpeggiator on Synplant and get tweaking.

“Start with the basic stuff, but then you can go right into the DNA of the sound; all sorts of random stuff. Pitch it up, down, flip it all around… even the humble mod wheel seems to add a hint of chaos!”

Read Sonic Charge Synplant review

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Lennardigital Sylenth1

Lennardigital Sylenth1

“Although I mess around with a lot of different synths, I only really use two main ones in the studio: Synplant and Sylenth1.

“If Synplant is the peculiar one, Sylenth1 is the easy-to-handle all-rounder. When struggling for a sound, I always go to Sylenth1.”

Read Lennardigital Sylenth1 review

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Cycling ’74 Max For Live

Cycling ’74 Max For Live

“I’ve only really scratched the surface of Max For Live, but what I’ve found - especially the LFO tools - sounds very cool and interesting.

“There’s so much possibility with Max, but I don’t want to spend all my time with sound design, not making any music. I’ve met people who are brilliant technicians, but when it comes to putting down a bassline, they can’t make a decision.”

Read more about Cycling ’74 Max For Live

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Soundtoys EchoBoy

Soundtoys EchoBoy

“Yeah, it’s a delay, but so much more. It’s that whole thing of modulating sound over time.

“You’ve got your basic chord progression, but you can send it into EchoBoy and that chord progression becomes ear candy. It’s constantly growing and shifting, and it keeps people interested in your song.”

Read Soundtoys Soundtoys 5 review

What So Not’s latest album, Not All The Beautiful Things, is out now.

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Computer Music
Computer Music
Social Links Navigation

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.

Read more
tom vr
Artists Tom VR on "game-changing" Ableton Live tips and the hardware synth he can't stop talking about
 
 
chris lake
Artists Chris Lake on why getting hold of high-end gear shouldn’t be a barrier
 
 
Will Yip
Artists Will Yip explains to us how he built his dream studio from the ground up, with some influence from Rick Rubin
 
 
DJ Shadow
Artists DJ Shadow on his original mission statement and why he no longer puts the MPC on a pedestal
 
 
Erol Alkan
Artists Erol Alkan on the gear that he trusts above all else
 
 
Skrillex
Artists When a young Skrillex explained how he made his early dubstep bangers
 
 
Latest in Software & Apps
stencils
Tech Stuck in the 4-bar loop? Try these free arrangement templates for Ableton Live
 
 
autotune
Tech "Since 1997, the complaint about pitch correction has been the same: it takes the singer out of the singing. That's the problem DVA was built to solve": Antares launches AutoTune Advanced with new DVA vibrato engine
 
 
autotune
Tech Antares AutoTune Advanced makes the trade-off between pitch-perfect vocals and natural vibrato a thing of the past
 
 
An Arturia MiniFreak synthesizer on a table
Hybrid Synths One of our favourite synths of recent years now lets you upload your own sounds
 
 
zplane
Tech Zplane's Timbre is a formant-shifting plugin with a few tricks up its sleeve
 
 
lunacy
Tech Lunacy launches Nova platform with five free virtual instruments – but bigger things are on the way
 
 
Latest in News
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - MAY 05:  Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood pose backstage during the exclusive launch event of The Rolling Stones new album “Foreign Tongues” at Weylin on May 5, 2026 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for UMG)
Artists Andrew Watt says he kept thing loose when he produced the Stones, but also added a surprising synth sub-bass
 
 
Brian May
Guitarists “It blew me away so badly”: Brian May says that hearing Jimi Hendrix made him question whether he should be a guitar player
 
 
Prodigy
Samples Want to sound like The Prodigy? Download this free pack of Prodigy-style samples
 
 
(EDITORS NOTE: A special effects camera filter was used for this image.) Olivia Rodrigo at Daisy Chain Fields Festival 2026 held at Great Park on August 29, 2026 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Artists Olivia Rodrigo on how being a "novice" guitarist led to a happy accident when she was writing The Cure
 
 
Jackso Pro Series Phil Collen PC1-E
Artists Phil Collen on why you can play anything on his new Jackson, and even nail those Hysteria tones
 
 
Oasis Dont' Look Back in Anger poster crop
Gigs & Festivals “Please remain vigilant”: Oasis warn against scammers in the forthcoming Live 27 ticketing bunfight
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...