ibizzet's Reviews

The best program made even better.

The best program made even better.

Ableton has always been able to optimize my workflow and the upgrade to 10 only made it faster. Putting groups within groups is one feature that has completely changed my approach to mixing and applying effects on bus groups instead of individual tracks.

I use Echo, Wavetable, and Pedal a lot more than I thought I would. Wavetable is like a CPU-light Serum once you learn how to use it. You can use it for basic sounds much faster than Serum without my computer wanting to kill me.

I would highly recommend the upgrade to anyone currently using Ableton 9, it's worth the cost, assuming that you put enough time into it to get your money's worth.

I will never need another piano again.

I will never need another piano again.

This upright piano is worth every penny and then some. The first time I played a song on the Gentleman Demo I bought it within 5 minutes, and haven't looked back.

The Gentleman is on every song I've ever made, and has proven to be my go-to compared to any other piano out there.

The reason I love it so much is because of how emotional it sounds at low velocities. I almost exclusively play my piano on the soft side, and this can give you the chills if you can write the right chords and notes.

Great sound, simple interface.

Saturn is actually my backup distortion behind Trash 2 and Ableton's Saturator, but it has proven itself useful many different times.

The multi-band controls are the best I've ever used and can be such a relief to use an plugin with an interface that is this easy to navigate.

Can rescue a sound by trashing it.

I've put trash on some tracks right before I'm about to delete them, and created sounds that ended up being the staple of the tune.

Working around the presets can be super exciting, to see how much you can change the original sound.

Trash 2 is the type of plugin that makes people hear your sounds and go "how the f**k did they make that?"

Highly recommend.

This is endless creation.

This is endless creation.

Shaperbox allows you to change a sound into something completely different, in a good way. Sometimes you feel like your stuck to making the same sounds over and over again, and this can change that.

Depending on your knowledge of the plugin, you can either use it to do some simple sidechaining, or you can real-time warp your audio to get a "stretch" sound effect.

This can be a creative lifesaver, when you've hit a block and all you need is a new sound to get you inspired again. Would recommend to anyone looking to improve production quality.

Fattens up all my sounds.

Fattens up all my sounds.

I know, it's a meme. But I can't help but use this when I'm stumped on making my sounds fatter. I'll try distortion, reverb, EQ, but sometimes all it needs is a turn on the fatness knob and my instrument suddenly fits in the mix as if it was magic.

Worth the price, can completely change your workflow in terms of audio processing.

AMAZING orchestra VST.

AMAZING orchestra VST.

I use this on just about every track to fill sound using Violas, Violins, Cellos, Flutes, or even just for some great sounding piano.

The interface allows you to create an entire symphony in the plugin and mix and tune as you'd like. The selection of instruments and playing styles is positively overwhelming, and often I start my tracks by opening this plugin because I find it spurs my inspiration to play around on my MIDI keyboard with this open.

The built in effects are all you need, the new ConvoRoom sounds amazing with strings and the built in macro effects bring your MIDI to life.

Highly recommend to anyone looking for an affordable scoring plugin.

Great referencing headphones.

Great referencing headphones.

I use these to test my mixes after I've done some mixing on my monitors and main headphones. They work great for mixing music with less emphasis on bass, as these have very clear higher frequencies and can be a little bright, which helps to mix frequencies above 15k. Very comfortable, have used them on long airplane/car rides as well.

Sturdy-ass stands.

These hold my KRK's wherever I go and always are super sturdy and reliable.

I've been through a lot of crappy stands, but these will stick with my my whole life.

Most comfortable headphones ever.

Most comfortable headphones ever.

These are the most comfortable headphones you could possibly purchase. They are open-back, which makes it so can still hear your environment, and you will often forget you are wearing these.

I use these when it's late at night, I'm in my PJ's, and I'm trying to either listen to or produce music at a comfortable low level.

Best studio/DJ companion.

Best studio/DJ companion.

With Ableton, this is the best controller to trigger clips and mix your session live OR in the studio. I use this at small DJ gigs (weddings, reunions, graduations), or anywhere they need tracks/sound effects with flawless transitions.

The APC40 MkII is a fantastic alternative to decks while DJing. You might not look as cool, but you can DJ just as well on an APC-40 as you can on CDJ's for 1/10th of the price.

My portable interface.

My portable interface.

I bring the 2i4 anywhere as part of my portable studio. Since it's the largest Scarlett that doesn't require an external power source, you can bring it anywhere and power it with your laptop.

Has an amazing sounding DAC and a powerful headphone amp, and two Scarlett preamps that can run almost any mic with tons of headroom.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a rugged interface with fantastic preamps, latency, and headphone amp.

Editing vocals becomes fun with this plugin.

Editing vocals becomes fun with this plugin.

I use this to pitch-correct my vocals, and I don't try to hide it. I know I don't have the pitch I want, and this plugin can correct that without it sounding too artificial, and sometimes giving my voice a cool formant-shifting effect.

Would recommend to anyone who doesn't feeling going all the way with Melodyne, but still wants to have fun working with their vocals.

The Perfect EQ.

The Perfect EQ.

Everything about this EQ is perfect. The sound, the look, the features, the workflow. I love this EQ because, although I use it mostly for subtractive EQing, the additive EQ sounds super transparent, especially in the higher frequencies.

I'd recommend getting to know whatever EQ you have already, but if you have the money to spend, get to know this one instead and it will most likely improve your production quality.

My studio vocal microphone.

While not the best microphone, the AT2020 works fantastically for an entry-level large-diaphragm condenser microphone.

I use this in the studio to record vocals, and it makes my voice sound very lively and airy, which is why I love it and haven't jumped on an upgrade yet.

Without a doubt would recommend to anyone looking for a condenser microphone to use anywhere it's needed.

Hands down best live vocal microphone.

Hands down best live vocal microphone.

Everything about the SM58 is perfect. It's frequency response, it's polar pattern, it's construction, it's looks.

The SM58 should be everybody's go-to microphone for live events and certain cases in the studio. I own four of these because I love them so much, and used to use them to record a podcast.

My live microphone.

My live microphone.

I use this to control my TC Helicon VoiceLive Play pedal when I perform. I generally will use the Hit button on the microphone to toggle on/off the delay on my voice. Highly recommend to pair with a TC-Helicon pedal.

My live vocal-editor.

My live vocal-editor.

I love using this pedal when performing live to apply effects such as Auto-Tune, Reverb, Delay, and Distortion (as a megaphone effect). It also has a fantastic harmonizer that sounds amazing through loudspeakers.

I love the "hit" button on it, and the fact that you can control it live, even better with the use of a TC Helicon MP-75 microphone.

If you've seen me perform live, you've probably seen this pedal.

Can't master without it anymore.

Can't master without it anymore.

This plugin is an all-in-one mastering suite, and it lives up to it's price. I use this at the end of every track to trick listeners into thinking I got my tunes mastered professionally. Mastering without Ozone is nearly impossible to me now that I've gotten to know this plugin.

Best for chords and pads.

Best for chords and pads.

Sylenth has the best sound when it comes to polyphonic midi inputs and is my go-to with any tune that emphasizes chords and atmospheric pads.

Worth the price, would recommend to anyone who wants a powerful, clean sound.