Soundwave

The yellow coned rokits are something most people are familiar with now and honestly it is for good reason. These are relatively cheap, provide really low bass response for a 5", and overall, they're decently accurate. They don't make much static noise plugged into 1/4" which is good and they're still running to this day (Jan 2021) Definitely a good reference or tracking monitor but not something I would personally mix and master on. They are fun little speakers to start producing on or just get you some satisfying sounding audio.

I got this as a present from my parents when I was 10 or 11 and it definitely was the thing that got me into making music. I still use it to this day mostly cause it's fun to mess around on and it's pretty nostalgic.

after serum came out i stopped using massive almost entirely. Its a useful vst but its kind of out dated compared to newer plugins on the market.

Ableton provides a really unique and straight forward experience when making or recording music. Because all the mixer tracks are laid out on the playlist, it makes adding plugins/effects quick and easy. Other features like freezing, track specific automation, and the stock effects are all really good for workflow and engineering in particular.

I started using FL 11 in 2014 and it definitely has a learning curve if you're a beginner. Once you know what you're doing though FL becomes really useful since you can develop your own workflow. It's certainly one of the most versatile DAWs I've used.

After cycling through a number of speakers I purchased the Adam A5Xs and they are definitely good speakers. For $500 each these sound pretty close to something from genelec or barefoot in terms of sound quality. The stereo image is some of the best I've ever heard on a speaker to date and there was something really special about the way the AMT projected sound. I did have some translation and low frequency response issues but they were very minor and I could easily mix on these if I had to. I ultimately got rid of these because I needed something with a little more fidelity but for the average listener or producer, these are the perfect balance between fun and accurate.

with my a5xs on these stands, it dramatically improves the listening experience. You no longer hear the speaker vibrating on the desk or console and it genuinely does isolate the sound source

First, you're not gonna find a better speaker on the market for this kind of money. You just won't. I've listened to just about every genre on just about every speaker as well and nothing compares to Genelec. The fact that they offer a model for under 1k that performs like a 3-4k set of monitors is mind blowing. Even if you don't have the GLM kit these are still going to perform way above their price point and it's definitely money well spent. They literally do not lie. If you have a good mix these are going to let you know and same goes for a bad mix. Every little detail you could and couldn't think of is going to be revealed and every change you make will be equally as audible. You can easily hear a .5db lift or cut with these and the stereo image is so precise you could close your eyes, reach out, and point to each individual element. If you're work in live sound, theater, or mixing and mastering I would suggest adding a subwoofer just so you don't miss that information below 50-40hz but for the average user or someone who can't afford a sub these are the zenith of this price range.