Most important Instruments/Plugins that PROs use often?

[Helkok]

Greetings to all Abletonians!

I recently switched to Ableton 10 Suite and there is so much more stuff!

What instruments or plugins can be used create virtually any sound you can imagine??? (Massive vs Serum?)
As people stated here, everything is very individual so
Please name instruments/Plugins/VSTs that you often use in/with Ableton.



Thanks in advance and thank you for your time!

[mholloway]

You wanna know what the PROs do?

1. They work hard and don't look for easy short-cuts to success

2. They figure out what works best for them personally instead of asking in internet forums what PROs use.

[miyaru]

It's a bit like asking what the pro's eat..... personal taste I guess.......

[Shift Gorden]

Yeah man, that's a tough one. I know pros (i.e. people who make a living off music) who use nothing but Ableton instruments and effects. I know others who go cray over plugins (you know who you are!).

Ableton is a beast, and I can sincerely say that there aren't really any shortcuts. Especially to a pro sound. As mentioned, most pros have put the time in figuring out their DAW.

Switching DAWs is tricky. I'm semi pro (and take semi and add many more semis in front of it). On multiple times I've thought about giving Logic a go - you know, just in case I have to work with it one day. I've probably invested 15 real hours into it. I don't get it. I can't do anything with it. That's not a knock at Logic - but it's to show in order for me to learn it properly and get something decent out of it, I need to spend a long time with it!

[Helkok]

You wanna know what the PROs do?

1. They work hard and don't look for easy short-cuts to success

2. They figure out what works best for them personally instead of asking in internet forums what PROs use.

I agreed. The secret of life is hard work REGARDLESS of your specialty and occupation: work, relationships anything. And I do want to invest all my time available into it. And as I said I do spend time on searching all over internet, so I thought to ask on forums too as a second opinion.
Im just asking for peoples opinions on what stuff do they use and not putting a silver spoon in my mouth.

[Helkok]

It's a bit like asking what the pro's eat..... personal taste I guess.......

Yes! Maybe I formulated the question in a wrong way. But thats it! I want to know your personal taste and opnion, just name Instruments and maybe Plugins that you often use in Ableton! I see you use Massive too huh.

[Helkok]

Yeah man, that's a tough one. I know pros (i.e. people who make a living off music) who use nothing but Ableton instruments and effects. I know others who go cray over plugins (you know who you are!).

Ableton is a beast, and I can sincerely say that there aren't really any shortcuts. Especially to a pro sound. As mentioned, most pros have put the time in figuring out their DAW.

Switching DAWs is tricky. I'm semi pro (and take semi and add many more semis in front of it). On multiple times I've thought about giving Logic a go - you know, just in case I have to work with it one day. I've probably invested 15 real hours into it. I don't get it. I can't do anything with it. That's not a knock at Logic - but it's to show in order for me to learn it properly and get something decent out of it, I need to spend a long time with it!

Thank you for such insightful answer. That's very interesting fact that some veterans use only Ableton instruments and effects, very good to know!
Yeah I suspected that it will be all very individual, and apparently I formulated the question in sort of too vague way.
Then what is your approach to production with Ableton? Are you more of Plugin guy, if so what plugins do you favor?

[TLW]

I’d suggest concentrating on getting to understand how Live works first of all, using the stock plugins it comes with. That way you’ll get a feel for what you like about the Ableton plugins and qhat maybe you don’t like so much.

It’s really easy to catch plugin acquisition syndrome and before you know it you have collected maybe a hundred or more plugins but don’t really use more than 10% of them most of the time, never use most of them at all and there’s so many of them there isn’t enough time to learn how to use them all anyway.

Really learning what you already have and adding to it only when you know why you want something different can save you a lot of time and money.

Another reason for starting with just the Live/Max plugins is that they’re all OK or better and they’re mostly pretty light on cpu usage - which helps in keeping audio latency times down when I need to monitor what I’m recording through Live and software effects. I’ll generally record all the audio/MIDI using Live’s plugins and a few third party ones which don’t hog the cpu, then once I’ve got to the arrange and mix stage I’ll increase my audio interface buffers to 512 to take some load off the cpu then switch out some of the Live plugins for others I prefer which need more cpu.

Other people do things differently, there’s no one way to use any DAW and the “pros” all do things their own way like the rest of us. There’s no one killer plugin synth any more than there’s one single killer hardware synth or just one “pro” guitar.

[jlgrimes]

Greetings to all Abletonians!

I recently switched to Ableton 10 Suite and there is so much more stuff!

What instruments or plugins can be used create virtually any sound you can imagine??? (Massive vs Serum?)
As people stated here, everything is very individual so
Please name instruments/Plugins/VSTs that you often use in/with Ableton.




Thanks in advance and thank you for your time!

Pros will use various tools. New and old. Like this forum everyone will prefer different things. Different genres will also have their overall favorites. You'd be better just checking a list online.


Both Massive and Serum are great synths and the big factor is the driver.


Personally I use Massive frequently for 808 booms. Fairly easy synth with an in your face raw sound.


I'd imagine the same could be done in Serum with the right programming.

[Helkok]

I’d suggest concentrating on getting to understand how Live works first of all, using the stock plugins it comes with. That way you’ll get a feel for what you like about the Ableton plugins and qhat maybe you don’t like so much.

It’s really easy to catch plugin acquisition syndrome and before you know it you have collected maybe a hundred or more plugins but don’t really use more than 10% of them most of the time, never use most of them at all and there’s so many of them there isn’t enough time to learn how to use them all anyway.

Really learning what you already have and adding to it only when you know why you want something different can save you a lot of time and money.

Another reason for starting with just the Live/Max plugins is that they’re all OK or better and they’re mostly pretty light on cpu usage - which helps in keeping audio latency times down when I need to monitor what I’m recording through Live and software effects. I’ll generally record all the audio/MIDI using Live’s plugins and a few third party ones which don’t hog the cpu, then once I’ve got to the arrange and mix stage I’ll increase my audio interface buffers to 512 to take some load off the cpu then switch out some of the Live plugins for others I prefer which need more cpu.

Other people do things differently, there’s no one way to use any DAW and the “pros” all do things their own way like the rest of us. There’s no one killer plugin synth any more than there’s one single killer hardware synth or just one “pro” guitar.

Just wow. This is the answer i was looking for. Thank you so much for taking your time carefully explaining. Really helped!

[Helkok]

Greetings to all Abletonians!

I recently switched to Ableton 10 Suite and there is so much more stuff!

What instruments or plugins can be used create virtually any sound you can imagine??? (Massive vs Serum?)
As people stated here, everything is very individual so
Please name instruments/Plugins/VSTs that you often use in/with Ableton.




Thanks in advance and thank you for your time!

Pros will use various tools. New and old. Like this forum everyone will prefer different things. Different genres will also have their overall favorites. You'd be better just checking a list online.


Both Massive and Serum are great synths and the big factor is the driver.


Personally I use Massive frequently for 808 booms. Fairly easy synth with an in your face raw sound.


I'd imagine the same could be done in Serum with the right programming.

Thank you for your insight. Very helpful post : )

[Da hand]

Well asking an extremely general question like "what is the most important plugin or instrument or effect, etc...." is like asking "who is the best musician ever". There is absolutely no way to answer that question. How will you choose between the best guitarist, or singer, or composer, etc... and in what genre - as they all take different skill sets. Impossible.

Your question is impossible in the same way. What constitutes "the best" in anything, is how it applies to a very specific set of criteria. In the end, like some already mentioned - it is how it is used as a solution to a particular scenario. Absynth is a great synth, but it will never win a prize for the best grand piano emulation. The best grand piano plugin will never be an even ok guitar plugin. Etc...

There are thousands of sounds that one can reach for to create music and thousands of plugins that can get you to make those sounds. You want us to collectively list them all? for what purpose? If everyone chooses only 10 favourite plugins, then you will end up with 100+ plugins to try with no particular focus.

Instead, if you start asking yourself very specific questions, you will get much better answers and you will learn faster. Start, for example, with creating a song. Pick a style and what sounds or instruments you would like to make up this song. Then go searching for those particular answers to your project. Explore them. Learn them well. Then start another song - could be a different style and/or instruments - and repeat. Each song or project will focus your search and exploration into a particular direction and this will aid you in finding specific answers.

In the end, this is what the Pros gather over the years - knowing the right tools and ways of using them for very particular situations.

[Helkok]

Start, for example, with creating a song. Pick a style and what sounds or instruments you would like to make up this song. Then go searching for those particular answers to your project. Explore them. Learn them well. Then start another song - could be a different style and/or instruments - and repeat. Each song or project will focus your search and exploration into a particular direction and this will aid you in finding specific answers.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. Exactly the plan Ive ben sticking to since the beginning, so I guess im on the right path. : )

[miyaru]

A good starting point pluginwise would be Massive (which I have), Serum, Some Rob Papen stuff.

Depending on what you make musicwise some Arturia stuff for yesteryears sounds of "old" synths samplers etc.

[Helkok]

A good starting point pluginwise would be Massive (which I have), Serum, Some Rob Papen stuff.

Depending on what you make musicwise some Arturia stuff for yesteryears sounds of "old" synths samplers etc.

Thanks a bunch man. Ill read about those : )
Yeah, I also googled stuff from your signature, seems like some really cool stuff!