GEAR AND PLUGINS I USE
This is the gear and every plugin I actually use, sorted by the job it does. Most of it came later. I made beats on stock plugins for years before any of this.
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LAST UPDATED OCTOBER 30, 2026. I BOUGHT EVERYTHING HERE EXCEPT SCHWABE GOLD CLIP, WHICH I WON IN A KEN LEWIS / MIXING NIGHT AUDIO CONTEST.
01WHERE I MAKE BEATS
- FL Studio, on a PC I builtDAW
02RECORDING CHAIN
- Aston SpiritMIC
- ART Pro ChannelPREAMP
- dbx 286sCHANNEL STRIP
- RME Babyface ProINTERFACE
- Softube Console 1 Channel Mk IIICONTROLLER→
- Softube Console 1 Fader Mk IIICONTROLLER→
03HEARING THE MIX
- Kali Audio IN-5MONITORS
- Steven Slate Audio VSX Closed Back, Platinum EditionHEADPHONES
04PLUGINS, BY THE JOB THEY DO
Signal Check and the Dynamics Lab point here: the check names the job, this list names what I reach for.
EQ 7
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- FabFilter Pro-Q 4PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Tube-Tech Equalizers Mk IIPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Chandler Limited Curve Bender (Softube)PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Acustica Audio Ruby 3NO LINK YET
- Pulsar Modular P422 FairuzNO LINK YET
- Pultec emulations (several versions)SEVERAL VERSIONS
- Softube Console 1 channel strip EQIN CONSOLE 1
COMPRESSOR 15
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- FabFilter Pro-C 3PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Console 1 bus, FET and opto compressorsIN CONSOLE 1
- Kazrog MHB GreenBOUGHT DIRECT
- Kazrog Retro Sta-LevelBOUGHT DIRECT
- Kazrog Vac Rac TSLBOUGHT DIRECT
- Kazrog True IronBOUGHT DIRECT
- Softube Bus Processor 670PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B Mk IIPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Chandler Germanium CompressorPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Chandler Zener-BenderPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Mixland VireliaNO LINK YET
- Kiive Audio XBusPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Brainworx bx_gluePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Joey Sturgis Tones Bus GluePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Weiss DS1-MK3PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
SATURATION 9
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- FabFilter Saturn 2PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Wavesfactory SpectrePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube TapePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube HarmonicsPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Topos by Forever 89PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Safari Pedals Gorilla DrivePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Soundtoys DecapitatorPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- iZotope Ozone Exciter (inside Ozone 12)PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Softube Weiss ExciterPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
CLIPPER 7
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- Schwabe Digital Gold ClipWON IN A CONTEST
- Schwabe Digital Orange ClipNO LINK YET
- SIR Audio Tools StandardCLIPNO LINK YET
- LusiD Music BuzzCutLINK SOON
- Softube ClipperPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Safari Audio Zebra ClipperPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Fruity Soft ClipperSTOCK FL
LIMITER 6
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- Naturl Audio AL-1LINK SOON
- Make Believe Studio CGIINO LINK YET
- Softube Weiss MM-1 MaximizerPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- iZotope Ozone Maximizer (inside Ozone 12)PLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Schwabe Digital HiFALNO LINK YET
- FL Studio EmphasisSTOCK FL
DE-ESSER 3
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- Softube De-esserPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Wavesfactory Re-EsserPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- apulSoft splitSNO LINK YET
REVERB 6
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- Nuro Audio Supernova (also delay)NO LINK YET
- Brainworx bx_auraNO LINK YET
- Soundtoys SuperPlatePLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Waves Space RiderPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Valhalla SupermassiveFREE→
- FL Studio LuxeVerbSTOCK FL
DELAY 3
EVERYTHING I USE FOR THIS
- Waves H-DelayPLUGIN BOUTIQUE→
- Safari Pedals Yak DelayNO LINK YET
- Fruity DelaySTOCK FL
05FILMING THE BEAT
- ZCAM E2CCAMERA
- OBSBOT Tiny 2 LiteCAMERA
- MOKOSE UC70 4KUSB CAMERA
- OBS Studio plus Aitum VerticalFREE
06OTHER TOOLS
Before you buy anything on this list, check out Signal Check. It's free. It helps you find the problems in your mix, even the ones you didn't know you were looking for. In most cases, that's where it starts.