I’m Kayla. I make beats, club tracks, and weird little loops. I play live now and then, and I teach teens how to build their first song. I’ve tried a lot of music apps. Some stuck. Some didn’t.
Here’s the thing: I judge by feel and results. Can I get an idea down fast? Does it crash? Can I play it on stage without sweating through my shirt?
Quick note on my setup: MacBook Pro (M2), Focusrite 2i2, Push 2, a tiny M-Audio key, and some dusty old headphones I love too much.
You know what? The right tool depends on your hands. But I’ll show you what worked for mine. If you want the full nerdy backstory, I laid it all out in this in-depth breakdown.
Ableton Live 12 — My “Get It Out of My Head” Machine
When I’m stuck, I open Live (12.2 is out now). Session View lets me toss clips around like sticky notes. I made a house tune called Neon Kitchen in one night. I played bass with my launchpad, hit Capture MIDI, and boom—my messy riff showed up, on grid, ready to fix.
New toys in 12 help a lot:
- Keys & Scales kept my chords from going sour.
- Roar gave my drums a warm, nasty glow.
- The browser is faster, so I find kicks without losing the vibe.
- I set tuning systems for a moody pad. Small detail, big mood.
I also used Simpler to slice a break. I mapped a low-pass filter to a macro and rode it during a live set at a tiny club in Philly. People cheered when the filter opened. Simple trick. Still hits. If I’m on the road between shows and land in a smaller city—think Alabama’s underrated Prattville—I’ll peek at Backpage-style nightlife listings to see who’s hosting an after-hours jam or looking for a last-minute DJ; the page curates local ads so you can line up a cozy crowd instead of staring at your hotel TV.
What I love
- Session View is the king of ideas.
- Audio warping is clean for live vocals.
- Stock effects are strong. Roar is a beast.
- Push works like an instrument, not a menu.
What bugs me
- Big projects chew CPU if I stack heavy stuff.
- Suite is pricey if you want all the toys.
Choose this if: you write on loops, play live, and like to jam first and tidy later.
FL Studio 21 — Loops, Slides, and Fast Trap Drums
I made a drill beat for my friend Jett using FL. If you’re curious about the newest tricks, FL Studio 21’s headline features showcase a lot of what I leaned on. The Channel Rack is silly fast. I drop a clap, hat, and 808 in seconds. The Piano Roll slides for 808s? Chef’s kiss. I used Gross Beat for half-time on the hook. Then I fixed clicks in Edison. Clean. For a wider look at my EDM experiments across multiple DAWs, check out what actually worked for me after a month of brutal testing.
What I love
- The step sequencer is quick and fun.
- Piano Roll is the best for choppy, slidey bass.
- Lifetime updates. I bought once years ago, still fresh.
What bugs me
- Audio takes feel fussy next to the MIDI flow.
- The mixer layout still trips me up after long breaks.
Choose this if: you make beats first, vocals later, and love a fast lane.
Logic Pro 11 (Mac Only) — My Mix-and-Vocal Kitchen
I track singers in Logic. It feels calm. I did a pop remix last spring. I used Stem Splitter to peel a clean vocal from an old track. No hunt for an acapella. Then ChromaGlow warmed the chorus. I tried the Bass Session Player for a tight, human bass line, and it sat right under the kick without a fight.
Drummer still saves me when I’m tired. I tweak Feel and Swing like a picky coach.
What I love
- Great stock tools. You can finish records here.
- Stem Splitter is scary good for remixes.
- Drummer and Session Players get ideas moving.
What bugs me
- Mac only. Sad face for my Windows friends.
- Big projects can feel heavy on older laptops.
Choose this if: you record singers, want clean mixes, and live in the Apple garden.
Bitwig Studio 5 — Sound Design Playground
When I want strange, I open Bitwig. The modulators are wild. I built a growl pad that opened with note velocity and closed with kick volume. No extra plug-ins. The Grid let me patch a tiny drum synth from blocks. It sounded like a robot in a shoebox. Loved it.
I made a techno track called Fog Elevator with one Grid patch and three sends. It thumped. It also scared my cat.
What I love
- Modulators on almost anything. It feels like Lego.
- The Grid is deep but friendly once it clicks.
- Hardware sync is tight with my little Volca.
What bugs me
- The upgrade plan cost stings a bit.
- It can eat CPU when I stack a lot of Grid stuff.
Choose this if: you design sounds, love control, and enjoy happy accidents.
Reason 13 — The Fun Rack That Keeps Giving
Reason is where I go to play. I used Polytone for warm chords and Ripley for spacey echoes. Then I built a Combinator with four knobs: cutoff, wobble, crunch, and wet. I used it inside Ableton as a plug-in, so I got both worlds—Live’s flow and Reason’s rack.
I also remade a 90s break with Mimic. It felt like old gear, but without the hiss.
What I love
- The rack is hands-on. Patch cables bring joy.
- New browser is quicker. Less hunting, more making.
- As a plug-in, it upgrades any DAW.
What bugs me
- Scrolling through devices can still feel busy.
- CPU jumps if I layer many big racks.
Choose this if: you like knobs, quirky chains, and plug-in racks inside other apps.
Reaper 7 — The Fast, Cheap Workhorse
Reaper is my tool for recording long sets and podcasts. It loads fast and barely crashes. I tracked a two-hour DJ mix with three mics and did edits on the fly. I built a parallel drum bus with stock tools. It sounded clean.
What I love
- Tiny install. Runs on old gear like a champ.
- Deep routing for weird chains.
- The price is kind to humans.
What bugs me
- Stock synths are basic. You’ll add plug-ins.
- Setup can feel nerdy. The menus go deep.
Choose this if: you want speed, control, and a small bill.
Serato Studio — Quick Sample Flips for Social Clips
I use this when I need a 30-second idea for Reels. The crates and key/BPM tools make sample flips simple. I chopped a soul loop, set auto key, and built a chorus in under ten minutes. Great for small wins. Need something completely pocket-sized? Here’s my pick for the best app to make beats on a phone.
What I love
- Fast sampling workflow.
- Simple, clear layout.
- Good for beat packs and short loops.
What bugs me
- Light on advanced mixing.
- I still finish big tracks elsewhere.
Choose this if: you post quick beats and love sample chops.
How I Pick For Each Job
- Live set: Ableton Live 12
- Beat day with 808s: FL Studio 21
- Vocal tracking and clean mix: Logic Pro 11
- Weird sound design: Bitwig Studio 5
- Playful racks and textures: Reason 13 (as plug-in)
- Long recording or tight budget: Reaper 7
- Fast sample flips: Serato Studio
Curious what other producers lean on day-to-day? I shared my survey and notes on the most-used software in real studios.
Tiny Tips That Helped Me
- Save a “blank” template with your drum bus, sidechain, and headroom set.
- Keep one folder of go-to kicks and claps. Choice kills time.
- Print stems before a show. Safety first.
- Name tracks like a neat freak. Future you will smile.
While my ears are fried after a ten-hour session, I’ll sometimes step away from the DAW and study how entirely different industries capture attention. A surprisingly detailed roundup of free sex sites breaks down user-flow tricks, instant-gratification hooks, and retention tactics—insights you can borrow to make your song intros grip listeners within the first five seconds.
If you’re still gathering gear and wondering [what you actually need to make