I always have used FL Studio, and never personally found another DAW with a better piano roll. The shortcuts are very intuitive, and I rarely run into problems.
Instrument or VST bundles that contain a variety of different products at a discount.
Mixing Tools | iZotope - Music Production Suite 6
Awesome mixing tools!
Ozone 11 Advanced for mastering, Neutron 4 for mixing, and much more!
This bundle contains a LOT of libraries, and every single one of my tracks includes at least one of them. The software includes (I bolded what I most often use):
Platforms/Samplers:
Kontakt 7, Reaktor 6, Komplete Krontol, Battery 4, Flesh, Polyplex
Synths:
BX_Oberhausen, Blocks Prime, FM8, Form, Knifonium, Kontour, Massive, Massive X, Monark, Playbox, Razor, Reaktor Prism, Reaktor Spark, Retro Machines MK2, Rounds, Skanner XT, Super 8, TRK-01
Sampled Instruments:
Symphony Series: Brass Ensemble, Brass Solo, String Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, Woodwind Solo, Percussion
Amati Viola, Guarneri Violin, Stadivari Cello, Stradivari Violin, Choir: Omnia
Cinematic: Action Strikes, Action Strings 2, Arkhis, Ashlight, Damage, Emotive Strings, Kinetic Metal, Kinetic Toys, Lores, Mallet Flux, Mysteria, Pharlight, Rise & Hit, Sequis, Straylight, Thrill
Spotlight Series: Balinese Gamelan, Cuba, East Asia, India, Middle East, West Africa
Pianos: Alicia's Keys, Noire, Piano Colors, The Gentleman, The Giant, The Grandeur, The Maverick, Una Corda
Electric Pianos/Organs: George Duke Soul, Treasures, Scarbee A200, Scarbee Clavinet/Pianet, Scarbee Mark 1, Vintage Organs
Drums: Abbey Road Vintage Drummer, Abbey Road 50s Drummer, Abbey Road 60s Drummer, Abbey Road 70s Drummer, Abbey Road 80s Drummer, Abbey Road Modern Drummer, Drumlab, Studio Drummer
Basses: Scarbee Jay-Bass, Scarbee MM-Bass (Amped), Scarbee Pre-Bass (Amped), Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass, Session Bassist - Prime Bass
Session Guitarist: Electric Mint, Electric Sunburst Deluxe, Electric Vintage, Picked Acoustic, Picked Nylon, Strummed Acoustic, Strummed Acoustic 2
Contemporary Strings/Horns: Session Horns Pro, Session Strings Pro 2
Play Series: 40s Very Own Drums, 40s Very Own Keys, Analog Dreams, Butch Vig Drums, Cloud Supply, Deft Lines, Empire Breaks, Ethereal Earth, Glaze, Hybrid Keys, Ignition Keys, Lo-Fi Glow, Melted Vibes, Modular Icons, Soul Sessions, Stacks
This was probably the best deal on the entire list, I use a library from here in pretty much every project. Libraries are also added or updated very often.
Orchestral: CineBrass Core/Pro, Industry Brass Core/Pro, CineStrings Core/Pro, CineStrings Solo, CineWinds Core/Pro, CinePerc, CineHarps, CinePiano, CineHarpsichord
More: Drums of War 1-3, Piano In Blue, Randy’s Celeste, O: Forbes Pipe Organ, Voxos, African Marimba, Apocalyptica, Gina Luciani Cinema Flutes, Tina Guo Cello, Collision Impact Designer, Dulcimer & Zither, Handbells, Hardanger Fiddle, Quatre Session Strings, Randy's Celeste, Randy's Prepared Piano, Forbed Pipe Organ, Mister Roger's Celeste, Village Mallets, Vintage Synth Museum, Drum Machines
My go-to instruments for orchestral music. Strings, brass, and woodwinds.
My main workhorse libraries for both String and Woodwinds since mid-2024. I'd argue they are the best all-round string and woodwind libraries on the market with little downsides.
This is outstanding, versatile, and powerful brass. I used this for almost every single project. The amount of control they give you is amazing, and the trumpets can play extremely fast repetitions! I even use this for my more jazzy brass (a lot of the time layered with vHorns)! This library has a whole set of mutes and has extremely precise control over vibrato and airflow.
Very versatile woodwinds that work in many many scenarios. Great clarinets, oboes, and english horns.
Reliable and consistent. I use the woodwinds and percussion from here a lot. The strings also have a lot of articulations and extended techniques.
It's one of the best string libraries ever made. I use it for small sections and layering. It has such a crisp, clean sound and I love the AIR Lyndhurst sound!
I use these instruments a lot simply because of how versatile they are. They can work in many scenarios due to the dryer, more intimate sound.
This is another go-to for me personally! Not a great choice for louder or epic scores, but this library truly shines with quieter dynamics. It also contains the best glockenspiel so that's a bonus.
Passionate, emotional, extremely smooth string legatos. I also use this library for layering a lot.
I use this sometimes for my loud cinematic-sounding brass! It's loud, and powerful, but also can get quiet if you want it to.
My favorite reverb plugin ever, air studios has a beautiful sound - and now I can bring it to any sound!
My libraries for percussion, choir, and more.
I've used this fantastic library for most of my cinematic percussion since 2023! It's super punchy and has a plethora of sounds.
Fantastic orchestral percussion that can be used for many purposes! It gets nice and loud, perfect for cinematic-style scores.
Fantastic powerful choir... and super easy to use.
These libraries really pack a punch for the price, and I use them regularly!
This library contains a lot of unique instrument combinations here that really spark creativity. I always return to this library for the percussion, and string section!
Spitfire Audio - Various Others
Spitfire Audio's harp is one of the best, and a lot of times I layer it with the BBC harp. Ricotti Mallets I tend to layer with the BBC mallets as well, it gives them a sharper more precise sound. Orchestral Swarm is amazing for textural work, and really bringing emotions out of an orchestra.
Tina Guo Acoustic cello is an extremely expressive cello library that plays cello passages full of emotion. Taylor Davis is my go-to versatile solo violin library!
Fantastic, expressive soloists!
My libraries for non-orchestral scores. I also use Komplete a lot for this space.
One of the most iconic synths out there. It's always here when I need it!
Powerful sound design tool and great synth
Incredible synths, and a lot of useful instruments for layering and more! Also a great sample manipulator tool. I use it for all my initial drafts.
Amazing keys. Pianos, Rhodes, Celesta, and many more awesome instruments.
The BEST saxophone library on the market right now. I got them in August 2023 and I don't think I'll ever need another.
Super realistic brass, almost indistinguishable from live sometimes (check out their demos). Layering it with infinite brass is great for big band, as it fills out the higher dynamics.
Great, pre-processed drum library that sounds great out of the box! I used this for most of my drums from 2021-2023
My favorite drum library on the market. Balances ease of use with customizability. Can sound amazing right out of the box but also provides more raw samples when needed.
My Computer
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 96 GB (2 × 48 GB) DDR5-5600 CL40
GPU: RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK
My MIDI keyboard. I love how in-depth you can program it; the DAW controls work seamlessly with FL Studio now! The keybed feels fantastic as well.
These were my daily drivers for a couple of years now. The bass is not too aggressive, the mids are pristine, and the highs are detailed. I replaced the pads with the ones ZMF sells because the stock pads get worn out pretty fast and they're hardly in stock.
Extremely detailed and neutral-sounding microphone. I've used it for all my recording needs, and I highly recommend!
My main studio monitors for mixing since 2022. Brutally honest, and I love it!
These reduce a lot of the vibrations caused by the speakers being flat on a desk. It also better positions them so that the sound is directed toward your ears.
One of the best Audio Interfaces for the price out there. Highly recommended if you are looking for one! It also has a great amp that drives my HD 6XX and HS5.