Rock band Beauty School Dropout collectively told us about their love for their AbleSet software.
Beauty School Dropout: A piece of gear we’ve been using that I’m obsessed with is this software called AbleSet. It is this application made by one dude in Germany and he handles all the updates and customer support by himself and it’s amazing.
Essentially it integrates with Ableton Live and allows us to be way more on the fly with our live set. We can do live looping and on a whim skip around between songs if we wanna go a different direction. Definitely some super nerdy shit but I love it.
Another cornerstone of our live rig — and honestly one of the most underrated — is the Behringer X32 paired with the S16 stage box. This combo is the heartbeat of our IEM system. Every bit of audio, from playback tracks to click to vocals, flows through it, and it keeps our entire show locked in and consistent night after night. It’s not glamorous gear, but when everything’s dialed, it’s the difference between a chaotic mess and a rock-solid performance.
For wireless, we trust Sennheiser units for both guitars and in-ears. They’re super reliable, built like tanks, and they just work — which is exactly what you want when you’re moving around stage and can’t afford dropouts or interference.
Guitar-wise, I’m obsessed with the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Custom. It’s a legit workhorse: full Gibson electronics and pickups, heavy-duty construction, and tone for days. It’s basically a touring guitar without the vintage-Gibson price tag. On bass duty, we’re running the Epiphone Grabber reissue, which has this tight, mid-forward growl that locks in perfectly with the drums.
Our mic setup is as classic as it gets — Shure SM58s across the board. They’re the definition of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” For drums, we rely on Gretsch kits with Remo heads for that balanced punch and snap, and DW hardware to keep everything in place. And for cymbals, it’s all Paiste — the Swiss-made quality and bright, musical tone just cut through a dense mix in the best way possible.
Beauty School Dropout's album WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO? is out now.
Photo by Natasha Austrich
