We have a wide variety of skill levels and experience in the Music Producer Amino Group. So, we thought we would do a couple of posts on Essential Gear and Set Ups to do Music Production. This will be aimed at the beginner, but, we would love to hear from you more experienced Music Producers on your Set Ups in the comments. Also, we are trying to get a couple of our DJ friends to take the next step into being more interested in creating their own original music as Music Producers, so, we hope this helps them too. We hope to use this blog as the beginning of developing a community list of our favorite set ups and equipment that would fit for the beginner and intermediate Music Producer.
Before going to far into the Gear, it is a good thing to point out that you can Music Production without having all this equipment mentioned in this post. You don’t need to feel that you have to buy all this equipment before you can start creating music. Far from it. If you have an phone and some music creation software you can create music. Some professional recording studios are filled with music production equipment. As an independent musician, you don’t need a full studio, but there are some essentials that you need to make the best music you can. From hardware to software to comfort, here is our list of essential music production equipment.
Computer
The thing most likely to hold you back is if you don’t have a good computer. If you already have a good gaming rig you are all set. The biggest question is Mac or Windows. You can’t go wrong with a Mac as it has been a favorite of music producers for years. But, Windows machines are what we use just because so much else of what we do is Windows based (virtual world creation and programming).
The next big question is laptop or desktop? Laptops are often music producers favorites especially if they plan on going and sharing their music live in front of other people and then they need a laptop as an integral part of their live show. But, if portability is not a driving issue for you then there are quite a few benefits for getting a desktop computer as you will get more for your money and they are generally faster. These are our recommendations for minimum computer specs for Music Production:
- CPU: A minimum 2.2Ghz i7 quad-core processor & 64 bit operating system
- Memory: A minimum 16GB of RAM
- Storage: A minimum of 500 GB HDD and at least 100 GB SDD.
- Monitors: A minimum 15 inch screen, but, honestly 2 screens is really required.
- Mouse: A mouse with side scroll features.
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
A DAW is music production software you use to record, mix and edit your songs. Some programs are free and some can run you close to $1000. DAWs are often personal preferences and remember certain DAWs run on Mac and some on Windows. Most DAWs offer you a try before you buy. So, we encourage you to do this. Here is a newer video reviewing a list of the most current DAWs if you are thinking of getting one.
We think a good place to start is one that not many in the MPA group use, but, it is in the cloud and offers many ways to collaborate with others which is important when getting started and that DAW is Bandlab by the maker’s of Cakewalk which was one of the original DAWs. The reason we recommend this is that it runs in the cloud and you don’t have to install anything. Pro Tools, FL Studio and Ableton are probably the most popular DAWs and they all have great features. If you just want to explore somewhat casually go ahead and use Garage Band as a starting point.
Audio Interface
An audio interface lets you connect your computer to a microphone, mixer and speakers. To record into your computer, you need to connect your microphone to the computer so that it will pick up your playing. Once you have edited and mixed your song in your DAW you will need to hear your music in speakers or a headphone.
An audio interface converts sound from an analog to digital format so your computer can process the input in your DAW. For output, the audio interface works in reverse converting sound for from digital to analog (sound waves) so you can hear it.
There are many types of audio interfaces and many of them come with other features that just the conversion of analog to digital back to analog format conversion including having a midi interface built in. Here is a list of current audio interfaces:
As again it is a matter of taste and what manufacturer you are most comfortable with. We like Native Instruments equipment so we use Komplete Audio 6 as it matches our other NI equipment we use.
Midi Keyboard
If you want to compose music right at your computer you will need a MIDI Keyboard. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and that’s what it precisely does. It is a standard piano like keyboard that picks up the notes you play and a number of other things like how hard you hit the key on the keyboard and sends that information to the computer via a MIDI interface into your computer. MIDI keyboards used to only come with a 5 prong MIDI output, so, if you get an older MIDI keyboard that still has this type of cable interface you may need to buy a piece of cheap hardware that converts the signal from the 5 prong cable to a USB cable for your computer. Most new MIDI keyboard use a USB interface and you won’t need to do this.
You have a wide range of keyboards to choose from. If you come from a piano playing background you may prefer weighted keyboards that feel like a piano. If you are just wanting a way to get some musical ideas into your DAW, a cheap, small keyboard such as the Pyle 25 key MIDI Controller to get your music ideas into the computer. We are using a Roland A-88 as our weighted keyboard, some old synths with MIDI built in and a Mini-32 for quick input of ideas.
Microphones
What would a recording studio be without a microphone or two. If you go to a commercial studio they will have a “microphone locker” with many different types of mics for different needs (acoustic drums, guitars, room ambiance, etc). They will have ribbon mics, dynamic mics, condenser mics, shotgun mics, small, medium & large diaphragm, etc. They all have their uses. But, if you are getting started you don’t need a locker for your microphones.
A good microphone doesn’t have to cost a lot, but believe you can drop a lot of money on them if you are an audiophile. If you plan to record mostly vocals, a vocal mic like a Shure SM58 is a good choice. If you want a microphone for mostly instruments, the something like an Audio-Technica AT2020 is super for a home recording studio as it can handle a wide dynamic range. Both of these choices are affordable. If you are a drummer and want to record then you are going to spend a lot more unfortunately in recording your kit and you will be having to buy a drum microphone kit which will have many different mics for each drum and cymbal type.
Don’t forget that you will need a microphone stand too. Don’t spend too much of these to begin with, but, you will need one that fits your needs and a small boom stand is usually the easiest first mic stand to own.
Headphones
Headphones are another necessity for recording. In recording may music producers use two types of headphones. They have a recording headphone that prioritizes sound isolation and another pair for editing that prioritizes sound quality (like a great hi fi headphone) that is like what the people that listen to your music might wear.
If you only want to pay for a single pair that does both jobs pretty well, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are an affordable middle of road option. It provides good sound quality and the kind of sound isolation you need for long recording sessions.
Desk and Chair
We debated about adding this to the list, but quite honestly this is where you actually spend your most time using and you need to be comfortable. There are fancy music production desks you can buy, but, you don’t need to have a huge desk to get started. Get a chair that either allows you to move the arms out of the way or doesn’t have arms as you will probably be playing a guitar or keyboard as you compose. Quite honestly the thing that may makes you quit your recording session early more often than not is that if your chair is uncomfortable and your butt hurts and not any other piece of equipment.
Summary
So this is our list of gear you need to start up your Music Producer journey. If you are already an active Music Producer, we would love to hear what you think of the list and what you would recommend in the comments to the post. Or for that matter even a completely new post. Music Producers are already interested in what other’s are using for Gear as we are generally Nerds when it comes to this gear.
Here is a slide show tour of Granddad GotMojo’s home studio.
