You decided to become a music producer. So what gear do you need to get started? It’s easy to get lost in all the choices and spend too much money. That’s why I made this must-have music producer starter kit. I stripped it down to 4 essential pieces of gear. Let’s dive in and let’s get creative!
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You can lose yourself (in a good way) when you produce music. Just like composing, songwriting and playing an instrument. When you are in the flow time seems to stand still and it feels like you’re the only one in the world. This is what I love about making music
If you want to learn an instrument the choice is easy. You buy the instrument that you want to learn and you’re good to go. For learning music production, this goes a bit differently. Because you need multiple pieces of gear to get started, this is where it can get confusing. Here are the 4 essential and 3 optional things a music producer needs:
- Laptop or Desktop Computer: If you prefer portability then a laptop is what you need. If not then a desktop computer is recommended. To start you don’t need the most expensive machine. Check out my article on budget laptops for music production.
- DAW: This is what you need to record, edit and mix your music. Which digital audio workstation you use depends on the style of music and your budget.
- Audio Interface: There is so much competition in the field of USB audio interfaces. Even the cheaper models provide excellent quality nowadays.
- Studio Headphones: It’s easy to spend too much money here. You don’t need 3 pairs of headphones. You just need a good all-rounder for starters.
- MIDI controller (optional): How can this be optional you might ask? Some people prefer to draw in midi notes by hand (with the mouse). Then you don’t need a MIDI keyboard.
- Microphone and accessories (optional): Same as above. If you don’t plan on recording your vocals or instruments then you don’t need a mic. At least, that’s for now. You can always buy one later
- Samples and audio plugins (optional): If you prefer recording everything yourself then you don’t need a lot of samples. And for anybody beginning the stock plugins from your DAW should get you pretty far.
Music Producer Starter Pack Top Picks
Here are 4 great pieces of music gear that will get you started on your journey. I chose them for their functionality, durability and popularity. As mentioned earlier the microphone bundle and MIDI controller are optional. This all depends on what kind of music you want to make. I never trust it when companies offer you a complete music production starter kit and swear by it. Because do you need everything in that package?
Books For Learning Music Production
If you have read some of my other articles or watched some of my YouTube tutorials then you know I like to read. I am a firm believer that with the right books, you can shorten your learning curve times three. I love reading books about music. Some are good but most are not great. If you want to save time and money check out my recommended books list. You can find the best books for music producers or the best books on songwriting. If you want to become a music theory nerd, check out my list of best music theory books.
A Short Guide To Your Music Production Starter Kit
Everybody is different. That’s why I recommend products that are not restricted by any type of genre. If you want to see more different products, then check out my article about the best music production equipment for beginners. There you will find multiple types of headphones, MIDI controllers, speakers, microphones and more. These are also great for any home studio.
Laptop or Desktop
Without a computer, you will not be doing a lot of music production. This also happens to be one of the biggest expenses you will need to make. It is possible to produce music on budget laptops or to find somebody who can make a unique desktop build.
When it comes to laptops and desktops I find that non-Mac computers offer more bang for your buck. But if you are keen on using Apple products then you cannot make a bad choice. At the moment the minimum computer hardware requirements are:
- A quad-core processor with a clock speed of 2.5 GHz or higher
- At least 4 GB of RAM
- A 64-bit operating system
- A minimum of 500 GB SSD internal storage
- A 12-inch screen or larger
For example, the minimum requirements of Ableton Live 12 for Windows are:
- Windows 10 (version 22H2) or Windows 11 (version 22H2 or higher)
- 5th generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor or AMD Ryzen processor
- 8 GB RAM
- 1366×768 display resolution
- ASIO-compatible audio hardware for Link support (also recommended for optimal audio performance)
- Approximately 3 GB disk space on the system drive for the basic installation (8 GB free disk space recommended)
- Optionally up to 76 GB disk space for additionally available sound content
Choosing your DAW
In your DAW is where all the magic happens. This is where all the tacks, samples and plugins come together. Choosing a DAW is very personal. For example, I use Reaper. It is a very customizable and affordable one. But if you are more into EDM or electronic music then you could check out FL Studio. Before I switched back to using a Windows computer I used Logic Pro. It is a Mac-only DAW. It is very intuitive to use and not limited to any genre. Some other ones that you can check out are:
- Ableton Live: can be used for any style. It’s especially great for live performing and looping.
- Cubase: very versatile DAW. It is used a lot in game composing and arranging.
- Pro Tools: this DAW is the music studio industry standard. If you want to work in a music studio you need to know how it works. Otherwise, for creative work, I would say skip it.
USB Audio Interface
The audio interface is what is going to be processing your audio. Not only can you use it for processing the microphone signals. You can connect your headphones and speakers to it. And if it has a MIDI In (and Out), you can connect any MIDI controller that uses MIDI cables. In the lower and medium price range, Focusrite has the best quality interfaces. If you want MIDI ports then you need the Focusrite 4i4.
Music Production Headphones
There are two main types of headphones that you can find in any music studio. Open-back and closed-back. A pair of good open-back’s will cost a lot more than a good pair of closed-back headphones.
Some pros and cons of open-back headphones are:
Some pros and cons of closed-back headphones are:
Closed-backs are best if you record and perform music in the same room. Or if you are often in a noisy environment. Also from a price standpoint, this is the best.
MIDI Controller
Having a good MIDI controller is something optional. Because not everybody knows how to play in time or tap the rhythms they want. Quite a few of my students draw in the notes in the piano roll. Which is fine if it gets the job done. If you plan on playing more chords and bass notes at the same time you will need a controller with 32 or more keys.
AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 - 25 Key
M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 MK3 - USB MIDI Keyboard Controller
Microphone Bundle
As a beginning music producer recording audio is very difficult. Especially if your room is not soundproofed with acoustic panels. Or maybe there is a lot of noise from the streets outside. That’s something you cannot have when recording instruments.
Anyway, many producers prefer to work with samples and sample libraries. If you do want a good and versatile microphone deal then check out the one below.
Samples and Plugins
Samples, virtual instruments and various plugins are the bread and butter of music production. If you go to for example Splice, then you will find an abundance of ready-to-use and royalty-free audio samples. If you want to buy plugins for cheap, check out Pluginboutique.
