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heyo, i'm pretty much brand spankin' new to producing and am still learning the ropes of ableton, but i was thinking that if i actually want to invest time and effort in music production (which i'm completely committed to) i should start buying some solid equipment.

the thing is, i've got no idea what to get. studio monitors seem like the most common/crucial part of every producers setup i've seen, and my current speakers are basically two little white boxes and a shitty sub from 1999. i have a bunch of old synths but none of them can wire into a pc...

can anyone offer up some good equipment for a new producer? i don't think i need anything too pricey until i get more serious about it, just stuff to get the ball rolling.

A Semi-pro soundcard,
Studio active monitors
and a Midi controller should set you up well for starting out.

Think of how many inputs and outputs on the soundcard you'll need first (you may want to dig those synths out after all!) and choose the right card for your needs, then split the rest of your budget on the 2 other bits.

KRK Rokit 5/6 appear to be the standard for starter producers (I have 6's), alongside that I use a EMU0404 (Decent card, but few inputs) with an MPK25 Midi keyboard/controller but for testing the waters theres cheaper keyboards, the nanokorgs I believe are fairly cheap and very portable. Other than that a pair of AKG240 MKII's for the night session.

In all.


Monitors (Invest well, Don't buy a cheap pair that you'll later regret, a decent pair of monitors will be a solid investment
Soundcard (Same situation as the monitors really, you pay for quality)
Midi keyboard/Controller (Not a necessity but definately a welcomed luxury)
Headphones (Another optional)

Other than that, some softsynths would be a good investment and possibly some sample CD's to get you on your way.

Edit: And I see you are using Ableton, somewhere down the line you might want to try and give Novation's ableton launchpad a go, we have these at uni, combined with Kaos pads, they create one hell of a session.

JJAMUS wrote:heyo, i'm pretty much brand spankin' new to producing and am still learning the ropes of ableton, but i was thinking that if i actually want to invest time and effort in music production (which i'm completely committed to) i should start buying some solid equipment.

the thing is, i've got no idea what to get. studio monitors seem like the most common/crucial part of every producers setup i've seen, and my current speakers are basically two little white boxes and a shitty sub from 1999. i have a bunch of old synths but none of them can wire into a pc...

can anyone offer up some good equipment for a new producer? i don't think i need anything too pricey until i get more serious about it, just stuff to get the ball rolling.

Hi Jjamus.. Glad to see somebody else getting involved...

I'm a new producer, myself, and it wasn't too long ago that I was in your exact same position.

The BASICS that you'll want to get are some decent near-field reference monitors and a 24 bit USB audio interface. I got these items in December and my ears have been introduced to a completely new sonic dimension.

Products I recommend are Alesis M1 ACTIVE(make sure they are active unless you want to buy an amp) Bi-amp near field reference moitors. from zzounds.com they run about $300. WORTH it.

As far as audio interface(soundcard) goes, I recommend the EMU 0404 usb interface. It is 24 bit, which is perfect for producing essentially, and its a quality interface for the price. If I remember correctly if cost about $150-$175 (US Dollars)

These two items will at least enable you to develop your ear much quicker. As far as synths/controllers.. I started with a controller and was just using VST's for sounds. I LOVE my Novation Remote SL61.. costs a grip new, but I found it online BARELY used for $200. If you are looking for a synth, a good place to start would be with the Alesis Micron or the MicroKorg (I'm told)

Anyways, best of luck... and I hope I was able to provide some insight.. Keep in mind that all of my recommendations are based off of my own personal knowledge... I'm not sick producer (yet).. but for being a beginner, this setup worked wonders for me.

monitors + audio interface = most of it. A lot of people think of controllers as a place to start, but like the above post developing your "ear" for sounds is probably the most important. Without those 2 mentioned it's very difficult to render songs at high quality (well at least w/o the interface).

Learn to dj too...

Buy an audio 8 used for as cheap as possible...

get at least 12 knobs n six midi faders.

then buy either krks or some small studio sub/horn boxes n a good pa amp with a mixer...

end of discussion.

thanks all for the replies, i'm taking everything i read in mind.

probably going to get the krk 6's. i'm going to continue looking around for audio interfaces, too. is there an advantage to using one over an internal soundcard?

If you're on a budget but serious about producing I'd skip the monitors and get a decent set of reference headphones, might just be me I like producing at night without everyone waking up and telling me my tunes are shit.

With an audio interface as long as you're looking at DJ/Production gear it should carry roughly the same specs the main thing to think about is what could go wrong, If an external interface fucks up then you can just pick it up and shake it about a bit but with an internal one you'll have to dig it out the back of your PC and you wont be able to take it around with you. external is probably the best choice

No point in speading money in something you might not stick at.

DZA wrote:No point in speading money in something you might not stick at.

Huh? how would he know if its for him? You would have to try it out to decide right?

Yeah, but since when do you need monitors, soundcard, midi keyboard ect to try it out

DZA wrote:Yeah, but since when do you need monitors, soundcard, midi keyboard ect to try it out

Valid point. No reason to invest over $500 in something that you aren't certain you will want to be doing in 3 months. I didn't start buying any of that until I had been producing for 6 months or so... At that point, I realized I was committed and needed the upgrade. I would say just get some mid price range monitor headphones and a cheap midi controller to start off... Also, try to "inherit" some popular VSTs.

Once you figure out WTF you are doing, and know whether you like production or not, you will either want to make a serious investment or just give it up.

BTW, the Launchpad is useless for production. It is a performance/DJ tool.

He's at the first stage, Fucking with demo's/warez, making shit sounds, getting his feet wet.

We have all been there, and we all asked the same question, what equipment shall i buy to up my game?

When you have 24bit sound, 20hrtz - 20khrtz (or whatever) coming out your monitors, everything changes, i think then is the time to decide whether you're going to keep at it or not.

You're still right D, you aint seriously gonna spend £300/£400 if you wasn't into it "that" much, but not buying that semi-pro equipment or not hearing what it can do, is not really "trying it out".


I dunno, you could always sell the stuff if you still aint happy.

ya i agree with you dza i was thinking not so much of beginning gear but required gear for producing good sound.

Just grab some headphones if you're just starting. All you need.

fuck all the equipment and luxury things, you already got yourself ableton so learn the ropes with it, it comes with lessons as well so your set, there is absolutely no need for anything else. those programs have everything you need to make your music and really dwell into it. spending hundreds of dollars on a beginner setup is dumb in my opinion. just get your feet wet get into the program and maybe in a few weeks or so youll maybe realize OH i think i need a midi controller now since writing out all these basslines suck..and so on. with time you will learn and realize what you need next. first just get the hang of ableton and mess around with sampling and vsts and mostly enjoy yourself doing it. hope this helps you not spend all your money because you dont need to.

lol, thinking about it now it was ambitious of me to think i'd need to buy a bunch of stuff.

i got a few vst's, gonna sit tight with them for now. thanks to everyone whose contributed so far. i guess as i go along i'll probably put some stuff up for critique, but not for awhile.

Hey guys, just joined and was happy to see this thread. I do have something to say in this scenario cause i just started about 3 months ago. I am now looking at a audio/midi device. Though i'm just starting out, one thing that really irritated me was the latency between my keyboard and ableton. I was using an old Audigy soundcard with a breakout box, and the latency was unbearable.

So JJAMUS, if you have piano skills (any level) and already have a keyboard; and want to use it in your production while you tinker, i say get a audio/midi device. The Emu 0404 is one that i've heard alot in the boards i scour for info. The montiors could wait cause a decent pair of headphones could suffice.

Yeah if you have experience with keys then im sure you'll find computer music easier with a keyboard hooked up. Maybe one of your synths has a midi out? Or would you be able to borrow a keyboard with midi out from anyone?

You can get midi to usb interfaces for around £5. As for latency you can install ASIO4ALL which is free and really helps. This should do till your ready to get an interface.

All you really need is some sort of digital audio workstation and a little bit of that stuff called imagination.