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If you’re a music producer or want to be one, it’s important that you employ the right equipment that suits your particular style of producing and your budget.
 | A mixing board is needed for inputting some
signals |
Not that long ago, music studio owners had no choice but to purchase bulky and sometimes pricey hardware equipment: recorders, consoles, effects units, sound modules, samplers and more.
Today, all of those chores can be handled within a single music software program.
When it comes to buying studio equipment, the sky’s the limit. You can set up a modest, quite affordable home studio or purchase expensive gear like the pros use.
If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start small and add equipment as you go. There is a learning curve involved.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A powerful computer. Most professionals use Mac, but there's an ongoing debate between Mac and PC users about which is best for doing music. Do research and choose what's right for you.
- A good music software program. There are a lot to choose from and the prices vary widely; because the technology changes often, I won’t list individual brands here. I suggest you research online and speak to experts who can advise you about currently available software that fits your needs and budget.
- Two high-quality speaker monitors and an amplifier. You may need more speakers down the road but two are all that are required upfront.
- A mixing board. Most music software programs contain a mixing console that you’ll use for the final mix. But a hands-on console is necessary if you’re inputting signals from multiple microphones or sound modules that aren’t computer based.
- At least one good microphone. Microphones can be expensive, but there are good affordable mics available. The number you’ll require will depend upon your production needs. Be advised: different types of microphones serve different purposes. Again, talk to a pro for advice.
- A musical keyboard. This assumes you’ll be recording some of your tracks using MIDI (electronic) instrumentation. It can sometimes be done on the computer keyboard, but I believe that employing a musical keyboard as MIDI controller is essential.
- Sound modules and/or sound software, devices that contain synthesized or sampled sounds of musical instruments, effects and other audio. A sound module may be a synthesizer, sampler, drum module or keyboard with built-in sounds. In recent years, software synthesizers (or “virtual instruments”), which run on a computer’s sound card, have come to replace or supplement module hardware.
- Headphones, microphone stands and music stands.
- Though not essential, you may consider including a cassette deck, reel-to-reel recorder and turntable. I’ve found that there are occasions on which you may need to digitize an old cassette tape, reel-to-reel tape or vinyl record.
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