Monday, June 6, 2011

pH-14: Studio equipment and gear

Back in the days, you would need a shitload of equipment to make decent electronic music. Drumcomputers, samplers, synthesizers, fx modules, the list goes on. Sequencer, DAW and VST software made the whole process a lot easier (and cheaper). Modern EDM production is almost entirely virtual!

It looks so awesome though.

I, being an average guy from a middle-class family, don't have the money to build an awesome-as-shit studio full of hardware. However, just a PC (or mac if you are a hipster) is not enough. Producers/audiophiles want to hear their audio as "honest" as possible, without any additional or missing frequencies. For this, I got myself 2 Alesis M1Active 620 studio monitors, and a M-Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard. If you are a beginning producer and you are willing to invest money in your hobby, monitors and maybe a soundcard are the ideal starting point. It is essential. 

M-audio Audiophile 2496

Other than that, a strong computer with some decent RAM is not a bad idea either. DAWs, and especially projects using many heavy synths and effects such as quality reverb are heavy to run. 

Not really essential, but still fun is a microphone. I got myself a small mic for field recording and fooling around. It's great for ambient and experimental musicians!



Finally, some MIDI-controllers might help if you can play the keyboard, or just to stimulate your creativity! Look for some reviews and don't pick obscure brands, stick with the most popular products, these are usually the best too. As for myself, I use the ESI KeyControl 49. 
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9 comments:

  1. Insider33June 6, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    That MIDI controller looks sweet!

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  2. fabio_2007June 6, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    thanks for the info

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  3. VersionDoubleJune 7, 2011 at 1:21 AM

    fantastic post!

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  4. TomJune 7, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    I've owned a few M-Audio products, quite happy with them.

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  5. Daniel SmothermanJune 7, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    Awesome.

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  6. Turanic RaiderJune 11, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    Bah, I miss making EDM. I may install FL now lol.

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  7. Vague RaconteurJune 19, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    Thanks! Been looking for some decent equipment to record my guitar, just had absolutely no idea what to get!

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  8. Bj DoverJune 21, 2011 at 2:56 PM

    Great post. I love the studio picture. Pretty chaotic but awesome. I learned something today for sure.

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  9. RichJune 21, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    i'm don't have much of a music ear but those look like fun toys!

    ReplyDelete

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