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Starting as a producer can be an exciting but overwhelming journey…
Countless equipment and tools are available, with the obvious choices for your initial investments being your DAW and a couple of your favorite softsynths. However, while these essential tools are a great starting point, there are lesser-known pieces of gear that can also substantially impact your sound without breaking the bank. These secret weapons can elevate your productions to new heights and set you apart from the sea of other producers.
In this article, we will uncover five pieces of gear that new producers may have yet to hear of but that have the potential to transform their sound. From budget-friendly studio monitors to portable recording interfaces, these tools are versatile, affordable, and easy to use. Whether you’re just starting or looking to upgrade your existing setup, these five pieces of gear (plus a bonus for good measure) are guaranteed to take your productions to the next level.
KRK GoAux 4 Studio Monitors
Most newer producers know that you need a solid set of monitors to start making music, but what they often learn later than they should is that the monitors are only part of the problem. The room you’re producing affects the sound you hear just as much, if not more, than the actual sound the monitors make. So if you think that dumping your budget into a fancy set of monitors will give you clearer mixes, you need to catch up.
This is one of the main reasons why the KRK GoAux monitors are some of the best speakers that newer producers can invest in.
Because of their built-in room-correction technology, they can instantly read your room and make EQ corrections to remedy the colorations your room is bringing into the sound. While Sonarworks is often considered the industry standard for similar technology, that’s a whole other thing you’d need to invest in! Save time (and your mixdowns) by investing in these fantastic monitors.
A bonus is that they are hyper-portable, meaning you can bring them to friends’ houses and jam sessions!
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Apogee BOOM 2×2 Interface
Apogee has built its brand off of being some of the top-quality audio interfaces in the industry, and that often comes with a price. But beginner producers can access their premium designs at an introductory price with the Apogee BOOM 2×2 audio interface.
The X Factor for newer producers is that this interface is bus-powered, meaning you can use it to full effect anywhere you are without having to rely on it being plugged in. This means that you can record in your friend’s garage, in coffee shops, and wherever else that inspires you without being confined to being within a cable’s reach of a power outlet.
That alone makes it a straightforward recommendation for this list, without even diving into details about this fantastic interface’s sound quality and pro-level functionality.
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Maestro Arcas Compressor and Sustainer Pedal
With the amount of digital software, most newer producers completely disregard hardware for the first few years of making music. And while software has come a long way in the past decade, the coloration and tonality that hardware brings to the table are still undeniable.
Still, most outboard gear costs an arm and a leg, enough to deter many newer producers from acquiring even a small-yet-functional collection.
But Maestro’s Arcas Compressor and Sustainer Pedal arms producers with analog compression and transient shaping for an incredibly low price. Plus, the Maestro’s easy-to-use interface is approachable for producers new to using outboard gear and allows you to maximize the pedal’s potential with only a rudimentary knowledge of how compression works. It’s a win/win!
And the fun doesn’t stop with just this pedal, as Maestro has released an entire line of true analog pedals that give you access to a complete suite of analog tools to use in your studio – all for under $160 each.
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Behringer Model D
The same notes from the previous point can be made regarding synths! And while many hardware synths, boutique or otherwise, will run your many hundred dollars, the Behringer Model D is incredibly affordable and is arguably one of the best synths for beginners and pros alike.
Its desktop design fits into small and cramped spaces, its easy-to-use workflow doesn’t require an adept understanding of synthesis, and its warm timbres are exactly what you’re looking for out of any hardware gear. When we first got our hands on this unit for our initial review, we were blown away by just how approachable, and effective this synth was in our workflow, and it has since become an essential piece in our studio.
This is why it’s included in this list, simply because we wish we had discovered this earlier in our own journies. We recommend it here, hoping that newer producers find it earlier in their journeys.
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DAW-Specific Editors Keys
While we know that tools like this aren’t essential, as all DAWs provide a user manual that will show you identical information for free, we also know how many music producers never read the manual and prefer to figure out the entirety of the DAWs on their own. And while that works just fine for many of the bells and whistles that all DAWs have hidden under their hoods, we cannot stress enough how much time and energy can be saved by learning the key commands in your DAW.
Editors Keys provide a visual aid for this exact process, showing all the most common (and many of the more hidden) key commands available to you all in an easy-to-read, LED-backlit display.
The faster you can commit your DAWs’ key commands to muscle memory, the faster the friction of your DAWs’ technical aspects will be removed and the quicker you will be able to get the ideas in your head out and into your workstation. If that alone doesn’t sell you on this helpful tool, we aren’t sure what will.
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BONUS: Affordable Room Treatment!
Most producers completely skive off investing in room treatment simply because they think it’s way too expensive and that the budget alternative of making your own goes beyond their skill set. And hey, we don’t blame you if you want to skip to the fun part of making the music.
But it’s only been recently that we’ve discovered some incredibly affordable solutions to room treatment. You can get a professional-level mixture of absorption and diffusion for less than you might think! You can check out our reviews for Acoustical Solutions’ Room Treatment Bundles and SoundAssured’s PVC Diffusion Kits for a deeper dive into the effectiveness and quality of these two offerings when you have the time. For now, know that there are cheap alternatives that treat your room well enough for the first decade of your career without having to invest in Hollywood-studio-quality paneling.
Conclusion
In conclusion, investing in quality gear doesn’t have to break the bank. With the right tools and equipment, you can achieve a professional sound without sacrificing your budget. The six pieces of gear highlighted in this article are just a few examples of the many affordable options available to new producers. With the right combination of VSTs, DAWs, and these lesser-known but highly effective tools, you can create a versatile, functional, and affordable setup that will help you produce music to the best of your ability.
So, don’t be intimidated by the vast array of gear and tools available on the market. Take the time to research, compare, and test the options that best suit your needs and budget. With the right gear in hand, you’ll be well on your way to producing music that truly represents your unique sound and vision. Happy producing!
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
