Although talent is a huge chunk of what the audience hears, to produce quality sound you need quality gears for music producers. We’ve picked out our favorites here. They are not necessarily the most expensive gears, but are definitely great value-for-money options!
Audiobox USB 96 is one of the most convenient interfaces out there – it works with iOS and with Windows. You don’t even need to download any program because it’s USB class-compliant. Expect to produce anything on the go from podcasts to rock and electronic, with convenience.
Motu is not the most well-known company out there, but the M4 is quickly becoming the interface of choice for many music producers. It has a solid build quality with a steel body, metal knobs, and has a good hefty weight. Featuring a top-end Sabre DAC and ultra-low 2.5 ms latency, the Motu M4 gives you great audio quality and also allows you to perform live monitoring with ease. Since it is a relatively new product, it would be interesting to see how it holds up with live performance over time. You can also use the M4 for live streaming or podcasting.
Everyone’s favorite is no doubt Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 which has launched its 3rd generation. It has a solid build and little to no noise for something that is so compact. It’s amazing to see the improvements on its clarity even with the latest generation.
This versatile amp can be used for both keyboards and acoustic guitar, and has a channel with XLT input. Each Akai Professional MPK Mini MK III is two octaves with 8 pads, 8 controls, and 8 unique X/Y axis thumbsticks for controlling pitch. It might take some time to learn how to navigate around it but it’s definitely one of the most fun and cheapest options to get into music production. Be gentle when using its plastic keys though!
Main purpose: Sequencing music with ease through a physical instrument. Makes creating music a really fun experience!
Another MIDI controller we would opt for is Nektar SE25 MIDI Keyboard; it has 25 mini keys with which you can set 3 velocity curves: default, soft or hard. It has PB1 and PB2 buttons assignable to pitch bend, transpose, Vol, pan, track or patch change.
Ableton live is the way to go if you want a clean and super-efficient workflow; excellent for music production with endless choices for effects. A sound creation that offers a vast array of effects, sounds and instruments.
It has a strong community of musicians, so whenever there is a problem in the system, you can expect everyone to be on Ableton’s case – it is a workstation that is created by musicians for musicians!
Main purpose: If you want professional sounding music you need to be able to slice and layer music up. The ability to multitrack, record, cut and paste audio is offered by a great DAW.
If Ableton live is simply too expensive there are several options that are just as effective; Apple’s system Logic pro, although it can be selective for Apple products.
This one is the perfect treat for music producers, with 24 legendary instruments, 15 top-of-the-line software Massive x is one of the most powerful synths with a lot of character – it’s got stunning oscillators and filters, with awesome effects and unison morph. Unfortunately, there is not enough pack in the effects – with no wavetable and sample importer.
Another favorite for music producers is Native instrument FM8 – 960 presets with sharp, crystal-clear FM sounds.
Main purpose: With an audio plug-in software interface, you’ll be able to be more creative with software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations.
It can get tiring to blow out your ears with headphones when producing music. One of our personal favorite for Obviously this one depends on what instruments you need, but one of our favorite is Hollywood Strings. Spitfire’s Chamber strings are one of the extensive, in-depth string libraries. Musique Box 2.0 by Soundiron 11 music boxes in different environments, 32 Ambience patches and 20 custom sound-designed – even a full FX rack.
Main purpose: Create and blend different instruments instantly in real-time, with full control over every aspect.
Another favorite of ours is Native instruments: Komplete 12 ultimate, it comes with a hefty price of $1,199 which is very reasonable for 600GB of library content. You can definitely get creative with this one and the sound is limitless.
Depending on what you’re looking for, there are top dogs in each type of headphone category.For overall music production use however, we recommend the Focal Listen Professional Studio Headphones. Enriched with plenty of sound details and it’s very lightweight and comfortable.
Main purpose: If you do a lot of clipping and chopping, you’ll need headphones to really get into the detail of the tracks. From sound panning and figuring out different frequencies – a good chunky headphones will do the job.
Our team favorite is obviously the Shure SM57 which can be used both on the stage and in the studio. Whether you are recording for voice or for instruments. Mic up a snare drum, a guitar amp or even a horn. Ease of use is amazing, and its sound quality is excellent. Finally, its durable ruggedness is why we would pick this product over and over again.
Main purpose: You want mics that are rugged and can be used for as many purposes as possible.
Soundbrenner is a company dedicated to help musicians stay focused on what truly matters: their music. By creating innovative devices, such as Soundbrenner Pulse and Core, our goal is to deliver the best possible practice experience for musicians. Click here to find out more.
Got a question about Soundbrenner wearables? Reach out to us at [email protected], we’re happy to help!
