Best products from r/musicproduction

I would say that if you want to commit, you need to spend some money on gear so you don't just quit in a couple of months (nothing keeps you motivated like knowing you will have just wasted a couple hundred dollars if you give up).

Here is the minimum professional-quality kit you need (these are brands that I've seen being used by the Chemical Brothers, Orbital, and others) to buy in order to start playing around with enough equipment to keep you learning for at least a couple of years:

• 110$ MIDI Keyboard + Controller - Novation LaunchKey Mini
  
• 100$ DAW Software - Ableton Live Intro (FL Studio is also good, but the basic version costs 200$)
  
• Free Subtractive Synth VST - Tyrell N6
  
• Free Effects package VSTs - Melda Plugins
  
• 60$ Monitor headphones - AKG K240
  
• 270$ Total, for a high-quality basic kit.
  
  Ableton Live Intro is a fantastic DAW to learn: It has enough features to give you a year or two of productive learning before you might want to upgrade to the standard version. 16 tracks is enough to make a lot of good music.
  
  And don't be fooled by the price of the Tyrell N6: It's a full-featured professional synthesizer that's in the same league as the Minimoog, Prophet 5, and the Jupiter 8. It can make all of the same sounds of any of those synths, and you could spend a few months mastering its use.
  
  Once you get the hang of using those for a few months, you might want to upgrade your audio output quality, and also start recording real-life sounds, such as vocals and musical instruments. In that case you'll need an audio interface and a microphone:
  
  
• 200$ Audio Interface + Microphone - Focusrite Scarlett Solo bundle
  
  And one thing to keep in the back of your mind: Professional music production is complicated There's a lot more to it than hitting record and playing some nice notes. Here is a list of all the different skills that are required to become a great musician. If you want to make and sell music, you'll need to either get good at, or get someone to help you with, the following:
  
  
• Instrument playing (keyboard, guitar, drums, flute, etc)
  
• Rhythm (beat, timing, syncopation, etc)
  
• Music Theory (chords/scales, melody/harmony, etc)
  
• Arrangement (song structure creation, progression, tension/release)
  
• Effects (ambience, reverb, compression, filters, guitar pedals, etc)
  
• Mixing (EQ, compression, pan, volume)
  
• Mastering/Recording (EQ, compression, limiting, tape transport/splicing [analogue], or copy/paste and file management [digital])
  
• Releasing (album compilation, performance, DJing, music distribution, etc)
  
  You could honestly spend at least a few months learning each of those skills. And the following two skills are necessary for some types of music:
  
  
• Instrument/effect construction, modification, customization, VST programming
  
• Writing lyrics
  
• Singing
  
  Good luck! And may the god of music be with you!

Pocket operators are awesome gadgets, but I tend to feel like they’re not much more than a gadget. I honestly feel that way about the OP-1 as well..... but I still want one anyway.

I think if you really want to get him something that could push his music in a new direction a Zoom H1 Audio Recorder could be cool. They allow you to sample anything around you in decently high quality, and playing with those samples can allow for a lot of exploration when it comes to sound design (if he makes flume type music, he probably likes sound design). This gift runs of the risk of him just simply not being interested in making his own samples, but if that’s the case a portable audio recorder is just a helpful piece of gear to have as a producer, and he’ll find a use for it somehow.

The Zoom H4n runs a bit more (looks like 200 bucks after a quick search on amazon, so the top end of your budget) but it allows you to plug in mics which use XLR and that is HUGELY important to capturing different sounds, in high fidelity, low fidelity if you want, and do so for music, video, or anything else. This isn’t a gadget, it’s a full-on piece of gear. The ZoomH4n would be an option he wouldn’t need to upgrade, whereas if he likes the H1 he may decide to buy closer to the H4n down the line.

Sounds like you really only need 1 input then, however I recommend an interface with 2 to give you options (can keep one channel set up for mic inputs, the 2nd for instruments etc like bass/guitar, or for multi-tracking a guitar, piano or drum kit using 2 mics.

Most cheaper interfaces connect to your computer via USB (some are even powered by the USB), these are reliable and totally acceptable for most use cases. Newer more expensive interfaces are mostly using Thunderbolt now. You will most likely never notice the difference between the two formats audio wise.

As far as I know pretty much any interface you buy now is compatible with all mainstream DAWs. Some will have added features for specific software (e.g. the new apogee element series has added features for Logic Pro x) but all should have basic functionality - you may just need to download the specific drivers for your software from the manufacturers site.

Budget dependent, I would recommend something like this:
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6T56EA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_G-6hDbES606HE

Very solid and stable, decent mic preamps for the price. It’s USB powered and also gives you 2 mic inputs. I’ve used this to track vocals for some major label projects I’ve worked on. Easy setup, plug in via USB, download and install the drivers and make sure the audio on your DAW is set to input/output through the interface. Then make sure the audio channel you are recording to has the correct input (matching the physical interface) and you’re set. Also - make sure you aren’t clipping (recording levels are going past 0db). This causes distortion, and most interfaces will have a ‘clip’ light that turns red if your gain is set too high for the loudness of the source you are recording. Just turn the gain down until the light no longer hits red at all.

If you aren’t recording the drums, bass and keys live then you can do it all with midi/plugins. You may want to use a midi controller (a cheap USB 25-key keyboard would do the trick)

Hello

When you have things going on in your life it's hard to pursue your creativeness and craft your ideas. This book here has a lot of ideas that help you look at things another way and it's an easy read, look through the chapters there is a few things that can help you. It's called 74 creative music strategies for Electronic Music Producers. You don't need to produce electronic music to read it. It covers stuff that is just about music too. I read a couple chapters over the week on my phone on the way to university or if I'm on the train.

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Music-Strategies-Electronic-Producers-ebook/dp/B00WHXYZG8

(you can get it on kindle and there is an app for PC and Mac that you can get off Amazon)

Edit: There is a lot of information posted below which is helpful I forgot to mention that sometimes change is good I like to break the loop. The best way for me to produce is spend a session just making ideas; maybe just create a loop in the DAW sequencer or use Live View (if you use ableton) and build up ideas upon each other maybe another session you can focus on editing and resist the urge to create and see what you can salvage from your creative session. Set limits for yourself a long the way as well, maybe have a time limit or only use one synth or restrict yourself to 2 or 3 samples. That book covers a lot of this stuff I've mentioned; I've only read a few pages and it's already helped me.


Hope everything is well!

go with this... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D37VBVC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

i bought it as my productivity desktop/mobile laptop and its solid as hell. i dont think there is a better laptop on the market. ports make it the clear winner in laptops.

i would recommend the hades canyon nuc but you said you wanted a laptop. I purchased the hades canyon at the same time i did my laptop... but i use the hades canyon as a dedicated music/daw machine. the laptop is SLIGHTLY better. but i love the hades canyon as a dedicated music machine.

If you want some serious skull rattling bass and comfort... Sony XB700 (Japan Import)

They have a couple others in the XB line like XB500 uses 40mm drivers so doesn't reach as low but bit punchier transients. The highs could be a little sharp sometimes but these things had a realllly nice seal so you get great isolation and the mids are clean unless you got some seriously low bass playing. I would buy 10 pairs if I had the $ that's how much I enjoyed mine when I had them. I have DT770s right now and while the stage is amazing and the clarity is awesome... dude I miss my bass response. The drivers are screwed in on the XBs with metal to metal framing, these things are engineered to handle LOWS without muddying it up that I haven't heard other headphones ever come close to touching. They definitely hit 30hz maybe 26-28hz -3db

That should be just fine. I just have two tips on your build (I recently bought an iMac myself):

1. buy the smallest amount of RAM from Apple and add more yourself, you'll save quite a bit of money this way. I added this 32GB pack on top of the 8GB that came with the machine and saved a few hundred bucks. Adding RAM to an iMac is super easy, this article walks you through the process.
   
   
2. ditch the fusion drive if you can. They're much, much slower than an SSD. You're much better off with a 1TB SSD and an external 2TB HD imo.

Firstly, I'd strongly recommend against weighted keys for music production keyboard.

You're supposed to play many different instruments with it, synths, guitars, strings, drums. Weighted and semi-weighted keys would just slow you down and exhaust your fingers.

Secondly, keyboards are better than pads for finger drumming.

You'll have more and better organized keys under your fingers, and you'll be able to play drum patterns that can't be played with pads.

This video explains it well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlk9s5gPgXY

Since you're a pianist already, you'll do even better. Again, you'd want to use a keyboard with lighter keys for finger drumming.

I think Nektar Impact LX61+ or any other 61-key MIDI controller would do the job just fine. They're below $200.

It's not as easy like a direct answer, but you can look for books like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Here-There-Everywhere-Recording-Beatles/dp/1592402690
In this case, the sound engineer of many The Beatles recordings narrates all the process. For example, sometimes he explains how many hours took to record a song, how many people worked on it, what equipment they used... Maybe you can extract a lot of data.
Oh, and the book is amazing hehe.
Hope it helps and excuse my english.

I’ve used this computer for about 5 years. Works like a dream for music. Great specs on the categories you should care about. Only thing that ages it is the 2TB being HDD, but come on, it’s 2 TB. That’s great to me for a dedicated music laptop

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Q524UQ-BHI7T15-2-Touch-Screen-Sandblasted/dp/B01MS4EQLX

If you buy it used (like new), it’s $350 cheaper.

I really enjoyed Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies....

This is a great book. I got the kindle version to save some money:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Music-Strategies-Electronic-Producers-ebook/dp/B00WHXYZG8/ref=sr_1_22?keywords=creating+music+book&qid=1568657323&sr=8-22

I’m in a similar situation as OP, except with a lot less music experience. I played guitar in high school, but never really learned theory.

I’m thinking about purchasing this https://www.amazon.com/midiplus-AKM320-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00VHKMK64/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=midi+keyboard&qid=1562161755&s=gateway&sprefix=midi+ke&sr=8-4

It’s significantly cheaper, which is great because I’m not sure how much time I can really dedicated to getting back into music.

Do you, or anyone else, see any glaring weaknesses with this keyboard? I figure it’s cheap enough that if I make the time to pick it up I can upgrade in a few months after I save a bit, but if things don’t work out it isn’t a huge loss.

If you've got the money and space buying a midi drum kit will help loads. You get to learn the drums and use a great midi controller at the same time. 👌

This is probably the cheapest mesh kit available (I've heard the rubber ones aren't worth buying)

Alesis Turbo Mesh Kit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HYTRL7D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_r2-xDbJRP6KK4

thanks for the quick answer!

I think i'll go for the 25 keys one because i do not need a big keyboard. Thanks a lot btw it seems perfect!


EDIT:
What do you think about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Akai-Professional-MPK-Performance-Ready-8-Assignable/dp/B00IJ6QAO2/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1543602444&sr=1-4&keywords=midi%2Bkeyboard&th=1

I really appreciate all the tips, I recent bought a blue yeti blackout mic and was looking into getting this keyboard ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IJ6QAO2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sQ8ODb1MB4DPK )
Or something like it thank again for taking your time to write all that, really helps!

I’m a big fan of the Sennheiser HD650s they price around $310-320 usd

Edit: they have a pretty solid sound, and they are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

I'm a Mac guy so I'm not the best to recommend specific models. Buy as much as you can afford (and potentially replace if you spilt coffee on it one day). Extra money spent now could lead to unfathomable gains in unlocked creative potential!

Get as close to these specs as you can:
http://amzn.com/B01578ZKPO

• Quad Core Processor 2GHz or above, or (Dual Core ~3GHz and up but I think I'm being a little unrealistic in that...)
  
• RAM 12GB or 16GB (I don't trust Windows with 8GB)
  More RAM = MORE INSTRUMENTS PER SONG!!!! BIG TTUUUUUNNENEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
  
• Hard Disk Drive of 500GB or above at 7200RPM (NOT 5400RPM)
  This is a tricky one, HDDs are actually the main source of performance bottlenecking for most PCs. Working with audio may require reading & writing large audio files at the same time. Obviously an SSD wins this war but not on price. You can spread hard-drive load across multiple external drives in Ableton, and I imagine you can do the same in FL. I keep my sampled instrument libraries on an external drive now to alleviate my struggling 5400RPM HDD. I would not wish my drop outs and load times on anyone.
  500GB will be enough until you start piling on the sample libraries and an extortionate lossless music collection. 1TB recommended.
  
• Full HD Display (1920x1080) on an ideally 15"+ Screen
  You'll need as much screen real estate as you can get. For all those VST windows and FL editors.
  
• 3x USB 3.0 ports desirable for MIDI peripherals & external HDDs
  You can connect MIDI controllers & a mouse/keyboard to a USB hub, but HDDs don't like to share.

The Audio engineering sub has a very good ‘fundamentals’ page here.

Some of the following books are about specific aspects of sound design, some focus on acoustics, some on the technical aspects of engineering and some on psychoacoustics. They are all really good references.

Designing Sound. Andy Farnell

Master Handbook of Acoustics. F.Alton Everest

Audio-Vision Sound on Screen. Michel Chion

The Sound Studio - Alec Nisbett

Spectromorphology - Explaining Sound Shapes. Dennis Smalley

An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing. Brian Moore

Sound System Engineering. Davis/Patronis.Jr/Brown

Master Handbook of Acoustics. F.Alton Everest

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0016MNAAI < i use these. they're fairly cheap (for professional headphones at least), and work fine without an interface (sidenote, i would definitely recommend the Focusrite 2i2 if you were to record any instruments).

Ive also seen people recommending the Audio-technica M50X, tho i dont know anything about em myself.

Audio interfaces such as this one allow you to record guitar through a direct line input, which you can route through your effects pedal(s) first, and/or put through amp simulation plugins after recording.

Typically professional studios will mic up a guitar amplifier for a better sound (for electric guitar at least). In this case the guitar, and thus the sound of you strumming, shouldn't be anywhere near the mic during recording!

You should read this book by Ray Badness. It helps tremendously, regardless of genre.
(if you DM me, i may or may not know someone with a .pdf copy ;)

https://www.amazon.com/Drum-Programming-Complete-Program-Drummer/dp/0931759544

Here's one for under $100 with good reviews.

Rule 1: do whatever sounds right

Rule 2: do it many times, do it a lot and often

​

Also, I would recommend "the art of mixing" or similar, e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Mixing-Recording-Engineering-Production/dp/1931140456/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543348812&sr=8-2&keywords=the+art+of+mixing .

I would use AKAI Professional MPK MINI

https://www.amazon.com/Akai-Professional-MPK-Performance-Ready-8-Assignable/dp/B00IJ6QAO2/ref=sr_1_4?gclid=CjwKCAjwnf7qBRAtEiwAseBO_B7HQKq9tTO5BmJEojndidb0R-8A0qKgToekR4Cd81CIcv8alZ3UqhoCYfgQAvD_BwE&hvadid=178369142525&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9004258&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16641734927672052803&hvtargid=kwd-21568298532&hydadcr=29433_10207590&keywords=mpk+mini&qid=1566581299&s=gateway&sr=8-4