Recommended music production equipment 2024
Some of the most common questions I get: "what equipment do I need for music production".I spent a lot of time researching, testing and sending back equipment before they fit my needs and quality standards.
So I have compiled a list with tools for you (to save you some time) that I will update regularly.
Sound cards
| Apollo Twin | One of the more professional sound cards. Used by many producers around me |
Price on Amazon |
| Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen) | I personally own the 2nd gen and I'm really happy with it. It's simply the best affordable sound card on the market |
Price on Amazon |
| RME Babyface | Professional sound card with less latency due to RME's own USB drivers | Price on Amazon |
| Audient ID14 | Very good sound card with professional pre-amps. I owned one and was very happy with the sound quality | Price on Amazon |
Monitor speakers
| Tannoy Reveal 802 | Affordable speaker. Very precise in the high end, but lacks punch in the low end. I own these speakers |
Price on Amazon |
Microphones
| Rode NT1 | I own this recording-studio-grade microphone, the sound quality is amazing! I really really really recommend this one | Price on Amazon |
DAWs
| Studio One | I find it one of the most user friendly DAWs out there, but it might be a bit much for beginners. A lot of processes are well thought out (except the sidechaining, which I can't get used to). It's my DAW of choice, although it has EXTREME stability issues which Presonus blames on your plugins. The support of Presonus is bad, really bad. |
Price on Amazon |
Computers for music production: recommended specs
| component | min. requirements | example |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 or i9 (latest generation), min 4 cores | i9-10900X |
| Motherboard | Asus | Prime X299-A II |
| Memory | 8GB min. (recommended: 16GB or 32GB) | 4x8gb |
| Storage 1 | 1 TB SSD (to install windows on) | A200 |
| Storage 2 (optional) | 2-4 TB Hard disk 7200 RPM (a PMR drive, NOT a SMR drive) | P300 |
| Graphics card / GPU | Onboard is enough | |
| Power supply | 600W (depending on CPU and graphics card) | 600W |
| Screen | 17" min. (27" wide screen or larger preferred) | CH890 |
| Keyboard | Ergonomic / Backlit | MX keys |
| Mouse | Side scroll / horizontal scroll |
|
| Case | ATX | iCue 4000X |
If you like advice on computers for music production, check out my article:
"best computer for music production".
Laptops for music production
budget laptops
| > | $500 | 2020 HP 15.6" Touchscreen / 10th Gen Intel Quard-Core i5 1035G1 up to 3.6GHz/ 8GB DDR4 RAM/ 512GB PCIe SSD/ 802.11ac WiFi/ Windows 10 Home | Amazon |
| > | $500 | HP 15.6" Laptop, Intel Quad-Core i5-1035G1 Processor Up to 3.60 GHz, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD + 16GB Optane, Win 10 | Amazon |
mid-range laptops
| < | $1000 | ASUS UX510UX-NH74 ZenBook 15 FHD UX510UX, Intel Core i7 Processor (up to 3.5GHz), 8GB DDR4, GeForce GTX 950M, 15.6" | Amazon |
| < | $1000 | 2019 HP 17.3" HD+ Premium Laptop | Intel Quad Core i7-8550U Up to 4.0GHz | 16GB DDR4 RAM | 512GB SSD Boot + 2TB HDD | HDMI | Amazon |
| < | $1000 | HP 2019 Premium Flagship Probook 450 G6 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 Business Laptop, Intel 4-Core i7-8565U, HDMI, Win 10 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD | Amazon |
| ± | $1000 | ASUS ROG Strix G G731GU - 17.3" FHD - i7-9750H - NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti - 16GB - 512GB SSD | Amazon |
| ± | $1000 | Asus ROG G531GT 15.6 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop (9th Gen Intel 6-Core i7-9750H up to 4.50 GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD, GeForce GTX 1650, RGB Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10) (Black) | Amazon |
If you like more advice on laptops for music production specifically, check out my article:
"best laptop for music production".
Plugins (VSTs)
- Equalizer: PRO-Q - Simply undisputed the best equalizer/ analyzer on the market. Everything is visual and has the best tools to shape your sound
- Compressor: PRO-L - I like the visual style of the plugin
- Compressor: PRO-C - I like the visual style of the plugin
- Compressor: Glue - The glue compressor is one of the best sounding compressors on the market.
- Reverb: Pro-R / Valhalla - Valhalla is probably more popular, Pro-R is more visual.
non-recommendations
- Midi Keyboard: CME X-Keys - I have the CME X-Keys: broken within a year. Not recommended.
- Monitor isolation: Auralex MoPad - the isolation impact of the risers is minimal, but better than nothing for my neighbours.
- Headphones: Sennheiser HD238 - I have Sennheiser HD238 headphones that are not able to display bass frequencies at decent volume (+ broken within no time). Not recommended.
