Need advice on studio equipment for beginner producer..(sorry if repeating thread)

Dnb

New member
Sup guys I'm a newbie to this forum, and I appreciate you've probably had millions asks this but basically I wanna start producing in the summer as a side thing as it's always been something I've wanted to do. Specifically house/drum and bass music if that matters. Just wondering what i'd need to get started up.

So right now I'm thinking:

-midi keyboard
-audio interface (any recommendations?)
-software (i'll probably buy fl studio or Ableton, Windows user)
-studio monitors, looking at the yamaha hs5/7's
-headphones which I already have - audio technica ath m50s

I like the look of those Novation pad things they look awesome

Budget is around £500-700

Anything else? I know it will take a long time to learn the software but I'm willing to do so, I appreciate any replies to this, cheers.
 
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I use the HS7's - they're good... I tried the 5's in store and they lacked bass extension. The 7's were on point. I tried KRKs and M-Audios and some others in store... Never regretted walking out with the HS-7s.
That said - I used to own the old blue Tannoy Reveals - they were very good too and the new version are apparently better.

Interface - what are you wanting to run into it (or out) in the longterm?
if it's just a mic for vocals then a simple 2in/2out Focusrite Scarlett will see you right.
If you plan on messing with synths/drum machines - outboard then you'll need to up scale.

Keys. - I'm a Novation fan - Impulse 49 does me with no worries.

DAW - Doesn't really matter - try a few - pick the one you most get along with.
I swap between StudioOne (Presonus) V2 and Cubase (Steinberg) 5 but do most of my stuff in Maschine (NI) before it hits a DAW.

ATH-50s are awesome. Decent set of cans to start with. You made a good choice there.

Anything else... RAM upgrade (never hurts), decent cables, Take 2 weeks off work and treat your new studio like a full time job in that time.
 
Some good suggestions from I'mNoGuru. You're on a fairly tight budget, so here's my take on it.

Midi keyboard: I'd go used as newer budget models aren't anything special. Something like a Novation SL. Just check keys/pots work ok.

Interface: as I'mNoGuru said, it depends on your needs. If you are mainly going to be ITB (in the box - mainly using software sound sources) you won't need too many inputs. Focusrite are good bang for the buck.

DAW: on this budget, I'd go with Reaper. Maybe get a cut-down version of Live/Studio One to play/compose with too: you can pick up a cheap Live Lite or Studio One Artist licence on KVR.

Monitors: I'm not familiar with the Yamahas. The JBL SLR 5" & 8" models seem to be reasonably well liked at this price point.

Headphones: the Audi Technica are nice if they fit your budget. If not, take a look at the AKG 240.

"Anything Else": the list is almost endless, lol.
 
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Definitely look into getting a (second hand) Maschine. NI has their summer sale on now, so upgrades and things are 50% off.

I kinda fell into it because it seemed like a fun controller to mess with my hardware synth, but I was really surprised by how good the software it comes with actually is.
Super versatile and a great way to learn because it lets you dabble in just about any side of making electronic music while putting your hands on actual hardware. Plus NI's
stuff isn't always the very best out there, but it's definitely up there... and with the bundles and sales they do, it can be pretty affordable with some smart dealing.

Like if you want to make drum'n bass, you'll eventually are going to want things like Massive, FM8, Absynth. If you're gonna do anything with drums, you're gonna want
something like Battery and DrumLab to get those fat hybrid drums in.. They're like the standard workhorses at this point. Each of those plugins are like 100 to 200 each,
at which point the whole bundle is a lot cheaper. By my calculation.. with some smart dealing you could get the whole set together for about 500 maybe. Still a hefty wad of cash, but you get stuff that's easy enough to start with as a beginner but you'll still use years from now when you've gone completely of the deep end and are patching together custom modular synths in Reaktor.

Yeah, definitely hyping my own purchase here.. buuut, it actually is really good stuff and ridiculous value with that sale on.
 
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