What gear to get, and in what order?

M

MikeEffay

New member
So, im wondering what equipment im going to get next. I prefer getting the gear little by little, and then getting to know it. Also that gives me time to earn enough money to pay for some quality stuff. I have a pair of brand new AKG K712's for headphones, and thats basically it. I have been looking at a couple of different units to add next, but im not sure which will help me the most. Here's a few of those: Drum pad, MIDI controller, Sampler (software or hardware?), Synthesizer, Monitors, DAC + amp stack etc. Which would you recommend for me now, and how much should i pay for it? It should in some way match the quality of my K712's, but a few options would be nice.

Im aiming at producing hip hop tracks, and im using FL Studio. Feel free to ask whatever you need to know, and as always thanks in advance!
 
I have experience with a lot of gear, so I could give you some great suggestions, but I have no idea where you're at with your studio right now.

Headphones are the ONLY thing that you have? No computer? No audio interface? No keyboard? Nothing?

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
Yeah okay, i just didnt want to waste everyone's space here :D

I have: 700 dollar laptop with shitty external mouse and keyboard, FL Studio 11 producer edition, gamer headset, gym in ear headphones, cheap small speakers 2.0 and thats pretty much it.... Except for my K712's.
 
When people say studio monitors i get the whole idea. But im not experienced enough to utilize them. They cost a lot of money, and i think i would have more use of a drum pad. Am i right? As i see it, a drum pad can really help me out when creating hip hop patterns. I have no skill as a drummer though.
 
I don't own monitors myself yet but I would definitely recommend them. They give you the mix that you want in your end product rather than the coloured sound that non-studio gear will give you. Saves you a lot of pain and time. You don't know how many times I've made my track only to find out it sounds completely different on other speakers and I need to go back and re-mix it accordingly. Studio monitors are damn near a necessity for any producer.

They cost a lot of money only if you make them cost you a lot of money. However, if you're serious, any studio gear that you'll use regularly is a good investment. Start small, learn one thing at a time and it'll l all come together.

I personally started with my DAW, computer, and a midi keyboard. Slowly adding to arsenal and mastering my DAW has been working out great thus far.

Good luck.
 
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Okay, will read! - But what do i get out of an interface with no gear? - Also, what would you recomment for starters, a drum pad or a midi controller? (i dont really see what a midi controller can do for me right now, as im just trying to create newbie hip hop drum patterns)
 
MikeEffay said:
Okay, will read! - But what do i get out of an interface with no gear? - Also, what would you recomment for starters, a drum pad or a midi controller? (i dont really see what a midi controller can do for me right now, as im just trying to create newbie hip hop drum patterns)
Click to expand...

First and foremost (for your situation, at least), a professional interface will give you adequate amplification for your headphones.

It'll also give you native ASIO audio drivers, which will give you a lot better performance and stability than emulated ASIO drivers or DirectX drivers.

There are some other benefits, but those were the first 2 that came to mind.

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
So an audio interface is going to improve my sound quality a lot? Im told that the true potential of my brand new k712's will only be unleashed with a proper amp + DAC stack. Do i still need/have use for such a stack with a proper interface? (if not, then why do they even exist?)

Also its very confusing - i see some interface including other weird stuff like something that looks like MIDI keyboards, scratching options etc. Its really a jungle for me, and of course i dont want to waste my money.


Great article btw, will definetely keep it in the back of my head (i will buy some more expensive parts and then some of the cheaper ones you recommend in the article, untill i have enough money for some more expensive stuff.)
 
MikeEffay said:
So an audio interface is going to improve my sound quality a lot? Im told that the true potential of my brand new k712's will only be unleashed with a proper amp + DAC stack. Do i still need/have use for such a stack with a proper interface? (if not, then why do they even exist?)
Click to expand...

They're right!
You want a good amp + DAC to get the most out of your headphones.

However...

What you might not consider is that audio interfaces already include amps and ADC/DACs.
The Cirrus Logic converters in the Traktor Audio 2 are very reputable.

This "you need a amp/DAC" advice gets passed on from hi-fi enthusiasts who use their headphones directly with low-powered MP3 players, etc.
As a rule of thumb, if you can drive your headphones loud enough that it's painful before you reach 80% of the maximum volume, you probably don't need an amp.

If you're dead-set on picking up a headphone amp anyway in spite of my advice (or for listening on MP3 players, phones, etc.), I'd check out the Schiit Magni.

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
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Funny Ki, that's the one on my list! - So am i right that the preamp in the audio interface and the DAC sort of stacks with external ones?


Im really confused about the whole 'getting new sounds' thing. I mean you can get free sound packs or buy some from beatproduction.com etc., or buy VST or products like GigaStudio (what are these even called?) or kompakt. What different ways of getting new sounds into my DAW are the most common? And which sounds are premade, and which do i create myself?
 
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