The most common question I get from fans is “what hardware/software do you use to make music?” Here’s the definitive source for everything I use for my professional work, with little bits of advice on building your own setup sprinkled throughout in italics. For more complete advice on starting your own setup, please read my blog. Last updated 8/26/2020
The studio PC
I built it myself!
Motherboard – Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard
CPU – AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor
SSD – Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Memory – G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory
Video – EVGA GeForce GTX 970
Power Supply – CORSAIR - RMx Series 850W ATX12V 2.4/EPS12V 2.92 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply - Black
Case – Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
Operating System – Windows 10
Hardware
Audio interface – Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen
Keyboard – Nektar Impact GX49
Monitors (speakers) – a pair of Yamaha HS7s, Avantone MixCube
Mulitpurpose microphone – Audio-Technica PRO 37 Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Headphones – AKG240
Guitar – Fender Stratocaster HSS
Software
Cubase – This is my digital audio workstation (DAW), the heart of the studio. All the audio, software and hardware routes through Cubase.
Ableton Live – Another DAW, but this one focuses on live electronic music performance. I’ve only just started using this, but it is pretty fantastic. For now, though, all my professional work is done in Cubase. Both Cubase and Ableton can basically do the same stuff, though, so what you get comes down to which one seems cooler to you.
The live setup!
I have a special portable setup for live shows. I use many of the same software instruments listed below in 'the sounds' section below.
The Laptop: Razer Blade Stealth
Audio Interface: Scarlett 2i2
Workstation software: Ableton Live
Control surface: Ableton Push
The Sounds
If you want to get a massive head start on your software library, get Native Instruments Komplete bundle. It’s expensive, but the amount of great stuff you get is insane. If you’re serious about making digital music, this is worth it.
Software Synths
All these synths can be daunting. The differences between all of them can be difficult to understand if you haven’t actually played around with them. If you just want a basic synthesizer that’s relatively easy to program yourself and sounds great, get Retrologue. Keep in mind that Absynth, Massive, Reaktor, and FM8 are all included in the Komplete bundle. Omnisphere is expensive, but incredibly well-designed, easy to use, and comprehensive.
Software instruments
Favorite Kontakt Libraries
I have way too many libraries to list here, so I’ll just point out some really great libraries that are useful for many situations
Effects
This is besides Cubase’s huge library of included effects.
Mastering