Kevin L Goncalo Basic Author | 2 Articles Joined: June 13, 2012 Was this article helpful? 0 0 What Beat Making Equipment Do You Need To Start? By Kevin L Goncalo What equipment do I need to start making beats? That is the number one question for 90% of people who are considering getting into making beats. As a gear head, it might sound so basic that you wouldn't even think people would get stuck here anymore, but you'd be wrong in that assumption. I personally get this question all the time, even from emcees who have been around producers and in studios. They know what the equipment looks like, but they have no idea what does what, or which does it best. Unfortunately, they will never get the cut and dry answer they are looking for. They can't, it's impossible. The truth of the matter is, if you know how to make beats, you can make beats on any equipment. Running hand-in-hand with that theory is the fact that most equipment has the same options and functions. It's all about preference! Now, some people will say "well, the circuitry in outboard gear adds a warmth to the sound that you can't get with digital gear or computers... blah blah blah" Honestly, they aren't entirely wrong. However, if you're just looking to get into making beats, you probably aren't going to be dropping the money to buy an MPC60 or SP1200. So, we'll have that discussion another day. What this list will be, is a guide through finding the right gear set up for you. Hopefully at the end you'll have a better idea about your own preferences, and maybe will have a better idea about what equipment will be right for your workflow. 1. What kind of beats do you want to make? This is probably as good of a place as any to start. What kind of beats you want to make will play a big part in what gear will help you achieve that sound. Do you want to sample? you're going to need sources for those samples. Want to compose original works? You're going to need instruments and sound libraries. 2. Hardware Vs. Software or Point & Click Vs. Playing Are you the type of person who thinks about music mathematically? Are you cool with drawing out your music, or pointing and clicking with a mouse? Or, are you the type of person that wants to transfer the music and rhythm by actually playing keys or banging your drums out on pads? These used to be the biggest differences between software and hardware, but now with the amount of great and affordable midi controllers on the market you can literally play through software, and in my personal opinion that kind of set-up is probably the most flexible and best all around. I'm not here to make that decision for you though, so I'll just give 3 points hardware has over software and vice versa. Hardware - Self contained, no computer needed. Hardware - Having no computer means no internet making it easier to focus, and less threat of virus' or other computer nonsense that could interrupt your mission. Hardware - Feels more authentic, like playing an instrument, to some. Software - Usually cheaper to get into than hardware. Software - Easier to learn at first, and although it may take longer to master than hardware there is usually more options and effects meaning you get more out of it in the long run. Software - if it breaks, there is virtual tech support. As opposed to finding a tech and losing time while they fix your machine. 3. If you decide on software, will you want a midi controller, and what kind? If you don't know, a midi controller is a piece of hardware that uses pads/buttons/keys to control the options in a piece of software. For example, if you have a keyboard midi controller, you could hook it to your computer via USB or a midi port. Then you could load up a virtual instrument and play those sounds on the keyboard like they were coming from it. Really, they are coming from the software, you're just using an instrument to control the software similar to a keyboard or mouse. This really comes back to if you want to "play" your music in the more traditional sense again. Midi controllers also come in different options and you'd have to find one that looks like it would work for you. 4. You'll need something to hear your beats on. Lastly, you'll need to hear your beats. Some people may try and sell you on getting studio monitors right from the jump. If you've got tons of cash, go for it, because honestly eventually you will need them to properly mix your beats. However, I don't feel like you need them to start. Any decent speakers or headphones will work. Try and find ones that don't have preset EQ'ing built into them. You want whats known as "flat" sound. That's another whole discussion, but the quick version is that you want to hear it as it actually is, without any artificial enhancement. This is very important because other listeners to your beats won't be getting that enhancement. Use what you can, I just want you to know that monitors can wait a bit. I purposely didn't endorse any particular gear in this article. I'll be doing that in future articles, broken down by gear type and budget. I just wanted to get those interested thinking about the theory behind what gear will work best for them. If you think I missed anything or think any info could be added, please contact us. We want this site to be an open forum for building as well as providing content. If You enjoyed this article visit http://www.beatapes.com for more like it.