Best Gear to Start Producing EDM Music

So you’re looking to get started in producing some awesome beats but you have no idea where to start?  Read through this article to see a list of the best gear for EDM music so you can start producing! A quick outline of the essential gear:

Is the only work you recognize in this list “headphones”? Read on below for an explanation of each one of these essentials.

What is a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)?

Before we get into the best gear for EDM Music, let me introduce you to Digital Audio Workstations. A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is comparable to a software version of a blank music sheet. A person like yourself can open up this software (DAW) and write music. Each different brand of DAWs (listed below) has different characteristics that make it easier to write music for different genres. Some of these DAWs such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro will also come with sample packs of beats and audio snippets (samples) for you to use! Ultimately, you can still create EDM music in each one of these DAWs so don’t fret about it too much!  If you are having trouble deciding which one you want to learn and use, look up some artists that you like and see what they are using.

A quick note…most EDM artists use Ableton for its ease of use, especially with performing live EDM music. Here is a small list of popular DAWs and famous people using them:

Garageband (Free with MacOS)

Logic Pro – Daft Punk, Tiesto

Fruity Loops – Avici (☹), Porter Robinson

Ableton – Flume, Diplo, Deadmau5, Skrillex

Cubase – Hans Zimmer, Junkie XL, Chvrches, Zedd

ProTools – Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Paul Epworth

What is an Audio Interface?

Highly Recommended

You know that hole you plug in your headphones and mic into on your laptop or desktop computer?  An audio interface essentially is a high-quality version of that…but outside of your computer!

Audio interfaces are highly recommended if you intend to listen/record music at high quality. If you want to make the best EDM music, you best get an audio interface. Some mics require electrical power that audio interfaces can provide for better quality recordings. You know that nice bassy sound you hear from a podcast? That comes from an electrically powered mic (aka condenser mic). Although you can get these microphones electrically powered by USB, an audio interface is still the better way to go in terms of quality.  Additionally, audio interfaces can boost the signals (for simplicity’s sake, volume) that some higher quality headphones might need. If you have multiple speakers and want to get that 7.1 surround system, an audio interface can help provide you the necessary outputs necessary to achieve that!

Best Audio Interface:

Focusrite Scarlett 4i4

Focusrite makes my favorite audio interface in terms of aesthetics, quality, and durability.  The Scarlett series has an amazing red metallic covering and looks great sitting on your desk! I personally own the 6i6 model but the 4i4 model is completely sufficient for recording up to 4 inputs at the same time and 4 outputs for speakers and headphones. If you don’t have a need for all those inputs and outputs, consider the Focusrite Scarlett Solo model for half the price!

What is a MIDI Controller?

You can equate a MIDI controller to your QWERTY keyboard sending signals to your computer. Many MIDI controllers have the form of a piano keyboard to be able to play notes.  Some of these MIDI controllers may also have a touchpad which is essentially a grid of buttons usually in the form of squares.  When you press a key or button on the MIDI controller, the MIDI Controller sends a signal to the computer telling the computer to play a note, drum kick, or whatever sound you set up that button or key to activate. You COULD create music by clicking with your mouse but having one of these awesome devices makes the process of producing music much quicker!  Here are a couple of suggestions for MIDI Controllers:

Best MIDI Controller:

Arturia KeyLab Essential 49

The Arturia Keylab Essential 49 comes with Analog Lab software with 5000 preset synth sounds. It has 61 velocity-sensitive keys as well with 8 pressure-sensitive pads.  This should suit your basic needs for a MIDI controller!

M-Audio Code 61

M-Audio Code 61 is a pretty good-looking 61 key keyboard/MIDI Controller with a whopping 16 velocity-sensitive trigger pads (touchpad).  Each one of the 61 keys is also velocity/pressure sensitive. The only downside is that if you are a pianist, the keys are not weighted.

Nektar Impact LX88+

If you are looking for a full 88 key MIDI controller, check out this keyboard!  The Nektar Impact LX88+ comes with 88 velocity-sensitive and semi-weighted keys while still having additional faders and a touchpad. I personally need my 88 keys would be my choice if your budget permits!

Music Production Headphones

When producing EDM music, it is crucial that you have a good quality set of headphones in order to create music the way it should sound.  Typically, most headphones are adjusted in some way to give a specific “color” to the music. Some headphones might be better for listening to jazz music, classical music while other headphones may be better for listening to lo-fi or house music.  Most people recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M50x as the best starter headphone gear for EDM music. I have listed the ATH-M50x and some alternatives below!

Best Headphones:

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

These headphones are built extremely durable and look great! The sound balance is somewhat level but does have an emphasis on bass. Although I like the ATH-M50x, one of my gripes is that it doesn’t feel too great on my ears so I can’t wear them for too long at a time. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend these headphones!

Sennheiser HD280PRO

A lot of people love and live by the Sennheiser brand for their high quality in sound. The HD280PRO, in particular, has great passive isolation and great sound clarity!  The HD280PROs have a mostly flat and accurate signal so when producing music, you can accurately listen to what you are creating!

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (~$150)

I’ve gone through 2 pairs of Beyerdynamics and I absolutely love them. Beyerdynamic makes amazing and durable headphones that will definitely last a long time.  On top of a relatively balanced signal, the DT 770 Pro comes with velour earpads that feel great on your ears when listening to music for long periods of time! They accentuate the higher frequencies (treble) a bit more than the other alternatives above but you can definitely tell that you’re listening to music in high clarity and detail.

In conclusion, TLDR

So there you have it! Hopefully, this article helps you get an idea of the best gear you can get for EDM music! So acquire your music gear and go scour YouTube for great tutorials to start producing that next hit track!