Transcription of the video above
What’s your first upgrade or purchase once you’ve set up the bare bones minimum for your studio? The answer is going to depend on who you talk to and on your own needs But first let’s get clear about what pretty much everybody is starting with from the top down Microphone condenser or dynamic get something that will still be useful to you when you get another microphone This will last you your whole life mic preamplifier and interface that’ll probably come bundled in one thing You might upgrade your interface later, but to start I recommend you get something class compliant It means you can just plug it in and go if you upgrade it later You’ll be able to use the old one for a mobile rig maybe even plug it into a mobile device I don’t think you can with this one This isn’t the red one that everybody else has but that one’s just fine because you’re gonna need that to get stuff into your computer You probably have one of those Mac PC whatever and let’s start off with software That’s built for purpose get a full-featured Dom something that the people around how to use Flexible enough to do a few different kinds of sessions So you don’t have to get something else later pretty much all the major players have a full-featured trial version 90 days is more than enough time for me to teach you how to use it by the way as a resident I can get you qualified for an educational version But by the tier that you’re gonna stay at because last I checked you can’t upgrade those Maybe you’ll upgrade your MIDI interface You’re gonna need that to play all your new sounds if you’re already a player You probably already know what you want If not, I usually recommend people get something small cheap with enough keys that you can play a two-handed chord I can stuff this in a bag and at 50 bucks or so I’ll be sad if I lose or break it But I won’t be heartbroken something like this is always gonna be useful as a second keyboard And you’re starting to get the upgrade theme now, aren’t you monitors, speakers don’t skimp on those other than you There’s only one thing in your studio that makes an actual sound and that’s your monitors and you hear everything through that lens Let’s not make that your next upgrade Know your Bluetooth bookshelf speakers aren’t gonna cut it and maybe a set of headphones take a pass on the consumer Bluetooth stuff Get something purpose-built something you’re gonna enjoy listening to everything through something comfortable So you can wear it for a long time and maybe with a detachable plug because that’s the part that’s gonna break while we’re talking about it Don’t forget to budget for my clips cables and odds and ends. That’s the bare bones stuff I compiled a list of it on our sites free of any endorsements There are lots of suitable products But the real question is what next if you thought carefully about all this stuff in the beginning Then your upgrade strategy is going to be about enhancing or adding to what you have not replacing it And the nature of those upgrades are going to depend on where you want to go next Maybe you’re gonna add a microphone.
Do you want to record in stereo? Do you want to add hardware more inputs? synthesizer or recording device sound treatment for your room But whatever it is if it’s less than 80 bucks a month or six hundred dollars a year consider investing in learning about what you have Because that’s more than enough for a Beat Kitchen residency, but either way what’s your next upgrade?
Let me know in the comments and share this with someone who belongs in a Beat Kitchen class
