DIY Music Production Is Exploding - Here's the Gear You Actually Need
DIY music production has gone mainstream, empowering artists to create professional tracks from home. This guide breaks down the essential gear to help you start your own home studio, without breaking the bank.
The rise of DIY production clearly demonstrates the profound impact technological advancements have had on the music industry today. With increasingly affordable and accessible equipment, musicians who were once tied to studios and management can now forge their own independent paths. Some argue that the industry has shifted away from its traditional foundations, empowering emerging artists to produce and distribute their own work away from the constraints of the industry machine.
The success of DIY production and artistry is notable in certain artists who are now mainstream, with Billie Eilish, Clairo, Tash Sultana, and Beabadoobe; all have launched their careers from their own bedrooms, using accessible digital audio workstations (DAWs). Digital audio workstations such as GarageBand (free), Logic Pro, and Ableton Live, readily available on laptops, makes producing music independently incredibly attainable for anyone to use. The success of DIY artistry has birthed new subgenres such as “Bedroom Pop”, highlighting how at-home production has reshaped the mainstream. Platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud have been equally crucial, offering free, direct access to audiences and emerging artists for uploads.
It’s understandable that starting out on your DIY musical journey can feel incredibly daunting—where do you even begin? What is the best gear on the market? What’s actually affordable? A simple search for “best audio gear for independent music production” leads to curated lists from sites like Reverb, MusicianNerd, and active forums like Reddit’s ‘WeAreTheMusicMakers’. AI tools like Chat GPT also offer well-organised recommendations and budget estimates, saving yourself the time of sifting through conflicting opinions. My own trial using ChatGPT highlighted just how useful these tools can be for new producers.
Through my own research, it became clear that the essential starter kit for a DIY artist includes an audio interface, a microphone, headphones, and a DAW. Here’s a breakdown of recommended budget and mid-range options:
Audio Interface
Budget-Friendly
Behringer U-Phoria UM2 (£32 brand new)
Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 (£33 brand new)
This interface is lower budget and cost-effective as it has powerful phone output for direct Monitoring of your session, 2 Outputs, and USB supplied power.
Mid-Range
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen (£105 brand new)
This interface can connect multiple microphones, guitar, and keys and plug into PCs, laptops, and MacBooks, giving you a professional studio-recorded sound and finish.
Microphone
Budget-Friendly
This microphone is perfect as both a main and support microphone for both studio and live applications. It gives a professional feel, rejecting feedback and reducing hum, distortion, and hiss, with ultra-low self-noise.
Mid-Range
A popular choice amongst musicians used on both stages and in studios, professional quality reproduction, and rich vocal pick up. This microphone isolates the main sound source and will simply record what you point at it, rejecting the sound from the rear.
Studio Headphones
Budget-Friendly
Behringer BH 470 (£19.90 brand new)
Extremely lightweight construction, with ultra-soft ear cups and an adjustable headband. This design specifically focused on comfortability, gives a wearability of all day, without the fear of headaches or discomfort. These headphones are specifically designed for the high demands of studio work.
Mid-Range
Sennheiser HD-280 Pro (£74 brand new)
This HD 280 PRO II has a unique collapsible design, giving maximum versatility whether you’re in the studio or playing live. It enables focused listening and detailed sound analysis, making them ideal for a professional sound.
DAW
Free: GarageBand (Mac only), Audacity
Paid: Ableton Live Intro (£68), Logic Pro (£199, Mac only)
I had the privilege of speaking with two independent artists to get their thoughts on the best, most affordable, and effective equipment they use.
Danny Trouton
Photo credit: George Hutton
Producer Danny Trouton shared his perspective, stating, “You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to sound good. So many great songs these days are recorded in bedrooms with a single mic, like an SM57”.
When asked about his favourite piece of equipment, he professed the ‘Behringer X-Touch fader’, which allows him to have “physical control over the faders”, helping to streamline his workflow. However, when producing, his favourite piece of equipment is the ‘Elektron Digitakt’ sampler, his go-to for creating guide tracks, describing it as “more intuitive than writing a drum part on a computer”, as he loves the tactile aspect of it.
Danny emphasised the affordability of the gear he uses, noting that he began with a “two-channel Focusrite interface and a second-hand SE Electronics mic,” both of which cost less than £100. He recommends that beginners start with an audio interface, like a “Focusrite Scarlett,” an SM57 microphone, and a pair of headphones, which he considers essential for getting started. According to him, “you can do so much with a simple setup these days”.
For Danny, the key is experimentation: “Just hitting random bits I can find, record them, and try to turn them into weird sounds and samples in my demos”. Once you have the right types of equipment and gear, he believes that experimentation is essential for growth as a producer and musician.
As an independent DIY artist and producer, Danny handles both mixing and mastering by himself, though he enjoys collaborating with clients to get their feedback, calling it the most efficient way to finalise a mix. He still prefers to master his own work but recognises the value of getting a second opinion: “It’s good to get a fresh pair of ears on the mix and a second trusted opinion before everything gets signed off.” F
For mixing and mastering, Danny’s most trusted gear would be Steinberg Cubase to record and mix, along with Soundtoys like Soundtoys Devil-Loc Deluxe and Soundtoys EchoBoy, but he notes that most of his plugins are stock Cubase ones.
For beginners, he strongly recommends “Get to know your own DAW’s stock plugins before venturing out into shiny new third-party ones, especially if you’re just starting out.”
Evidently, learning with the basics and investing in second-hand gear may be the most cost-effective and practical way to branch into independent production.
Niamh Murray
Photo credit: Lynn Wortley Photography
I also spoke with musician Niamh Murray, who records her own tracks and frequently performs live.
She shared that her go-to equipment for recording demos includes two Yamaha speakers, a 2-input Focusrite desk (audio interface) which she connects directly to her MacBook, and her Shure SM 7 B microphone.
She explained that her “Focusrite desk and MacBook are the bare minimum” needed for her workflow, and together with the two speakers, the setup costs around £400.
Niamh feels that with this primary equipment, you can achieve a decent sound, depending, of course, on the style of music you are aiming for.
Murray’s heartfelt new single, "Caught in the Rain", was initially recorded on her phone before she took it into the studio. She shared: “I’ll go into the studio with the bare minimum so that I’m not putting myself into a corner with what I can and can’t do with the track”.
Primarily, she records her demos on her phone or MacBook, and if needed, she rents out a studio space. When I asked her about her live performances, she told me that her essential gear includes two Roland Kicks; one used for a tambourine sound and the other as a kick drum - and her RCF speaker, which supplies effects and has a 1100-watt output, which she actually prefers over her two Yamaha speakers for live settings.
For her live vocals, Niamh uses an Shure SM58 LC microphone over her Shure SM 7 B microphone, which is in preference for recording.
DIY production has reshaped the music landscape, offering creatives more autonomy than ever before. While professional studios and management still have their place, independent production gives musicians genuine choice and the tools to build their careers on their own terms.
About Sonia Panunzi
Sonia Panunzi is a creative content writer from London who curates interviews, review articles and commentary spanning music, film, and literature. She holds an MA in English Studies and a BA in Digital Film, combining critical insight with creative flair. Passionate about spotlighting the behind-the-scenes processes of music, Sonia is especially focused on amplifying the voices of independent musicians striving to find their place in an oversaturated industry.
Contact Sonia Panunzi at sonia.panunzi@musicngear.com
In this section of the blog you will find recording advice, tips and tricks from fellow artists and music producers.
Interested in writing a story for this section as a guest or joining the Musicngear team as a Contributing Author? Contact us at info+newauthor@musicngear.com
