One of the first things people ask me when I tell them I’m a producer is something along the lines of “what gear do you use?” so I decided that I would devote this post to a detailed description of everything I use with short justifications on why I use it. I’d also include, well, everything on my computer, so you can have as much detail that you need.

The first half of this post will be devoted to hardware. You could potentially use it as a slightly outdated budget audio workstation guide since I had a total of zero issues working on this machine so far. The second half of this post discusses all the software I use and how I use it. If you also happen to run Windows, you could use it as a recommendation for high quality Windows software.

Before we get started, I’d just like to interject for a moment and say that I don’t have any of this memorized off of the top of my head, and I mostly pasted the information in from HWiNFO that is a free utility which lists hardware that is connected to the computer.

Hardware:

Self-Built Computer:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit Home Edition (yes, Windows is just as good as the Mac for creative people)
• Case: NZXT H320 in white (I used this from my previous build)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Cooler: Stock Stealth Cooler
• GPU: XFX AMD RX 560 with 4GB of VRAM
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE AB350M-DS3H-CF SOCKET AM4 with the AMD X370 Chipset
• RAM: 16 GB (2×8 GB) Mushkin Essentials DDR4 2133 MHz (15-15-15-36) (I would’ve gotten faster RAM but it was very, very expensive when I built my machine)
• PSU: EVGA 750 GQ 80+ Gold Semi-Modular
• Storage Configuration:
  • There are four storage devices in this computer that serve different purposes. At the moment, this computer can store up to 6.256 TB, or 6256 GB.
  • This computer also serves as an archive of my career. My oldest files are from 2003 and these files are actively backed up and guarded against corruption using Macrium Reflect.  
  • Windows and my applications are stored in a 256 GB M.2 NVME Samsung EVO drive.
  • A 2 TB Seagate HDD serves as my primary storage that is used actively.
  • There are two more 2 TB Seagate HDD drives that are backups of the primary drive. I bought these drives at different times to make sure that they wouldn’t all die at the same time. A guy can dream, can’t he?
  • The drives are backed up automatically every single day with a Grandfather-Father-Son backup scheme to ensure no data loss.
  • There is also a 2TB Seagate drive, stored in a safety deposit box away from my computer or the internet, that serves as another archive of my career.
  • I don’t have any brand preferences when it comes to computer storage devices. It just so happens that Seagate ones are on sale more frequently where I live.
  • One of my favorite things about having a computer that I build myself is that I can replace storage drives very frequently. I look at all my drives like time-bombs.
• Optical Drive: HP DVD Writer 1265t (this is way back from 2013 and sounds like a dentist drill but hey it just werks)
• Front USB Panel: Kingwin 7x Front Panel (overkill but I felt rebellious)
• Display: LG 27EA63 1920×1080 @ 60Hz (this one is also very old but it still works and I haven’t seen a reason to replace it yet, considering that I’m not really a gamer)
• Keyboard: HyperX Alloy FPS with Cherry MX Blue Switches
• Mouse: I have no idea. It’s from some Amazon store back in…2010? I wish I could tell you what it is but Windows just calls it Generic PnP Device.
• Mouse Pad: Also very old and from…who knows.
• Printer: Brother MFC-J53300W
• Laptop: HP EliteBook 8540p with Intel Core i5 (I use this for my laptop needs. It’s heavy, but it was cheap and gets the work done. Also, despite dropping it, spilling coke on it, spilling coffee on it, throwing it around, and checking it in baggage a few times it still runs just fine!)
• Other Laptop: Apple MacBook 2011 Series White (this is my white laptop that I still use on keyboard gigs, but it’s not safe to connect it to the internet anymore and it can’t run software made after 2011)
• Tablet: Apple iPad 2018 Series
• Phone: Apple iPhone SE

Audio Hardware:

• Audio Interface: RME Fireface UCX (thank you scholarship!)
• Monitors: Genelec 8250 (thank you scholarship again! Worth it!)
• Cables for the monitors: Mogami Gold
• Cables for everything else: too many to count/deal with all from random sources over the years
• Hardware Synth: MicroKorg (I don’t use this anymore)
• Midi Controller: StudioLogic Acuna 88
• Custom Keyboard Stand (this was a gift and the brand rubbed off after all the gigs I took it to. We took IKEA shelves and placed them on the top parts for the “tower of power” look)
• Keyboard Amplifier: Roland K-350
• Audio Interface for on the road: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (the circuitry is lower quality than the RME, but it does the job)
• Piano: Pramberger upright slightly modified by the Anteque Piano Company in Denver, CO

Non-music Software (in order of most frequently used):

• Microsoft Office 365
• Microsoft Edge
• Stickies (I use these to organize everything)
• Telegram
• Windows Media Player
• Clocks and Alarms
• Discord
• Newsflow
• Macrium Reflect
• 7zip
• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Photoshop
• iTunes
• Steam Games (I’d like to add that half an hour a week of gaming is a lot for me):
  • Audiosurf
  • Cities: Skylines
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • Euro Truck Simulator 2
  • Goat Simulator
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • SimCity 4 Deluxe
  • Yakuza Kiwami
• Hexchat
• Event Viewer
• VLC
• HWiNFO

Music Software:

• Steinberg Cubase 7 (mostly using included VSTs)
• Finale 25
• SmartScore X2 Pro
• Adobe Audition CC
• Third Party VSTs:
  • Ozone 8
  • HALion
  • Synthogy Ivory
  • Spire
  • Sylenth
  • Dubstation
  • Stutter Edit
  • VPS Avenger
  • RP-Delay