What gear do I use? (small studio tour).

Written By Andy Quan Music

Whether to produce music, film and edit videos, practice instruments or consume content, this is where you’ll find me tucked away for the vast majority.

Ever since we moved in last year, I achieved my dream of building a music studio. We turned our study room into what you see here. The wide camera lens actually makes the space appear bigger than it really is - in reality, the room is a small 2.7m by 3.3m (approx 8.9ft by 10.9 ft), with ceilings that are slightly taller (2.7m / 8.8ft) than average (2.4m / 7.8ft).

Room aside, here is the equipment and gear I’ve accumulated over the years to help me create all my content.

Guitars

Left (electric guitar): Fender Squire Affinity Stratocaster

This humble, blue squire (passed from my brother) has served me since the day I began playing. It’s also been the only electric guitar I’ve ever played and recorded in my songs. Although considered cheap sounding, budget and beginner - centred, this squire has been my main voice as a musician. It’s currently not strung / being played as the tuning pegs have broken. However, again from my brother (thanks Eddy) I’ve been borrowing and playing another guitar - a much better one - an Ibanez Talman TM1730. (Don’t worry, I’m actually going to buy my own guitar soon).

Middle (bass guitar): Yamaha RBX270J

The instrument that began it all, fifteen years ago. Although my identity is more tied to electric guitar, the bass guitar was the first instrument I ever learned, outlining my baby steps as a musician. Like my squire, it’s a cheap - sounding and beginner - centred bass, and the only one I’ve ever owned. Watch me slap here!

Right (acoustic guitar): Yamaha APX500iii

I bought this guitar after discovering John Mayer and his incredible percussive guitar playing. Although now played occasionally, this acoustic has its place when I’m travelling with mates, and feel like being ‘that guy’ at the campfire or beach. I’ve also written one song with it, which you can listen to here.

This device allows me to record sounds straight into my computer.

I’ve sworn by Focusrite for years. Their products and interfaces just work, and you can rely on them for any occasion. This interface in particular is built like a tank while also being extremely portable. I’ve brought it on several road trips and it’s never disappointed. This model also has a toggleable ‘air’ feature which alters the input signal to emulate the sound of Focusrite’s higher - end gear.

With two combination inputs, two instruments can be recorded simultaneously. If only I had someone to jam with.

Computer Peripherals

Screen: LG 34GN850-B

Aside from the fact that its name resembles a randomly generated password, this screen is an absolute beast for both productivity and visuals. Although designed as a gaming monitor, it was a nice upgrade over my dated dual - monitor setup.

It’s a 34 inch ultra-wide monitor, meaning you have a lot of screen real estate to work with. The slight curve also makes music production very immersive, as the screen wraps around your peripheral vision. The large width makes scrolling through the project timeline a joy, and the 160hz refresh rate provides a very smooth experience.

The other reason I decided on this screen was because of the nano - IPS panel, meaning it represents colour more accurately compared to other monitors. This makes colour grading and video production much easier.

Keyboard: Custom Tofu60 DZ60RGB

Mouse: Razer Mamba Wireless

Mouse mat: Desk Pad by Minimal Desk Setup

As you can probably tell with these other gadgets, I wanted to go for a minimal, clutter -free setup.

Studio Monitors - JBL LSR305

I’ve always been a fan of JBL, who are known for delivering high quality products at affordable prices.

Although now discontinued, these studio monitor speakers provide an accurate representation of whatever mix I’m working on. Even with smaller 5 inch woofers, they sound great in my small workspace. The highs, lows and mids are balanced, making music a pleasure to produce and listen to. They are also mounted on IsoAcoustic stands, which reduce the vibrations that cause the desk to resonate unwanted noise.

I use this pair of studio monitors during the creative process of music production, and switch to my studio headphones for the mix and master.

Studio Headphones - Audio - Technica ATH -M40x

Like JBL, Audio Technica has a proven record for providing high quality products at affordable costs.

This pair of headphones was the most important investment as a producer. Like most other studio headphones, the M40xs are incredibly accurate at representing the highs, mids and lows of any mix. They provide an enormous amount of detail, and you wouldn’t know what a song was truly meant to sound like if you didn’t use these.

Studio headphones are also very reliable because they always sound the same, unlike studio monitors which sound different according to changes in room size and treatment.

I rely on these monitoring headphones to complete the mix and master of every track.

Desk - IKEA BEKANT + Lights - LIFX Z Strip Light

The IKEA BEKANT is the perfect desk for its price, and a desk I will always recommend. With a depth of 80cm (2.6ft) and width of 160cm (5.2ft), it’s a very generous amount of space that easily fits everything I’ve featured. A huge plus is that this table also comes with a large, built - in net mounted underneath. This means the BEKANT does an incredible job of hiding the jungle of cables and wires, contributing to the clean look. To make it even better, the desk is height - adjustable, maximising comfort and ergonomics.

Although slightly pricy, the RGB LIFX light strip brings an incredible amount of value. Having a phone - controlled RGB strip of this quality just creates the ultimate vibe for any occasion. Now that I’ve grown so attached, I don’t think I could ever live without it. We have two in the house - the other behind the TV - and they can be controlled using our voice with our google nest hub. Honestly, such a great investment.

Piano - Korg B2

I’m by no means a pianist, but I find myself occasionally dabbling with the keys. I learn a lot by experimenting with different chord shapes, and discovering voicings I wouldn’t have otherwise on the guitar. Although most of the piano riffs in my songs are created by drag and drop - (surprise!) - I have recently released a song with my own live piano playing, which you can listen to here.

Although I haven’t got the equipment or space to properly record the drums, it’s really fun to hop on occasionally and practice some rhythms and rudiments. Lo-fi beats are carried by programmed drums, so I’ve always believed having some knowledge on live drums would transfer to making better beats.

It’s also simply fun to bash. A sincere apology and thank you to my neighbours, and my poor partner and bunnies.

A lot of people have also asked about the tape. The tape is there to reduce the resonance and room reverb that occurs when the drums are hit, resulting in an overall ‘tighter’ and less muffled sound.

An excellent budget microphone that captures a lot of detail. It does a great job of recording vocals, acoustic guitar and percussive elements such as shakers. I also have it mounted on a rode boom arm which makes the microphone really easy to move around, whether I’m seated during a video call or standing up to record vocals. Attached in the front is a cheap pop filter, to reduce the plosives that occur when words beginning with ‘b’ or 'p’ are produced.

Computer Tower - i5- 6500, 16gb RAM, NVIDIA GTX 1060, Fractal Design S case

And finally, the engine that powers everything. When it was built five years ago, it would have been a mid - spec computer. However, today this would be considered outdated and very entry - level. For what was spent at the time, you could now build an absolute monster of a PC.

Despite this, it still continues to run well, especially when handling CPU - intensive music projects or video editing. The black case may not be the most exciting, but it’s actually designed to run very quietly. This reduces the ambient noise, making microphone recordings a lot cleaner.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the setup tour!

Andy Quan Music
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