Choosing hardware for Computer Music beginners - Speakers (monitors) and headphones

Listen to a more accurate sound

By using speakers and headphones, you can
better hear the true sound being created in your DAW, and work towards tweaking and perfecting it.

Headphones

When recording vocals or guitar,
you will need to accurately monitor your playing/singing in the process.

In most cases, you will need to wear headphones when recording.

Also, when making music on the go, or late at night,
headphones allow you to make music carefree, and are a good investment to make.

Recommended headphones

• SONY MDR-CD900ST

This is a high quality pair that stands as an industry standard,
used not only for playing and monitoring,
but also for “mixing and mastering.”

Speakers (monitors)

You can make Computer Music using your computer speakers.
However, to properly hear the sounds being created, you need the proper equipment to monitor your progress.

Reverb parameters and lower frequencies are especially hard to discern without a proper pair of monitors.

Recommended speakers

• YAMAHA MSP3

These monitors provide a very flat response,
optimal for mixing and monitoring in any genre.

Aren’t headphones enough?

For the process of production, this is no problem.
There are many creators who even finish a product on headphones alone.

However, as mentioned above,
speakers allow you to understand sound better and how it travels in air,
as well as allow you to easier hear the depth of reverb.

In conclusion,
it is best to have both a pair of headphones and speakers.