Engineer your tracks for total dance floor domination with this home studio gear.
1. Technics SL-1200GR Direct Drive Turntable
The 1200 turntable is the machine that birthed hip hop and fueled EDM’s rise. This modern redo of the decades-old design has the bombproof construction and beefy motor that made the original famous, all optimized to reduce noise. Use it to sample an elusive drum break, or just to cue up some inspiration.
2. DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 64
The snappy, Pac-Man–worthy buttons on this MIDI controller can be programmed to trigger loops or tap out drum samples in Ableton Live[2] or whatever supported audio app is your jam. Take it on stage too—the LED rings around the buttons can be set to spice up your performance with a custom light show.
3. Genelec The Ones 8331
Finnish company Genelec knows the cheat code for more accurate-sounding compact studio monitors: concentric tweeter and midrange speakers and dual woofers hidden behind the baffles of each rumble-abating, aluminum cabinet. Play your mix on these to hear every detail—and to reveal what needs fixing.
4. Roli Seaboard Block
Roli’s soft and squishy keyboard responds to taps, touches, glides, and slides, providing access to a nearly unlimited sonic vocabulary. The free Noise app[5] wirelessly connects you to hundreds of tones, and the Seaboard pairs with the other modules in the Blocks family[6] of touch-sensitive sound shapers.
5. Apogee One
Want to add some slinky wah-wah guitar or a silky vocal hook to your track? Plug any instrument, sampler, synth,...