Equipment DTM Beginners Should Buy First [2026] - This Is All You Need to Make Music
"I want to start DTM, what should I buy?"
This is a question I hear all the time.
In fact, this was the very first wall I hit myself.
The more you look into it,
audio interface
monitor speakers
MIDI keyboard
plugins
So many things come up that, honestly, it gets confusing.
So, this time, I'll start with the conclusion.
■ Conclusion: This is all you need to make music
At a minimum, these are the three things you need.
audio interface
headphones
DAW
👉 You can make music just fine with these alone
Conversely, you don't need to get everything from the start.
■ Audio Interface
First, this is the most important thing.
Its role is
👉 a device that consolidates the input and output of sound
Record guitar
Connect a microphone
Get proper sound output
Everything goes through here.
Which one should you choose?
To be honest
If you're unsure, go with Scarlett
If you want slightly better sound, go with Duet
.
I'm currently interested in the Duet 3, but
I think starting with a Scarlett is perfectly fine.
■ Headphones
Next is this.
Even if you don't have speakers, you can work if you have headphones.
In fact, at first
👉 headphones are more realistic
Points
You can understand the sound balance
You can work at night
It doesn't take up space
👉 This is fine for beginners to start with
■ DAW (Music Production Software)
This is what you could call the “core of DTM”.
I am currently using Ableton Live 12, and
honestly, it is quite easy to understand.
When I used Cubase in the past,
👉 "Why is this so difficult..."
I thought, and gave up on it once.
In that regard, Ableton
👉 takes shape even if you just mess around with it
This is a big factor.
■ Things that are useful to have
From here on, it is fine if you only get them "if you have the budget."
MIDI keyboard
Monitor speakers
You do not need to have them from the start; getting them later is totally fine.
■ Finally
In DTM, the first step is the hardest.
I do not understand the equipment,
I do not understand the settings,
I do not even know what I should be doing in the first place.
I was the same way.
But honestly speaking,
👉 you do not need to have everything perfectly set up before you start
For now,
an interface
Headphones
DAW
This is all you need
👉 to properly make music
I think it's fine to take it one step at a time.
I'm still very much in the middle of it myself, and
actually, there are still many things I don't really understand even now.
But even so, you can still make music.