Producing Music On The Go: Our Favorite Gear List For Making Pro Tracks While Traveling

With the need for touring and traveling becoming more and more the predominant way that professional musicians make their income, producers are having to work more frequently while on the road. And for the longest time, this was seen as a serious impediment to the musician, as producing on the go meant that they couldn’t bring their lavish studio equipment with them. 

Worst yet, producing on the go meant that you’d be in a new space and environment every time you’d open up the same project, rendering it impossible to ever truly know the room you are in and the coloration the room brought to your mixdown. But it’s only been over the last year or two that technology and the gear that it inhabits has gotten to a point where you can produce studio-quality music and mixdowns while traveling the globe (even we’ve been able to pull it off!).

And to show you how it’s done, we’ve put together a massive list of our seven favorite devices, apps, and gear that make up our travel-friendly production toolkit. This list won’t include the basics like which DAW to use or what laptop is best for the job; those are questions that are too subjective for a list like this. 

Instead, this list includes amazing gear you might not be aware of and some justifications as to why it made an essential list as short as this. So let’s dive in…

KRK GoAux 4 For Monitoring

Trusting your listening environment is absolutely essential, and is one of the biggest hurdles any artist looking to produce music on the go should address. And while the most obvious and conventional solution would be to only produce music on headphones, this method isn’t always preferable by producers and conducive to their workflow.

Luckily, KRK recently dropped their fresh line of travel-friendly monitors that address all of the concerns of most producers. Here are a few of my favorite features that have made these speakers an easy recommendation for this gear list:

• Bluetooth functionality which removes the need for audio interfaces, saving you room in your gear bag for more necessary equipment. 
• Built-in room correction mic which gives you reliable mixes regardless of which space you are producing in on that leg of your journies.
• They come packaged in an all-you-need bag which removes any necessity for extra gear or cables.

Learn More About These Monitors While Helping Support Our Small Team Of Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here

Polyend Play Groovebox For Sequencing 

The best part about producing music in the studio is having access to all of the gear that you’ve collected over the course of your career, and these bells and whistles are often the first things to get left behind when you head out on the open road. But for those looking to have the tactile functionality of a high-level groovebox or sequencer, you can’t get any better than the Polyend Play.

Here are some of my favorite reason why the Polyend Play is always one of the first things I reach for when assembling my on-the-go toolkit:

• It’s a lot smaller than you would assume just by looking at it and easily slots into almost any pocket or space in a gear bag. 
• You can load your own samples on the Play through the SD drive, meaning you can sequence all your studio samples quickly and easily while traveling.
• It doubles as a high-power performance tool, letting you map a multitude of external gear with a small and travel-friendly device. 

Learn More About The Polyend Play While Supporting Our Small Team Of Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here

Akai Professional MPK Mini For Basic MIDI Controlling

For basic MIDI-controller functions, this keyboard does it all (without breaking the bank). Whether you’re looking for a light and portable MIDI keyboard to play basic melodies or a smaller device to map to fader controllers for more realistic automation, this keyboard does it all (at an incredibly approachable price point). 

Here are a few reasons why this keyboard beat out all the rest of the MIDI controllers on this list in regard to basic MIDI controller functions:

• It’s incredibly small and lightweight, taking up less space than you’d think in a backpack or gear bag. 
• Its $119 price tag makes it an easy controller to bring on the go, as it won’t be the end of the world if you lose it or needs to be replaced.
• It has all the pan, pots, knobs, and dials you would need without any of the extra fluff that many larger devices have. 

Learn More About This Keyboard While Supporting Our Small Team Of Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here 

Jamstik Studio For Advanced MIDI Controlling

For those with even a little bit of experience playing the guitar, the Jamstik Studio is an absolute necessity for producing music on the go and while being at home in your studio. This MIDI-guitar controller is set to revolutionize the MIDI controller market, allowing new levels of control and manipulation that will open up new levels of playing and production. 

Oh, and it does all of this while using a scaled-down version of a standard guitar (that comes with its own sleek carrying case I may add). Here are the main takeaways about this device:

• Their constant string of updates and offers means you’ll never be short on sounds that you can play with this device (apart from being able to play all of your conventional VSTs as well. 
• It’s 2/3 the size of a standard electric guitar, meaning it’s lightweight and portable for bringing it on the go.
• It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with a MIDI controller, allowing for more complicated pitch bends, controlling individual notes, bends, and slides, and more. 

Learn more about this amazing tool on Jakstik’s website here.

Loopcloud For Sample Digging

Having access to a wide range of samples can keep you endlessly inspired no matter where you’re producing. And while there are a couple of other like-minded sample platforms, Loopcloud is the undisputed best one. Splice used to reign supreme, but here are a couple of reasons why I always use Loopcloud over Splice.

• Loopcloud has a plug-in that allows you to access its app directly in your DAW
• Loopcloud  lets you sync their app to the tempo of your DAW
• Loopcloud can lock in the key of the samples while auditioning them
• Loopcloud allows you to have multiple tabs open of different sample libraries at once.

Learn more about this great platform on their website here.

Zoom H4n For Recording and Capturing Samples

All of the top producers that I follow swear by constantly having a portable recorder on them while traveling for capturing the sounds around them. And while an iPhone mic is fine enough to capture basic foley loops, having a professional travel recorder helps better capture the nuances and details in the sounds you capture. 

The Zoom H4n is the industry standard audio recorder and is what I’ve been using for years. I cannot recommend this recorder enough, and here are my favorite reasons why:

• It’s small and handheld, meaning that it doesn’t take up much room in your travel bag and can be used while walking without being overly cumbersome. 
• There are many different add-ons and extras you can snag for this recorder for a more personalized recording experience, including better mics, holding add-ons, and more.
• They aren’t as expensive as you would think. Sure, $250 is still a lot but for a professional mic that captures pro-level audio, it’s a steal. Plus they hold their value really well, in case you ever decide to put your traveling days behind you and want to downsize your setup.

Learn More About This Recorder While Supporting Our Small Team Of Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here

Native Instruments Komplete For VSTs and Sampling

Komplete has always been a premium-level bundle of plug-ins, but I can say with certainty that it really is a one-stop shop for all your soft-synth-production needs. Not only does Komplete come with a suite of powerful instruments and synths, but it also has a wealth of industry-level processing plug-ins to help ensure your mixdowns are sounding phat and warm without the need of having an entire studio of expensive outboard gear. 

Here are some of the reasons why Komplete has quickly become my favorite suite of production tools whenever I need to produce music in the box:

• The factory sounds in the stock library are incredibly authentic for when I need acoustic-sounding instruments when away from the studio.
• The processing plug-ins do a better job than you’d expect, and while companies like Soundtoys and FabFilter are more widely known for their analog processing, Komplete’s line of plug-ins pack a serious punch.
• You get Ozone bundled into the newer versions of Komplete, allowing you to get club-ready masters for when you are rushing out a new WIP to test in your next gig.

Learn More About This VST Bundle While Supporting Our Small Team Of Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here