this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2024
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I'm not an audiophile but I am a dj and music producer. I'd say the others who commented so far say not to look for "computer speakers" and they're right. Soundbars and all that crap will sound like shit compared to any set of regular speakers.
But I wanted to add that the easiest speakers to buy and use are probably powered speakers. Meaning that you power the speaker directly with a power cable, and you send the speaker the audio signal. Other non powered speakers require an amplifier/receiver. Aka a third piece of gear you'd probably rather not have to research or buy.
So I'd recommend any powered speakers that are within your budget. Larger speakers will yield more bass because they can move more air aeound. Sound is just wiggly air. Depending on your room size, I'd probably recommend something at least with 7inch or bigger bass drivers (the bigger speaker cone). Someone else mentioned KRK which is a pretty cheap brand but they don't sound terrible especially if you go for the larger ones.
As far as connecting powered speakers to your computer goes, it's really not that expensive to buy a simple audio interface. I'd highly recommend the focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I have one as a secondary interface to my main one. It's rock solid. Just plug it in and it works. There's a volume knob on the front. Get some quarter inch audio cables to go from the back of your focusrite to the powered speakers. Done. Enjoy and hopefully this helps.
Edit: I should add that I've been using a pair of Fostex PM2 mkii powered speakers as my main music production speakers for the past 10+ years. I write, mix and master every song I've released. Look me up on Spotify. My most popular song has over half a million plays. I mixed and mastered that song myself on my trusty Fostex. So hopefully that makes my advice more credible.
Bonus question: How do you see AI affecting music production in the future? Sites like Suno can already produce some sort of music, but will that sort of technology enhance or threaten your work? Is this just like the time when the spinning jenny revolutionized the textile industry?
Acoustic instruments are going to come back in a major way. Eventually folks are going to get tired of listening to computers masturbating.
Before photography was invented, people relied on painters to capture people's images. Everyone thought photography would completely replace painters but instead, painters began to move away from the literal realistic style and experiment with abstract and surreal styles. I'm hoping something similar happens with music and AI. People who write and produce music will be able to experiment and step away from what is already possible with AI. I'm hoping we see pop acts and music in general taking more risks and doing more weird shit.
Beyond that, I think it's just a tool. When the first synths were created, they were trying to replace real brass players with a brass-like synth sound and brass players were so threatened. But then nerds got a hold of these synths and started pushing them way way beyond what they were intended to be used for. The synth evolved into its own instrument, and never replaced brass players. I see AI in music being used like this.
I already use it occasionally. My friend trained a model on a bunch of one shot samples from a sample pack and then spat out 1000 samples similar to the training material. Sometimes I sprinkle those samples into my tracks. I also use stem splitting AI to extract vocals from songs making it possible to remix music in ways that were previously not possible. Some of my friends generate 70s funk sounding tracks with AI so that they can sample them and flip them into hiphop beats avoiding and copyright issues with sampling someone's actual song.
Thanks for taking the time to write a thoughtful answer. Especially that historical perspective was interesting.
I just thought that AI music is going to be like the ways clothes are manufactured today. Sure, you could get your clothes from a big factory, and many people do. At the same time, there are still many people who make clothes by hand just for fun. There are also some who make clothes the old way and sell them to millionaires who can afford to appreciate that production method and the quality that comes with it.
My guess is, the same will happen to music industry. Most people who wear cheap t-shirts, will also listen to cheap AI pop. Some other people with the money to hire musicians will do so, just like they’ve done so far. At the same time, many people will also continue to enjoy playing instruments or knitting wool scarfs just because it’s fun.