Introduction

One of the most common questions we get is "What do I need to start producing UK garage?" The good news: you don't need much. Some of the best garage tracks were made on basic setups. This lesson cuts through the gear anxiety and gives you a clear path to getting started.

Choosing Your DAW

Your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is the software where all your production happens. Here's our honest breakdown of the main options:

Ableton Live

Best for: Loop-based production, live performance, experimentation

Ableton's Session View is perfect for jamming out ideas and building loops before arranging. The built-in instruments (Operator, Wavetable, Simpler) are excellent for UK garage. Many modern UKG producers use Ableton.

• Pros: Intuitive workflow, great stock plugins, excellent for sampling
• Cons: Expensive (Suite version), steep learning curve for Arrangement View
• Price: £79 (Intro) / £349 (Standard) / £599 (Suite)

FL Studio

Best for: Beginners, pattern-based workflow, piano roll editing

FL Studio has arguably the best piano roll in any DAW—crucial for programming those intricate UKG basslines and melodies. The step sequencer makes drum programming intuitive. Free lifetime updates is a huge plus.

• Pros: Best piano roll, free lifetime updates, affordable entry point
• Cons: Stock plugins are decent but not amazing, unusual workflow compared to others
• Price: £79 (Fruity) / £159 (Producer) / £299 (Signature)

Logic Pro

Best for: Mac users, all-in-one package, traditional arrangement workflow

Logic is incredible value for Mac users. The stock plugins (Alchemy, Drum Machine Designer, Space Designer) rival expensive third-party options. The Drummer feature is useful for getting groove ideas.

• Pros: Exceptional value, professional stock plugins, Mac-optimised
• Cons: Mac only, can feel overwhelming with features
• Price: £199 (one-time purchase)

Our Recommendation

For beginners: FL Studio Producer Edition (£159). Best value, easiest to learn, great piano roll for UKG.

For Mac users: Logic Pro (£199). Unbeatable value with professional plugins included.

For experimentation: Ableton Live Standard (£349). Best workflow for jamming and sampling.

Essential Plugins

You can make great UK garage with stock plugins, but these additions will expand your palette:

Synths (Pick One)

• Vital (FREE) - Wavetable synth that rivals Serum. Our top recommendation for beginners. Download from vital.audio
• Serum (£160) - Industry standard wavetable synth. Endless presets available
• Diva (£154) - Best for warm, analogue-style bass and pads

Samplers

• Stock samplers - Ableton Simpler, FL Slicex, Logic Quick Sampler are all excellent
• Serato Sample (£89) - Brilliant for finding the key and BPM of samples, then chopping

Effects

• Valhalla Supermassive (FREE) - Lush reverbs and delays. Essential download
• Soundtoys bundle (£399) - Professional effects, especially Decapitator for saturation
• Stock compressors and EQs - These are usually excellent in all major DAWs

Hardware: Do You Need It?

Short answer: No. You can produce professional UK garage with just a laptop and headphones.

But if you want hardware:

Essential

• Headphones (£100-300) - Audio-Technica ATH-M50x or Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. Essential for hearing your mix accurately
• Audio interface (£50-150) - Focusrite Scarlett Solo or Audient iD4. Improves sound quality and latency

Nice to Have

• MIDI keyboard (£50-150) - Akai MPK Mini, Novation Launchkey Mini. Makes playing melodies and chords easier
• Studio monitors (£200-500) - Yamaha HS5, KRK Rokit 5. Better than headphones for mixing decisions

The Under £200 Starter Pack

If you're on a tight budget, here's exactly what we recommend:

• FL Studio Producer Edition - £159
• Vital synth - FREE
• Valhalla Supermassive - FREE
• LABS by Spitfire Audio - FREE (great pad sounds)
• Decent headphones you already own

Total: £159

That's genuinely all you need to produce professional-sounding UK garage. Everything else is nice to have, not need to have.

Summary

Don't let gear anxiety stop you from making music. Pick a DAW that fits your budget and workflow, download the free plugins we mentioned, and start creating. The biggest limiter to your productions is never the software—it's the time you spend learning and practicing.

In the next lesson, we'll set up your DAW specifically for UK garage production with the right BPM, swing settings, and project template.