Well, as a producer there are some things that you absolutely need to make your sound crispy and your mixes clearer: (non exhaustive list)
1. Good ears... How to get that? Lol, just listen to a loooot (I really mean a lot) of music pertaining to the genre of music that you want to make. Pay a particular attention to the drums arrangements since that is generally the what makes the difference between the different types of music. You can start by focusing on your favorite artist or favorite producer and just learn how they make their music (by that I DO NOT MEAN TO COPY OR BITE THEIR STYLES, just get the inspiration and learn from better that you) . It might take you a while to get accustomed to it and to really start having a sweet ear but thats worth it and it will make you better.
2. Get a powerful computer... It can either be MAc or PC, whatever you are more comfortable with, but remember that MAC is not compatible with all the music softwares.
Try not to overload this computer with lots of movies, useless programs or other stuff that you get from the net (no porn please, it kills ur computer!!). You will need a lot of internal memory to run most of the music softwares.
3. Get a sequencer... Some people like more harware (machines) such as MPC than softwares (computer programs) such as FL Studio, Cubase or Reason. My advice would be to start with something you think you can learn fast and that you feel the most comfortable with, no matter what it is, because you can pretty much achieve the same quality of music with any of these different stuffs: it is not tha machine that makes your sound, it is the person that masters them and uses his talent to produce the best Sh%* out of it.
And remenber, what works for somebody else does not necessarily work for you.
4. Get an audio interface . For those who don't know what it is, click on the link.
Basically, that will be the heart of your studio, from where the clarity of your sound will be "built".
So choose it wisely, and do not hesitate to spend a few extra bucks for it because it can really make a big difference (trust me I know!! lol).
Select the one that you can afford, a good one to start with is in the range of $100-150. Also choose it depending on the inputs (what comes in) and outputs (what goes out) that you need to work with, and if you have machines to connect to it such as MPCs or midi keyboards etc...
5. Get a midi controller... Anything you like will do, even if you are not a good keyboard player. I would recommend to pick one with at least 49 keys so that you have more freedom and it really opens your creativity. Foe even $50 you can have one with 25 keys.
6. Get some good monitoring headphones...
They differ from hi-fi headphones from the fact that they reproduce the true frequences of a sound that you play through your audio interface. They will allow you to make a better instrument selection for your beats and help you with the mix.
Personnaly I prefer to compose with the headphones on so that I can really feel the music and bring more emotion into it and pick the right kits to go with it.
Good monitoring headphones start from $100, it will actually take time for you to get used to their sound since it will be very neutral when it comes fresh out of the box but give it some time and listen to some quality music with it and your ears will feel better.
7. Get some very good monitoring speakers (also called monitors)....
They do the same job as the monitoring headphones, same characteristics, but you have to be pickier and more selective with what you actually choose because they will be the judge for the mix quality. I personally use some KRK RP5 and I love them, but something else might work better for you.
For about $300 ($150 a speaker) you can get some good quality monitors.
That is basically it, with all that gear you should be ready to go. The rest is in your hands, work hard and you will go far.
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