Every field has its stars, and every genre has its heroes. Football has Ronaldo and Messi, painting has Picasso, and sports like baseball have their stars as well.
In every case, almost everyone who isn’t the star wants to be the star. Kids buy Messi’s shoes, university students hang Van Gogh posters in their dormitories, etc., etc.
If there’s a single name in popular culture that’s most synonymous with electronic music and dubstep, it has to be Skrillex. He is both the Ronaldo and the Messi, the Picasso and the Matisse, the Hemingway and the Fitzgerald of his genre. He is, in short, a bona fide star.
If you enjoy electronic music and are looking to make the leap into producing your own, you’re probably wondering where to start, and, indeed, it’s hard to know where to begin with making and designing within such a dense, unique, and dynamic genre as electronic music.
Like a novelist learning to ply his trade, you turn to thAs you prepare to launch your career, one of the main concerns you might have, of course, is gear, and it makes sense that you’ll want to know what the greats of your field favor in terms of equipment.e greats. You listen and observe as you prepare to embark upon your own journey.
Start at the Beginning, the Most Basic Level: The MIDI Controller
The MIDI controller is every producer’s bread and butter; it’s the starting point for everything you do. It’s the axe, the weapon, the maker, the destroyer, etc.
So, what MIDI controller does someone like Skrillex use?
It’s a good question, and the answer, in short, is that we’re not entirely sure.
Someone like Skrillex who’s at the top of his field is going to use and own a wide variety of tools and pieces of equipment. Skrillex also tours a lot. Like, a lot, and that means that he’s not always going to use the same kind of equipment.
All of that said, here’s our best guess: An Akai Professional MPK49 USB MIDI Keyboard.
Based on various social media posts, photos from live events, and our basic intuition, we think that this is probably what Skrillex likes to use, and, indeed, it’s a beauty.
The MPK49 is, as you might expect, a wonderful tool at the top of its class in almost every area. What’s more impressive is that even the newest version clocks in at a relatively low $400 US, making it an affordable option even for the casual producer, which is remarkable.
If you’re a musician, you probably know already that gear isn’t cheap, and you probably also know that the sort of guitars, drums, basses, violins, pianos, etc. that are used by the pros are not cheap. Especially in classical music, a top of the line, professional-class instrument can be staggeringly expensive, and as such are often not accessible to the average fan.
Let’s just imagine for a second that Jimi Hendrix’s favorite kind of guitar was only $400? Or, let’s not imagine that because it’s just not in total congress with reality.
The fact that the star and public face of electronic music uses gear that’s priced at this low level reflects well not only on the star, but in the genre in general. Electronic music is, really, the music of the people. Anyone can learn to produce, and most people can afford the requisite equipment.
Another significant detail about this instrument, aside from the cost (which, again, is a remarkable feature), is the fact that Skrillex seems to favor a MIDI keyboard as opposed to a MIDI controller.
Is There a Difference, You Ask?
Yes, and it’s not a minor one either.
The main difference between a MIDI keyboard like the one Skrillex seems to use, and a MIDI controller that many respectable producers seem to favor is that a MIDI keyboard will usually function both as a MIDI controller (good for producing music on a screen) and as a keyboard that you can use like, well, a keyboard to make the sort of piano-style music you’d usually use a keyboard to make.
MIDI controllers essentially have no space for sound output, but MIDI keyboards usually do, which is always a nice thing to have if you think you might want to use your MIDI controller (which totally resembles a keyboard) as a keyboard.
In general, it’s not such a bad idea for an artist to emulate the leader in their discipline. Skrillex is no exception for the world of electronic music, at least when it comes to his equipment. His choice in MIDI controller is sensible, affordable, and all-around commendable.