Last call! You've got hours left to stock your home studio with these 8 no-fuss production tools – the cheapest is just $8.41 in the Prime Day sale

If you use a MacBook like me, you’ll find a USB hub to be an incredibly useful thing to have on your studio desk. Even with a MacBook Pro, I’m limited to three USB ports, so when you start adding MIDI controllers, interfaces, and external hard drives into the mix, you can run out quickly. Laptop screens are pretty small too, so the ability to add an external monitor to your setup can really speed up the workflow and make it a lot easier to edit your waveform and really dial in your automation lanes.

External hard drives are a critical part of my workflow, because they allow me to bring my project files from studio to studio. I often take things I’ve worked on in an analogue studio home, and vice versa, so a portable SSD is a must-have for me. I’ve been using the 1TB version of this Crucial X9 for a few years now, and it's always been reliable for me. It’s nice and lightweight, so easy enough to pop into my backpack and take it wherever I need to, and delivers super-fast read and write speeds that make transferring large project folders a breeze.

It might seem like an outlier for music production, but adding a notebook and a pen to my workflow has massively improved my mixing. The idea is that at various stages through my mixing, I’ll take my eyes away from the screen and play the track from start to finish, noting what I don’t like as I go. This keeps me focused on what I need to improve the mix, stops me mixing with my eyes, and really makes me think about the changes I’m making and why. It’s also useful for noting during the tracking phase if I’m trying new mic techniques and placements.

Tidy desk, tidy mind is a mantra for good reason, and at the start of the year I decided to sort my messy studio desk out once and for all. This cable management kit was key in making sure I had a nice clean desk to work with, allowing me to run various cables from my audio interface, studio monitors, MIDI keyboard, computer keyboard, and my second screen. With 192 different pieces, you’ll find something for any type of cable, and time spent doing this means more space for gear, and less time digging through clutter on your desk.

It’s a simple thing, but this phone stand has made my life a lot easier. Whether it’s taking calls from collaborators, quickly typing into the band chat, or even being used as a pseudo tripod for recording quick ideas, the phone stand is a cheap and easy way to add to an existing workflow. It isn’t fancy but it does a simple job well, and is available in a range of colours if you want to keep your setup coordinated.

A decibel meter is useful for a few different reasons. Yes, you can get one on your phone but this is far more accurate. It means you can keep a reasonable and consistent listening level in your studio, which is crucial for a good mix. It’s also really handy in the tracking phase, as you can monitor the levels of loud instruments like drums and guitar cabinets, ensuring you’re not overloading any of the microphones in your collection.

One thing I’m a big fan of is creating an atmosphere in the studio. It really helps get your clients in the mood to create, and can make it a pleasing environment for you to spend hours in, aligning vocal tracks and phase-aligning your drums. A bit of lighting can make a huge difference to the feel of the studio, meaning you don’t have to rely on harsh household lighting when working into the night, and in the case of the LED Strip Lights, allowing you to change up the mood at will via the included remote or a phone app.