Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
MPH
Artists “I got woken up at 3 AM by a fan spamming my DMs. I’m still in disbelief”: UKG phenom MPH on featuring in Thomas Bangalter’s comeback DJ set
kid harpoon
Producers & Engineers “There’s a reason that the Juno-106 is still the greatest”: Kid Harpoon on vintage synths and studio secrets
MARIBOU
Artists “Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love
verses gt
Artists Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing on the making of their new collaborative project, Verses GT
Semtek aka DJ Persuasion
Artists 7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
renier
Artists “To my knowledge, no one else has tried a project like this”: Reinier Zonneveld is playing B2B with an AI clone of his “musical brain”
Adam F
Artists Adam F on making '90s DnB classic Colours – and why he’s re-recording it for 2025
imad royal
Producers & Engineers “I’m a big preset guy. If a preset’s called Fat Bass, there’s a 90% chance it’s actually a fat bass”: Rico Nasty and Benson Boone producer Imad Royal on saving time and staying focused in the studio
jim-e stack
Tech “You can make the best album ever with just a laptop and plugins”: Jim-E Stack reveals his production secrets
trevor horn
Artists "It was the best-sounding piece of kit ever – but they were so up themselves": Trevor Horn on the pioneering synth that defined the sound of Welcome to the Pleasuredome
modeselektor
Artists "The 808 is still one of the sexiest drum machines ever built": Modeselektor on classic Roland gear
Geoff Barrow
Artists Geoff Barrow on pigeonholing, production and beating imposter syndrome to become a film soundtrack composer
Flava D in the studio
Artists Flava D on why drum & bass is the toughest genre to produce
steve hauschildt
Artists Ambient maestro Steve Hauschildt on the obscure plugins, generative tools and '00s digital synths behind Aeropsia
Adrian Sherwood
Artists Dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood on embracing AI and playing the studio like an instrument
More
  • Black Friday plugin deals - LIVE
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Artists
  2. Djs

Me in my studio: Porter Robinson

News
By Chris Barker published 13 January 2012

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intro

Intro

“I’m Porter Robinson. I’m nineteen years old and I’ve been a touring DJ for about a year. Before that, I spent my entire adolescence in my bedroom writing music.

"My studio was lo-fi by necessity; I was fourteen with no reliable income. I was monitoring my music using $100 Logitech speakers, and I only used software. My room was completely untreated and as a result I’m unconvinced by the 'supreme analogue hardware' mythology that is needed to achieve a good musical result.

"What's more important than having a hyper-accurate system, perfect room, and obscure soviet synths that can't stay in-fucking-tune, is knowing your system and working hard. As you'll see, my studio hasn't changed much...”

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
The studio

The studio

"This is my complete setup. It consists of a computer monitor, some software, the lowest-end M-Audio soundcard and some KRK Rokit6's.

"This setup is actually more hi-fi than what i produced my EP Spitfire on. For that record, I used my computer's onboard soundcard and those $100 logitech consumer speakers from best buy I mentioned earlier. Again: no hardware"

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Sergio Flores

Sergio Flores

"Now that I've covered everything I use, these are the next most important things in my studio, two, framed pictures.

"The first is of sergio flores, the acclaimed sexy sax man, and the other is of my dog. They're posted proudly on my mantle right above my computer monitor. They might seem superfluous but trust me, I've tried producing without them and the result is unspeakable."

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
The bed

The bed

"What kind of self-congratulatory bedroom producer would I be without a bed? It too, is understated: it's a mattress on the floor.

"i couldn't find my comforter when I took this picture, either!"

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Scented candles

Scented candles

"When I'm making sentimental trancey fluffiness, I like to have some equally saccharine aromas filling the room.

"Yes, that second one is called 'christmas cookie' and yeah it's my favourite one."

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Espesso machine

Espesso machine

"This is my espresso machine. Writing music while caffeinated produces some interesting results. The stimulation basically amplifies my music-production-dependent bi-polarity.

"When I'm writing good music and I'm caffeinated, I attribute all my success to the coffee, get really sentimental about the EDM scene and tweet a lot. When I'm caffeinated and I'm writing shit music, the world sucks and so does everyone. Don't talk to me."

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Roland JP-8000

Roland JP-8000

"Did I say I don't have any hardware? Sorry, I meant I don't use any hardware. This is my Roland JP-8000, it's good for collecting dust and making retro super-saws.

"I have never once used the JP-8000 in a recorded production. It's not necessary! A healthy collection of sample packs for drum sounds and my favorite softsynths Sytrus, Massive, Sylenth1 and 3xOSC have met my needs thus far and all on a budget suitable for a fourteen year old!"

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Chris Barker
Deals not to miss
MPH
“I got woken up at 3 AM by a fan spamming my DMs. I’m still in disbelief”: UKG phenom MPH on featuring in Thomas Bangalter’s comeback DJ set
 
 
kid harpoon
“There’s a reason that the Juno-106 is still the greatest”: Kid Harpoon on vintage synths and studio secrets
 
 
MARIBOU
“Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love
 
 
verses gt
Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing on the making of their new collaborative project, Verses GT
 
 
Semtek aka DJ Persuasion
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
 
 
renier
“To my knowledge, no one else has tried a project like this”: Reinier Zonneveld is playing B2B with an AI clone of his “musical brain”
 
 
Latest in Djs
Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost arrives on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica
Is God a DJ? Pope makes appearance at religious rave in Slovakia
 
 
Fabric DJ Getty Images
UK electronic musicians aren't getting the royalties they deserve, according to a new report
 
 
Disclosure
“One of the greatest electronic music songs of all time”: Disclosure officially release their edit of a ‘90s club classic
 
 
Armin Van Buuren piano
“I feel a freedom behind the piano”: Armin Van Buuren on his surprising new musical direction
 
 
Justice
"It saves us 900 hours digging through crates”: Justice on why they gave up sampling
 
 
DJ Seth Troxler performs on stage during the Primavera Sound Festival at Distrito Anhembi on November 5, 2022
“It’s just too emotional”: Seth Troxler is offering €10 an hour to anyone willing to help him clean up his vinyl
 
 
Latest in News
Roland TD716 Black Friday
Roland's TD716 electronic drum set is designed to be a VST killer. Now it's had a massive $1,800 wiped off the price at Sweetwater for Cyber Weekend – you’ll get a drum rug and throne worth nearly $500 for free, too!
 
 
Apple MacBook Air M4
If I was buying my first Apple MacBook for music-making, this is the bargain $749 Black Friday deal I’d go for
 
 
Toontrack Hitmaker SDX
I've waited for Toontrack's Hitmaker SDX Expansion to be discounted ever since it was released. Now it's nearly half-price for Black Friday and I'm about to ruin Christmas by spending way too much on Superior Drummer samples in Thomann's Cyber Week Sale
 
 
TC Electronic Plethora X1 pedal
Just £99 for 14 effects pedals in one? Surely this TC Electronic Plethora X1 compact multi-effects deal makes it the most value-packed stompbox this Black Friday
 
 
SYNTHDEALS
I've spent all day looking at Black Friday synth deals and these are the ones I'd actually buy
 
 
Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 and Cre8audio Boom Chick
Buy bleeps, get beats free: These synth and drum machine combos are the most tempting Black Friday deals I’ve seen
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...