Todays artist gear setup features rapper turned producer Ricky Vaughn. Over the course of his career Ricky Vaughn has spanned multiple genres including hip hop, breaks, and most recently Moombahton and Trap. Now that he has switched to using Traktor and CDJs for live shows his travel setup is pretty light. Keep reading to learn more about his travel setup and be on the lookout for his new EP, soon to be released via Babygrande Records.
1 – Headphones
- Sol Republic Tracks Ultra – My Sol Republic headphones are mandatory for me when I’m mixing/mastering or DJing out on the road. I love the crisp TRUE sound it gives me plus they’re extremely comfortable on my ears.
2 – Midi Controller
- Traktor Kontrol x1 – I know this isn’t the newest model but I’ve recently started to implement a more live aspect to my sets with looping and live effects/mash ups etc. My DJ sets are 90% my own music so I’m practicing to be more creative since I have all the stems to my songs. For 2015 I’ve set a goal to create a unique experience with the sounds I’ve created. I modified the mapping to what I need at the moment for looping samples and juggling between decks. Touch back with me in a year and I’m sure my whole setup will be 100% different.
3 – USB Flash Drives
- SanDisk 64GB USB flash drive – I went from using Serato to Traktor to CDs and then finally USB sticks while DJing in the matter of 2 years. I taught myself out of necessity and now it’s super convenient to walk up to the booth and just plug in and start playing my set.
4 – Soundcard
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface – This interface is extremely durable, has an aluminum chassis, and the sound is amazing! It has 2 XLR ports, plugs in via USB and built in phantom power. I’ve never had any issues with it to date and I love the Red compressor and equalizer software it comes with.
5 – Laptop
- HP Beats Audio Laptop – I bought this laptop a couple years ago already but it’s still the foundation to what the Ricky Vaughn project is. I run FL Studio and they didn’t have it for Mac up until recently so when I bought the laptop it was specifically design to run FL studio flawlessly (as possible as that sounds). It has a 750GB hard drive and 8GB ram, a very cool graphics card and I can probably count on my hand how many times I’ve gotten the blue screen of death which I think is pretty good considering how long I’ve had it. I also run Photoshop on there because I do 95% of my designs/artwork and web stuff.
6 – Microphone
- Samsung USB Go Mic – I started out as a rapper before I was producing music so every once in a while I’ll get an idea and record a reference vocal or filler vocal for a track. The mic plugs in via USB and folds down into itself to a small compact size. The quality is surprisingly great for what it is and 7 times out of 10 I’ll do a little EQing and effects and not have to replace the vocal at all.
7 – hand carved Dominican pipe
- I recently went to the Dominican Republic with my girlfriend and found a little shop on the beach that sold souvenirs and they had all these hand carved wooden items. I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest stoner but it’s definitely helped me finish some of my best songs, so this pipe comes in handy when I’m out and about and just want to take a few hits then get back into the studio.
For more Ricky Vaughn check him out on Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and iTunes.
Looking for more artist gear setups? See what’s in these artists bags:
What artist gear setup would you like to see?
Let us know in the comments below!
