You don't need a professional studio to make music that sounds professional. A laptop and a spare corner of your bedroom will get you surprisingly far. On the following slides are 10 pieces of gear that cover recording and mixing, and nine of them cost less than $160. Swipe ahead to see what's worth buying first.

FL Studio 20 Producer Edition

Metro Boomin and the late Avicii both built their early careers on FL Studio. The Producer Edition gives you the same core tools for about $200, and you only pay once. Image-Line, the company behind it, includes free lifetime updates, so when a new version comes out, it's yours at no extra cost. Many competing programs charge for major upgrades.

Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen USB-C

Microphones can't plug into a computer directly. An audio interface sits in between the two and turns the signal from your mic or guitar into audio your computer can record. The Scarlett Solo does that with one mic input and one guitar input for about $160. The coolest feature is the ring of light around the volume knob. It glows green when your level is good and red when it's too hot, so you'll catch a distorted take before you've wasted it.

Shure SM57 Dynamic Instrument Microphone

According to Shure, every U.S. president since Lyndon B. Johnson has spoken into an SM57 at the White House lectern. The mic debuted in 1965 and has barely changed since. It's built to take a beating, and it handles loud sources like guitar amps and snare drums without distorting. At about $100, it's a great first mic for recording instruments and vocals.

InnoGear Boom Arm

A mic sitting on a desk stand will picks desk bumps in the recording. Typing or setting down a mug will create a low rumble in your recording that is hard to remove. A boom arm solves that problem. This one clamps to the edge of your desk and holds the mic in the air on a spring-loaded arm. Pull it to mouth level when you record, then push it out of the way when you're done.

Cable Matters XLR Cables

An XLR is the three-pin plug on both the end of a microphone and the input on an audio interface and it carries what's called a balanced signal. In plain terms, the cable is wired to cancel out the buzz it picks up from nearby electronics. Cable Matters sells these in two-packs and the 6-foot length is perfect for a desk setup. It's long enough to reach your interface without leaving a pile of slack on the floor.

Akai Professional MPK Mini Plus 37-Key MIDI Controller

A MIDI controller is a keyboard that doesn't make sound on its own. It tells the instruments inside a program like FL Studio what to play. The original MPK Mini has 25 keys, but the Plus model bumps that to 37, which is enough room to play a chord with one hand and a bass line with the other. The keys are velocity-sensitive (hit them harder and the note gets louder), and eight drum pads handle beats. Expect to pay about $140.

PreSonus Eris 3.5 Powered Studio Monitors

Regular computer speakers usually pump up the bass to sound impressive. That's great for movies but bad for mixing, because your song will sound thin on everyone else's speakers. Studio monitors aim for a flat sound that doesn't flatter the music, so what you hear is what's in the mix. Powered means the amplifier is built in, so you plug them straight into your interface. A pair costs about $100.

Knox Gear Studio Monitor Isolation Pads

This is the cheapest upgrade on the list at about $20. Without pads, your desk hums along with the bass and makes the low end sound bigger than it is. These foam blocks go under your monitors and soak up that vibration. Setup takes no tools: set them down and put your speakers on top. This size is made for 3- to 4-inch speakers, which makes it a match for the Eris 3.5.

Sony MDR-7506 Professional Headphones

You'll need a good set of headphones while you record or your speakers would bleed right into the mic. The MDR-7506 has been a staple in recording and broadcast studios since the early 1990s. The closed-back ear cups seal around your ears, which keeps your backing track in your head and out of the recording. The coiled cable stretches when you move and pulls back when you don't.

Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

Where the SM57 mic is tough, the AT2020 is sensitive. It's a condenser mic — the type that picks up the smallest details in a voice, like breaths and soft consonants, that a dynamic mic tends to smooth over. This mic features a cardioid pattern so that it mostly hears what's in front of it, and less room noise sneaks into the recording. Condenser mics, unlike dynamic mics need a little power from your interface to work and the Scarlett Solo's 48V button takes care of that.