YOASOBI's intricate arrangements and genre-hopping songs sound like they'd require a studio full of specialized equipment. Ayase's reality is far leaner.

When Mashable asked the Japanese duo to name five essential pieces of technology for making their music, Ayase had trouble finding a fifth. His actual toolkit includes Logic Pro (where he assembles everything), Splice (a digital sound library), a high-end Sony microphone for recording ikura's vocals, and a pair of wired Apple EarPods—the kind most people associate with older iPhones, not professional production.

The EarPods choice might seem nostalgic, but Ayase's reasoning is practical: their simplicity helps him assess his mixes clearly. Expensive studio speakers can sometimes mislead; basic headphones keep him honest.

Ayase's minimalist approach makes sense given his background. Before joining YOASOBI, he spent his teenage years in a band chasing rockstar dreams. He later turned to Japan's Vocaloid production scene, where software like Hatsune Miku let a single person compose, produce, and perform entire songs using just a laptop. When he began working with ikura, her voice replaced the synthesized vocals, but his composition philosophy stayed intact: write what feels right, then trust your collaborator to deliver it.

It's a philosophy that paid off. "Idol," YOASOBI's Oshi no Ko theme, has accumulated over 688 million YouTube views while ricocheting between musical ideas with little regard for conventional pop structure. The track's dizzying arrangement—and countless others in their catalog—emerged from this same stripped-down setup.

Ayase's toolkit proves that maximalist production isn't about owning the fanciest gear. It's about understanding your tools deeply and using them with intention. A laptop, some software, a decent mic, and wired headphones: that's the foundation of one of J-Pop's most innovative sounds. Everything else is craft.