The goal of this lesson is to give the bare essentials that you need to start recording. Depending on what you already have and what you will be recording you may not need to spend more than $4.00.
Keepin’ It Simple!
At its most basic level, all you really need to record onto your computer is the following:
1)
A computer: If you are reading this, then hopefully I can assume you have this part covered.
2)
A soundcard: This is how sound gets into and out of your computer.
3)
The Correct Soundcard Connector (or Adapter): You will need to make sure you have the proper connections for the type of soundcard you have.
4)
Recording Software:
5)
Speakers:
6)
Microphones: Depending on what you are going to be recording this may be optional.
Computer
Hopefully all who are reading this already have a computer... Even if your computer is not the latest and greatest, I recorded on a PII 388MHz with 192MB of RAM for a couple years with nothing preventing me from being able to record several tracks, edit, and mix.
However, if you are in the market for a recording computer and trying to decide between "PC" and "Mac". . . . . . . . . . . . Well, in the end it doesn’t really matter. You can make fine music with either one. The important thing is to pick the recording program first as this is what you are going to be working with directly and will affect your work flow the most, then pick the operating system.
Soundcard
You can use the standard PC soundcard the comes with most computers (such as SoundBlaster) or even on-board sound built into the motherboard.
See the following lessons for info on how to connect various types of equipment to a standard PC soundcard and how to use the Windows sound mixer.
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Connecting To Soundcard
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Windows Sound Mixer
Soundcard Connector
If you are using a standard PC soundcard, the connectors on it are 1/8”. Guitar cables are 1/4” so you will need a
1/4” to 1/8” Adapter to plug your guitar (or guitar processor) into your soundcard. These cost about $4.00 at RadioShack.
Recording Software
There are many free and very cheap recording programs available. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get good quality software.
There are programs that are available for FREE and these are the most popular two:
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Kristal Audio Engine
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Audacity
My personal pick of these two is Kristal. I haven’t found a freebie program that beats Kristal yet. But I’m always looking....
There are also programs that are very inexpensive ($50 or under), but the one that I feel is really worth mentioning is
Reaper ($50) This program offers a lot for such a cheap price and it is updated daily (and he actually listens to people on the forum which is very cool.) This is one of the best “bang for the buck” programs available at any price.
The Reaper demo version is actually an unlimited demo that will never expire, but he asks that if you continue to use Reaper that you need to buy it. But $50 is seriously
dirt cheap for such a great program.
Speakers
You can use any type of speaker to get sound out of your computer. The only thing is you have to have a way to power your speakers as the computer only provides a line out signal. Most computer speakers have an amp built in to them (or have an external unit like a sub with the power amp built in) to power the speakers. You can even connect your computer to your home stereo and use the stereo's speakers.
Microphones
If you are only going to be recording instruments that have a direct output that you can connect to your soundcard (such as electric guitar, acoustic guitar with a pickup, bass guitar, keyboard, electronic drums, etc.) then a mic will not be necessary. You can just simply plug the output of your instrument into your soundcard and record. (See the tutorial on
Connecting To Soundcard.)
If you are going to be recording instruments without a direct output, (vocals, acoustic guitar with out a pickup, piano, acoustic drums, etc.) then you will need microphones to pickup the signal and send it to your soundcard. The most inexpensive route would be a computer mic plugged into the mic input on your sound card. Depending on the mic, the connector could be 1/4" or 1/8". If it is 1/4" then you will need a
1/4" to 1/8" adapter to plug the mic into the sound card.
To use a higher quality mic (with an
XLR connector) with a PC sound card you will need either a
mixer or a
mic preamp. While you could get cables that would plug an XLR mic into a computer, XLR mics don't tend to work well with standard PC sound cards. Because of the
impedance mismatch (low impedance for the XLR mic and high impedance for the sound card) you will get a much lower volume.
Conclusion
This is all you need to record at the most basic level.
Where you go from here depends on your interest level in recording, what kind of sound quality you want to get out of it, and of course how much money you are willing to burn.
This next lesson covers some options that will help improve the sound quality.
>> Computer Recording: Improving Sound Quality
