The internet has given rise to a new generation of at-home recording artists. Whether they are doing it for fun, to try to leverage the masses of the internet to get noticed, everyone needs to know how to record music at home. This may not sound like a difficult process, but having the right equipment is essential. Without it, it will be near impossible to record quality music at home. Here is a quick look at the basics that are needed to get started.

1.The Right Computer

Your computer will be the heart of your music recording operation, so having the right one is essential. With the current software that is being used, a minimum of 2 GB of RAM should be considered standard. One way to ensure this is to avoid operating systems that require a lot of resources to properly run, such as Windows Vista. The two most important resources to pay attention to is RAM and disk space.

In addition to the computers resources, having a good sound card is essential. In fact, it may be the most important piece of hardware that you will use. Without a good soundcard, it will be impossible to know what your music will sound like on someone else’s computer.

2.Audio Interface and Condenser Microphone

An audio interface allows you to hook up your instruments and microphones to your computer. Many people opt to purchase a separate preamp, however if you cannot afford both separately, then make sure that your audio interface has a built-in preamp. If you plan on recording a lot of audio or using the acoustic guitar, then a high quality condenser microphone (and ideally a mic stand) is a must as well.

3.Mixer and Monitors

Recording without a mixer is never a good idea. While it can be done without a mixer, the audio signals will not have enough amplification This makes the recording very weak and noisy and difficult to modify and adjust. Having studio monitors is all that you need as far as speakers are concerned. Your speakers do not need to be of the highest quality and make everything sound great, otherwise you will have less opportunities to discover flaws in your mixes.

4.Software

Every year new recording software hits the market and a large number of them are extremely good. For most people, the average recording and mixing software is more than enough, however if want all of the additional options and precision that come with the high end software, then go ahead and enjoy it. If you are under budget constraints, the software is probably the best place to cut costs. Not only is the easiest to upgrade and replace, but it also has a smaller impact on the end results when compared to the microphone or mixers.

Once you understand everything that you need to have in order to make a quality recording, learning how to record music at home is a fairly user-friendly process. The highest learning curve will be actually using the software, when compared to every other task, including the initial setup.

Author Bio: Find the latest tutorials for home recording at ProAudioDVDs.com.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: record music,music recording,recording software, home music recording