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GUIDE FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS HOW TO BEGIN RECORDING MUSIC AT HOME AT A VERY REASONABLE COST INTRODUCTION • THE NECESSITIES • SOUND CARDS MICROPHONE, CABLES, PRE-AMPLIFIERS • SOFTWARE • WRAPPING UP Until recently aspiring musicians interested in recording their original material had two options. The first was to invest in an array of often expensive equipment, usually including recording software or a multi-track recorder, cables, microphones, pre-amps, etc. These expenses were heaped upon what was likely the already considerable cost of instruments. The second option was to pay for time in a professional recording studio, an expense that could add up to thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. Neither of these options was particularly appealing to the vast majority of artists interested in creating recordings for their own use, whether these were mixes for parties or demos to use for getting gigs. Now for the good news. The advent of the home computer and some new software programs has changed all of this. Today anyone with an instrument, a PC, and between $300-$400 can create an unlimited number of good to high quality recordings at home. The implications of this revolution in recording have already been felt in the music industry. Roger McGuinn, from the hit 60's group The Byrds, was nominated for a Grammy in 2001 for a recording of folk music that he did using his laptop computer. Even if your financial resources are limited, opportunities are available to jump start your recording career by using the cheap technology that is now on the market. All it takes is your own creative spark, a little money, and an Internet connection. This guide points the way for artists, composers, DJs, and musicians who would like to move their recording careers from ground zero. The advice in this guide is based upon our experience with certain kinds of equipment and software. It does not represent the final word in recording at home. We may recommend a certain computer program or piece of equipment, but our recommendation does not mean that other kinds of equipment and software are bad choices. Quite the opposite is true, in fact. Although we do not guarantee the results you will get, all of the software listed below, as well as much of the equipment available on the web sites we list, is worth using. In addition, we do not have any commercial connections to the companies or products listed here. For a longer list of links to online reference materials for home recording see Home Music Recording. Let's assume you have the instruments already. But what about a computer? The recommended basic requirements for most of today's recording software is as follows (these instructions do not apply to Macintosh computers. See note below.) 1) Microsoft Windows 98 SE or later. It is
increasingly the case that newer software packages are compatible only with
later versions of Windows. Be sure the check the minimum
requirements listing on the software of your choice. The vast majority of store bought computers purchased within the last three years will have these basic requirements. You will need to have these basics in order to run the software recommended below. Before discussing the necessary software a special comment is required on computer sound cards. The sound card is absolutely essential if you are a musician recording your own music. If you are a DJ working with pre-recorded loops, you will also need a sound card to play back your music, but it isn't necessary for recording music that you are playing on your instruments. An exception to this rule is of course if you are generating beats or sounds using a keyboard or any other kind of outboard MIDI based equipment. Your sound card will act as the interface between your computer and your outboard gear. As for sound cards themselves, those that come with most new computers have two ports into which you can plug a microphone. One is a 1/8" port that is specifically for your microphone. The second port is called the line input port. You can plug your microphone into the line input port. However, we recommend you stick to using the 1/8" microphone port. In recent years, computer hardware manufacturers have responded to the demands of home recording enthusiasts by developing and marketing high-end sound cards which have special sized 1/4" audio inputs. These inputs are compatible with any standard 1/4" instrument cable. If you have the cash, it is well worth the money to invest in a high-end sound card. We prefer several of the cards sold by Creative Labs. These include the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, which retails for around $199.00 or the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro, which sells for $299.00. One great thing about these sound cards is that they come with front-facing external modules and remote controls. This makes plugging in your cables a breeze. Having to plug in cables at the rear of your computer can ruin the plug inputs of your internal sound card. One option for avoiding plug wear and tear is to buy an extension cable with a 1/8" male plug on one side and a 1/4" female plug on the other side. You can leave this cable plugged into your computer all the time. Check with Radio Shack to find an extension cable extension like this. Another fantastic feature of these cards is that they have multiple inputs. If your audio creation software supports the simultaneous recording of multiple instruments, these cards will allow you to plug in two guitars or one guitar and a mic at the same time. MICROPHONES, MIC PRE-AMPLIFIERS, CABLES Most home computers purchased today come with a small microphone. However, using this microphone for recording music is not recommended. These microphones are barely adequate for voice recognition, much less for music recording. The good news is that you can use practically any mic with your computer. All you need is the proper cable, an adapter, and an inexpensive microphone pre-amplifier. You should select a mic based upon your budget and needs. There are a number of good, decently priced mics out there that can be used for both vocal and instrument recording. For a good online selection you should check either of these web sites. They offer a wide selection and array of prices: Musician's Friend and Zzounds. DYNAMIC MICROPHONES: THE SHURE SM 57 If you are planning to record guitar by placing a mic in front of an amplifier we would recommend you buy a Shure SM 57 ($89.99). The SM 57 has been a studio and live performance standard for many years now. It is renowned for its reliability, durability, and versatility. The SM 57 is a type of microphone called a "dynamic" mic. This means that the part of the mic which captures sound (called a capsule) is a mechanism which moves back and forth in response to the volume of the sound you are recording. Dynamic mics are great for recording very loud sounds like electric guitars and drums. An SM 57 can also be used for vocal recording. It has a wide frequency range, meaning it can faithfully reproduce either soft or loud singing (it is better for the latter than the former). If spending $90 on a microphone is too much for your budget to handle, consider getting a cheaper vocal mic like the Audio-Technica DR-VX1 (Product # 270430, $39.95), which can be found in the Microphones listing here. A cheaper mic will not give you as high a quality of sound, but it can do the job. The one thing an SM 57 will require is a microphone preamplifier. A mic-preamp boosts the level of the signal being picked up by the mic. Without a mic-pre the signal from the mic to your computer will be very low. This will inject hiss into your recordings. Basic, affordable mic-preamps that you can try out are the ART Tube MP Professional ($49.95) or the Behringer Tube Ultragain Mic 100 ($49.95). CONDENSER MICROPHONES: THE MXL 990 Although an SM 57 can be used for many different applications, the quietest kind of microphone you can buy for home use is a condenser mic. In contrast to a "dynamic" mic like the SM 57, a condenser mic does not have a moving capsule as part of the mic apparatus. Instead, the microphone recording surface is electrically charged to pick up sounds. Condenser mics are very sensitive so they are great for vocals and for recording acoustic instruments. Condensers are NOT recommended for recording amplified guitars. A very affordable condenser mic is the MXL 990 Condenser Mic with Shockmount. At $49.95, this mic is a steal for the quality of audio reproduction you can get at home. Condenser mics generally require something called "phantom power" to operate. Phantom power is a low-grade power stream that electrifies the recording capsule. The two mic preamplifiers recommended above both provide 48V phantom power and should be considered viable options for any home recording setup. Also see the mic preamplifier section below. The MXL 990 also comes with a shockmount. This mounting device allows you to place the mic wherever you want it and it reduces vibrations that can come from the floor and ruin your recordings. REQUIRED ACCESSORIES If you have decided to use an SM 57 or similar mic you will need a Microphone Clip (Axman Clip, Product # 276010), which will run $2.99, and a Microphone Stand (On-Stage Stands, Product # 452061) that will cost $19.95. This stand is also compatible with the shockmount of the MXL 990. You may also want to invest $1.99 in a foam Windscreen (Axman Windscreen, Product # 421010) for your SM 57 or the like. For the MXL 990 try a clip on pop filter ($24.95). A windscreen or pop filter will reduce the impact of your breathing on the microphone when you are recording vocals or wind instruments. As a rule, microphones need a pre-amplifier in order to be used successfully. The reason for this is that unlike electric instruments, microphones have a lower audio output level; thus the difference between "mic" and "line-in" settings. In plain English: a mic pre-amplifier is necessary in order to boost the amount of volume going from the mic to the computer. Most pre-amplifiers come with 1/4" plug and XLR plug inputs so you can use them to boost the level of electric guitars and basses too, if you choose to send your guitar through a pre-amplifier. Many guitar effects pedals work as preamps too. There is a large variety of mic pre-amps on the market. Many of these are inexpensive in comparison to the quality of the sound that you get through them. Because this guide is geared toward keeping costs as manageable as possible we are going to recommend only a handful of budget mic pre-amps. For the most part, we have consciously chosen pre-amps that are "tube driven" because vacuum tubes make vocals and instruments sound their fullest, warmest, and best. All of the pre-amps listed first cost less than $100. Some cost as little as $40. Single-Channel Audio Preamplifiers These tube driven mic pre-amplifiers all use standard audio connections (1/4" and XLR). Check the Cables section below for the kinds of cables you'll need to attach these to your computer. Using these preamps you can record a single channel of audio from a single source. These preamplifiers are compatible with any recording software. The price you pay is for the hardware alone and not any accompanying recording software. Behringer Tube Ultragain Mic 100 ($40) ART Tube MP Studio ($50) PreSonus TubePre ($100) USB Connection Preamplifiers These units are slightly more expensive and, more importantly, they interface with your computer using a USB 2.0 Cable. Using USB as an audio interface is an up-and-coming feature for budget home recording equipment. By connecting through the USB port of a computer, these preamplifiers in effect act as your computer sound card. They also come with software packages that can be used for recording and for special effects. Read through the web sites of each unit in order to determine if the recording software that comes with the unit is for you. Using these preamps you can record a single channel of audio from a single source. In the case of the Line 6 Tone Port UX2 you can record two lines of audio, vocals and guitar. Doing this will require using the software that comes with the unit, unless other software you have allows for multi-track recording. These preamplifiers are compatible with any recording software. The price you pay is for the hardware and accompanying recording software. If you do not want to use USB 2.0 as your recording input you can also connect to your computer using a straight 1/4" audio cable, just like the mic preamps above. M-Audio Fast Track USB (ca. $130) Line 6 Tone Port ($130 for the UX1 and $200 for the UX2) Generally speaking, most professional grade microphones use what is called a three-pin XLR cable. XLR cables come in two styles, those with three-pin attachments on either end and those with a three-pin attachment at one end and a stereo 1/4" plug at the other end. For recording on your computer using a mic preamplifier like those listed above you are going to want to buy a cable with male and female three-pin ends. The three-pin XLR male plug end will connect to your mic, the female plug end will connect to the mic-preamplifier. For a visual image of the connector inputs and outputs click here. After you've hooked up your XLR cable to the mic preamplifier you'll run a 1/4" instrument cable from the mic pre to the microphone port of the sound card of your computer. If you have a high-end sound card you'll be able to plug in the 1/4" cable directly. If you have an ordinary sound card you'll need an adapter that reduces the size of the plug from stereo 1/4" to stereo 1/8". For inexpensive XLR cables click here. The price for XLR cables runs from $8.99 to $17.99 based on the length of cable you need. For inexpensive 1/4" cables click here ($3.99). The 1/4" to 1/8" Adapter you'll need is product 274-870 at Radio Shack. It is a gold-plated inline adapter and it costs $3.99. One additional comment about cables should be made here. Specifically, you do not have to use a mic to record your instrument. If your instrument has a pick-up, you can plug the 1/4" instrument cable into your sound card and directly record what you are playing. To do this you will need to use the 1/4" to 1/8" Adapter suggested above. Standard instrument cables have stereo 1/4" plugs on either end so you will need to buy the appropriate instrument cable to plug into your instrument and then into the computer. These cables generally cost between $4 and $20, depending on the quality of the cable. This brings us to the kind of software you will want to use. In recent years, the number of available software titles marketed to home recording musicians has exploded. Several major companies, including Sony (Acid, Sound Forge), Cakewalk (Cakewalk, Sonar), Digidesign (Pro Tools), Adobe (formerly Cool Edit Pro, now Audition), Steinberg (Cubase), and Voyetra (Record Producer) currently make the software used by most musicians recording at home. For the purposes of this guide we are limiting our discussion to Cakewalk and Sony's ACID and Sound Forge, not because these are necessarily the best software, but because they are the titles with which we are most familiar. Any of the software products listed above can be used to create good to superior quality home recordings. We recommend that readers of this guide research each product while keeping in mind his/her individual requirements and budgetary limits. CAKEWALK Cakewalk is a Massachusetts based company that has been making audio creation software since the early 1990s. Cakewalk currently offers several software choices for the home recording musician. We describe these here based on affordability, starting with the least expensive software and moving to the most expensive. Music Creator 2 Priced at $39.95, Cakewalk's Music Creator 2 is a good budget option for anyone who has basic home recording needs. MC 2 allows users to score music, edit audio, and mix their compositions using an intuitive Windows interface. The low price of MC 2 derives from three sources. First, MC 2 lack the large number of high-quality special effect plug-ins (different forms of reverb, choruses, flangers, phasing effects, etc.) that are available in more expensive versions of Cakewalk's software. A few of these do come with MC 2, just not as many as in the higher-end versions. Second, MC 2 also comes with a limited number of drum and other instrument loops. This will limit the flexibility of the software if you are a musician working alone. Third, MC 2 only allows composers a limited number of audio tracks. Therefore, if you have a large recording project you will want to get another software. In sum, if you want the largest number of special effects and loops and recordable tracks you will have to pay for them in a more advanced version of Cakewalk's software. The system requirements for MC 2 are • Windows 98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000,
Windows XP Note: MC 2 uses audio loops that are compatible with the Acid format described below. Music Creator Pro This more advanced version of Music Creator offers more flexibility than the cheaper MC 2. Music Creator Pro also has a useful feature in that it can be used for the simultaneous recording of more than one instrument if your sound card allows it. This is a big help to bands who like to compose and record music together. MC Pro has other features as well that we haven't listed here. We recommend you check the program description using this link (Music Creator Pro) for more information. MC Pro retails for $109.00. The system requirements for MC Pro are • Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP Sonar Home Studio The next step up in home recording from Cakewalk is Sonar Home Studio, which retails for $149.00. Home Studio offers up to 64 tracks for recording audio, a more advanced audio processor for higher quality sound, more effects, more available loops, and more flexible editing tools that allow for a higher degree of complexity in your music. This software can easily be used for anything from a basic home demo to a full-scale piece of professionally orchestrated music. System Requirements for Sonar Home Studio
Note: Home Studio uses audio loops that are compatible with the Acid format described below. Sonar Home Studio 4 XL Costing $229.00, Cakewalk's Sonar Home Studio 4 XL is the deluxe version of the company's Home Studio series. Home Studio 4 XL offers high quality audio effects plug-ins and even more advanced tools for audio mixing and editing. This software can turn your PC into a drum machine for creating beats, meaning you can create your own drum loops. It also features a greater array of sampled instruments for use in your compositions. System Requirements for Home Studio 4 XL
Note: Home Studio 4 XL uses audio loops that are compatible with the Acid format described below. ACID Acid is a recording and looping program specifically designed to allow musicians and DJs to work with pre-recorded loops. The recording function of Acid is basic, allowing the user to record loops that the artist generates him or herself. You can use Acid as a recording and mixing program. One of the benefits of Acid is that users can use a grid setting to create drum and beat tracks using "one shot" single sounds or entirely premixed drum loops that come with the program. Instruments and vocals can then be recorded over the drum track and mixed. The latest high-end version of the Acid software is Acid Pro 5.0. It is available at Amazon.com for as little as $195. If you have the money, get the Pro version of Acid. It has the flexibility and features (including more than 1000 loops) that advanced musicians need. Sony also makes a basic version of Acid called Acid Music Studio 6 for $69.95. An even more basic version of this software targeting youngsters is called Acid XMC 6. It is even more inexpensive at $39.95. System Requirements for Acid Pro 5.0 System Requirements for Acid Music Studio 6 • Microsoft® Windows® 2000, XP Home, or XP Professional System Requirements for Acid XMC 6 SOUND FORGE Sound Forge is audio editing software. It cannot be used for mixing. You can use it, however, for editing hiss, pops, and other things out of a track you've recorded. Home recording artists can also use Sound Forge for mastering their home recorded and mixed audio. The volume and presence levels you can achieve at home using Sound Forge are pretty good, but they cannot substitute for having your stuff. mastered at a professional mastering house. Sound Forge software is compatible with the Acid software series. Sony's Sound Forge software is used in many professional recording studios. Sound Forge software can run into the hundreds of dollars. However, a budget version of this software is available called Sound Forge Audio Studio. Audio Studio is a stripped down version of Sound Forge 8.0, which runs about $250. Sound Forge Audio Studio is available for under $70 and it has most of the features a musician will need for basic home recordings. Using Acid in tandem with Sound Forge has truly revolutionary implications. Given the availability and flexibility of pre-recorded loops that you can use with Acid you can compose and record music for an entire band, even if you are a solo musician. Pre-recorded loops are available online or on store-bought CDs for practically every kind of instrument, ambient noise, electronic signal, and natural sound that you can think of. Here are just a couple of web sites where free loops are available for you to download: Loopasonic and Sound Dogs. Every day more free loops appear online. All you have to do is browse for them. Finally, it is worth noting that after you have completed your compositions with Acid and or Sound Forge you can post your songs online at Acid Planet for others to download. Acid Planet lists in its database songs from all genres of music. Your compositions may even appear on the site's online radio station, giving you the exposure you want. No longer do you have to labor on your music in obscurity. The power of the internet makes your music available to listeners around the world. BAND-IN-A-BOX The final software we'd like to discuss here is PG Music's Band-in-a-Box. This fascinating and useful software makes it possible for a solo musician to record his or her music at home to multi-instrument accompaniment generated by the software. As PG Music writes: "Just type in the chords for any song using standard chord symbols (like C, Fm7 or C13b9), choose the style you'd like, and Band-in-a-Box does the rest. Band-in-a-Box automatically generates a complete professional quality arrangement of piano, bass, drums, guitar and strings in a wide variety of popular styles. (Jazz, Pop, Country, Classical and more.)" This provides a world of possibilities for artists struggling to find musicians to play with. At $88.00, the price of Band-in-a-Box is very reasonable too. System Requirements for Band-in-a-Box •
Windows 9x / ME / NT / 2000 / XP
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