Home Recording Guide

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 XP or Vista. Be sure the check the minimum requirements listing on the software of your choice.
2) A processor of 800 MHz.
3) At least 10 GB of free hard disc space.
4) At least 512 MB of RAM to run the software.
5) A Windows compatible sound card.

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 $49.99 or the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro, which sells for $49.99. 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.

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.

If you you want to record via your computer's microphone jack, you will need a pre-amp. Without a pre-amp, the signal from the mic to your computer will be very low. This will inject hiss into your recordings. Basic, affordable mic-preamps that are availabe include the ART Tube MP Project Series ($69.99) or the Behringer Tube UlLTRAGAIN MIC100 ($39.99). 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 $4.59

USB INTERFACES

A better alternative to connect you microphone or guitar is a USB interface. All are powered by means of a 2.0 USB connection. It also allows the user to control features like volume and gain amongst others. How many microphone inputs should one have on their interface? This is relative, but it is best to assume on the high end as your needs will no doubt grow over time. For example, it would be best to have at least four microphone inputs for recording drums.

Here's an example of a simple but effective device for home recording M-Audio Fast Track Interface. Here's another example of a more elaborate interface capable of recording up to eight channels simultaneously M-Audio Fast Track Ultra.

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 ($99.99). 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.

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 $69.99, 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. 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.

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 $19.99. This stand is also compatible with the shockmount of the MXL 990. You may also want to invest $1.99 in a foam windscreen (Performance Plus SM57) for your SM 57 or the like. For the MXL 990 try a clip on pop filter ($19.95). A windscreen or pop filter will reduce the impact of your breathing on the microphone when you are recording vocals or wind instruments.

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 ($6.99). 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 $4.59.

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.

PORTABLE RECORDING

Not around a computer but still need to lay down that guitar riff, or maybe that new song at rehearsal? Gone are the days of bulky, ineffective, and troublesome portable analog recording devices. Home recording manufacturers have begun to produce cost effective, compact (most can fit in a shirt pocket), and high quality digital recording equipment, capable of recording anywhere you may go. Most are compatible with WAV, MP3, and BWF file formats, are powered via USB, lithium battery, or power pack. And no need for a mic! Most come with high quality condenser mics built in. Here are a few examples of some relatively low cost solutions for just that need. First up is the M-Audio MicroTrack II. Priced at $299.99, it's sure not to cause too much of a recession in your budget and will get the job done admirably. For a step up on features versus price, the Sony PCM-D50 priced at $499.95 is remarkable. It's twin, very high quality condenser mics can be positioned in an X-Y or wide stereo manner....very useful in difficult recording enviroments! It is also capable of playback in 320 kbps, MP3 format! Also notable, it comes with a tripod and a wind screen. It is truly portable in every sense of the word. For those who would find a built in speaker for recording reference (especially for field recordings) the Marantz PMD620 is a good choice at $399.99. It features a 150mw 8 ohm speaker for instant playback reference. Also notable is the Olympus LS10 Linear PCM Recorder priced at $399.99 as well. It features not one, but two 16mm, 200mw, 8 ohm, dynamic speakers for even better playback clarity.

SOFTWARE

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), and Steinberg (Cubase) currently manufacture the software most muscians use for home recording.

For the purposes of this guide we are limiting our discussion to Cakewalk's Sonor, 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 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 4

Priced at $39.95, Cakewalk's Music Creator 4 is a good budget option for anyone who has basic home recording needs. MC 4 allows users to score music, edit audio, and mix their compositions using an intuitive Windows interface. The low price of MC 4 derives from three sources. First, MC 4 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 4, just not as many as in the higher-end versions. Second, MC 4 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 4 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. System requirements for the Music Creator 4 are listed here.

Sonar Home Studio 6

The next step up in home recording from Cakewalk is Sonar Home Studio, which retails for $139.99 ($99.99 with rebate from Musician's Friend). Home Studio 6 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 the Sonar Home Studio 6 are listed here.

Costing $209.00, Cakewalk's Sonar Home Studio 6 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 the Sonar Home Studio 6 XL are listed here.

Note: Have you advanced faster than your current software edition will allow? For registered Cakewalk users, upgrading to the next level of software is easy and cost effective on their main site.

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. Although theoretically any musician can use this, it is mostly geared towards Electronica and Hip-Hop users.

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 $129.00, the price of Band-in-a-Box is very reasonable too. System requirements for Band-In-A-Box are:

Windows 98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP / Vista

Memory (RAM): Minimum 128MB.
Hard Disk space: Minimum 400 MB. More space is required for RealTracks and RealDrums, about 1 GB per set.
PC Sound Card or MIDI module.

To conclude, then, the solutions suggested above for musicians who would like to record at home will give you the ability to establish your own home recording studio at minimal cost. If you already own a computer with the minimum requirements listed above, a sample cost break down would be as follows:

Microphone: $39.95-$89.95 for SM 57. $49.95 for MXL 990
Mic Stand: $19.95
Mic Clip: $2.99 (this is included for MXL 990)
Windscreen: $1.99 or Pop Filter $24.95
XLR Cable: $8.99
1/4" Cable: $3.99
1/4" to 1/8" Adapter $4.59

Cakewalk Sonor Home Studio 6 $99.99
Sound Forge Audio Studio (optional) $69.95
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Total with Cakewalk Sonor Home Studio 6 only, SM 57 mic, and other items listed above: an estimated $185.00
Total with Cakewalk Sonor Home Studio 6 only, MXL 990 mic, and other items listed above: an estimated $213.00

Expenses will vary, of course, based upon the quality of the equipment, software, and instruments you want. However, for those with very limited means, you can get started for around $200. So, now that you know what the costs involved are, how do you decide which equipment and software to buy? Musician's Friend and Zzounds both offer reviews (or at least user ratings) of the products they carry. Both sites also have toll-free numbers you can call if you need expert advice.

The opportunity to compose and record your own music is now within reach for anyone with a few dollars to spend and a desire to express themselves. Best of all, the music you record and create is digital audio. Using the programs recommended above you can then burn your compositions onto a CD or convert your music into Mp3 files for use in an Mp3 player. You can the distribute your music among friends, club and bar owners, DJs, and talent scouts. What you can accomplish using the equipment and programs above is limited only by your creativity.

** This guide was written with primarily PC users in mind. The vast majority of home computer users around the world use PCs with a Windows OS. Our expertise is also PC-oriented. This said, the overwhelming majority of professional recording studios, mastering houses, and engineers use Apple computers with the MACINTOSH OS. The basic principles of home recording listed in this guide remain true for MAC users as well as PC users.

MIDI - The abbreviation for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, meaning in plain English, a system for transmitting data (not audio!) from one electronic instrument or machine to another. MIDI is musical data generated by an electronic device that tells another electronic device which notes to play in which sequence, it is not notes actually generated by the machine sending the data.

Outboard Gear - Refers to signal processors, keyboards, or any other electronic components which are not internal to your computer and/or part of your recording software.