Setting up your own DIY recording equipment is easy.
Setting up your own DIY recording equipment is easy. All new computers have the capacity to perform numerous tasks simultaneously that would previously have necessitated a range of expensive audio recording equipment. The three essential items of equipment needed for a DIY set-up are a computer, music software package and a microphone. A mixer and MIDI interface will improve sound quality. If you are using an old computer make sure it has at least 250GB of memory space and 1GB of RAM.
Instructions
1. Clear any unnecessary files or programs from your computer. Recording music is memory intensive and you want to free-up as much additional space on your computer as possible.
2. Buy a music software package. Cakewalk sonar studio is a good choice for the PC, Apple Logic pro for the Mac, but there are many different packages available. Free, open-source music software, such as Audacity, can be downloaded from the Internet.
3. Purchase a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and a Mixer. These are not strictly necessary. They play the role of interpreters---the MIDI translating audio into computer language and the Mixer translating binary back to audio. A decent sound card, free with most new computers, performs the same function but you will not get the same sound quality on the final recording.
4. Buy a microphone---another optional purchase but one that is recommended. You could use the microphone that came free with your computer but the sound quality will be poor. Microphones are not expensive and are worth investing in.
