Three Items You Need To Start Home Recording

I get this question a lot and so I think it bears mentioning.

What do I need to start recording my own music? 

Although this answer will vary depending on the person you ask, here are three items that I think are very important when first getting into recording.

1) Recording Interface

When first starting out, it's crucial that you get some sort of recording interface. A recording interface is basically an external sound card with preamps that allows you to plug microphones and other instruments into your computer. You can usually get a USB or firewire version of one of these for around $150 and it will most likely come with some sort of free DAW. Which brings us to our next point...

2) Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

That's just a fancy of way of saying recording software. You will probably want to have some sort of program on your computer that allows you to mix and edit your tracks once you have them recorded. These softwares also allow you to bounce your songs to down to MP3 or WAV files, so you can get them on your iPod or upload them to the internet. If you don't know what software you want to use, try starting out with something free like Studio One. We'll assume for the sake of the post that you aren't planning on going purely analog or bypassing a computer altogether.

3) Microphone

You are going to need a decent microphone, and contrary to popular belief, you don't need to spend a ton of money. Depending on your interface, you'll either want to start out with a dynamic or condenser microphone. If you go with a condenser microphone, make sure the recording interface you have has phantom power. Condenser microphones have a hotter signal than dynamics, but also require extra power. I personally think condenser microphones are a great place to start. You can get the MXL 990/991 package for around $80 and that gets you two microphones off the bat. This will allow you to record things like acoustic and vocals at the same time. If you can't get a condenser, then start out with a Shure SM57 or 58. These mics are great once you learn how to use them and practice mic placement. They will run you around $100.

So there you have it. Three things to get you started with home recording. Total cost of getting these three things shouldn't run you more than $250 to $300 depending on your choice of interface and microphones. Once you have these three things, you'll be on your way to making great recordings and learning the ins and outs of mixing.

Have a Recording but Need Your Song Mixed?