Our last installment helped cover a number of PC-based software packages you can use to help craft and create your awesome new music (be it wizard rock OR muggle). However, once you finished reading that installment and checking out some of the linked programs, you may have been wondering “But Russ, how do we get our music INTO our computers???” Aha! Great question! And since you asked so nicely… this column will talk about how to get it there!
While up to now, we’ve been focusing in on PC-based software and setups, almost all of the recording equipment we’ll be covering here can be used on both a PC and a Mac, so all you Steve Jobs fans can rejoice and read along. There are a number of different options, so let’s take a look, beginning with using what everyone has installed stock on their computer.
LINE/MIC INPUTS – Every computer nowadays usually has 2 inputs – a mic level input, and a line input, usually located on the side of a laptop or around the back of a desktop right on the soundcard next to the “speaker out” jack. These inputs take 1/8″ plugs, which usually mean you’ll need an adapter if you have a microphone you want to plug in and use to record. A better option would be to use a small mixer of sorts, perhaps like this Behringer mixer, which will give you much more control over the volume level and tone control of the sound being recorded to your computer. You can plug in a microphone, keyboard, or even a guitar to a small mixer, set the volume levels and EQ, and then use a cable to go from either an output jack, or even the headphone jack on the mixer, and go into your soundcard. On the down side, many soundcards weren’t designed for heavy use when it comes to recording, and the quality/level you get can easily be surpassed with another option.
USB MICROPHONE – Over the past 2 years, microphones that can directly be plugged into your computer’s USB port have really gone down in price, and up in quality with the boom in home music recording (and podcasting as well). There are plenty of musicians who have successfully used a headset microphone designed for computer use to record music, and if it works for you, keep it up! If you don’t have a microphone and don’t plan on ever needing to record more than one music source at a time, a USB mic might be a *great* investment for you.
One of the big plusses to using a USB microphone is that you can get a condenser microphone which sounds great on a number of sources; a condenser mic traditionally needs to have an external power source to operate as it has a much better sensitivity level than hand-held microphones (also known as dynamic mics) and that power is supplied via your USB connection. Some popular USB microphones include the Blue Snowball, the Audio-Technica USB 2020, and the CAD U37. Many of these can be purchased at any local music store, online, and used via eBay.
USB or FIREWIRE INTERFACE – If you’re looking to record a whole band at once, or you perhaps want to use more than one microphone at a time when recording (drums, for example) then an interface that hooks up to your computer through the USB or Firewire ports is the perfect option for you. There’s a wide range of interfaces available, and can cost anywhere from $50 through $2,000-plus!!! An interface will give you multiple input plugs for your microphones, many allow you to use both powered and non-powered microphones at the same time, and a number also have MIDI connections built in if you use a MIDI-enabled keyboard. Popular interfaces include the Tascam US-122, the Presonus Firepod, the Lexicon Alpha, and the M-Box Mini.
Another great option for an interface is the Line 6 line of POD Studios; not only can you plug in a microphone to record vocals, piano, wind instruments, tambourine, etc they come with built-in software to record electric guitar and bass. A big bonus there is you can record a wall of distorted guitars at 10pm in complete silence, and without even owning an amp. Ahhhh technology. Just plug in a guitar, choose from a wide range of different virtual guitar amplifiers to pick the sound you like, and prepare to get rockin’ like Dokken.
Hopefully these options will give you a good idea as to what’s available to help you create and record your music. And honestly, if all you have at your disposal is the built-in microphone on your laptop, then by all means use it! Experiment with how it sounds with you standing close to it, far away from it, how your instruments sound recorded at different volume levels or even in different rooms in your house… the goal is to have fun and be creative with whatever’s at hand.
(NOTE – links to any online music gear merchants are provided for information purposes only; no endorsement of the stores is meant or implied)
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