So what do you need? Do you need a studio? Thousands of dollars worth cutting-edge recording equipment?
No.
You will need a few things though. We’ll even try to keep it under a thousand dollars. Let’s assume you already have a guitar or some other instrument – we’ll scratch that from the list. Perhaps you’re a singer and want to add your vocals to some pre-recorded tracks. Or maybe you want to record a spoken-word litany with sound effects? The possibilities and reasons for recording are endless. Let’s stick with music though.
The first item on the list? Something to record on, preferably nothing less than a four-track. As I stated earlier – you can do a whole lot more than one may think with one. Eight track recorders are cool but expensive. Start small and build your way up. The good folks at TASCAM can help you there.
Don't forget headphones. How else will you hear your new compositions? The bigger the better. Don't bother with those small stuff-em-in-your-ears type. You want to hear what's going on as if there is a small room in your head.
You’ll also need a microphone. You can’t just speak into the recorder. And a mike stand won’t hurt. They won’t cost that much as you will see.
We could conceivably stop there. What about effects though? The subtle addition of effects can turn an otherwise rough recording into a polished gem. You don’t even have to be subtle. Look at Rob Zombie’s vocal effects. Subtle isn’t in his vocabulary. The Alesis company makes some great multi-effects units.
The last essential bit of equipment you will need is a stereo receiver with an attached tape deck for mixing your music. Unless of course you are mixing down to your computer hard-drive, in which case you will need a computer. Which you already have or you’re not reading this. What does “mixing down” mean? We’ll get into that later. For now let’s just say that it’s where your years of listening to music pays off.
Go To Page: 1 2
