It's possible to record high quality music at your home studio because of the amazing leaps in "prosumer" audio gear. A home recording studio that might have cost tens of thousands of dollars to build fifteen years ago can be put together for less than three thousand dollars these days.
Your first investment if you want to build a home studio should be a high quality computer with lots of hard drive space and RAM. Luckily quality computers are becoming less and less costly. I purchased a computer with 8GB of RAM for just over $800.
After you order your high quality computer (and it's certainly possible that the one you already own is plenty good enough to get started) you need some kind of DAW software (DAW is an acronym for "Digital Audio Workstation") that you will be doing all of your recording and mixing with. One obvious choice is ProTools but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for you, you may want to consider Logic Studio instead.
What's next on the priority list depends on what kind of music you want to make. If you want to make totally electronic music with no recording of vocals or real instruments then there's a good chance you will want to think about various software programs like Celemony Melodyne Editor with DNA but most folks (even those doing electronic music) will want to be able to record vocals and instruments and will need some sort of audio interface.
It should also be pointed that many audio interfaces actually come with a DAW so you may wan to buy your audio interface first.
To give a simple answer to the question "What is an audio interface?" I'll just say it's how your recorded sound (whether it be from a microphone or a direct input) gets into your computer.. Personally I use the EMU 1616 and I highly recommend it for people using a PC who do not need a lot of inputs. But there's really a huge selection of audio interfaces available, it's really too big of a topic to cover in detail. Pro Tools is the so called "industry standard" when it comes to interfaces but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for you.
For most people a microphone is another essential "must buy.". A good mic will allow you to record vocals and all sorts of acoustic instruments. It will clearly be a very important part of your home studio. The SM7 Dynamic Vocal Microphone is one affordable mic you may want to consider. Michael Jackson's vocals on Thriller were recorded with this dynamic mic.
Another really cool piece of gear that is definitely recommend is the Art MPA Gold Mic Preamp because it is a really great deal at consider it's low price online.
Used Bass Guitar
- Learn The Piano In 5 Steps (You may never be able to rival the best of the best as a pianist, but anybody with the real desire to learn the piano will be able to indulge their passion to some level that will satisfy them. All you need is an appropriate time commitment and the determination to keep at it. [...])
- Soothing Music With Healing Effect (As a Christian musician, I find it especially comforting and inspiring that the Bible talks about the power of music! So, even several millenia ago musicians had official leadership roles. Creativity was respected. In fact, musicians were important members of armies, preceding the warriors into battle playing their instruments. Of course, in the Psalms, multitudes [...])
- Was Taylor Swift Set Up? (Taylor Swift Backstage Reaction to Kanye West Interrupting Her Acceptance SpeechThe world was shocked last week at MTV’s Video Music Awards as Taylor Swift deservingly got the award for the best female video. However her night and many others watching was ruined when the rather stupid Kanye West ran onto the stage and stated Beyonces [...])
- The best guitar solos (Something that has been debated throughout rock history are the best solos, so get those air guitars out, turn the music up and lets hear some of those brilliant solos.. 5- Smells Like Teen Spirit This of course is arguably Nirvanas biggest selling hit and certainly the one everyone recognises when they hear [...])
- Become a Faster Guitar Player (I'm often asked what it takes to get quick on the guitar? While it's usually not what beginners like to hear my answer is the same every time, practice, practice practice. If you want to become a faster guitar you need to master two things: accuracy and then speed. Doing something well fast means being [...])
- Experience Relaxation ( Taking care of our jobs and families takes up most of our free time. This does not help our bodies, or our mind relax. Looking after ourselves is very important, and a few minutes of relaxation can really make the day go by easier. One of the most relaxing activities we can find [...])
- Healing Music in the Bible (My pastor preached an interesting message this past sunday. The theme was “Refilling our Faith,” and the thrust was one that we do not like to admit: our life with Jesus doesn’t always become ‘sweeter as the days go by’ as the old hymn says. In fact, at times, despite our best efforts to be [...])
- Be a Star By Singing Backup ( If singing behind the star is not enough for you, do not attempt to sing backup. You must be content to sing behind the star, not fight with them for prominence. If you can control your need to be the center of attention, you can learn backup singing. Backup singing is more difficult than you might imagine. [...])
