How to record music

Why might you need to record music, song, voice, sound in good quality at home?
The reasons can be fundamentally different, from a simple desire to perpetuate a memorable event or a child’s voice in sound to recording a decent quality demo video of a song.
Sound can be recorded simply on the voice recorder in the phone, but you will know what the recording will be.
Technology development is in full swing. And speaking of the availability of sound recordings, it should be noted that you and I are lucky in this regard in this century. In fact, the field for musical creativity at home over the past 10 years has expanded significantly. So much so that, having an ordinary average computer, a professional or semi-professional sound card, a decent microphone, monitors, a small mixer and headphones, programs and time, you can begin to master digital sound recording.

Also, a beginner sound engineer will not interfere with knowledge of the features of perception of sound waves of different frequencies, the basics of sound recording, mixing, processing of sound tracks and mastering.

Further details.

As mentioned above, to record sound directly to a computer, you need to install:
Sound card (board), for example, M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (not a high price category);
A computer program is a sound editor, for example, CoolEditPro or Cubase SX.
Next, we need a mixer that connects to the sound card with the appropriate cords. One cord to exit the mixer, it will be recorded sound.
The second input, through it from the computer to the mixer, and then the sound of previously recorded parts of instruments, such as rhythm guitars, will go into the headphones. Thus, hearing the rhythm, you can play and record a solo.
Microphones, electronic instruments and headphones can be connected to the mixer for control and possibilities, for example, recording a track with a vocal part. We put in the recorded music into the headphones, sing into the microphone.

A microphone for recording vocals needs to be purchased with a good, better condenser. A cheaper, but quite acceptable option is the Shure dynamic concert microphone.

Microphones Details: Condenser and Dynamic Mixer Consoles

Work with sound. Mixing, frequency and dynamic ranges, panning

For recording an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup, the most acceptable option is a guitar with a narrow deck without a hole.

Let’s move on to the software for sound recording and sound processing.
Like any other software, the possibilities and nuances of working with sound editors need to be carefully studied. Each program has its own characteristics.
For example, in Cubase SX you can use MIDI by connecting a sample library from Reason, and record drum parts, bass and other instruments.

Focusing on the resulting rhythm section track in CoolEditPro, record parts of a live acoustic guitar, harmonica, other instruments and voice.

Next, perform the amplitude-frequency processing of the tracks, apply various effects, reduce, pan, adjust the equalizer, normalize.

When choosing the parameters corresponding to the high quality of the recorded source tracks, the degree of quality loss during sound processing will be minimal.

For information tracks need monitors – special speakers with linear sound parameters, amplifier. This equipment is not cheap and for most ordinary mortals for use at home, real professional studio monitors are simply not affordable, their price is tens of thousands of cu The way out is to buy quite tolerable pseudo-studio monitors for about 700 bucks. Another compromise is the use of a music center as monitors with the ability to spread speakers to the sides or speakers of a home theater.

I will note several positive points, as a result of the experiments performed on sound recording.
By studying the literature on working with programs – music editors, you will gain knowledge on the basics and subtleties of sound recording. Having recorded a song and working with sound, you will get invaluable experience, an idea of ​​the pitfalls of digital sound recording and its great capabilities, and of course the satisfaction of your creative ambitions.