Many musicians have started their careers by recording onto a PC. A PC is a very flexible recording studio, so it’s worth considering. In addition, it’s possible to record on a PC using a specific device.
What equipment do I need to record on a PC?
First of all, to make a quality record, you should get the right equipment. So you need:
- A microphone (you’ll need an XLR cable, too, unless it’s a USB mic)
- A decent pair of headphones to monitor while recording and mixing.
- An audio interface to connect your mic and headphones to the computer. It can be a small USB device or a large rack mount unit
- An audio recording program on your PC.
How to record?
First of all, get the sound right at the source. If the sound is very terrible, then there’s no amount of editing that will make your recording sound good. Next, make sure the room is quiet and acoustically treated so that your mic picks up no unwanted noise.
Record! If you have a lot of audio experience, chances are you already know how to set levels so that the sound is neither destroyed nor too quiet. If not, it’s okay. There are lots of resources online that help you to do it. Just get started and keep practicing until your recording sounds as good as you can make it.
Mixing and editing will be easier if the recording is done in one take. If there are bits that don’t sound great – fix them! You might want to leave out some parts or even re-record small sections.
Once everything is recorded, and you’re happy with the result, bounce (export) the track in your editing program of choice. It will create a single file that’s ready for uploading to Soundcloud or Mixcloud – where you can either share your recording publicly for anyone to hear or keep it private for your reference.
What influences the quality of sound when recording on PC?
When we record on a PC, the quality of sound and voice directly depends on the quality of the equipment. Therefore, a set of factors should be considered while recording: sound card (or external audio interface), microphone, and headphones or speakers. In addition, other devices that may affect the final result include an amplifier, reverb software plug-in, sound processing software, and even the room or space where recording takes place.
You can have a good sound source, but if your PC doesn’t have a good sound card, the quality won’t be as good as it should be. The better the sound card quality, the more expensive it is. In this case, you could go with a USB interface because all components there are already built-in in a tiny box.
What is the best recording software?
You can use any software compatible with your hardware, for example, Audacity, Adobe Audition, or any other similar tool. In addition, there are many free solutions on the internet that have all features and tools needed to create high-quality music.
