The Perfect Home Recording Studio

Home computer music recording has become extremely popular, both as a hobby and as a legitimate means of live recording and mixing. For the serious musician or recording technician, the computer/software combination offers ease of use and lower cost, and it requires less space than traditional methods of recording.

Recording can be accomplished by using a "mixing board" to pre-mix multiple signals with their corresponding analog effects (if desired) before sending them to the computer, or each "plain" signal can be recorded independently to its own track through a computer audio interface, software effects applied, and the individual tracks then mixed together.

Using a mixer and analog effects, one could conceivably record without the benefit of multiple tracks, resulting in the need for less expensive, more simplistic software. For much greater control and a more polished sound, a quality multitrack software with effects is preferred.

Although more difficult to learn and use, multitrack software provides many more options for the user. The cost for quality multitrack recording software can range from $40 to several hundred dollars. Don't let the low prices fool you though, many a great recording has been made with shareware recording software.

If you aren't experienced in multitrack recording, purchasing at the low end of the spectrum makes sense. It's best to choose a product that will accept plug-ins, though. Plug-ins are small pieces of software that provide various functions (typically effects) that can be installed into the multitrack software, providing greater flexibility to the sound engineer. Several companies produce audio software plug-ins of the vst or directx variety that will work with even low cost software. A number of the plug-ins are actually offered free of charge.

For the more serious enthusiast, the computer (pc) should contain at least a Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 processor, 200gb, 7200 rpm IDE or Serial ATA hard drive, 1 gigabyte of dram, a good video card, and a high quality sound card. Any on-board video should be disabled in the cmos setup and a quality graphics card with at least 64mb ram installed.

A flat panel monitor with a 19" screen is preferred over a crt. With the large viewing area, the video resolution can be set at 1280 x 1024, enabling more of the audio recording software to be viewed on the screen at one time.

On-board audio (if available) should also be disabled and a high quality sound card installed into the computer. Also, invest in a pair of quality, amplified, near-field monitors. These speakers are designed specifically for music recording. Remember, if you're serious about your recordings, you'll want the music to be reproduced as realistically as possible.

A computer audio interface of some sort is a real necessity. It should have 1/4" inputs for instruments such as electric guitars or keyboards, as well as XLR inputs for microphones. 48v phantom power should be avaiable for condensor mics, as well. A mixer could even be plugged into the audio interface if more flexibility is needed.

More and more, musicians are realizing the high quality and low cost of producing their own recordings, while those interested in the technical side of recording can see the benefits of digital recording, mixing and mastering services.

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Tips to Buying Exclusive Beats for Sale Online

Exclusive beats for sale is a great way to get the tune you need for your commercial or rap song, it's an opportunity to make your music without the instrumentation side, produced by professionals and offering you a chance to complete your song or tune with ease.

Many people choose to buy their sounds online, it's fast, convenient and affordable. Of course buying online comes with its own obstacles, which is why there are certain factors you must take into consideration before you look at exclusive beats on sale online.

One of the most important factors you need to take into consideration is the licenses available. If you're composing your own rap or hip hop song and you need a professional beat, you don't want anyone else using that beat to produce their song, therefore you have to make sure the licenses available will give you full rights to the sounds, eliminating anyone else from using it.

Many of the companies that sell exclusive beats online will enable you to choose from a choice of licenses available. These can include leasing rights, exclusive rights and premium rights. Ensure you read the information carefully to make sure that when you make your buy, no one else will be able to purchase the same tune, giving you full access to the sounds you use in your next song.

Price will be a big deciding factor. You have probably already got some idea on the sound you are looking to do. Your rap or hip hop song has already been written and now it's finding the perfect beat to complete the picture. This is why price can't play the main role in your decision.

It is advisable to go through a few companies selling exclusive beats for sale and determining their prices, this will give you an indication on the average price you can expect to pay. Once you find the perfect beat, your next big step is ensuring that the company you are purchasing from is a trusted company with a good online reputation.

Only use trusted websites when making your purchase. This is difficult to decide, especially as there are new companies around that are building up a solid reputation, but don't have years of customer reviews. Look for secure payment methods, such as PayPal, such as. This can help you protect yourself and make sure that the company you buy your exclusive beats from offers you a secure shopping experience.

Next you need to ensure that the company you buy from is reputable and reliable. The best way to make this is to search for the company name online and go through the results. You are looking for customer reviews on online forums and independent review sites. Don't rely on any customer reviews you find on the suppliers website, rather do your own homework.

If you can't find information on the company, start your own forum thread and see what responses you get. This can help you make sure that you are making the best decisions and getting the exclusive beats you need from a reputable source.

Finally, the last step in your search for the perfect sound is to pick up the phone and call the company or send them an email and see how long they take to respond. Getting in touch directly ensures that you are dealing with a legitimate company and when speaking to a live person on the other end of the line it can put your mind at ease and leave you feeling good about your purchase.

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