Paul Chang tells us what it takes to become a home-recording artist.

In today’s Youtube and Myspace age, anyone, anywhere can record their own music and publish it online. Just grab a guitar and croon into your computer, right? Well, doing live recordings with the tiny built-in microphone in your laptop is all good, but what if you want to move into the bigger leagues? Here’s a basic guide to the necessary gear.

A Decent Computer
You need a solid base to work from. Whether Mac or PC, it shouldn’t be more than three or four years old with at least one gig of RAM, preferably two or more. A tip: Don’t run multiple applications while recording as they’ll compete for processing power.

Basic Software
There is a huge range of software out there. Any Mac owner interested in recording has probably messed around with GarageBand and it’s perfectly adequate—plus, you already own it. For PC users, Acoustica’s Mixcraft 4 (www.acoustica.com) is a great inexpensive option at $540.

Mic it Up
If you’re planning to record vocals or an acoustic guitar, a good microphone is essential. There are two main types relevant to the average musician: dynamic and condenser. A dynamic microphone is what your uncle was clutching while belting out Dancing Queen at the last family karaoke sesh. These are great for live performances because they tend to pick up sound directly in front of them and reject everything else. But this also means microphone placement while recording can be a frustrating affair. That said, Shure’s industry standards SM57 ($700) and SM58 ($880) are both dynamic mics. Condenser mics are far more sensitive and liable to capture all the nuances of a performance that might otherwise be lost by a dynamic mic. The reason they’re so sensitive is that they need a power source to run and that’s where your interface comes in (don’t worry, we’ll get to that). If you decide to use a condenser mic, make sure your interface provides “phantom power.”

Interfaces and Pre-amps
The soundcard is the part of your computer that gets sound in and out properly. Because it’s not designed for making serious recordings, you’ll want to upgrade it with an audio interface, which is basically an external soundcard that connects to your computer through a USB or firewire port. The interface has the added benefit of getting rid of an annoying thing called “latency,” which is the delay between playing something and hearing it through your headphones. Just remember to match the input jacks between your interface and mic. Then the last thing you need to get is a pre-amp. These little guys perform a simple function: they adjust the signal strength of your instrument or mic to an appropriate level for your computer so it doesn’t fry your speakers. Most interfaces also act as pre-amps, so you needn’t worry about this too much.

So that’s it, you’re pretty much good to go—plug your instrument into your interface, and your interface into your computer and you have a basic recording setup. If you’re a guitarist or bassist and want to record with effects like distortion or delay, run your instrument through an amp simulator like a Line 6 POD x3 ($3,300) before putting it through the interface.

Just remember to do your own research. Recording is a massive topic and we’ve only scratched the surface. Recommended reading includes “Guerilla Guide: Recording and Production” ($167 from www.guerrillaguide.com.au) and Recording Magazine ($160 for 12 issues from www.recordingmag.com). When you’re finally ready to buy, be sure to know what you’re looking for so you don’t get ripped off.

Get Your Gear Here
Ap Liu Street, Sham Shui Po
This is the go-to place for music and performance  gear. Try Acoustic Engineering (252 Ap Liu St., 2729-1022) for microphones.

Tom Lee Music
37 Carnarvon Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2723-2002;
1-9 Cameron Lane, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2723-9932

Basic Gear

Audio Interfaces
- Line 6 Toneport GX ($390)
- Line 6 UX1 ($780)
- Line 6 UX2 ($1,200)
- M-Audio Fast Track USB ($900)
- M-Audio Firewire Solo ($1,445)
- M-Audio Fast Track Pro ($2,200)
- Novation NIO 2/4 ($1,500)

Microphones
- Shure SM57 ($700), Industry standard dynamic mic for all types of instruments
- Shure SM58 ($870), Industry standard dynamic mic for vocals
- AKG Perception 120 ($1,200), Condenser mic for instruments and vocals
- AKG Perception 220 ($2,100), Condenser mic for instruments and vocals