Home Music Production

Introduction:
If you haven't got any audio gear at all then your home computer is an excellent piece of hardware that you can start using straight away for audio production. I hope it's not too old though, with today's demanding applications you'll need all the processing power you can get. Incidentally, I will be covering computer specifications in a later module.

Your Computer:
Although you don't need a computer to make music, you would be highly advised to consider it. You have already invested your money in a piece of hardware that can do great things with audio - so why not use it. Chances are that it already comes with a sound card that has a reasonable specification, and so you only need the right software to make some noise. Most sound cards unfortunately will not be up to the standard required for professional use, but will at least be good enough for amateur use.

Professional Audio Interfaces:
It is at this point that I would recommend that you invest in a professional audio interface as soon as you can. These are high specification, multi in/out audio devices that usually cater for most cable connection types. They come in many flavors which include PCI cards, external USB or Firewire units. The PCI card solutions can be installed easily into a spare PCI slot on your motherboard and very often come with a 5 1/4" breakout box that fits into a spare bay in your computer case. The external solutions either plug into spare USB or Firewire ports.

Final Thoughts:
On a final note, the single most important reason to use a computer is cost. Audio can be manipulated to the extreme given the right software, and to achieve the same result via specialized hardware devices would cost you a really offensive amount of money - so don't go there!

Introduction:
As briefly mentioned earlier, audio interfaces come in many flavors, complete with a confusing array of inputs. The first thing to think about is what type of equipment you want to interface with your computer and how many inputs you need. For instance, if you have a microphone and an external midi device such as a synthesizer then you are going to need an audio interface with at least 2 inputs. In contrast, recording a group of instruments in a band is obviously going to require a lot more. So, really think on this before you part with your money.

Inputs/Outputs:
The second factor to consider is what type of inputs and outputs (I/O) you need. There are many types of I/O, some are very exotic indeed. Ask yourself questions such as, do I need an interface that has digital I/O such as S/PDIF. This of course depends on what type of music gear you have; analog or digital. Connecting your gear up digitally is the ultimate as it has the added bonus of not picking up interference. Other common I/O types include XLR and 1/4" jack (balanced and unbalanced).

Recommendations:
If you want a basic PCI interface that gives good results, I can highly recommend the M-Audio Audiophile 2496. It gives you a professional 24-bit/96 kHz multi-track recording capability for use in a wide variety of situations.

If you require a good USB audio interface then the M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB is an excellent choice.

Lastly, looking at a firewire option, I would recommend the PreSonus Firebox 6x10 or if you need to supercharge your system then the MOTU 828 MK II gives you a whopping 20 inputs and 22 outputs.

You can see more audio interfaces and user reviews at

Introduction:
Although keyboards aren't essential tools for producing music, they make it far easier and faster to create sequences than inputting each individual note by hand. Depending on the audio software that you are using, it may even be possible to play music on your computer keyboard, but this again, is far from ideal.

Controller Keyboard Basics:
MIDI controller keyboards are the most popular type of keyboard that is in use in the home studio today. They are relatively cheap and interface well; they normally connect via USB, with some keyboards having provisions for Firewire connectivity.
Keyboard controllers for the home studio usually come in the following sizes:

• Super Compact - 25 keys
  
• Compact - 49 keys
  
• Medium - 61 keys
  
• Full range - 88 keys

Key-actions:
This refers to how the keys feel when you depress them. Semi-weighted keys have small weights attached to them and when combined with the spring in the mechanism, will create a semi-natural feel. It is far easier to play fast pieces of music with a semi-weighted keyboard. This design is normally present in more expensive keyboard controllers (and synthesizers), but is worthwhile having if you can afford it.

The other two forms of key-action are weighted and hammer Action. I won't go into detail here but although they are quite different mechanically they both serve to give a more natural feel when playing. A weighted key action gives a more mechanical feeling to playing, while hammer action tries to emulate the feeling of playing a grand piano.

Recommendations:
The M-Audio Oxygen 8 v2 25-Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller is a basic device that has eight knobs for you to assign parameters to in order to control the audio software you are using. Because of its compactness, it can fit practically anywhere and you can even take it with you wherever you go.