Creating a Music Studio at Home

Would you believe you can create professional quality music in the comfort of your own home with a $10 microphone and a computer? With the right software and some patience, it is entirely possible.

To get started, you will need the following:

A QUIET ROOM
Choose a room of your house that isn't close to the street or neighbors. Ideally, it would be mostly empty with high ceilings and hardwood floors, though that is not essential. Try to minimize items such as curtains, carpets, pillows, and other objects that may absorb and muffle sound.

A COMPUTER
Any computer with audio input and output jacks are fine. There are free programs for music editing for both Apple and Windows platforms. Ideally it will have at least 500 MB Ram and a Celeron processor or better.

SOFTWARE
If using a Mac, look for software called Garage Band. If using Windows, you will need a program called Audacity. Both programs are available free, no strings attached from C-Net's www.download.com.

A MICROPHONE
You do not need an expensive microphone to record music. A cheap basic one for less than $10 will suffice. If your computer has a built-in microphone, you can attempt to use it instead, but you may experience volume problems and amplified background noise.

HEADPHONES/SPEAKERS
You will need to be able to hear the music you create in order to edit it. While cheap headphones or speakers will achieve this, you may want to opt for slightly higher quality in order to have better accuracy in adding effects.

To begin, open either Audacity or Garage Band on your computer. These programs can seem very confusing to the beginner, but they are easy to learn with practice. Read the program's user guides and help files. Try recording something simple and applying different effects.

Once you are comfortable using the software, you are ready to record your music. You may wish to record each part of the song on separate tracks for easier editing later on, though it okay to record on one track in the beginning. You can then cut, repeat, edit, or add special effects to your music as desired. Add bass, reverb, or amplify until you are satisfied with the results.