Category: Music

Problem description:

I want to start making my own music, not just karaoke. . . . A series of tasks include inputting music examples, arranging music, recording each part, mixing and post-processing, etc. I wanted to produce the songs I wrote myself. I have been in a band for 5 years, playing lead guitar, and I also know a lot about other instruments, so I have some relevant skills. What equipment is needed? software? Of course, the less capital investment, the better. I am in the entry-level stage and can gradually upgrade the hardware. I have a computer and the performance is strong enough. I just don’t know how to set up this studio. An additional 100 points will be added if the answer is accepted,,,

Analysis:

Hehe, a personal music studio is very desirable! I think many people will first ask: What do I need? And I want to ask everyone first, what do you want to do? If you only want to do MIDI, I suggest:

An ordinary computer (ordinary MMX is enough, using PII is probably too wasteful), 64M memory - in order to run Cakewalk 8.0, etc. more quickly The "big spenders" are ordinary hard drives, graphics cards (except for playing games) and sound cards. Um? Do you also use a normal sound card? right! Because when building a personal MIDI music studio, you basically use an external sound source, and the sound card only provides a Joystick interface. The best sequencer is to use Cakewalk. If you only do MIDI, the version actually doesn't matter, because starting from 3.0, Cakewalk has not made great improvements in MIDI production. The changes in the interface are just a new one. Then choose a sound source that suits your financial ability. If you want to make a big breakthrough in MIDI technology, use Yamaha! Due to the openness of the system code of Yamaha's XG format audio source, there are many articles that can be written on it. You should also equip it with a better monitor speaker, because being able to hear good effects is very beneficial to music production. That’s it! If you think your MIDI work will be recorded in a studio, it is recommended to buy a laptop, or a sequencer, or simply a synthesizer with a sequencer, because there may not be a computer and a sequencer in the recording studio. You wouldn’t carry your desktop computer into a shed with the software you need! As we explained before, music cannot be played with just one sound source, it must be supported by a sequencer. If you don't want to go into a recording studio, or just want to record what you produce yourself, then your personal studio will not only produce MIDI, but also produce and process digital audio. In this way we will need other equipment, and we will have a variety of choices, mainly to see if you are familiar with and willing to use software rather than hardware equipment. First of all, the preliminary work is the same, using Cakewalk and sound sources to create the MIDI part, and then recording and mixing. At this time, there are several options: use a hard disk recorder that combines a mixer and a recorder, such as Roland VSC880, or a CD recorder such as Yamaha MD8. We can separate tracks and record the signal into the hard disk recorder, and finally mix it on the hard disk recorder. . This method is relatively feasible, and the operation of the hard disk recorder is not too complicated, and it can also record vocals and other musical instruments. In addition, the hard disk recorder is not very large, so it is not too troublesome to take it to the recording studio for mixing.

However, some people are not interested in using hard drives, CD recorders and other equipment. Some people want to use computers and software to produce audio. This is also a wise choice for personal music studios, because it will save investment and achieve good results. But be careful, if you don’t know much about computers, it’s best not to choose this method or study hard for a while first, otherwise you are likely to be confused when faced with complex software and various settings. How to start. Generally speaking, you should first become a good DIYER before considering using a computer to produce audio. Using a computer for recording and mixing requires very high requirements for the machine. In order to run the software and work smoothly, you should choose the best configuration: PIII500 (preferably overclocked), 128M-256M memory, SCSI The hard disk is about 8.4GB. In addition, if you want to have really good effects, you cannot use an ordinary multimedia sound card, but use a professional computer recording card, such as WaveTerminal 2496, or Dsp Factory card, which combines the essence of the Yamaha 02R mixer. All cards. The best configuration software is cakewalk, Vegas (or Samplitude), Sound Fe and other series of plug-in devices, mainly effects, so that we can mix and mix through software on the computer.

If you are still not satisfied and want to record your own vocals and instruments, you will need a mixer and microphone. For personal studios using computer software, do you need digital mixing? The console is worth considering. It does not simply mean that digital mixers are better than analog mixers and we should use digital mixers. The key is to see how you use them.

For personal studios that use computers for recording and mixing, the most critical step is the process of recording analog signals into the computer, that is, the process of passing through the AD/DA converter of the recording card. Whether the quality of this process is high is the most important. When the analog signal is recorded into digital audio, it is edited inside the computer. The modification process is fully digital with no loss. Finally, it is output digitally to the disc recorder or DAT. The role of the mixer is only to synthesize the various signals for recording. card, after all, the plugs on the recording card are limited, so there is no digital signal to be processed inside the mixer. The analog-to-digital signal that originally needed to be converted by the digital mixer is replaced by a professional recording card, which originally required digital The effects provided by the mixer have been replaced by soft plug-in effects, so aren't digital mixers redundant? So I think friends who want to use computers to produce audio should think carefully. I would suggest that if you want to build a purely computer-based digital audio workstation, simply buy a separate AD/DA converter and spend your precious money on this most critical step. Of course, for those who don’t use computers to produce audio, a digital mixer may be “no choice”. And with microphones you really get what you pay for, and you have to master some basic knowledge about microphones to choose a microphone that best suits your recording style and recording environment. However, if you want to record vocals and musical instruments, you still have to turn your home into a recording studio. You have to understand some architectural acoustics and know how to arrange and design a recording studio. Otherwise, your initial incoming analog signal will be very noisy. Either way it will be very troublesome. How to make good use of microphones and microphone placement is also a big topic, so building your own digital audio studio is not a simple matter! Need to learn, learn and learn again.

Of course, in the end, you need a device to create a stereo finished product, usually a DAT or CD burner. DAT is more popular in the professional field, but you can burn CDs yourself with a disc burner, which can be used both for special use and civilian use.

The above has given you some suggestions for setting up a personal music studio, but don’t forget that no matter how superb the technology is, no matter how sophisticated the equipment is, they are all objective factors. We still have to make music in the end. Without a good It may still be difficult to produce excellent music without a musical foundation, delicate musical expression, and musical imagination.