Recording Music On Your PC Part 1
Written by Dan Monk



Who This Article Is For
This article is a very basic "how-to" for songwriters and musicians who record their songs) on a traditional mix down deck (reel to reel, DAT, minidisk, cassette, Hi-FI VHS, etc.) and want to put them on their PC. So they can then either burn their songs to a CD or encode their music into the mp3 format for distribution on the web. It is not about multi tracking.

Due to the sheer number of software programs, computers and different types of mix down decks, I can't give detailed instructions on how to use each and every system. However, this article should at least help you get started. Also keep in mind that this article is aimed at PC users. I'm not trying to slight Mac users, but my expertise is with PCs.

Outside Looking In

Okay, let's get started. To get your songs recorded in good quality onto the PC, you will need 3 things:

1. A sound card
Your sound card needs to be able to record at 16 bit, and have a 44.1 kHz sample rate, to produce CD quality recordings. If your computer is less than 3 years old, then it probably already has that capability. If not, or if you want to upgrade your present soundcard, the Sound Blaster Live is a good consumer grade sound card. To install it in you pc follow the instructions included with the soundcard.

2. Recording software
The recording software also needs to be able to record at 16 bit 44.1 kHz, or CD quality. You may already have some recording software that came with your computer. If not Cool Edit 2000 is a good program and is very easy to learn and use. Another program I recommend is Goldwave, which is also "user friendly". There are many more, and I suggest you demo any software before you buy it.

3. Cables to tie everything together
Most of the time you will need RCA to 1/8" mini plug cables. Almost all standard recording machines have stereo RCA outputs, usually labeled "stereo out", while most consumer level soundcards have mini plugs. Your deck and/or soundcard may be different, so just be sure to get cables that will fit your sound source on one end and the soundcard on the other. Most electronic and computer supply stores will have the cables you need. They also usually sell adapters, which may work for you if you already have cables. Note: Do Not connect the speaker out connections from your amplifier to the soundcard. The signal from the amplifier is a very high amplitude and you will more than likely blow out your soundcard and possibly damage your computer.

Getting There From Here

Now that you have the cables, soundcard, software and song, it's time to get your music into the computer. First you have to get plugged in. Turn off your mix down deck and computer. NOTE: Anytime you plug things into your computer it's a good idea to have it turned off. Some manufacturers recommend you unplug the computer but I think that's overkill. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Step 1
Attach the RCA plugs to the stereo out plugs on your mix down deck. Shown below are the input and output jacks on a Yamaha MD4. On the far left are the stereo in jacks (more on those later), next are the stereo out plugs, then finally the monitor out. You will want to insert the RCA plugs into the stereo out. You can connect the monitor out to an external amplifier or sound system if you want to hear the sound coming from your mix down deck.

 

Note: you may not have a monitor out on your machine, that's not a problem. As long as you have stereo out jacks. They may be called stereo out or line out, either will work fine.

Step 2
Next put the mini plug in the line in plug on your soundcard. Depending upon your card you may have three or four jacks. Usually there are 2 input jacks; line in and mic, and either one or two output jacks, line out and/or an amplified line out. What we're looking for is the line in. Be sure to push the mini plug all the way in. To the right is a picture of the the back of a computer. Notice the yellow box at the bottom. A detail of that area is shown below. The back of a SoundBlaster soundcard is in the middle with the numbers written on it.



The numbers correspond to

•   1. Speaker out

•   2. Line out

•   3. Mic in

•   4. Line in

Note: Your soundcard may be set up differently, read the manual to be sure. On the SoundBlaster card the speaker out jack is amplified while the line out is not.

Continued in Part II

(c) 1999, Dan E. Monk, All rights reserved. Reprinted here by permission.

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