Music

One of the first pieces of equipment you'll need to record music on your computer is an audio/digital (A/D) interface. The A/D Recording Interface converts audio (analog) signals from your microphone or other sound source into digital data that your computer can record and process. A first time recordist may find the array of available interfaces bewildering, so let's cut through the confusion. Just ask yourself a few simple questions and you'll quickly whittle down the options.

1) What kind of computer to you use: Mac or PC? Eliminate first those interfaces which cannot connect to your computer or are not supported by your software.

2) How many inputs will you be recording at once? I suggest you list them out. Also pay attention to what type of inputs you will need. For example, most microphones will use XLR inputs, many instruments like keyboards and guitars use ¼" inputs, and don't forget MIDI if you'll be using it.

3) Will you be mixing multiple inputs, or will you consider expanding? For example, will you be recording a full band? If so, it's worthwhile to at least consider a control surface or a mixer with built in interface.

4) What signal quality do you want or need? Even without understanding all the audio specifications, you can sort through a lot of them just by knowing that Audio CDs use 16-bit resolution and a sampling rate of 44.1 KHz. Higher resolution and sampling rates produce cleaner sound; that's good if you need it! On the other hand, higher resolution and sampling rates also produce way more data - which can quickly overwhelm your computer processor and takes up huge amounts of disk space. Your job is to strike a balance which meets your own needs.