How to Select a Computer for Your Home Recording Studio

Selecting a computer for a home recording studio takes time, a chunk out of your check book and a lot of planning. The time and money you invest in planning your purchase pays off in the functional lifespan of your new system.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Determine Your Software

1. Evaluate your software options. Every software program has its own recommended operating system and hardware requirements. Use these requirements to guide your hardware choices.
2. Determine your budget. You can get free software programs, such as Audacity and Ardour, but they're designed for beginning users. If your budget allows, purchase commercial software capable of growing with your skill level.
3. Print a list of hardware requirements for your chosen software. Take this computer shopping with you.

Choose Your Hardware

4. Choose a dual core processor with a high speed front end and bus speed. Creating music is CPU intensive, so spend your money and purchase the fastest system you can.
5. Expand your RAM memory. Most off the shelf systems come with 1 or 2 GB of memory. Improve the functionality of your home recording studio by increasing this amount to at least 3GB if your processor supports it.
6. Purchase a PCI sound card with ADAT plugs supporting at least 24-bit 48kHz sound. Most off the shelf sound cards will meet these requirements. The Musicians Friend has an extensive selection of sound cards for home recording studio systems.
7. Select a high quality microphone with noise filtering capabilities. You want to record your music, not the cars driving by outside.
8. Put it all together. If you have additional hardware, such as sound boards and digital mixers, you can attach these to the USB and ADAT ports on your computer, and start recording your next great single. Your Home Studio is a great resource for suggestions on mixers and equalizers to enhance your system.

Tips & Warnings

• Free software, although great for learning, quite often won't grow with your abilities. Plan to acquire additional software at a later date if you start with a free program.
• Always purchase equipment that exceeds the recommended requirements for your software. This gives you some room for growth within your architecture as software advancements are made.
• If you're running windows Vista, 3GB of memory may be considered the minimum. Vista uses many more resources than other operating systems, and potentially negatively affects your functionality.