Information on audio interfaces, microphones, pop shields, computers, stands, etc.
The most common way to connect a musical keyboard (synth, digital piano, workstation, etc.) to a computer is to use MIDI, something that I do in my home studio all the time. But supposing your keyboard does not have MIDI capability, or you want to connect it to your computer in some other way. How…
The Focusrite Scarlett series of audio interfaces is one of the most popular on the market. But with six different models, how do you know which one to choose? To record one audio track at a time, or a microphone and an instrument together, the Focusrite Solo is ideal. For MIDI capability, the 4i4, 8i6,…
Maybe you have been recently thinking about starting to use your computer for some music-related activities. You’ve heard about these “audio interface” things that musicians use with their PCs. For what you are planning to do, how do you know if you will need an audio interface? An audio interface is required to record external…
So you have a vocal microphone. How do you hear it? Sure, you can record it by plugging it into your audio interface and computer. But suppose you just want to listen to it. You have a guitar amplifier that enables you to listen to your electric guitar amplified. Could you do the same with…
Bluetooth devices are everywhere these days. I connect my phone to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones pretty much every day. These wireless connections work great and the technology has been proven over a number of years. But what if you are a musician wanting to take advantage of this technology and want to connect your…
Many guitar players want to connect their guitar to their computer, for recording or just to play through using an amp sim (guitar amp simulator software). This is usually done via an audio interface. But it is possible to connect your guitar straight into your PC without using an audio interface? It is possible to…
Almost all home recording these days is done using a computer and an audio interface. If you have a laptop, this theoretically enables you to move your recording location to anywhere you like. Can you use your audio interface with your laptop, and what do you need to consider when buying an audio interface for…
An audio interface is a key part of almost all home music studios. It will usually be connected to a computer, some sort of audio output device like speakers or headphones, and maybe an input device such as a microphone or a guitar. With all this potentially expensive equipment connected, it’s vital that when disconnecting…
Many digital multi-effects units are available today. You plug your guitar into the unit’s input, and take the output into a guitar amplifier or PA system. These units are basically very specialized computers. This naturally leads to the question…could I use my laptop as a digital guitar effects processor? To run guitar effects on a…
Setting up your first home studio can be incredibly intimidating. With so much equipment available, it can seem an impossible task to determine what you actually need. The good news is that it’s not as complicated as it first appears, and the equipment you initially need for a beginner home studio is actually quite simple….
