"Put together a home recording studio? How can I afford that?"
Well, even when times are hard, you can record yourself for very little money. I'll describe a few home-studio setups at various price points. You may be surprised how little it costs to get started recording.
In Part 1 of this series, we described how to find recording instruction and how to create a makeshift studio. We also looked at a portable stereo recorder system (about $370). This is the easiest way to record. It's also the cheapest way if you don't have a computer. There's no overdubbing or mixing with this method -- what you record is what you get!
In Part 2 we examined a free recording-software system (about $300). This is the cheapest way to record if you already have a computer. You'll need to spend some time learning how to use some recording software. You can get a more "commercial" sound with this multitrack method than you can with a stereo recorder. For example, you can mike closer for a tight sound, add EQ and effects, and perfect the mix after the recording is done.
We also looked at basic recording techniques for those systems.
Let's move on.
