Radstorm's Building A Simple, And Affordable PC Recording Studio
Step By Step
By Composer World's Webmaster
OK, first off don't blame me if you dont read this word for word, don't try to understand it, or don't follow it step by step, and then you end up frying your sound card. If you're not sure, just write me, and maybe I can help. I wrote this to help people who have always wanted to make music affordably. These are the same guidlines I used in making my own first PC sound recording studio years ago.


I will NOT take any responsibilty for you screwing up something. Use this at your own risk. This doesn't mean you will end up with a studio like Sun, just a desktop one. But hey, ya never know how big it could get :)

List Of Stuff You Will Need:

Lesson 1: A Sound Card
There are different ways sound cards are installed in your computer

* The first one is PCI. This means it is plugged in to a slot on your motherboard.
* Another is the internal sound device. This means it is actually built in to your motherboard from the factory (my motherboard has this feature, most newer motherboards have this feature).
* Finally there is external. This is a fairly new idea, it is actually a separate control unit cabled from the pc. From what I have seen, it looks promising. You can check it out more at Creative Labs also I recommend visitng TechTutorials for more info on sound cards, and other informative stuff...
Sound Card Structure:

Let's look at the basic setup on almost any sound card ever made. Some have more ports than this, but for now we will just stick with what we need. Virtually every sound card has 4 basic ports, and some even integrate a mini amplifier.



These ports are usually from left to right:

Blue = Line Input. This is where you would plug in an amplifier sound source.
Pink = Microphone Input. This is where you would never,,ever,,plug in an amplifier sound source.
Green = Audio / Line Output. This connects to speakers, or an external amplifier.
Finally, the elongated one is The Joystick / MIDI Port

Caution: Never go by color codes because some manufacturers dont use them. Read the instruction with the card, or get a magnifying glass, and take a closer look before you plug anything in. This might save you from a toasted sound card, motherboard, or even more serious problems.
This is what you will probably see, or the actual words.


One final note: If you dont have at least this many ports on your sound card..I think its time to upgrade a bit, don't you :) Sound cards can be bought for as little as 5 bucks these days. End Lesson 1.
Next Lesson: Cables, Patch Cords & Adapters.

EXIT  ////  Lesson 2