Making Music on a Computer: The Basic Setup

Record a little rhythm guitar, vocals and a few piano chords, then back everything up with a drum beat and some other instruments on your computer – that’s all you want to do. While you don’t have to be a producer or recording engineer to do any of it, it can take a little time to figure out exactly what you need to make a bit of music on your computer.

Above, you can see a complete setup. If you think you’ll need all of it, read on.

#1. The Basics: A Computer + Recording Software

Making Music on a Computer: The Basic Setup

Luckily, you already have the most important instrument: your computer. All you need is to install some recording software so you can bring all of the sounds together. A DAW (short for Digital Audio Workstation) is the kind of software you’re after and, in a DAW, you can layer all of your different instruments as tracks, one on top of the other to make a mixed piece of music. These instruments might be recordings or virtual instruments (so the software-based instruments on your computer) or a combination of the two. Once you’ve got your tracks in your DAW, you can also add effects and then save the result as an mp3 or similar audio file so you can share it with the world.

Your Computer

Forget about mixing desks and multitrack recorders, if your computer was built within (let’s say) the last ten years, then you’ll definitely be able to make some music with it. Any computer is extremely versatile and can be as comfortable to work with as you want it to be. So, why bother staring at the tiny screen of some external music-making hardware, digging through overcomplicated and hidden menus, when you can just use the wider screen and familiar keyboard and mouse that you’ve been using for years already?

DAW Software: You Can Get it for Free, Right?

You can get free recording software, yes. But you can also invest in a cheap entry-level DAW that’s still pretty complete or buy a piece of equipment that comes including a free DAW for around a hundred quid. This could be an audio interface or a MIDI keyboard (more about those later). Compared to the bigger versions, these starter-DAWs won’t be able to do absolutely everything, but you can still do a whole lot of fun stuff with them. Well-known all-round DAWs (that aren’t specifically designed for making things like dance music) include Presonus Studio One, Steinberg Cubase and Bitwig Studio.

» Use our DAW Software Gear Finder
» Or see our full range of DAW Software

#2. Recording Your Voice or an Instrument

Pick out what best matches what you want to record from the list below, and we’ll give you a round up of what you’ll need to get it done.

» Line-sources like a digital piano or keyboard
» Stringed instruments with a pickup
» Acoustic instruments or vocals

I’m Only Recording a Line-Source, Like a Digital Piano or Keyboard

Making Music on a Computer: The Basic Setup

If the instrument you want to record has a ‘line’ output or a headphone output, whether it’s a digital piano, keyboard or synthesizer, then the other stuff you’ll need will depend on the kind of computer you have. Any good old desktop computer will usually have a normal stereo ‘line’ input around the back. In which case, it’s as simple as getting the right audio cable to connect your instrument to your computer. However, if you want to upgrade the sound quality of your recordings, then you might prefer to use an audio interface.

If you have a laptop, then it’s highly likely that you will need to get an audio interface. A lot of current laptops only have a microphone input – if they have one at all.

Cables for connecting to a computer with a stereo line input:

» I have a piano/keyboard with… 2 line outputs
» I have a piano/keyboard with… a big headphone output
» I have a piano/keyboard with… a small headphone output

Audio interface + cable(s):

» You’ll find some compatible audio interfaces here
» Then you’ll need 2 cables to connect a piano/keyboard with… 2 line outputs
» Or a single cable for a piano/keyboard with… a big headphone output
» Or a cable for a piano/keyboard with… a small headphone output

I Just Want to Record a Stringed Instrument with a Pickup

Making Music on a Computer: The Basic Setup

If you have a stringed instrument with a pickup, like an electric guitar or an electro-acoustic guitar, then it’ll have a handy jack output fitted already. But plugging it directly into your computer won’t work. So you will need to invest in an audio interface with a Hi-Z input, which is basically an input designed specifically for electric guitars and basses and so on. There are also audio interfaces that have been designed just for guitars and often come with some guitar-focussed software included, so you can add some effects to the sound like distortion and delay.

» I’ll try a guitar interface

» Just a normal audio interface with a guitar input is fine

I Just Want to Record an Acoustic Instrument or Vocals

Making Music on a Computer: The Basic Setup

If you want to record an acoustic instrument (which could be an acoustic guitar, a clarinet, your own voice… etc), then you’ll need a microphone and you’ll probably need a microphone stand as well. When it comes to the microphone, you have two options. You could go for a USB microphone that can be plugged directly into your computer so you don’t need an audio interface (the interface is already built into the USB microphone). Or a normal microphone with a professional XLR connection, but in that case, you will need an audio interface so you can actually connect it to your computer.

» Need help? Try our Studio Microphone Gear Finder
» See our full range of Studio Microphones
» Going for an XLR microphone? Here are some compatible audio interfaces.

I Need to Record All of the Above

Do you think you’ll need an audio interface that can record, say, a digital piano, an electric guitar and some acoustic instruments?

These audio interfaces will have all of the connection ports you’ll need.

#3. Fill Everything in With Virtual Instruments

Plugins are extra little bits of software that you can add to your DAW. Some plugins are designed to add effects to the sound and some operate as digital virtual instruments – so musical instruments that you can programme or play via your computer. Usually, you’ll get a few plugins included with your DAW but you can also buy plugins separately. You can even get entire packages of plugins, like the awesome Komplete, and you can also find some free plugins available to download online. Before you buy or download anything though, make sure you check that the format of the plugin is definitely compatible with your DAW (‘VST’ is a common example of a plugin format). When you want to use a plugin, simply open the DAW project you’re working on and add it to the track that you want to apply it to.

How Do You ‘Play’ a Virtual Instrument Plugin?

You could just write all of the music for a virtual instrument by inputting every note using your computer mouse and keyboard, but most people find it easier to use some kind of keyboard instrument with a MIDI output. This could be a keyboard, a digital piano, a synthesizer or a MIDI keyboard. These days, a lot of them will feature a normal USB output, so you can connect them up to your computer and send the notes you play to the DAW as MIDI notes. If your instrument has an old 5-pin MIDI output, then you can adapt it using a MIDI interface and a 5-pin MIDI cable, or pick up a simple (and often cheap) MIDI keyboard instead.

» Need help picking out a MIDI keyboard? Try our MIDI Keyboard Gear Finder
» Or see our full range of MIDI Keyboards