So your mom and dad bought you a guitar for your birthday, and your girlfriend thinks you'll be the next big thing. Well my friend, you have come to the right place. Home recording in recent years has become as popular as a Paris Hilton sex tape. With a home computer, a little know how and a lot of creative thinking, you and your buddies can cut a CD in no time. The purpose of this article is to break home recording down for those who don't want to know all the science behind recording, and just want something that sounds decent.... I said decent, not professional. So in this article I will give you a heads up on what you might need before I get into how to get a "decent" sound.

    Before I get into the technical aspect of recording lets first decide where to cut the tracks. In my experience I found that for vocal purposes a bathroom makes for great acoustics. The same can be said for any other acoustical instrument, not including the drums. But lets say your in a metal band who rocks out hard... A bathroom is no place for this. Another good location would be the largest available room in your house. General rule of thumb is the more room you have, will equal in a better sound.

    Once you figured out the where part, lets look into the how. I assume most of you want to record on your PC. In that case lets look into what software you will be required to use. This is much debated as it varies depending on each musicians needs. However if your reading this I doubt you'll need the latest version of Pro Tools, or Nuendo. Perhaps something a little more basic like Cakewalk's Sonar home studio, or even the free version of Pro Tools if your feeling cheap as can be.

    What's that you say? your a idiot and there would be no possible way you could configure this software? Don't fret my friend. There are many resources found on the Internet regarding this issue, and with a little research you'll be off to the races.

    Now lets skip to the "things I need" part. Here is a quick list of the basic recording gear you'll need to buy. This might set you back a few hundred bucks but don't worry, just look at is as an investment to rock star status.

Microphone - Most people over look this. I recommend you look up different types of microphones and the purpose they serve. I can't stress enough not to cheap out of this area. Remember this will capture your sound, so that vintage Les Paul hooked up to your tube amp won't mean jack if your using a $19.99 dynamic radio shack mic. Also if you have the budget try getting a pair of mics. Remember more mics equals more options in what you can achieve. Also you should get a few accessories such as XML cables, and a pop filter for vocals. A simple search on google for DIY pop filters will save you a few bucks. And don't forget some boom stands. No point in having 5 mics and only one microphone stand.

Sound card - This connects the recording equipment to your PC. You'll find various types such as PCI, USB and fire wire. Of all those choices I'd stick to fire wire of PCI for a faster transfer rate. Also make sure you get one with phantom power as some microphones will require this. Another thing to consider is how many channels you get. If you want to record you and your four piece band live, make sure you have enough channels to do so. 8 channels would be a minimum for recording a band on a budget. If it's just a solo project, you can probably get by with 2 to 4 channels. But I still caution that approach.

Mixer - Most software for recording comes with a digital mixer built in, but sometimes a physical mixer helps especially for mixing your tracks. For the sake of this article We will assume you don't have much money to spend and can do without this feature.

Monitors - These are speakers that come in two types. Active and passive. A good set is just as important as your microphones, and vital for mixing your project. Additionally pick yourself a pair of decent headphones.

Odd and Ends - Additionally you might want to consider picking up a few extra items such as a D.I box for recording directly into your sound card.. Usually for bass, and even sometimes guitar. If your a solo musician look into some MIDI features such as a drum machine, MIDI keyboard, and a MIDI interface.

Final Thought...
I recommend doing allot of research into this. Remember this is a investment of time and money. This article is intended to only get you started on the right track. In my next article I'd like to just focus on how to get that big sound with only the items found in your house. I'll share with you allot of tips that you might not find else where on the net, and same you the time from experimenting of trying to get a decent sound. I'll discuss how to record great vocals in your bathroom. How to get a fat bass sound with your DI box. And how to conquer acoustic drums with having them sound dull.