New website suggestions

Hi everyone,
It's been a very busy few weeks with not a huge amount of time to post on this blog.
Joined Twitter which is a great tool to help get the word out - for your music or otherwise.
What I'm currently working on is my new website www.CreateAndRecordMusic.com adding videos, articles etc to make it a helpful resource for beginning musicians.
Can you help me?
I'm sending out a request to readers everywhere to do a couple of things:
1) visit my site and give me feedback (via the contact form there) on how the site has been helpful and what I can add to it to help visitors like you in their musical journey.
2) Spread the word: there is now a bookmarking and sharing button on the first page where you can Digg, Twitter, blog etc my site. This would be most helpful.
Have a great day.
Mark.

New recording music website for beginners up and running.

After fighting the flu for a few days, learning new software and general flat out work it is finally up - the revamped site for www.CreateAndRecordMusic.com. More work to do in the future with adding articles and other goodies but the basics are there and it is a major improvement from the last site.
Next step is something really special which I'm currently building at present and will compliment what we have.
I'll make another post as I get closer to launch.
Have a great week.
Mark.

New website - how to create and record music at home.

Just launched my new website.
www.createandrecordmusic.com
This is the resource site for anyone wanting to create, record and promote their music. From experienced musicians to absolute beginners there are articles, tips and links to help you get started in your musical journey. Always wanted to play the piano, guitar, bass, violin (or some other musical instrument) but did not know where to start? Dreamed of putting together your own songs and recording them on CD to give to family and friends -or maybe something bigger? - Perhaps your own personal recording studio and producing material that will get radio airplay or even a record deal? While I can�t promise the record deal or radio airplay (that�s up to you) this site will help you get kick-started in the first steps (or leaps) into the amazing world of music creation, home recording and promoting your music.

Building your own computer - based home recording studio (part 1).

Lately I have been getting a number of requests from people wanting to do their own home recording.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to venture into the recording side of things and explain in a non technical way how to create your own studio.

With the arrival of the digital age, and the personal computer, home recording has stepped out of the noisy scratchy tape and LP zone and has also become more affordable and easier to do than ever before.
You can now record, mix and edit an entire album without stepping into a commercial studio.
You can even do your own artwork and burn your masterpiece to CD and get professional results provided you take the time to learn some basic skills.

The heart of your studio - your computer.

Ok, so what gear do you actually need to launch your recording career?
Obviously at the heart of your system you are going to need a computer with a reasonable amount of processing power and ram.
This will determine how many tracks you can record and play back on each song you create (ie each instrument, bass, guitar, vocals, drums etc will occupy a track and layer together to form your complete song).Plus on top of this you'll probably be adding some effects.
All this will require your computer to to do multiple calculations in order to add and read information you are laying down on your hard drive.

Most computers available nowadays are able to cope with this although I would recommend getting more than the usual 256 megabytes of ram - 512 or more.
You also have 2 types of computer "platforms" or operating systems to choose from.
Windows or Macintosh(Apple)
I personally have used both for recording although my Old G4 Mac has proven itself to be far more reliable than any Windows machine I have used (yes I do own a Windows machine)so I'll blatantly blurt out get a Mac.
Most music / video/ graphic design people prefer Macs and I tend to agree based on several years of experience.

In my next post I'll talk about recording software and the related input devices you need (and what they do).