When selecting a computer for your recording needs, there are many questions you will need to ask yourself. You will first need to decide what you want to accomplish with your recording capabilities. If you just want something to scratch out some song ideas, you can probably use your personal computer with a simple interface such as the "Stealth Plug" from IK Multimedia, or any of several other inexpensive options on the market. If however you are looking to do multi-track recording with mixing and mastering options as well as the multitude of plug-in effects available, you are going to want to invest in a dedicated recording computer. For this, I suggest that you do some research far beyond the scope of this blog. These computers are usually not an off the shelf desktop or laptop model. One important word of advice: Do not consult a salesman at your local "Best Buy" or other retail computer store. If you do, you will likely not get a computer that will work for your needs. The sales staff at these stores are well versed in computers, however most are not likely to be up to speed on the unique needs for a studio computer.

There is a lot of controversy on whether to go Mac or PC for a dedicated recording computer. In truth, both have pros and both have cons. For instance, if your power supply goes bad in the middle of an evening recording session, you can run to any computer store and get a new one for a PC, but may have a much harder time finding one for a Mac in a short amount of time. Even so, Mac has been the choice of professionals for many years due to the incredible stability and functionality for recording. In recent years however, PC's have really come of age in this industry, and there are many options available. Probably one of the most well liked and used recording PC's is the "Creation Station" computers from Sweetwater (www.sweetwater.com). These computers are designed specifically for recording and have been optimized by people who actually know what is required for this purpose. While they probably won't win over the hard core Mac users, they really are impressive computers and a great value for the money when compared to other recording computers on the market.

Another issue you will face is portability. If you are going to be traveling or taking the computer to gigs, a laptop is going to be your best bet. For this I would suggest a MacBook Pro. These are powerful units with a lot of power and versatility. You will want to consider a 17" display since the recording programs will be able to show a bigger picture of what is going on in the recording environment. You will also likely have a lot of windows open with plug-ins and other related programs, and the larger screen will be extremely helpful. For PC, the Creation Stations do come in rack mount versions, but you will need to carry a separate display with you.

When it comes to what is inside a recording computer, bigger, and faster are paramount. Recording programs and plug-ins can take up massive amounts of processing power, while audio tracks can eat up a lot of hard drive space. For this reason I would recommend a minimum of 2 gigabytes of RAM, and at least a 500 gigabyte hard drive. Keep in mind that these would be my minimum requirements. More is better, but also comes at a higher price. There are several outboard plug-in processors available that will relive the stress on your processor, but many of these units cost almost as much as you will pay for the computer itself.

Depending on where you will have your computer located in your studio, noise could be an issue. If it will be in a control room separate from where recording is taking place, this is not quite as big of a deal. If it however will be located in the same room where the recording is taking place, it can be a huge problem. Most condenser microphones are sensitive enough to pick up noise from the cooling fan, and hard drive, and will show up as audio contamination on your tracks. Many dedicated recording computers are designed to be extremely quiet for these situations, but you will want to listen closely to the computer while in operation before you make your purchase decision.

One last thing I want to touch on is internet connection. In a perfect world, your dedicated recording computer would not even come close to an internet connection. It is far too easy these days to get a virus that can wipe out your irreplaceable recordings, or wreck havoc on your programs. While anti-virus software can help reduce this risk, it does have two downsides. First off, it can cause malfunctions in recording software, and secondly, it is just not 100% guaranteed to stop every threat. Unfortunately, being hooked to the internet is almost a must these days because of registering software, and downloading updates to programs and plug-ins. For this reason, I recommend that you use this computers internet connection only for these tasks, and kill the connection when not in use. Use anti-virus software, but also turn it off when not connected to the internet. This is not a cure all, but it will definitely help. You will also want to consider purchasing a separate hard drive for backing up your track data, and other important information. You can never be too safe in this area.

In closing, I would like to point out that I have approached this entire subject with a great amount of generalization. There is no setup that will work for everyone, but there is a setup that will work for each individual and budget. There is much more detailed and in depth articles on the internet to help you make your decision. This is just a staring point to get you to think about where you are going, and what you will want to look at in your journey to a computer purchase decision. I wish you all the best of luck.

Gary Allen