The Mixing Board

     The Mixing Board also known as a Mixer has been used in every song you've ever heard on your I-pod or on the radio. Its purpose is to level out or enhance all of the different elements of the music to make it flow together. It would be obvious is a mixer was not used on a song because one instrument would always be overpowering the other and would just be a jumble of sound that nobody wants to hear. If you have ever seen a mixer it has hundreds of knobs depending on how big or how many instruments you are planning on recording. Each knob has different effects on the individual sound. A mixer has the ability to change the volume, tone, presence, and special effects on the individual track. A mixer can have from two to 200 or more channels so there is a lot of choices. I am planning on eventually buying a four or six channel mixer called the  Peavey PV6 usb mixer because I just need something small and portable. Plus, anything nicer than this could cost about $400 or more. This one costs $130 which is already a decent price.

The Interface

     Many whom have not recorded before, semi-professionally, many not know what a Digital Recording Audio Interface is. Well it's actually not that complex. The so called interface is used to convert sound, which is inputted to it my means of a microphone or guitar cable, into a "digital code" so it can be uploaded to your computer. The music has to be converted into a digital code because otherwise it won't be in a language in which a computer could understand and process. Usually an Interface will be relatively small like a metal box, not weighing more than 3lbs. The basic ones have controls like volume for each mic, volume for the playback, and an indicator to let you know if it's too loud or too quiet. I personally own the Tascam us-122 Interface which is a descent choice if you want to be basic. It cost me $99.99 which is about the cheapest that they go for. If you want a more upgraded one I suggest the Digidesign M box 2 which is $350 brand new but you can get them for about $200 on Ebay. The M box has high sound quality and many features but there is a downfall. The M box only works with the Pro Tools recording software which is no problem if you already have it but is a hassle for someone who doesn't since it's pretty pricey.