minstrel: recording on computer

[Corrie Bergeron]

David, 

Think MP3 for decent-quality web-based audio. There are any number of 
freeware and shareware programs that can convert to MP3 format.  I had a 
professional take an ancient master tape of mine, clean it up, and save it 
as .wav files.  I think I used Microsoft Sound Recorder to save them as 
MP3s.  (www.itasca.net/~corrie/mp3.htm)

Go to someplace like mp3.com and you'll find plenty of resources.

For recording, Cakewalk has a pretty good reputation.  It's aimed at the 
serious amateur.  If you're into house or techno groove loops, though, 
take a look at Acid. <G>  (Come to think of it, rap isn't all that 
different from Eddaic poetry - clever word-play, obscure 'insider-only' 
cultural references, violent subject matter...)

Hardware - gigahertz and gigabtyes, the more the merrier.  You may or may 
not want a sythesizer module on your sound card, but it DOES need to be 
full-duplex, so you can hear the playback of Track 1 while overdubbing 
Track 2.  

You might consider getting a Mac - they're still the choice of audio and 
video professionals.  If you're planning to do video, then a DVD burner 
would make sense.  Otherwise a CDRW drive should be fine.  Audio CDs are 
gonna be around a while yet.

Don't forget a good microphone, headphones, and a quiet recording 
environment.


Brendan O Corraidhe
Corrie Bergeron