The music we listen to on the radio and television is most often distributed by major record labels. The tracks are produced in million-dollar studios with devices the common man could only dream of. What many don’t know is that with just a standard PC and a little bit of experimental wits you can edit and record your own music.

Amateurs have for a long time been composing and recording music in the comfort of their homes but as home computers are becoming more common the process is more easily available than it has been. When older generations had to struggle with cassettes and cumbersome machines, the kids of today can fill a hard drive with thousands of mp3: s in no time. There are countless computer programs for the music interested PC user, some are extremely powerful. Depending on what type of music gets you going there is software that will fit your preferences. The major part of these programs are made to handle both recorded audio and pure digital music, so called MIDI signals. Below I have listed the names and webadresses to some of the most popular utilities in this category:

* Cubase, this program is perfect for anyone wanting to record them playing their guitar. (www.cubase.com)
* Reason, this is actually developed by Swedes. An extremely useful and complex utility. The down part is the hard learning curve. (www.fruityloops.com)
* Fruityloops, this program is easier to control than the others and is ideal for those interested in dance-music and hiphop. (www.fruityloops.com)

The only problem with this type of software is the high cost of purchasing it. However, there is a solution! The companies behind these programs often release so called demo versions which are made available for free on the Internet. A demo version is a down scale release of the original program which is perfectly suitable for a beginner with no previous experience of producing digital music. I will not lie to you. It will require a considerable amount of time and patience before you get “the hang” of how to use these tools. Also, you will be rather limited with only the computer and no other instruments. As you might imagine there is little possibility of producing any hard rock songs or jazz music only using your old Compaq. Expressing your creative side in front of a computer screen might seem a bit odd. But hey, a little experimentation never hurt anyone. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find your long-hidden talent. I thought I would finish this article by writing a small bit about a young man who has spellbounded not only me but music journalists all over the world. “Khonnor”, or Connor Kirby-Long as his real name is, released his first record, “Handwriting” at the young age of 17. With only his guitar, an out-of-date computer and a microphone from a 'Learn Japanese' boxset he has created something warm and beautiful. And apart for his obvious talent, one might say the will to experiment made him the recognized musician he is today. So, the fact that you own only an old desktop computer is no longer an excuse if you have musical ambitions. If you don’t agree with me I’ll just hand you my copy of “Handwriting”.

© 1997-2004 Freeway
Writers: Viktor Ahlenius (c.viktor@gmail.com).
HTML by: Joakim Strom Ramén (te05-02@park.se).