The next step
T
he path from piano zero to piano hero
can be fraught with obstacles, but thanks
to the PC and the right piece of software
it can be a far smoother transition than
expected. There is no need for the expensive
studios or expert producers that come with a
recording contract. All that is needed to record
multilayered music tracks is a computer, a piano or
keyboard and recording software such as Audacity.
There are a host of software recording packages
on the market, ranging from beginner to pro,
costing nothing to thousands of pounds. A greatoption for beginners is Audacity, a powerful, free
and open-source audio editor and recorder. The
fact that Audacity is free makes it a great starting
point for anyone who wants to start recording
piano tracks and more. The program can be used to
record live audio; convert tapes and vinyl into digital
recordings; edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF audio
files; and mix sounds/tracks together.
Recording can be as simple as plugging in a
microphone into a sound card and hitting the
Record button. Alternatively, an instrument – like a
digital piano – can be plugged directly into a soundcard and recorded direct to the hard drive. Any
recorded audio can be edited and tweaked until the
desired result is achieved.
Audacity is an ideal package for those just starting
out, but if you’re looking to spend some money
then there are more sophisticated, professional
PC-compatible audio editors on the market. A
leading industry-standard tool is Cubase (www.
steinberg.net) which incorporates enough tools for
professional-standard recording. Other contenders
include Cakewalk Sonar (www.cakewalk.com) and
Avid Pro Tools (www.avid.com).Record on a PC
Getting a piano from analogue to digital involves the combination of a computer
and the right software. Audacity is a great free option to start recording withUsing Audacity The main tools and features
“A great option for beginners is Audacity, a powerful, free and
open-source audio editor and recorder”
“Recording can be as simple as
plugging in a microphone into
a sound card and hitting the
Record button”
Edit
The Edit toolbar offers access to all the typical
components found in a set of edit tools. Cut,
copy and paste are three key components
which can be used to help build tracks. The
zoom in/out tool allows for a closer look at
an audio track or to show up to 200 hours of
audio on a single screenAudio tracks
As soon as the Record
button is pressed, a
track will appear with a
waveform of the currently
recording audio. Users
can play back the current
track(s). A new track can be
added via the Tracks menu
followed by Add New. Click
the up arrow on the left of
a track to collapse it and
allow for the viewing of
multiple tracksTake co ntro l
The Transport toolbar is used
for controlling playback and
recording. There is the standard
selection with Play, Pause, Stop,
Skip and Record buttons. To loop
a track, hold down the Shift key
when pressing the Play button.
Pressing Record always creates a
new track. To record on the same
track, hold down Shift when
pressing the Record buttonTop tip
Hide unwanted
toolbars
By default Audacity displays
all available toolbars. To hide
the toolbars you don’t want,
go to View>Toolbars and click
to hide. Repeat to show a
toolbar again or select
Reset Toolbars to
show all.