How do I record my playin in a CD???

[vivacelife]

I want to audition for a music program but they require a CD pre-screening.
What is the best way to record my playing in a CD?
 

[Bartolomeo]

There are many methods.

Method 1.  Contact a lower-cost recording studio and pay them to do it for you.  If you can play well enough to do it in one or two takes, this is fairly inexpensive.  Studio time runs around $80 an hour where I live, for less elaborate studios oriented towards solo work and smaller productions.

This will yield better results and can cost less than any other method, provided that you don't waste studio time with excessive takes.

Method 2.  Get a CD recorder and a microphone.  You would want a CD recorder such as the Marantz CDR 300, that has a microphone input and is designed for portable use.

Method 3.  Make a recording on cassette tape, or on a portable device such as an iRiver H340, or on a hard disk recorder, or on DAT, and transfer the recording to a CD using a computer.

Method 4.  Connect a microphone to the line input of a good quality sound card in your computer, and use the computer to make the CD.

You're looking at about $1000 of equipment to do a good job unless you get someone else to do it for you.  I have an iRiver and a nice condenser microphone and can get reasonably good recordings that way.  That's a $500 setup and I use a computer to make CDs.  I need the iRiver and the computer for other stuff, otherwise I'd find a cheaper way.

[SteinwayTony]

Method 5.  Search the forum; this has been discussed before...

[lilpep4ever]

HEYY.....I THINK U SHOULD MAKE UR OWN IN UR COMPUTER. BUY PROGRAMS LIKE GARAGEBAND TO MIX YOUR OWN...

[Bartolomeo]

Acutally, I think it has been some time since this has come up and the technology is changing quickly.

I will offer the observation that music disk (MD) is very close to being a dead format, and that it would be unwise to sink money into an MD recorder now.  At the same time, there are now less expensive hard disk and flashdisk recorders that offer everything that MD did.

Also, piano sounds far better when recorded in stereo.  Professional studios use two or more microphones.  I have had excellent results with a Sony stereo microphone that I got at a pawn shop, that is widely available for around $140.  Because it is small and light, I can use it in situations where a pair of large-diaphragm condenser mics would be impractical, like recording (my own) live performances, or people I accompany. 

I would like very much to get the Marantz hard disk recorder, but my iRiver gets the job done well enough for now.

[SteinwayTony]

Acutally, I think it has been some time since this has come up and the technology is changing quickly.

Really.  Because it seems that if you'd just take the initiative to do a little research, you could write a book on the subject just from conversations in this forum.

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