Decide what type of audio production you would like to create. Most premium audio equipment is tailored to specific genres of music. For example, if you are planning on producing hip-hop music, the microphones and compressors you will be using are significantly different than those you would use to record a soulful country singer.
Purchase a digital audio workstation, or DAW, that will allow you to record and manipulate audio on your computer. DAWs have become a vital tool in music studios around the world. Purchase a package that is used by producers in the music genre of your interest; and that is compatible with your home computer.
Connect the microphone that you will be using to your DAW with an audio interface. Audio interfaces allow recorded signals to be transferred into computer data through a firewire or usb connection. Most interfaces have XLR input jacks as well as line-in jacks, allowing vocalists and plug-in instrumentalists to record their music.
Record the audio you will be using in a quiet, isolated area. Regardless of the quality of the microphones and interface you will be using, very little can be done if the tracks you have recorded contain environmental noise such as talking or traffic. In addition, the size of the room you will record in significantly affects the results you can expect out of your microphone, regardless of its quality
Tape dampening foam onto the walls and ceiling of the room you will be using to record. Dampening foam is used to reduce reverberation and echo caused by smaller rooms, wood floors, etc. According to the audio engineers at Tweakheadz, an online recording publication, "Small rooms need more treatment as sound will bounce around the room, off the walls and ceiling many more times than a larger room."
Purchase a pop filter to use in conjunction with your microphone. When vocalists articulate and pronounce certain words or syllables, bursts of air hit the sensitive recording mechanism within the microphone and create "popping" sounds on the resulting audio track. Pop filters greatly reduce the presence of these distracting sounds.
Balance the volume and intensity of your final compilation of audio tracks using the digital mixing console included with your DAW or a hardware console. The typical mixing console contains adjustable knobs and sliders which allow producers to alter the sound quality and presence of audio tracks within the final product. The mixing consoles are used both for equalizing (adjusting the balance of high, mid, and low-range frequencies) and audio mixing (adjusting volume levels.)
Adjust the overall sound quality and volume levels of your song using audio mastering equipment. Tools such as compressors and maximizers will raise the volume levels on your tracks to their highest possible levels, producing full, rich sounding results. Adjusting the high, mid, and low range frequencies of your final track can add a sparkle to your vocal lines and an intensity to drum and guitar riffs.