Mount your speakers at head-height. For the most accurate audio monitoring, the speakers must be equidistant from where you sit. Stack thick books into two small piles of equal height at each or use upturned beer crates to boost the speaker height. The speakers must be at the same height as your head when sitting.
Set up a microphone stand in one corner. The most suitable corner is the one furthest away from windows, doors, air vents and creaky floor boards. Adjust the telescopic arm of the microphone stand so that it is at the same height as the singer's mouth. Slot a microphone into the collar of the microphone stand.
Connect an XLR cable to the microphone. Push the female end of the XLR cable into the three-pin socket at the bottom of the microphone. Wrap the XLR cable around the stem of the microphone stand three times to keep it out of the way of the singer.
Connect the male end of the XLR cable to the female XLR input on the audio interface.
Connect the audio interface to the computer. Depending on the make and model of the audio interface, this calls for either a fire-wire or USB cable. Connect the cable to the port on the back of the audio interface and to the port on the side of the computer. USB and fire-wire audio interfaces are typically bus-powered, meaning that they require no external power source. They are powered by the computer, via the USB or fire-wire cable.
Connect the audio interface to the speakers. Connect two speaker cables to the "speaker out" sockets on the rear of the audio interface. Connect one speaker cable to each speaker.
Plug a USB cable into the "USB out" socket on your MIDI controller. Connect the other end of the USB cable to a spare USB socket on your computer.
Double-click on the icon for your preferred music production software to open the program. Click "devices" and select your audio interface from the drop down menu. This assigns the audio interface as the input device for recording.