Insert the installation disc. The disc will run automatically in your PC and will install all the necessary drivers. When prompted to select a hardware driver, select "Music Studio."
Turn the volume of any amps down to zero. This prevents any surges of sound while you are connecting cables. Connect your MIDI controller to your PC. Depending on the make and model of your PC and MIDI controller, this will call for either a Firewire or USB cable. Both are typically located on the left-hand side of laptops and either in the front or rear of a PC tower. Connect your PC to your sound card or audio interface with a USB or Firewire cable.
Click the "Music Studio" desktop icon. Once open, select "Options" and then click "Devices." The program will automatically detect your MIDI controller; select it from the menu.
Open "MIDI Studio" in Music Studio. Double click on an empty channel and click "Assign," then select "MIDI." This routes your MIDI controller to the specific channel that you selected. Scroll through the pre-set sound banks on your MIDI controller or assign a sound to the MIDI channel from the bank in Music Studio.
Click "Audio Studio" from the menu at the top of the screen. Connect one end of an XLR cable to a microphone and connect the other end to the XLR input jack on your sound card or audio interface. Click "Arrange" and assign your microphone to a channel. Test the microphone by speaking or singing into it. If the gain meter on the Music Studio interface goes red, this means the signal is too loud and it is "clipping." This causes distortion when recording. Lower the gain on your sound card or audio interface and retest. The gain meter will move up and down, but as long as it remains green or yellow and doesn't go red, you are in safe volume territory.
Hit "Record" and begin making music. You can use the microphone to record your voice, an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar amp, among other instruments.