Download or purchase an appropriate audio recording program. For professional audio production, you will need a program like Pro Tools or Logic Studio. For music recording on a budget, you can download a free multi-tracking program like Ardour or QTractor. For MIDI recording, you can use a free MIDI-compatible program like Rosegarden or LMMS. For straightforward "record-and-play" audio recording with no technical knowledge required, consider Audacity or Power Sound Editor.
Connect any equipment to your computer. If you want to record music, you may need instruments and microphones. If you want to record podcasts, lectures or audio books, you will need at least one good vocal microphone. For MIDI -- digital music -- recording, consider a USB MIDI keyboard. If you use any analog instrumentation -- guitars, bass, non-MIDI keyboards -- or microphones, connect an audio interface to your PC for ideal sound quality. An interface is simply an external sound card, connected through your USB -- or FireWire -- port, containing rows of jacks for instruments and microphones. You can pick one up at your local music supply store.
Open your software and configure your audio settings. You should find your "Preferences," "Setup" or "Options" on your menu bar, sometimes under the "Help" or "Tools" menu. When your "Options" window appears, select your "Audio" or "Input" options, and select any external devices. For example, if you connected a USB MIDI keyboard or a USB audio interface, you will need to select the name of the interface from the list of possible inputs. If you connected a device to your "Line-In" jack or plan to use your computer's internal microphone, just use "Built-in Audio," "Core Audio" or "ASIO" as your input source.
Set up your tracks from recording, if using a multi-tracking or MIDI program. If you plan to record using a single layer of audio, you can skip this step. For multi-tracking, you will find a "New Track" option on your menu bar, sometimes under the "Track," "Create," "Project," "Options" or "Edit" menu. If using a MIDI keyboard, select the "MIDI Track" or "Virtual Track" option. If recording analog audio, use the "Audio Track" option. Create one track for every layer of audio that you will need. For example, if recording guitar, bass and drums, you will need three tracks, one for each instrument.
Select a track -- each of which looks like a long horizontal bar on your project window -- if applicable, and click the "Record" button to begin your first recording session. Your "Record" button should look like a large dot, sometimes red, that appears near the top or bottom of your window. Nearby, you should also find a square "Stop" button. Use this button to end your recording session. While recording, use your instruments, microphones or other input source to transmit audio to your software. If using a multi-tracking program, repeat this process for each track, recording one layer of audio on each.