Home Recording: A Modern Music Revolution

Home recording has become very popular in recent years. Musicians are taking control of their own music and recording it themselves at home.
What is home recording? It's the art of audio engineering in the setting of someones own home. It may seem simple enough, but how simple is it?
I remember not that long ago when the cost of home recording was out reach for most musicians. Then again, musicians aren't really known for having a lot of money. That's beside the point though.
With advances in computers and technology, prices have dropped considerably for home recording equipment. Not only have the prices dropped, you also get more professional features for the lower prices.
With the advent of digital recording, music can be recorded digitally, mixed digitally, and mastered digitally. There is no real reason why your music even has to leave the digital domain anymore.
Back when I first got started with home recording, at the ripe age of 15, the cheapest way to start was with a four-track recorder. I'll tell right now, it may have been the cheapest, but it was far from the best.
Now, for the same amount of money I paid for the four-track recorder, you can buy 8 - 16-track digital recorders or recording software (D.A.W) that will give you 32+ tracks. Things sure have changed.
These same digital recorders and Digital Audio Workstations ( recording software ) come with just about everything you need to record at home. Almost all of them come with a lot of extras like reverbs, delays, compressors, limiters, EQ's and whole lot more. Some will even come with drum modules, looping tools, samplers, and soft synth instruments.
My little four-track recorder just couldn't compare with all these features. Not to mention that there is no degredation of sound with digital recording. My four-track couldn't claim this either.
Now, you might think with all of this technology at affordable prices, there would be a ton of great music out there to listen to. If you thought this, you would be wrong.
Not only do you need good equipment, but you also need to know how to use it. Audio engineering and production is as much an art form as playing the guitar is. It has to be learned and practiced to be good at it.
I wanted to throw this in there, because so often we focus on the equipment and not the techniques. I really believe there needs to be a mixture of both to get the best recordings you can get at home.
Can great recordings be made at home. I believe the answer is yes, but I also believe it takes time and patience to get everything just right.
If you are are just getting started with home recording, you may find that there is a high learning curve. There is also quite a bit of trial and error. This is normal, so don't get discouraged. Over time you may just find that you are able to make great home recordings.