EXCLUSIVES

So you want to be a rock and roll star?

A few things have changed since the Byrds first asked that question in 1967, but not the answer.

People still fantasize about writing a number-one song, but that squeaky four-track recorder in the basement is being replaced by a humming hard drive. Cheaper technology has swung the studio door open a little wider. Amateur audiophiles can now afford to build their own home recording studio.

Its not just amateurs either, established musicians are making music at home too. The salad days for big recording studios are gone. The new breed of studio cropping up is smaller, faster, better and digital.

As a studio engineer and programmer for 15 years, Rae DiLeo has watched the evolution from behind a mixing board. He studied guitar at Berkley in Boston in the early 80s. After graduating, he migrated to studio engineering and programming because it allowed him to record his band during studio down time. DiLeos band is gone now, but he still calls the studio home.

His career riding the faders began recording seminal hip-hop acts like Grandmaster Flash and Curtis Blow.

"Hip-hop was just getting started and all the engineers at the studio where I worked wanted to do rock records, not hip-hop. I took all the rap acts I could get, because it gave me a chance to learn about new technology. Even then, I knew computers were the tool of the future for recording studios," he says with a clipped Bronx accent.

DiLeos instincts proved right. This spring he was in Chicago at Abyssinian Son Studios programming and engineering Filters third album, tentatively titled "Amalgamutt." Built by the bands leader Richard Patrick, the studio is tricked-out with the latest digital gear. Its too pricey for most weekend warrior musicians, but the core components arent. Its not difficult or expensive, DiLeo says, to build a respectable, professional-sounding studio in your home.

Home-Studio Recipe

DiLeo suggests this rock star starter kit, priced less than $5,000:

Computer: Apple G4 (466 MHz or higher) - $1,699. The industry line is Macs are for music, and who are we to argue?

Software: Pro Tools Digi 001 - $799. Digidesigns entry-level digital studio is an all-in-one package (hardware and software included), and a great place to get your feet wet. Once you get good at recording, editing and mixing with Pro Tools, the software can easily be upgraded. Pro Tools is the most popular digital-audio recording software, but not the only choice. Mark of the Unicorn, Cubase and Logic Audio also offer recording software.

Hardware: Mic $300-500. Buying a good microphone is one of the most important steps. Shop around to find a mic that best fits your needs. If you want to record your voice or an acoustic guitar, the Rode NT-2 mic, which goes for around $400, is a solid choice. If you need to mic live drums, Shure offers a range of mics for less than $100.

Mic pre-amp $600-$800. Run the microphone through a pre-amp to boost the signal before it reaches the computer. PreSonus and Focusrite both make fine microphone pre-amps.

Guitar pre-amp Less than $1,000. If you like a loose sound, you can mic a standard guitar amplifier, run it through a mic pre-amp and patch that into your computer. If you prefer a tighter sound, its best to run your guitar into a guitar pre-amp and then into the computer. Marshall offers the JMP-1, a MIDI compatible guitar pre-amp that delivers the classic Marshall sound for less than $800.

Once you get the basics, its easy to run up a credit card buying all manner of sonic accouterments. There are more than 100 plug-ins available for Pro Tool plug-ins. One example - Amp Farm - puts some serious sounds at your disposal for less than $600. The amplifier emulation software from Line 6 recreates the sounds from a host of guitar and bass amplifiers, including vintage amps by Vox and Fender, as well as newer amps by Mesa Boogie. For a touch of authenticity, Amp Farm uses replicas of each amplifiers control panel for its graphic user-interface.

Comparing the sound of the original hardware to the software emulations, DiLeo says he cant tell an appreciable difference. The software emulations give you the sound youre looking for, without hogging studio real estate.

"Instead of going out and buying a room full of hardware compressors, amplifiers and effects racks - Pro Tools lets you have the same sounds using plugs-ins. Before, if you wanted to use a compressor on more than one track, you needed separate compressors. You dont need to fill a room with hardware now, because all you need is in the computer."