Recording is extremely important when playing music. It doesn't matter if you want to publish a song or not, it's still helpful to see how you sound. Bet before you can ever try to record, you need to learn how to record.

Let's start with guitar and bass. I don't have a bass, but have an effect pedal that can change the sound of my guitar so it sounds like a bass. First of all, hook everything up like you were practicing. Plug your guitar/bass into your effects pedal, if you have one. Next, plug your effects pedal into your amp. If you don't have an effects pedal, plug your guitar/bass directly into your amp. Make sure that your guitar/bass is tuned, that your amp is on and is loud enough to clearly hear, but not at 10. I put my amp at about 2 or 3, and put my pedal's volume to 50% when distorted, and 100% when not.

For drums, it's a little more complex. You need to get 2 channels (left and right). Get something that will split a plug into 2 plugs and plug in to identical mics. You don't want your right side to sound great and your left to suck, do you? Stick the mics in opposite sides of the drum kit. The best setup id tall mic stands on the left and right. Be careful where your mic is. If it's right next to the crash cymbal, you might want to cut back on crashes or move the mic/

Next, you need to prepare. Play some scales, just jam, whatever you want that will warm you up. Just get ready to play. Get into the zone, and make sure you are feeling good. If you're hungry, grab a snack. If you're thirsty, drink something. If you're tired, take a nap. Just feel the best you can.

Now we will actually record. Find a microphone and a quiet room. Make sure that there is no other music going on, no TVs on, no people talking, NOTHING! Even a quiet bit of talking can make your insane solo you just hit flawlessly for the first and last time an utter failure. Also, DO NOT USE A BUILT IN MIC! THEY WILL NOT WORK GOOD ENOUGH! Plug your mic into your computer, and put your mic next to your amp. Get your recording software ready. I personally use MAGIX Music Maker 12 Deluxe, but anything works, even sound recorder. Start recording, and play. After you're done, stop recording, ans listen to it. If it doesn't sound like what you want, re-record! Never be afraid to take 2 takes. It might take you 100 takes, just make sure that it sounds good. Never settle for less than you want. A note for drummers: try recording every part separately. What I mean is maybe you should try and record the snare, then the drum, then the hi-hat. I'll tell you why later. Get some of your recordings done.

Now it's time to arrange and touch up. Open a music making software. If you need some, you can get MAGIX Basic Edition here. Import all of your sounds, and put them in the order that they should go in. If you just jammed, put them in an order that sounds good. If some of your sounds didn't get the feel you want because of your effects, don't worry. Most software has some improvement effects. Adding compression can help a track sound a little better, and adding some mild distortion or wah-wah can make a rather boring riff sound cool. For drums, you might want to add flanger. If you recorded each part separately, you might be able to add special effects to each part to take the drums in the song seem very diverse. A side note is save often. You never know when your computer or program will crash.

Now that you have finished arranging your song, let's publish it! First, make sure your song is saved. Export it to a .MP3. Double check it, and if it sounds right, name it. Rename the file to the name of the song. Also, you might want to make some album art. Now, go to the audio portal. Click the big 'SUBMIT!' button on the top left. Now, follow the instructions. If it's your first submission, wait a while for the approval process. It can take up to a few days. After it's done, your song will be featured for all to see! You can submit 2 songs a day to Newgrounds.com.

Notes:
-=+ A cheap guitar works. Don't go bankrupt for a perfect guitar. As long as it sounds good, you're set.

-=+ I do not know anything about USB recording, so don't ask.

-=+ I do not know anything about MIDI recording, except I hear that it is laggy.

-=+ Be careful on how many effects you use. Too many and it sounds like you're playing under 20 feet of mud, and too little can make your song boring.

-=+ Your first song probably won't be 5 stars. No song is unless it just came out and has like 2 votes.

-=+ Listen to reviews. If two people disagree, take each person's opinion into consideration, and maybe use each in different songs, or different parts of one song.

-=+ Reviews like 'ROFL TAHT IZ A GUD SOOMNG! LOLZ!!' and 'YOU SUK!' don't deserve good responses, if any at all.

-=+ Beware of downraters. Your song may be the best song ever, and a pack of downraters rated it '0' 20 times and their piece of crap '5' 20 times to make them look better. Give it time, and don't delete it if it just came out or has a god amount of positive reviews.

-=+ Feel free to tell friends about your new song to advertise it, but don't spam profiles and the BBS about it. Spam belongs in cans, not on someone's profile.

-=+ A good name will attract more people. Something like 'Song_001' will attract less people than 'Magma Phoenix' would.

-=+ If you need help, PM me.

-=+ If you get some free time, check my songs.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I helped!