I have been making music using computers since about 2003. The vast majority of my early output was boring, and both musically and technically unsound. I don't recommend you try to find it, though it is all still out there somewhere on the internet.
Nowadays I make music mostly on my laptop computer, pictured above; it is an Acer Aspire 7100. It is not built for music but it does what it should. You can also see the what might be generously described as mess surrounding it. Out of the picture is a veritable jungle of cables underneath the desk, guarded by a thick layer of dust.
I plan out most of my songs on paper first, then eventually (depending on how long it takes before I finally get round to it) I sequence the drums and record the instruments one by one into Steinberg Cubasis 5. Finally I sing if necessary. Throughout this process I fiddle with various things, having new ideas and throwing away old ideas. Then comes mixing, which usually I have planned in advance to make things easier for myself. Finally I open the mix in Goldwave to add the final touches.
Cubasis 5 is old, and I'd like to upgrade to Cubase SE. I would also like a lot of money. The two will either happen at the same time or not at all.
You may or may not know that onboard soundcards are rubbish; this is especially true of laptops. I get around this using a Tascam US-144 Audio Interface, which plugs into a USB socket and gives good quality sound recording and playback. It is pictured left along with a Behringer "Ultra Octaver" pedal, which I had just used to record a bass track and didn't put away.
Since 2004 I have been plagued with inexplicable computer failures, resulting in me having two desktop computers that are no longer stable enough for making music with. My first music computer worked just long enough for me to finish Imperfect, and since then I have hardly used at all. In fact I have not tried to boot it for several months.
My second desktop, pictured above, lasted long enough for me to cover five Sefiros songs and arrange five OverCoat songs. Also I completed my Music Technology A level coursework on it. After that it burnt out a motherboard, which has since been replaced, but now it reboots at random intervals.
The last time I persuaded this computer to turn on, it stank up the whole room with burning dust. I can still use it to make music, but my newer laptop computer is much more stable, and I never put anything better than an SBLive! 5.1 card in that computer anyway. Sadly, now it and my older desktop just sit there taking up space, along with the Casio CT-655 keyboard (vintage ca. 1995) in the image at the top of this page.
Also in this picture are my Behringer UB1222FX-PRO mixer and my Korg MS-2000B synthesiser. Both are really great pieces of equipment for the price.
Of course this page would not be complete without my rather amateur guitar rig: pictured right is my electric guitar, by Vintage, which is by no means brilliant, but then neither am I. Behind it is a Laney Hardcore Max practice amp, which actually sounds pretty good. In front is a recent addition, a Boss ME-50 guitar multi-effects pedal, which sounds pretty brilliant; it has 22 different distortion types, which allow me to record truly guitar-driven songs with variety in the sound.
Also in this picture is my favourite toy in the whole world: a Behringer "Acoustic Modeller" pedal, which changes the tone of a clean electric guitar into that of an acoustic guitar. I have a few acoustic guitars, but this pedal actually sounds better than them. Besides, you can't turn a knob on an acoustic guitar to change the tone.
Some more equipment that I have, but isn't pictured on this page, includes a Peavey "International Series" five-string bass guitar, a pair of Takstar PCM-6100 condenser microphones, a Behringer Ultravoice XM8500 dynamic microphone (why yes, I do like Behringer), an old Sony hi-fi system used to power the speakers, a couple more guitar pedals, and a cheap M-Audio 49-key MIDI keyboard.