So You Want To Record Your CD?
		By David Blanchard
		You just call a few of those recording studio ads in the back of BAM or your local classifieds rag, run down to the studio, blast through 3 or 4 songs and mix them in one day, pay the guy 100 bucks and start selling tapes to your friends, right?  Wrong!  Unless you really want your songs to sound like it was recorded in someone’s bathroom with one microphone and a boom box.
		You probably think you may not be able to afford a good quality recording otherwise.  Most demo studios charge between 20 and 50 bucks an hour.   That is a lot of money but when you spread it between 3-5 band mates it’s not so hard to take.  Some studios even charge a flat fee between 150 and 300 bucks for a day’s worth of recording, usually 8-10 hours.  In my opinion this is the way to go.  You can get yourself in really deep if you aren’t prepared though.  As stated in the previous paragraph, most bands have no clue as to how much time is actually involved in recording.  Ten hours sounds like a lot of time but once you count load in time, beer and cigarette breaks, dicking around jamming and general goofing off your time is cut in half.  Then you are looking at a solid two days of recording (possibly 600 bucks!) to finish when you could have finished in one with a little spill over into the next day for mixing.
		1)      The way to get a cheap song is to be professional!  Studio time is valuable and the engineer will charge you for every minute you are there!
		2)       Make sure you are rehearsed!  Know the songs you want on the recording like the back of your hand, the fewer times it takes you to get it right the better chance you have of finishing the same day.
		3)      Save the party until you’re done!  Nothing is worse than working with excessively drunk or high musicians.  A lapse in concentration will surely tack the dollars onto the recording investment.  This isn’t to say you can have a little ‘fun’ and relax while at the studio, just save the real celebration until the end.
		4)      Lastly, don’t push the engineer!  Most inexperienced bands in the studio want instant gratification once they put their instruments down.   Remember that the engineer’s ears are his livelihood.  He can make or break your recording!  It takes time to get a solid sounding mix.  Sometimes after a day of recording the engineer just needs to take a break and rest his ears.  If he decides to call it quits and stop for the day ten don’t argue.  Your recording could end up sounding like shit if his ears aren’t in top shape.  This may add a few hours in the next session but it will be well worth it.
		Ok, I hope this clears some things up for the first time band in the studio.  If you follow these steps it will help you get a relatively inexpensive and quality sounding recording.
		Published by IGE Records - - - © 1999-2003 All rights reserved