You know your songs are sizeably efficient (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. Thats great! But what actually happens when you get there?

When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget.

1.Tune Your Instruments. This also includes your drums and any tunable percussion instruments you can have. There is definately nothing worse in the world than to have a perfectly written song with a perfect performance be ruined because someone didnt take an more 2 minutes to check their tuning. Tuning takes a few minutes; a recording lasts forever.

2.Be Well Rehearsed. Youll be surprised how many bands suffer shock when they get the final recording bill. The main reason for this is because they confuse rehearsal instant with recording measure . Rehearse at home, in the garage, at your uncles house; anywhere but at the recording session. When you arrive at the studio, you should understand your songs inside-out and be ready for the red light.

3.Practice with a Click Track. A lot of drummers arent able to play with a click track. Make sure yours can. A click track is essential in grasping a good basic rhythm track that the rest of the band can lock in to, and to sync-up loops and delay times.

4.Be Early. Many studios start charging their clients from the exact instant agreed to in the contract. Just because you decide to show up late, doesnt mean that the studio should give up that instant for free. Be early and be ready to go.

5.Get the Sound Right. Never, ever try to fix it in the mix. It doesnt work like that. Take an extra few minutes to tweak the sound before recording it. Turn that knob, tighten that string, have another sip of water. Remember again, tweaking might take an excess minute, but the recording will last forever.

6.Know When To Quit. Recording often leads to diminishing returns. Spending 20 hours in a row at the recording session isnt going to make your song twice as grand as spending 10 hours. This rule also applies to mixing. If youre tired, call the session and come back the next day fresh and ready.

7.Record Alone. Dont bring your friends, family, parents or anyone else into your sessions. As fun as it could be , you are there to do a job and record the best music possible. If you are a millionaire, then by all means, have a party at the studio, but do not count on getting anything done.

8.Mix and Match. After letting the engineer do the first rough mix alone (which he should) do an A/B comparison of your mix to some of your favorite CDs. Remember that the production CDs you are listening to have already been mastered. But its a great way to compare levels and panning.

9.Bring Spares. Always bring spare strings, drum heads, bass strings, water bottles, throat lozenges, etc to a session. You will always absolutely need the one thing you forgot to bring, so bring it all and leave them at the studio until your recordings are finished.

10.Have Fun! This is THE most important point of all. Creating and recording music isnt rocket science. Although there is a science involved, you should let the engineer worry about that. If youre not having fun, then youre in the wrong business!

2004 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)