Your band has worked hard, you have a catalog of songs and you've decided that it's time to hit the studio and record some of your tunes and show the world what you can do...so step 1, is finding a studio.

Finding a studio may sound easy, but depending on where you are, it may not be. The first thing you have to do is set a budget for the project. I've worked in studio's that cost anywhere from $25-150 an hour to record in. Just because a  studio is more expensive doesn't necessarily mean that it's better. A lot of the major label studios are huge, and have lots of extra space in them that you'll never use, if you're a normal 4-5 piece band, not that much space is really required, although it may be nice and look good, it may not be worth that extra $50 an hour.

The next thing you have to decide is who your recording engineer is going to be. If it's your first recording session, or you've never had training in audio engineering, I'd highly suggest hiring the engineer along with the studio. Many studios now that are in peoples houses, or that are run by one or two people have the engineer come along with it. This can add to the price of recording quite significantly, BUT is probably a good investment in the long run.

Once you've done a lot of research online, figured out your price range, and narrowed it down to 3 or 4 studios, your next step is to visit them. It's always important to go visit a studio before you record there because certain studios give out different vibes and can simply make you not comfortable to record there. There are many factors involved when visiting a studio. Look at the equipment they have to offer, if it's better than what you have, you may want to ask them about using it. Second, you want to see what you think of the staff. You never want to feel hurried when you're recording, if you do, you simply won't play as well if you're nice and relaxed. Sometimes a smaller studio can create a more relaxing mood, there's something about the intimacy that can really make a difference. Finally, and most simply, just ask for samples of the work they've done and see what you think. No matter how nice the people or space may be, if their work isn't good, there's no reason to record there. You don't want to put several hundred or even thousands of dollars into something that in the end won't sound good.

If you follow these few but simple steps, you will feel comfortable with your decision when deciding where to record, and will also come out with a product that you will want the world to hear.

This article was written by David Warfle on July 24, 2009