How do you ensure your success in the recording studio?  Part of it is the in-studio work, of course, but a lot of what you can do to create a favorable result, (that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg,) happens before - NOT DURING - your studio session.

BEFORE you book any studio time, you, and your band, MUST spend the necessary time preparing for your studio experience.  Practice, practice, practice!!!  Every band member, must know their parts forwards and backwards.  You need to be able to play each part with or without the accompaniment of other band members. You'd be amazed how much studio time can be wasted working out parts, rewriting parts, or recording many multiple takes of the basic track.

This activity is called "preproduction" and is a necessary component of a successful recording experience!  The first steps of preproduction are two separate tasks of equal importance.

The first one sounds incredibly simple  - pick the songs worthy of being recorded.  The difficulty here is that, as an independent artist, whether a solo act, a duet, or a member of a band, your view of your own music is usually distorted.  Go to your friends, neighbors and fans.  Insist they be honest with you and spare your feelings as this isn't about ego, it's about business!  Regardless of what you believe:  You cannot be objective about your own music!  Don't believe it?  Even the biggest of stars have problems with objectivity toward their own music.  Time after time history has repeated itself, turning an artists least favorite track into gold or platinum.  Some cuts might never have been heard if not for the encouragement of family, friends and producers who can take an objective view of your work.  Don't take it personally.  Sometimes a work holds special meaning for you, but will lack that "universal appeal," preventing it from becoming one of your signature pieces.  It doesn't matter how much YOU like it.  Does it appeal to others?  Will it help to sell you, your group or the CD itself?

Many independent artists don't have the resources to employ a producer, so finding that sense of objectivity must come from outside the source. Playing live gigs will give you a good idea of which songs are strongest by gauging crowd reaction.  Doing a demo?  Then determine your best 3 or 4 songs. The A&R folks, you'll be sending it out to, usually don't want to hear more than that on a demo.

The second part of preproduction  focuses on recording the songs BEFOREHAND.  You're not going for quality here.  The purpose is to give you a more objective view of your practices and resulting progress.  Listen carefully to all the parts for what works and what doesn't, who needs to practice a bit more, working out background harmony parts, etc.  Ideally, you should have an inexpensive 8 track recorder to do  preproduction with at home, but not everyone can afford that.  Anything will do, really.  Remember, it's a tool so you can listen to your work and evaluate your readiness for the studio.  This step can save you hours in the studio and that translates to saved money!

So remember the keys to preproduction...  Get objective help for selecting your songs.  Take your studio tours and know the etiquette of how to negotiate with the studio to help you get the most for your money.  Make sure you're comfortable with all your selections.  Above all else, practice, practice, practice before you book time and play your first note in the studio. Follow these guidelines and you will help yourself toward your goal of producing the best product that you and your band are capable of, without spending more than your budget will bear.