by Uncle Muddy

Created on: January 25, 2007   Last Updated: July 28, 2009

Contrary to other articles here, which stress the importance of 'copyrights' and 'licencing', I feel there are many other needs to be met before considering in studio recordings.

Firstly, the song. Is it tight? Are all the melodies, chords and lyrics in place? Have you rehearsed it 50 times yet? If not, start. If so, go another 50 and you might be ready. Can you play to a click track or metronome? It may be OK in your bedroom to just play, but in a studio, be prepared to work from clicks. Practise this... it's not as simple as you think. Writing songs in studio may work for bands with record label support, but, when it's your dime, I'd urge you to consider otherwise.

Secondly, instruments. Is your gear up to par? Guitars specifically; New strings? Intonation? Does it hold tuning well? How does it sound? Don't expect to walk into a studio with a 10 dollar guitar and expect it to sound like 100 bucks in the end. You need solid, reliable gear. That being said, stock up on picks, strings, and any other wearable item that can break or get lost. Oh, and while we've mentioned them... change the strings on your guitar before you go in. Why spend good money on a studio to play on your old crappy strings?

Third... the studio. Flipping through your local yellow pages will give you a good idea of who's available, but talking to local musicians who have recorded will give you a better picture of the producer and facility. Remember, this is your song, do you want someone who will work with you to bring out that song, or a producer going through the motions just to get you out the door? Ambiance? What's it like inside the studio? Can you do your best playing in a cramped room that smells like spilt beer and cigarettes? Look at several studios, and compare... As well, see who else they've produced, don't be afraid to find a few songs recorded in said studio to help educate yourself. Studios can be geared for different styles of music... If you're into metal, wouldn't you be disappointed to find only an electronic drum kit with no drum room? Comfort is a huge factor, if you're not comfortable in the place, or with the person recording, your performance won't be at it's best. Do you want to play your friends a song you spent two days recording with a disclaimer? "The guitars would sound better, but..." or "The vocals should be..." etc.

You don't need a registered copyright to go into a studio. As soon as you record a song, or notate it, be it on cassette or CD, it's copyrighted. The only benefit of registering your copyright is if it ever comes to a legal battle. Besides, you can copyright after you've got the studio work done. It makes no sense to me to worry about copyrighting when you've got practising to do, or lyrics to finish.

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