How to Find a Local Recording Studio

Any local teenage band needs a place to record that offers both decent quality and reasonable prices. This could be found in your own town or somewhere nearby, most of the time. If the need arises to travel to a recording studio at a far distance, you'll want to be as prepared as you can be for the fun, boredom, laughs and frustration that lie ahead.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Search for a local recording studio for your band. When you go about finding a recording studio, it's wise to find someone with a home studio as opposed to a larger studio if money is a restriction. Home studios tend to be owned by someone who understands the financial situation of a local band, and also tend to offer prices and deals to suit your needs. A home studio could be hiding right under your nose since they are often not as advertised as larger studios. The best way to go about locating a home studio is by asking other local bands if they know of any with good quality and cheap prices. Most of the time, a band will refer you to where they recorded and will try to get you a discount on the services there.

2. Check prices of different home studios. They also use different equipment and software to record. Inquire about both of these things before you set up a date to record with them, since you may be able to find a wiser alternative studio after finding these things out. Another wise choice would be to ask for a sample of their work to help you in your decision. Home studios vary between charging per song, and charging by the hour. If your band has never recorded, or won't have much time to rehearse before going into the studio, you should find one that charges per song since it may take you longer to get into the flow and finish tracking everybody's parts. If you opt for a studio that charges by the hour, ask if they have a deal on a typical 8-hour session as opposed to paying for each hour.

3. Set a date for your recording. Now that you have a studio with reasonable prices, it's time to set up a date to record. Often, the owner of a home recording studio will have another job as well. You'll have to choose a date that they are off of work or one where they will be willing to record you before or after they go. However, it will help benefit everyone more if you choose a date that everyone in your band, as well as the person running the studio is free. Be sure that you and your band discuss how each member is getting to the studio, and exactly what time they should be there. Also discuss who will bring what equipment to and from the studio in order to save a trip back to pick up a missing piece of equipment.

4. Be prepared when you go. A date has been set, and everyone has been informed of times and transportation issues. The next thing to do is make sure that you go prepared. Some studios are stocked with some items such as cables, tuners, drum sticks, and maybe even a studio drum set or amplifier cabinet. However, this isn't always the case. You'll want to bring an instrument tuner, all of the instruments you'll be recording with, amplifiers and cabinets, spare strings and drumsticks, freshly bought and tuned drum heads for your drum kit and anything else that you even think you might need.

5. The last thing to do is to load up your equipment and make sure everything will be secure on its way to the studio. Make a last minute run through of your equipment and make sure all of the band members have directions to the studio. Once you arrive at the studio, the person running it should be able to direct your equipment to a safe location and inform you of the procedures that will take place from there.