Entering a recording studio for the first time can be quite an exciting experience. You most likely envision yourself holding a finished CD in your hand one day. That day will come, but there are a lot of steps you need to take to get there. One thing you must first understand is that this process cannot be rushed. You ultimately want a good sounding CD, not something that sounds like it was recorded in someone's garage.

There are plenty of studios out there that want your money. It would be in your best interest to contact a few different ones to set up an appointment. This will give you a chance to go and meet with the engineers that run the studio and also take a brief tour of the facility. Studios shouldn't charge you for this process. It is beneficial to see how the studios differ and how they are alike. Generally they all will be using Pro Tools recording software or something equivalent. As a general rule of thumb, if they are not using Pro Tools, you should ask them why not.

Before you go in for your meeting, write down a list of questions you have concerning the recording process and how they bill you. One-on-one conversation is much easier than playing phone tag or email. Get all of your questions answered so when you go to the next studio you'll remember what the previous one said.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money. Generally if you use smaller studios they will charge anywhere from $40 - $100 dollars per hour. Some studios only take cash, larger ones will accept checks. Be sure to be absolutely clear how studio payments work because you don't want to get caught in a financial misunderstanding right in the middle of the recording process. Anything that disrupts the flow of recording will set you back mentally. You want to avoid worrying about mistakes and misunderstandings and concentrate on the creative process.

By the way, don't mistake recording in a studio with having a record deal. Don't walk into the recording studio thinking you have to impress them, or feel as though you have to convince them of anything. You're an artist with potential, not a rock star on stage. Anyone can record anything, but it is what you do with the recording afterwards that counts.

The bottom line is that you should feel as comfortable as you can with the studio facility, the operations and the engineer. The engineer should do their best to try and make you feel at home. The last thing you want is a nervous breakdown right in the middle of a tracking session.

There are three basic steps to the recording process. Once one step is completed fully, you move to the next. Before you begin this process, understand that each step will take days or even weeks. The first step starts with actually recording your performance through a process known as tracking. But before tracking, you must keep in mind that your engineer will want to find the best sound from the instrument you are recording. Finding a good or appropriate sound may take anywhere from five minutes to two hours. Tracking is probably the one thing you are most eager to get to, so just be prepared to get there and wait.

Tracking can be lots of fun if you are playing the instrument well and not making many mistakes. It can be quite a nightmare once you start making mistakes. Mistakes will happen, so learn to expect them. Be prepared to mess up and start all over again even if it means doing thirty takes of the same part. It could be the easiest thing in the world yet your fingers just are not doing the right thing. Retaking a part over and over again makes you become impatient. This causes you to start rushing through the part to get it over with and it never comes out right. Your best bet is to try it a few times and then try to come back to it later.

There are some simple things you can do to prepare yourself for this physically challenging process. Most studios will say something like this:

1) Get a good night's sleep
2) Eat well, concentrate on proteins
3) Keep hydrated, and do not go out partying the night before

Aside from that, you must also prepare yourself to ensure you perform your best once that record button is pressed. The last thing you want is to start tracking and have everything sound dull or not work entirely. Trust me, these help too:

1) Replace and tune strings and drum heads a few days before tracking
2) Rehearse and memorize so you are really tight with the music
3) Be sure all equipment works before going in to start recording

Click the following link for good bass tone. My engineer couldn't believe how good this bass sounded. FYI, it is an Aria bass I borrowed from my father.

Bass Guitar from "The Spirits of Tomorrow" - 1.33 MB .mp3
Taken from Brian Dobbs' The History of Recorded Music, copyright 2006.

As you track more and more instruments you will hear how the song develops. You'll begin to see that even a short song has many components to it that make it come to life. For example, your engineer might recommend tracking an entire additional guitar part on top of the one that you already did. This is a technique used to thicken up the sound and make it sound big.

You might also find yourself tracking additional percussion instruments you never even thought of to liven up the rhythm. Although you should maintain the creative control over your project, listen to what your engineer tells you when they offer suggestions. They know what they are doing most of the time and have seen your kind plenty of times before. If you tell them what you are going for they will be able to recommend certain recording techniques or ideas. You might find yourself realizing your song could sound bigger and better than you once imagined.

After you have enough tracks to have a rough draft of the song your engineer will create a rough mix for you to listen to. Listen to this mix everywhere you typically might listen to music because you need to evaluate how well you can hear each part given the current listening situation. Play it in your car, in your headphones or in your boom box. You are listening for a good average, meaning you want to make sure the mix holds up for most listening scenarios. Do not concern yourself with the quality of the sound at this point. It will not sound professional at this point because that comes later during mixing and mastering. Just pay attention to see if the performances are keepers.

Click the following link for a rough mix. This clip includes a guide drum track, to be replaced later with real drums.

Rough Mix from "The Spirits of Tomorrow" - 1 MB .mp3
Taken from Brian Dobbs' The History of Recorded Music, copyright 2006.

Once a song has been fully tracked, meaning nothing else will be added to the mix, it will be okay to start mixing everything for real. Typically mixers will start by isolating the drums and editing them in a number of different ways. For example they will replace bad sounding strokes, edit timing issues, and cut out excess noise. They will also begin to equalize each drum sound to weed out unwanted frequencies while boosting others. This is done for each drum so they all have a place in the mix where they can be heard the best.

The bass is usually tackled next because it is considered the other rhythm instrument. You want to start from the ground up, getting to vocals and solo instruments later. Think of it as setting the foundation in which you are constructing a building. Guitars will be next, followed by keyboards and then typically rounded off with vocals or solo instruments.

It is during this mixing process that sound effects will be added. Typically you will add reverb effects to vocals, guitars and drums. There are many different types so choose what sounds best. Are you playing in a canyon or a theater? Feel free to experiment with delays, flanges, EQ automation, panning or whatever else you happen to stumble upon. Effects may add an element to the song you never would have thought, or it may be overkill. Trust your gut. If you want big, go crazy. If you want scaled back, use a little reverb and that should do it.

Once you get a mix you are happy with, take it home and preview it as you did before with the rough mix. I guarantee there will be one or two things you will want to tweak. Do not pressure yourself into settling for a mix if it's not exactly what you are looking for. The temptation to give the "O.K." for mastering is difficult to resist, mainly because you know that finished CD is right around the corner. This recording is your stamp in the history books, so get it right the first time.

Be sure to compare how your mix sounds to an album of which you would like it to sound. Keep in mind you will be listening to an unmastered mix. That means the overall volume level will appear to be lower than a store-bought album when played back on the same sound system at the same volume setting.

The last step in the recording process is mastering. You might not even think twice about this step if you have never been through recording. It is not quite as exciting as tracking or mixing, but it is equally as important. Mastering gives your mixes that polished feel, similar to an album you might buy at the store.

It also determines the overall signal level while maintaining a consistent level from song to song. In other words, have you ever noticed how much you have to turn up the volume knob on your CD player when going from one CD to another? One album's overall volume may be different from another, and that is determined through mastering.

Mastering also uses dynamic compression to average out the sound level. In other words, it makes the quiet parts a little louder and the loud parts a little quieter to even everything out. This is a subtle change to the original mix and most people won't even be able to hear it. There are different types of compression so experiment to find which type sounds best for your style of music.