I just sunk enough money to buy a 10 year old car into a tube condenser microphone. It'll take me over 2 months of running a busy studio to get that paid for. The reason I bought the mic was simple. I wanted my recordings to sound a little closer to pro. The mic is pretty great, but not mind blowing. Would you like to know what I've found to be the biggest, most mind blowing difference in sound quality from band to band? Answer: Better Bands playing Better Songs!!

This is the kind of advice that you always hear from the old guys. Even though you have your eyes set on some preamp or microphone, but more experienced guys will tell you to focus on getting the best talent into your studio. I know you don't want to hear this, but it's 100% true.

The number one way to get your studio making more money is to put out cds that sound better. Sure, the big boys have the best talent to work with and they rent out studios for months at a time. That is great. They don't have to deal with half assed musicians. The musicians are going to do there part and the this makes the job much easier for these big studios.

As a home studio or a project studio recording other bands, it's very tough at the beginning. If you are recording 16 year old kids who've been playing their instrument for a year or so, the odds are strong that they are not going to sound great. So much of the sound quality comes from the band playing tightly together. Bands that don't play extremely tight together usually sound like mush.

So, if you considering the notion of shelling out $5,000 on preamps or $3,000 on a microphone in order to get more business, consider this. What if you donated $1000 worth your recording time to the best sounding band in the region? I've noticed that many bands will gladly record for free even if they have recorded in bigger places (that are very expensive). The only catch, if you need to make sure that they are going to get your music heard. The best way to do that is to make sure the band releases 500 or 1000 copies of their cd. When you get your music out there and it sounds great, other bands will notice and you phone won't stop ringing.

Here's something else I've noticed about recording the best bands who are releasing a real album. When you listen to it 3 or 4 months after it's finished, you will say ?Damn! That turned out well?. You'll probably notice that it doesn't have any of the problems that you have with the mixes you are doing right now. I get bummed out and upset when I just can't get a mix right. When I'm mixing a song from a band that needs some practice, I don't feel so bad when their recording isn't sounding great. Don't me wrong. I want every project I touch to sound great. However, it relieves the stress a little bit when I know the problem comes from lack of tightness.

So, if you want your studio to get busy the fastest, record the best band for free. If you have a clue about recording, it's hard to screw up a great song by a band with great musicians.