Make the most of your studio time

Write the songs beforehand! Really, work on the songwriting as much as possible before going into the studio. Try to agree on things like arrangements, song structure, instrumentation and lyrics. Have a clear idea of what the songs mean to you and how you want them to come across. In the studio, a good producer may well suggest a different arrangement, or a new song structure - and you should be open to new ideas. But when time is tight, it really pays to have a basic agreed starting point to work from. It also can't hurt to have some idea of how you want this record to sound. What kind of guitar tone? What other artists or musical references are you thinking of?

Practice until it sounds great. Do a few performances, then practice some more. The better you are at performing your songs, the easier it will be to recreate them in the studio. There's nothing worse than watching a band waste an hour of studio time 'practicing' (learning?!) their own material.

Talk to the engineer or producer before going into the studio. Try to get across what you want to achieve beforehand so that everyone is on the same page. Is this a demo? A single? A b-side? A full-length commercial album? Your expectations have to be realistic and a good engineer will tell you what is possible in the time you have booked.

Shop around. Ask bands that you like where they recorded their music. Again, talk to studio engineers beforehand and try to get a feel for the studio. Is it the kind of place that just wants to turn over as many bands as possible? Try to find a place that offers a good service - this is more important than fancy equipment. Ask around and try to find an engineer or producer that understands your goals and that is committed to helping you get there.

Finally, once you're in the studio, try to relax and enjoy it. Of course you want to remain productive, but too many musicians get worked up as soon as the recording begins. They become nervous at the thought of how 'permanent' this performance will be. Whilst it is different to performing live, it's still important to be able to let go and give a 'real' performance. Just relax and go with the flow.