Getting ready to record
Studio recording was always one of my favorite parts about being a musician. And I've done it quite Aaron few times for my own bands as well as with other bands. that's the luxury of being a horn layer.
My advice would be to be very pick in the pre-recording process (rig placement, Mic placement, type of mics, how many, room size, etc) as well as the actually receding process (your performance). These things will save a lot of time by cutting down on editing time. Im a big fan of getting it right so that you don't have to edit. I want a true product. Not something that was pieced together.
What Fury says!
I did this about 10 years ago in a friend's studio. It was a great experience and I was happy to memorialize my contribution to the musical integrity of mankind. As a studio virgin, I did a lot of things right, but I learned what NOT to do also!
Advice for ANYONE/EVERYONE:
When you're paying for studio time, you pay by the hour. Doesn't matter if you're behind a live mic with faders up, or getting high on the couch in the control room. The meter's running. So make them productive hours. Have fun and enjoy the experience, but it's way more enjoyable if you're not watching the clock going "dayuummmm.....we're not gonna get this part done today."
Along those lines, friends are great, but not if they're the "high on the couch" variety. Don't use the studio to "practice", "learn", or "work on the arrangement" of songs. If you can help it, lock them down TIGHTLY before you go in, and resist the urge to make "alternative" arrangements or "extra" tracks, just to see how it sounds. Unless you somehow catch lightning in a bottle; in which case, chase the lightning! Just remember that not every song is lightning in a bottle just because it's being recorded and you're listening in a different way than when you were writing, practicing, and performing it. And sometimes a "mistake" is cooler than anything you meant to do; the rest of the time, it should be re-done or over-dubbed as appropriate.
My personal opinion:
Go as "live" as possible to capture the "feel" of your tune. Do NOT record one track at a time and build up the layers to make a song! It takes too long, it's too expensive, and most importantly, it's nearly impossible to catch the "groove" and lock into each other. You'll never catch lightning in a bottle this way! If you can record ALL basic tracks in one take, do it! If the bassist can't make it for that session, record all the tracks but bass (or consider a studio replacement - see above!) and punch the bass in afterward. Do NOT spend an inordinate amount of time polishing out the music; leave it as "raw" as possible, as that is where the emotions are. There is a fine line between polishing something into a shiny diamond, and polishing into a sterilized, synthesized, and anesthetized commodity. I've heard lots of music where I thought "great tunes, even though it could've been more polished" and I've heard music where I thought "this is so polished, it sucks." Ideally, you have great tunes and perfect polish. If you have to choose, err on the side of less polish. But what the hell do I know? That's just my opinion!
Lastly, I had the master pressed into a CD. Can't remember who did it, but they were linked with Musician's Friend catalog. I sent them mastered music, album art, etc... and they sent back 100 professional quality cds. I absolutely recommend them. FWIW, they will NOT enhance/change your audio tracks in any way; they will NOT enhance/change your artwork in any way. What you send will be burned, printed, and returned to you in a sweet little package. Looking back 100 wasn't enough, I shoulda done 200. Looking forward, I question whether you need CDs or whether you should just upload to a site like Soundclick or even MySpace. Although people are more likely to give your music a listen if you hand out a tangible CD and say "check this out" than if you say "tracks available for listening & download at ____________." Only the truly curious will go to the site and check it out, but EVERYONE listens to a CD in hand. So, again, my opinion is to get the CDs!
Good luck my friend and perhaps you will "tease" us with some sample tracks to whet our appetitites?! Except for me...I'll be expecting a free cd for all my wonderful advice and guidance!!!