Making the decision to start recording as a musician means that you’ve got a sound that you believe is special, and you think that listeners will benefit from hearing it. You’ve put your time in at the local open mics and a few featured gigs, but now is the time to see how much farther your music can travel if given the convenience and portability of a mixtape or a demo.

The problem then becomes, how can a burgeoning artist or band record their music with professionalism on a minimalist’s budget? To fight against this, many artists will simply buy home recording equipment on discount and attempt to build their own incarnation of a recording studio in their basement or garage, using pillows and blankets to dampen the sound. Aside from taking more time and effort than renting a professional quality recording studio, a home recording will simply create an inferior product and do little to help your career as a musician. Renting a professional recording studio for high quality music production will create recordings worth listening to; recordings that will show your dedication and talent through the clarity of each note.

Any musician or artist would love to believe that recording quality is secondary to the actual music being listened to. Good songwriting and earnest performance can shine through the technical limitations of any record, right? The harsh reality, however, is the opposite. With the sheer volume of musicians producing and recording these days, any music recording that isn’t exemplary of top tier production will immediately receive a demerit from the listener (whether they’re a recording professional or a potentially influential fan). Especially if you’re hoping to have your demo get into the hands of an A&R exec or other music promoter, a professional music recording studio will afford you the high quality recordings you need to be taken seriously.

Next, a recording studio will have producers and technicians on hand that are specialized in using the equipment in the studio. You are a musician. Especially in the early parts of your career, you should be focused on cultivating your songwriting and refining your voice as an artist. Spend time perfecting your music rather than learning how to produce and work the technical aspects of professional grade music recording equipment. Professional producers have the talent and the trained ear for sound and subtly that will help them calibrate the equipment and get the best recording out of your performance possible.

Finally, chances are high that making music is only a secondary money earning gig until you can really get off the ground as an artist. Being budgeted and cost conscious will pay off major dividends for an artist, enabling the use of the most cutting edge and precise equipment without the heavy investment that comes with funding your own comparable studio at home. To save further on studio time, cultivate a few songs to perfection, and book studio time to record them at the professional level. The result will be a demo that shows the best that you have to offer. A demo that sounds crisp and professional in a way that couldn’t possibly be matched with a more expensive personal kit recorded at home.