The world of music has changed so much that it's hardly recognizable from what it was even 10 years ago, for better and sometimes for worse. Many of the changes we're experiencing are double-edged swords. One feature of this brave new music world in which we live is that anyone can make a CD these days -- you don't have to have a huge budget to get into a studio and make records. All the developments in affordable digital technology have made it possible for many people to have reliable home studios or at least to have friends who have them. That's the good news and also the bad, because it allows the market -- especially the independent market -- to become flooded with vast amounts of CDs, so many of which are ill-conceived and don't reach the quality the artist envisions.

I think that there are some simple rules that can help you, the independent artist, make the very best record possible. These rules apply regardless of the size of your budget.

Remember this: The record you make is your first real step into the larger world and into the archives of music alongside your peers. It's the calling card that represents you no matter where you are, no matter what point in time, and even after you pass from this world. It then follows that this is not a process to be underestimated, and yet that's exactly what I so often find.

I believe that the most important part of record making is what takes place before you ever go into the studio; in fact, I believe that the actual recording process is the last stop on a train that begins long before you ever walk in that door. The process can take awhile, but preproduction is the thing that will make the difference between something you can be proud of and something you might wince at for the rest of your life. The amazing thing about this is that it's the least expensive part of all -- it only requires your time and your commitment.

So here's a rough outline of the process, as I see it.

THE SONGS: 99 percent of the success rate of your CD will depend on the quality of your songs. That's where it begins, and that will always be the backbone of your work. Put together your 10 best songs. At that point I always say, fine, why don't you write 10 more? Let's have a broad list of songs to choose from. In my experience as a producer, the songs you write after you think you have the songs for your project can wind up being some of the best on your record. You want to push yourself to have a large list of contenders and keep writing right up to the time you go into the studio to record.

"The record you make is your first real step into the larger world and into the archives of music alongside your peers."

NARROWING THE FIELD: Examine the songs from every viewpoint you can think of. Are they sturdy, well-built and expressive of what you really want to say? Do you harbor any secret lingering doubts about any of them? If you do, stop and look at them. Remember, you can't fix it after you release it. This is where you want to find the songs that pass the test, and the ones you feel you absolutely have to record, even if no one agrees with you. You're hoping to narrow it down to a list of about 15 songs. Play them for friends, at song nights, wherever, to see their impact in front of at least a few people.

PUTTING THEM TOGETHER: Make the simplest compilation of these tunes so that you can listen to them all in one place -- like a rough sketch of the album. Just a guitar vocal or piano vocal version will suffice -- no overdubs necessary. If they exist as demos, burn them all together on one CD. This is the first time you'll begin to get a sense of the album, and it can be a very revealing and important moment. You will be amazed at how much you learn just listening to everything back-to-back. This step can make or break the album.

THE DECISION: Whether you're a band, a smaller unit or a solo artist, you need to have a general idea of the scope for your CD. Do you envision lots of layers -- intricate arrangements needing many tracks and much editing? Do you think this needs to be a simpler sounding CD, with just a few instruments playing, adding subtle color to your basic guitar or piano track? These are things you must consider and plan for in at least the roughest terms before you go in. You may need to have some money set aside to pay for a few extra players. You may need to gauge for extra programming and editing time if you're envisioning a more complicated sound. You can do this even on a small budget if you've planned ahead.

The problems arise when you're in the studio and things start happening that you haven't planned for. For example, if the music starts to take another direction, things get out of hand because you haven't set the limits of what you are trying to create. You also want to leave room for spontaneous things to happen in the studio. People get inspired when recording and lots of ideas -- some great and some inappropriate -- can start floating around. But on your small and carefully planned project, you need to know when an idea, no matter how great, is not necessarily in keeping with your overall design, or is simply unaffordable.

THE MAPS: Now that you have a master list of songs, hopefully two or three more than you think will be on the CD, you have a picture of the way you would like this CD to be. It's now time to create the roadmaps on paper and tape so that when the musicians walk in, the songs are in front of them, ready to be learned and recorded. This is where you make "charts." There are a number of ways to write your songs down. You can use traditional music notation, or the "Nashville Number system" (which is quite marvelous and, for most independents, a lot easier to follow after they get the hang of it), or you can simply write out the chords over the words or on a piece of paper indicating where they fall in the song.

What you can't do is leave this job undone until everyone is sitting around the studio waiting to start the recording, because you're eating up valuable studio time with a job that rightly falls into the category of preproduction.

Write out your arrangements simply, because you want to leave room for things to change -- but it only works if everyone is starting off on the same page. You can make tapes of your songs and give them to your musicians beforehand if they will feel more comfortable being familiar with the music when they get there or if the music demands it.

If you are a band, it goes without saying that it is imperative to rehearse and work out arrangements before you record -- you don't want to be learning material in the studio. And all of the above rules apply to you as well, with the possible exception of writing charts if everyone knows the music well.

THE STUDIO: Talk your plan out with your engineer before you ever set foot in the studio, so that there are no surprising disagreements or misunderstandings cropping up after you've begun to spend your carefully saved dollars. It's a lot cheaper to agree on a direction before you start than to backtrack after you've begun recording.

"Preproduction is the thing that will make the difference between something you can be proud of and something you might wince at for the rest of your life"

No, you don't need a lot of expensive gear and all the latest plugins to make a great record. If you apply those to bad songs, you'll wind up with slick-sounding bad songs. You need to work with someone who understands that you only have so much money and that you want great performances and clear recording, and that is your goal, period. Believe me, many great and large-selling albums were not made on the latest and most expensive stuff.

SET UP THE DAY BEFORE: It is worth it to plan an extra day in your agreement with your studio and your musicians to set up all the instruments the day before, to get the sounds on the drums and guitars, to check the headphone systems with your engineer, and to make sure everything is running smoothly. It shouldn't take very long to do this, and it is a vital step. You can then walk in the day of recording and start working on your music. You don't want to eat up the musicians' time getting sounds -- wearing them out -- when you should be having a blast playing your music with the red light on.

If you've done your preproduction properly, you can maximize the time you're spending in the studio. You can calculate how much money you have and create a realistic budget for yourself and, by making clear preproduction decisions, not have terrible surprises that can waylay your album.

Recording is an art, just as much as writing, singing and performing. You may be trying to create a sonic painting or just trying to capture who you are on CD for your fans, but either way, the more prepared you are, the more your energy will be available for the music.