You're a semi-professional musician, with dreams of becoming a pro. You're a member of a working band, or have steady gigs on your own. There's some original material in your repertoire and you want it heard by someone other than the local bar crawlers, someone with a major record label, who will come, trailing sports cars, groupies, recreational drugs and multi-million dollar contracts, to snatch you from the road houses of Tipiho and place you in the coliseums of the world's major cities.

To get the ear of that big record executive, you'll need'to get your potential hits onto something more permanent than the hometown audience's memory. Without heavy financial backing, however, you might find studio time beyond the reach of your budget. Don't resign yourself to finding a day job to pay the bills, though. If you can't find someone to cut your demo, cut it yourself.

Bold words, perhaps, but producing your own demo can be easier than you think. With some ingenuity, a place to play undisturbed, and a small outlay for equipment, you can be turning out your originals the way you want them heard. It can cost you less than a new Les Paul.

First, get a tape decktwo of them, if; you plan on adding vocals or instruments to a basic track. Most major stereo manufacturers offer a cassette deck for under $200, usually with Dolby or some other noise-reducing circuitry, like the Pioneer CF-2121. For a little more money, a reel-to-reel deck offers higher fidelity, easier operation and the ability to overdub without erasing previous recordings (sound-onsound). For about $400, you can choose between an Akai 4000DS or a Sony TC-377.

Next you will need some microphones. If you plan on plugging straight into the mike inputs of your recorder, a high-impedance microphone like the Shure PE-588 will give good results. If you use a mixing board, you might take advantage of the wider frequency response and lower noise with a low-, impedance mike from AKG or ElectroVoice can offer.

At this point you are ready to lay your first tracks. Follow these simple instructions and you are on your way to making your first "album."

1. Tape a rhythm track on Recorder # 1. Since this will be the "timekeeper" for whatever you record next, concentrate on keeping a steady beat. An electronic rhythm machine might be a worthwhile investment at this point.

2. Play back the rhythm track and record it on the left channel of Recorder #2. At the same time, record another instrument on the right channel. Play it back, and you should be listening to a duet between you and yourself.

3. Mix these two tracks onto the left channel of Record #4. (You'll need a Y-cord or another two-to-one adaptor.) While recordings play your third instrument into the right channel.

Get the picture? By recording back and forth between the two decks, you have wound up with an entire band on tape. This sort of overdubbing bears the seal of no less than Pete Townshend, who recorded demos of early Who material using this method.

It is not without drawbacks, though. Each time you re-record a track, you are adding tape noise and cutting fidelity. Once a track has been recorded a few times, it may be top noisy to use further. If high-quality sound is a must, consider getting a deck that will let you tape several tracks before having to mix down to one.

Such decks are called "multi-track" recorders, because they use more than the two tracks required for stereo. Such recorders can have over sixteen tracks, though four and sometimes eight channel decks are the most common type you will see. The leader in hbme multi-track decks is TEAC, whose A-334Q started a small revolution when it first appeared. Today you can choose a multi-track derik from Akai, Otari and Sony as well. Expect to spend atieast $800—if that seems steep, remember what the Beatles did with a four-track.

Few promoters have a quadrophonic sound system built into the office, so you will want to mix down what you've recorded onto stereo tape. Mixdown boxes adequate for such a purpose are available for under $50 from Kik, Uni vox, and TEAC. Such boxes usually mix down four imputs into one or two outputs. Should you need more inputs, say, for recording a band, set some money aside for a mixing board. A Tapco 6200 offers six inputs, stereo mixdown, and equalization for under $500 and can be used as a PA mixer. More sophisticated recording boards are available from Tascam and Sound Workshop.

If you set your standards on overall fidelity high enough, you will want to invest in some noise-reduction circuitry at this point. A sideshow of companders, comptessor/limiters, .dynamic range expanders, and equalizers are available from Tapco, MXR, and DBX. An investment in one of these boxes can pay off in a clean full-fidelity demo.

This may seem like a tremendous chunk to be taking out of your already strained savings, but it needn't be. TEAC, one of the largest manufacturers of home recording equipment, has collaborated with Finance America, a nationwide loan company, in developing a special loan application for musicians interested in buying recording equiprrient on terms. Your agent, your union, and the club-owners who book you or your band regularly can be used as credit references, something heretofore unheard of. Full details of this plan are available at your local Finance America office, or by writing direct to TEAC.

Today's professional musician "performs" as much in the studio as he does onstage. The experience gained in using your home recording equipment can set the groundwork for your first try in a studio. If you are a songwriter, a home studio can help you get your material heard. And if you pursue it, the day may come when you'll find the other local bands outside your garage door, waiting to pay for your studio tirne and expertise. Against such a day, then, happy experimenting, and may you always get it right oh the first take. Any questions you may have can be addressed to me in care of Strings 'n Things in Memphis, 205 S. Cooper St., Memphis, TN 38104. All letters will get personal attention.¶§|)