Shhh, We're Recording continued.. Ten years ago, making a recording of an amateur ensemble was costly and complicated. Now it seems like every brass band, rock group and school choir has its own catalogue of CDs. Recording your group is rewarding and, if done properly, can be a useful fundraiser. All too often, though, amateur recordings are fairly dismal and unrepresentative of an ensemble's talent.

Here are seven ways to avoid making some obvious mistakes: Be prepared. Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling of having made a recording when your group wasn't performing at its best. If you're missing three tenors or your first cornet's got a cough – wait. Rescheduling your session could vastly improve a CD that will probably be around for years.

Arrange a time and venue that will ensure quiet. If a car alarm, mobile phone or the local pub drowns out a perfect take of a difficult passage you might never recapture the moment.

Although for a concert performance a lively acoustic can be helpful, for recording purposes it's usually better to use a venue with a dry sound. Reverb can easily be added after the recording has been made but it's difficult to remove the sound of an echo from a recording. A dry acoustic will also make it much easier to listen critically to the takes as they are laid down.

Going DIY can be a viable option. For as little as £200 a stereo microphone and portable minidisk recorder will make a basic but respectable recording. If you're conducting or playing with the ensemble, make sure there is a technically minded person on hand to operate the minidisk. You can't do both things at once.

If you're hiring professionals to record your ensemble, shop around to get the best deal. Several UK companies offer free recording sessions and then sell your recording back to you at a reasonable rate. Depending on the volume you require this could be a cheap way of getting a quality product. It's worth checking whether the company will clear the copyright for pieces you record or whether you are expected to do that yourself.

However you make the recording, careful editing is needed to make the most of it. Getting the sound exactly right and choosing which are your best takes can be a lengthy process but it's time well spent. If you're having your recordings edited in a studio, ask if you can be in on the process.

Lastly, think carefully about how many CDs you want and how much you'll need to charge for them. To maximise sales, make sure that the CD booklet is attractively designed and that the name of the ensemble is clearly displayed. RL