Welcome to my Music Room..... I could not have got this far with my project without the fantastic support I have received. The creation of my music room, has given me the independence I needed to split my time between recording music, and creating the necessary promotional material on the computer. It is amazing how much work there is to do running this project single handed until Vicky Sadler joined the project. It would not be practical to involve other people in the management of the multiple Web Sites, as they would constantly be coming back to me to check facts and figures. Many of the following images are linked to larger pictures. Planning the layout of your studio is really important, and in my case it had to be designed around my hospital bed.

In the early days the Music Room was used as a box room. I had equipment donated, but it remained boxed as I had nowhere to put it. My wife Janine could not be expected to carry things about, so we were stuck. The room was very small, but once we planned things out, it began to look as though something good might be possible. It was all down to finding someone who could help build a storage unit, that would allow my equipment to be within easy reach.

I was very fortunate to find out about REMAP, who are a national charity that designs, and builds, specialist equipment for the disabled, as long as the item itself cannot be shop bought. The charity is split into independant devisions, and are supported by retired engineers and professional people who give their time on a voluntary basis. They built the bed-side units to my design, with sliding shelves to extend equipment towards my bed, which allows easier reach. The unit itself extends to the full width of the room and easily compensates for the extended weight of equipment.

The next thing I needed was an adjustable means of supporting a keyboard across my bed, so I designed a unit that would allow the top to be tilted, and end pieces that could slot on the end to support my different keyboards, whilst using the same keyboard stand. There was also a need to have a more permanent arangement for my PRS-8000 keyboard which is too heavy to move around.

An over-bed trolley was constructed, on wheels, to allow it to be moved up and down the bed. This is also adjustable so that the height can be varied both front and rear. Once all the fittings were in place, it was then a matter of installing all the equipment I had been waiting over 9 months to use.

My good friend Martyn Harrison set about the task of wiring everything in. The final adjustments have been made with the inclusion of Minidisc to add to the mastering formats I now have available. I have to admit it was a tight fit to get everything into such a small room, and there was careful positioning required to be able to close the door behind me. This has been sorted by installing a sliding door that folds. A thermostatic heater maintains a constant temperature for the equipment, and a master power trip switch, to cut off all power in the case of an electrical problem, protects the equipment. Another necessary extra is the security system that supports the latest types of detection.