05.11.04 I just redesigned my office/studio almost from the ground up. After obtaining a Tascam® FW-1884 Control Surface/Mixing Console, I needed to move things around a bit and my old desk just didn't cut it.

So, after searching around quite a bit and finding nothing fitting my exact requirements, I decided to build my own desk. Included here are the original trueSpace rendering of what I wanted, and the final result, which is a bit different, but everything fits together as I envisioned.

Since the room is rather small, I needed to get everything pretty tightly integrated for it to all work out for me. I only have 2 rack units that I use at this point: the Digitech® ValveFX (discontinued), a single tube preamp/effects box for guitar, which I also use for bass guitar, and my MindPrint® EnVoice MKII tube recording preamp. They sit on top of the stand I bought for the FW-1884 and face me within arms' reach. My laptop sits on top of the effects rack.

The keyboard/mouse/work area is 36 inches wide, and 12 inches deep, straight and level, precisely 23" above the floor. The control surface area is 36 inches wide by 20 inches deep, and is angled at 6.5 degrees (the rear of the surface is about 3.5 inches higher than the front). There is room here for one or two FE-8 expanders. I've mounted LittleLite® fixtures on either side of the desk for visual edification of real world objects. On either side, I have also mounted Antec® multicolor LED light bars for some visual ambience. Underneath the desk is an angled foot rest for those long into-the-night sessions.

On the wall behind the desk are mounted two AVF Vector 750 TV/Monitor wall mounts. On the left, the ViewSonic G810 21" color monitor. On the right, the AcerView 76e 17" monitor. Both of these monitors sit 34 inches from the floor, for an ideal viewing angle that doesn't require me to strain my neck upwards. On either side of thecomputer monitors are Event® PS8 active near field monitors sitting on adjustable stands. On the side of the desk, I added two 12 inch wide by 18 inch deep shelves. The bottom one holds my scanner. The top one holds my firewire drive, my wireless keyboard/mouse receiver, my Brother® PC label printer, my laptop trackman marble and odds and ends.

On the right sits my venerable (old and cranky?) Yamaha® SY77. On the wall above it are my Ibanez® RGT42FM and the "25 dollar" guitar. On the next wall are my classical guitar, "a gift from the desert", and my 5-string MTD Grendel bass guitar (designed by Michael Tobias and built by hand in the Czech Republic). It has a lovely transparent Teal flame top, a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, a pair of Bartolini's in the neck and bridge positions. It's a sweet sounding axe. It's extremely playable also.

04.09.05 A couple of new additions are here now also, the Carlo Robelli fretless bass, the Epiphone Jumbo with the wine red finish and the black 12-string. There's also the Palomino 16 all tube guitar amp (sounds A W E S O M E!), the Vox ToneLab guitar modelling processor, Roland SPD-6 percussion pads, Schallock Conga and Quinto set and various other little percussion instruments, including the Ocean Drum.

09.01.05 I've got a bigger room, and more stuff to fill it with, and that's going to be it for awhile. The kit is a hybrid acoustic/electronic with mesh vpads, a TD-6V drum brain, Zildjian, Sabian and Wuhan cymbals and a Titan rack and a bunch of stands as well. It definitely makes a big difference having acoustic cymbals and snare on a recording. The cymbals especially brighten up the top end of the mix. The dual 21" CRTs have been replaced by 17" LCDs on articulated arms.

To the right here is a picture of my studio circa 2001, when I was living in Beaverton, Oregon.

The guitars are on the opposite wall, out of view.

The wall art was first brought out of my head into Photoshop for color matching before selecting and buying paint. The image on the far right illustrates this.

To the left and right here, there are some pictures of the Brooklyn studio, circa 1998.

Located right on Atlantic Avenue, one of the busiest streets in the world.

This was the base of operations for my last band.

As you can see from the second photo, this man's best friend is quite comfortable in this space.