Though I'm no longer a professional musician, I still get the odd desire to put a tune or two together. Unfortunately, forays into professional studio environments have been few and far between recently, but they happen on occasion. 

Over the years I've used a strange and interesting bunch of kit. Initially I used to use two tape machines and constantly bounce from tape to tape adding new instruments as I did so. This was labourious, low quality stuff and I was twelve. By the time I was seventeen, the equipment was much better as EMI used to pay for me to sit in residential recording facilities at £1,500 per day. My first proper home recording stuff came via my time with New Model Army. After four and a half years the band finally stumped up for a Tascam Porta One. The Ensoniq EPS Sampler that I'd blagged from Ensoniq UK was in my flat and I'd got myself a Fender Stratocaster and amplifier with a bit of swag money from the last tour. I purloined a Roland TR-505 drum machine and with the basses I had from the band and some MIDI cable I was in business.

After I jacked NMA in, they took back some of my stuff. One of my Hiwatt amps and the Ensoniq. So I was stuck with using the Roland Juno 6 and SH-101 I got when I was at college. I acquired an Emu Systems Emulator II from The Damned which was in need of maintenance. All okay for a while but I had my eye on other things.

I spotted a Yamaha MD-8 Digital recorder and arranged a deal to swap some old kit, the Tascam, the Juno and an old Samson wireless guitar system for the Yamaha. Bargain. But wait, it can be run by a computer? What a novel idea! Computer controlled digital music.

A visit to the studio of all round good egg Steve Marshall whilst recording with the now defunct Ska Trouble got me interested in the concept of a Digital Audio Workstation. Subsequent work at Steve's with Pants sold me on the idea and by a great deal of maneuvering and luck, I acquired a Soundscape R.Ed 24 for half the list price courtesy of Ken Barton in Bristol. This amazing bit of kit forms the centre of 'The Studio at Pooh Corner' as it's known (to me). The Yamaha bit the dust to make way for a new Behringer desk. Needs must, so I've finally moved out of the dark ages and I'm ready to mess with the big boys...it's professional quality stuff...