For the foreseeable future PBS will be focusing predominantly on providing an online mixing & session service. Over the last year or so I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of people who have approached me wanting a mix of some pre-recorded tracks or requiring additional instrumentation and also those who require pieces of music for use in their multimedia material. It seems that many bands, songwriters and other artistes track their recordings in one place and then look somewhere else for the mix and additional production elements.

It’s possible I suppose that some people mix it all themselves and others attempt to, but then decide that they either don’t enjoy the mixing process or they want a better job done. In any event, it suits me because I get an opportunity to keep myself occupied in a varied and enjoyable way, which is always a good thing.

Additionally the studio will be working on it’s creative output in the form of music & song composition for TV, Movies, Multimedia and for other artistes with a view for more projects in the future comprising of various sound & sample products for use with audio applications like Garageband & Logic etc…

My own services as a guitarist will be available for online session work. Imagine sending a track to me at midnight that needs some guitar parts added and then waking up in the morning to find the finished parts in your inbox! The same thing will apply to mix projects too.

Don’t forget to check out the sister site PowerBook Producer which is the place to discover insights into the PowerBook Producer’s philosophy on recording great sounds. it’s early days over there, but there will be a lot of great stuff to take in over there as time goes on.

I’m finding the project extremely fulfilling, but I didn’t realize how much of my time would be taken up with it. It really is a lifestyle, which I am glad of because it leaves no room for wasting time idly.

The whole podcast has been revamped and now the work has begun to publicize it, so any help out there will be much appreciated.

Check out The Weekly Songcast now. Thanks.

PowerBook Producer.

Over the course of time I will be adding to the content of the site helping provide those interested with valuable information on how your self-recorded productions can brought up to the standard of a professional release and how to get the most out of the resources you already have.

PowerBook Studio now serves two purposes. It is a shop window for my services and talents and also a place where I will be able to share some of my knowledge and experience as a music producer & composer.

This is a huge part of who I am, so I’m serious about doing a good job here. I’m picking up more and more work from the internet as I go along and my dream of doing mixing, production & composition work for clients worldwide has become a reality. Now my dream is to take it up to a whole new level of success. I am always very keen to hear from people who share these interests, so if you have any thoughts of what you would like to see here in the future or if you are interested in using any of my services then please contact me

However it is developing and finally I believe I have created a site design that I am satisfied with. I have started a large number of projects, which are testing my time-management skills to the limit, not to mention pushing the boundaries of my creative and technical skills. This explains why it takes time for this stuff to materialize around here, but I enjoy every minute of it. This is why I know that when there is a wealth of content here of great value it will all havebeen worthwhile.

Stay tuned also for an extension to PowerBook Studio, which I will ensure is here by New Year’s Day at the latest.

OK update complete. Thanks.

I am getting more and more excited about taking the direction I have chosen on this website. I believe that I can inspire certain-minded individuals to become really great record producers by following some of my philosophies on music production and, in turn I would love to think that those people can go on and change the world in some way.

So the emphasis here will be on educating and showcasing my own talents and passions, whilst offering my services as a producer, tutor and all-round supporter of all things musically creative. I sense that 2008 is going to be a huge year for me with many big and very positive changes in my life. The seeds of what is to come have already started to germinate and I can see nothing but possilbility ahead.

PBS may not look like it is cooking on gas right now, but it is, more than even I imagine. I’m going to make sure that my enthusiasm and forthcoming success rubs off on those who can see the magic and want to be affected by it.

I have several websites, which are blogs because it was an easy way of building an attractive lookig site very quickly, but now I have decided that I only want to write blog posts in one location. There will still be a news/updates section on this site where readers can comment, but it will be for announcing new content and material on the site and any news I feel is relevant and interesting enough to add.

This website will eventually focus on production: My productions and music, Articles and Discussion.

Sorry for a less-than-interesting post.

This is why I am excited about the latest product from Avid/Digidesign:
The Mbox 2 Micro.

It comes with the latest version of Protools LE software and is about the same size as a USB memory stick. It has no inputs, only a mini-jack stereo out and a thumbwheel to control volume. It doesn’t support 96KHz sample rate, but it is a very portable and cost effective way for me to become compatible with using Protools on OS X.

There is just one unknown factor so far for me. How well will it work with my G4 Powerbook. I’m sure it will run OK. My old G3 Pismo ran Protools LE 6 on an Mbox 1, but did not have the power to successfully bounce to disk, so I need to find out how well the G4 will perform with this gadget. If it works OK then I’ll be really happy!

I still have a great audio input via the Apogee Mini-Me & VX Pocket into Protools Free. In fact I think that the quality of this still exceeds the entire Digidesign LE range of products, albeit limited to only 44.1KHz, which is fine for me right now anyway.

The MBox 2 Micro would allow me the option to mix with more than 8 tracks. Of course an old G4 isn’t going to do well running 48 tracks of audio, but even if I am able to run 12-16 tracks and have the ability to run some new plugins and instrument tracks then PowerBook Studio can be very much more feature laden without bankrupting me!

Exciting stuff. If I get one soon I’ll do a full review of it here…

It is the original PowerBook Studio, par excellence! I have upgraded the core of my studio now to the lovely G4 Titanium, but my G3 Pismo was what started the whole thing off… and to think I may never have embarked on the PowerBook Studio path if I hadn’t gone through the tough, learning experience of signing a big management deal in the USA and then it falling through. The whole reason I built a system like this was because I sold all of my up-market equipment along with my car and many other items in order to help fund my big career change Stateside. I put together this small system so I could still record rough demos and "sketches" of songs. As soon as I realized the potential of this I invested in a quality audio interface, namely the Apogee Mini-Me and produced an entire album from beginning to end with it.

So the first incarnation of PBS looked as it does in this photo. Actually all that has changed now is the Powerbook itself, which has loads more horsepower, a nicer screen and the ability to run a few more of the newer OS-X applications due to the G4 processor.

The PowerBook Studio is well and truly realizing it’s potential. The dream was to produce music in paradise and that is exactly what is happening right now. I am about 10 metres from the beach, sitting outside on the porch watching the Andaman waves crashing in. Once I have posted this I have loads of new music to work on that I have been commissioned to produce.

PowerBook Studio is soon to be a transformed place. Far less emphasis on the blog, although I will be posting on it as and when interesting updates are to be had.

The website will mainly be geared towards sharing the ethos of the Powerbook Studio, which is to make music, or multimedia for that matter anywhere without needing a large budget to do so. In fact it is more likely that travel costs will be more than the cost of the studio!

I love the fact that I got my studio out here in my hand luggage, although it is not the complete studio. If I didn’t have to bring a lot of other stuff that I needed for this trip I think I could have got all of it in (minus the studio monitors). I am intent on being able to transport the entire studio, which consists of PowerBook, microphones, audio interface, external hard drive, cables and powered monitors all in my hand luggage. Maybe I’ll have some room left for a toothbrush, razor and a spare pair of underpants! Failing that I know that it will all go in my main luggage.

So maybe I’ll create a PowerBook Studio podcast to get into the swing of things. It seems fitting to make audio posts on the blog too.

Sorry for the lame post, but I am still working on a totally different format for PowerBook Studio. I have a strong intention for this site to become a hub for my multimedia activities. I have started to see the concept of the PowerBook Studio from more than just a music production point of view. The idea here is to expand the limits of your imagination with regard to using a Powerbook or a notebook computer.

I am also building this site to showcase my own work, the services I offer and a source of information in varying formats like audio, video, downloads, podcasts and written tutorials & articles. There’s a lot to be done, so it will be an unfolding process. The new design is almost complete, so the next thing is the content.

I am spending the month of October in Thailand, so there may not be that many site updates or changes, but I am keen to spend some sunny days outside creating some written content. This is the website I have been wanting to create for ovedr a year now, but for some reason found a way to put it off, mainly due to "not knowing how I want to do it". The subject matter of the forthcoming PowerBook Studio website is my big passion in life, which is expanding into new fields as well as getting stronger than ever.

I’ll be posting from Thailand on my personal blog Leave The Office while I am away if anyone is interested in my ramblings from Thailand.

Thanks for reading.