Having just invested some serious money in setting up my home recording studio, I am exploring and refining my knowledge of the recording process. I'm not completely unfamiliar with recording, but always in the past it's been someone else's studio, working either on someone else's music or on a collaborative effort (and always with one eye on the clock and the other on my wallet). This one is MINE -- sorry if that sounds selfish, but it's been a long time coming. I'm having a great time, figuring out how to operate in this new digital world (everything I've done before was analog), trying out different mic positions and combinations, overdubbing complementary guitar, mandolin and vocal parts on songs and instrumental pieces that I had always played solo before, adding subtle effects to enhance presence, mixing down -- basically acting like a kid in a candy shop.

I'll be taking next week off from work to dive into this in earnest, and get started on recording my first solo CD. I have no illusions about getting famous, quitting my job, etc. -- this is all about personal satisfaction, and sharing it with any other people who might care to listen. After a lifetime of wishing I had something like this to work with, it's great to have finally gotten to this point.