Yellowknife (May 19/04) - Before you curse those rockers in the neighbour's garage, stop and consider that they might be the next big hit in the music industry.

A Yellowknife teenager's makeshift recording studio has made it much easier for burgeoning artists to cut their tracks.

"I sacrificed my own bed for this studio," said Steve Whittaker. "People ask me where I sleep. I don't sleep."

Fifteen individual artists and three bands have recorded at his studio.

Whittaker has massed a plethora of musical equipment in his bedroom, which is 10 feet by 10 feet.

His set-up includes a drum kit, around six guitars, three amplifiers, two studio monitors (specialized speakers), digital drums, several microphones, a glockenspiel and an accordion.

"I've even got a kazoo in here somewhere," Whittaker said.

Pride of studio

Some of this equipment is borrowed ,though.

"That's my motto: bring your gear and leave it here," Whittaker said.

But the pride of his studio is computer software called Pro Tools.

"Pro Tools is used pretty much everywhere," Whittaker said. "It's a digital recording program with external hardware that allows you to plug in instruments."

The program allows bands to record and re-record their songs one track at a time. This means someone could record the drums first and the guitar afterward while listening to the drums.

Once done, both tracks -- many more than two are possible -- are combined.

Conceivably one person could play every instrument in the song and combine the tracks afterward.

This is what one of Whittaker's clients, and the term is used loosely considering he does not charge, has done.

Chris Fernandez has been recording at Whittaker's for several months and is about three weeks away from having his own CD.

"I wanted to call it Love All Wrong," Fernandez said.

Whittaker will use his computer to burn the CDs and print the cover art. This may sound like a long shot, but it has already been done.

Whittaker's band, Mandeville Drive (formerly Special Ed.), released a CD made in the same fashion last July.

Special Ed.'s "Live at the Cave Club" sold about 30 copies at a Yellowknife music store. There was demand for more, but making them was a tedious process.

Right now Mandeville Drive is doing more composing than recording.

They hope to take their act south in the future.

"Hopefully we're gonna buy a van next year and just go," Whittaker said.

He thinks the band's sound will sell better in the south, but he is loath to try and define exactly what that sound is.

"I'm not interested in a certain kind of music, I'm just interested in making music," Whittaker said. "But no country."

So keep your ears open for the sounds coming from Steve's studio, they are sure to be interesting.

"I can't wait to start using that glockenspiel," Whittaker said.