Tiny Studio 92 Begins
This is the story of how I got an Alesis Micron. Specific details will vary in accuracy, but the story is true.
I was eleven when I wrote my first song. It was an elegant work of satire titled, “Hey Hey We’re The Fart Boys.” It may have been strongly influenced by a song with a similar title made popular by The Monkees, but I didn’t care; I was creating something new. This is what I love. I wrote my first completely original song shortly thereafter in the same notebook. I forgot the melody the next day, but that didn’t change the fact that I had written it. Creating music is something I have always done. I am driven to it. To that end, when there are instruments or tools I need to further my musical endeavors, I find ways to get them even if I don’t have the means.
“If you can’t afford it, you can probably make it for less.” Nobody said that, but it is a clear lesson I learned from my dad and I am fortunate to have learned it well. In this case, I was 24 and I wanted an Alesis Micron. Suffice it to say, this keyboard would do everything I needed; it was the perfect fit for the duo I was playing in at the time. My drive was set, but it was $350 new. I didn’t have that kind of cash. I looked around a bit and figured out I could probably get one for $250 used if I was patient. But I only had $100 and it would likely be months before I had more to spend. I couldn’t afford it…could I make it? There happened to be a plethora of electric organs from the 60s and 70s for sale in my area at very reasonable prices. If I could just make one of those portable, it could do a lot of what I wanted the Micron for. So I picked one up for just $35.
I took every piece of the organ apart until all that was left were keys, pedals, buttons, PCB and cables. I built a new case out of plywood and installed all of the organ guts. The case was heavy and bulky, but I was able to take it to shows and play it. In the end, I had spent a total of $80 on building this machine. It wasn’t the Micron, but it was better than nothing. But then it was really bulky. And pretty heavy. I had learned a lot and thought maybe I could do a better job if I did it again; I could make it more portable. I put the organ up for sale online and was able to make my $80 back. I was fully funded for round two.
With a stroke of luck, I found an organ online for free; all I had to do was pick it up. Perfect! This one came with a piano bench. It wasn’t long before I started wondering if I could fit the the whole organ into the bench. I played Frankenstein for the next few days. The end result was a monstrous mess protruding from an otherwise normal piano bench. Various controls rose up in a 16” wall around the entire outer edge of the bench. Controlling this machine live would be nearly impossible. But it still functioned, and I learned a few things along the way. This amalgamation wouldn’t sell, but I had invested $0 this time around.
To begin round three of my organ escapades, I spent some time looking at all my options online. The last one was free, but it had way too many controls. I paid $50 this time to get a specific organ I wanted. Fewer controls. Nice layout. I could make this work. As before, I took the entire thing apart. I cut through the key beds and accompanying PCB––an idea I had tested on the last iteration––to make them fit in the piano bench better. With fewer controls, the final product only rose 8” above the top of the piano bench; and all the controls were on front/top facing panels, easily accessible. It was an incredible success. It even had a detachable cable for the bass pedals so they could transport easily as well. This was cool. This was my Alesis Micron. But I still wanted a Micron. My piano bench organ was a one-trick-pony in comparison to the versatility of the Micron. My drive had not been satiated. But this was still a cool instrument in its own right. “Maybe even worth as much as a used Micron,” the thought did cross my mind. So I posted it for sale online saying I would accept cash or trades for a Micron.
A few days in, I got an email offering a trade; their Micron for my organ + $50. I made that deal in a heartbeat. In my mind, they valued the Micron at $250 and the organ at $200. I was proud to have created a unique instrument that held value. I was also elated to finally have a Micron for a total out-of-pocket cost of $100. And that’s the story of how I got an Alesis Micron. I sold it a few years later. So it goes.
The drive that I have for music and creating is intense. I spent at least a hundred hours working on those organs, delving into the depths of the internet to understand the inner workings of decades-old instruments and how I might dismantle and reconstruct them. When I moved into my current home, the only space I could find for a studio was a glorified walkway-–ninety two square feet in total. I built a new wall to close off one end and added French doors at the other with the help of my dad (there he goes teaching that lesson again). I stepped inside and found a new question. It wasn’t about how I would be limited in this space, but rather the limitless possibilities this space provided. What can I accomplish in ninety two square feet? What can I create? Right now, I write novels, I write and record albums of music, and I make music videos of the recording process. I am driven to this. These are the things I want to do. These are the things I love to do. I am obsessed, and I would like to share a little bit of that obsession with you in my Tiny Studio 92.
