This was probably our favorite room in the house. The film room contained a home theater system with a DVD player, VCR (remember those?), and separate amplifier/ preamplifier. It is a killer stereo system and can reproduce theater level soundtracks, but of a much higher quality. The visuals came from a notebook-sized projector. In addition to tapes and DVDs, the projector was also linked to our cable system. We could also produce music in this room; it contained a 24-track recorder which allowed Tracy to create multiple music tracks, mix them, and burn her own audio CDs. The room was been treated to tame acoustic reflections, and it sounds great for movies, stereo and multiple channel music, as well as recording--a truly multipurpose room! The sound system featured Dolby and DTS 6.1 sound, and also played SACD and DVD-Audio discs. The picture to the left shows the front end of the theater room, with its 120-inch screen flanked by 2 floor-standing speakers. The rug is Iranian, and the room is decorated with Indonesian pillows. The walls are lined with textiles (again, from Barefoot Gallery in Colombo Sri Lanka) which also serve to hide some of the acoustic panels. The picture to the right shows the rear of the film room. At the left is the subwoofer which provides the bass for movies and soundtracks, and next to it is the rack containing the stereo/home theater components. In addition to the color provided by the textiles, the window treatments also added welcome color; the photo to the lower left shows the lime green Roman blinds covering the main window/ balcony. The photo at the lower right shows the projector and the orange Sri Lankan hanging. Although dark as pitch for movie viewing, the room itself was bright and airy when the blinds are up. The room was a riot of color!

Tracy: Live in Choa Chu Kang!

Finally, almost 2 years after purchasing the digital 24-track recorder, we got around to using it. Thanks to the room treatment, the film room easily doubled as a first-rate recording studio. One wet March afternoon Dale got his next lesson in sound engineering from Paul Koebnick, who handles all the theater and audio equipment at the Singapore American School, and who was our resident recording guru. Paul took us through the steps of how to record the original tracks, add harmony and reverb, and then mix them down to a stereo CD. The final result? A "live" Tracy CD with 7 tracks...no, never "marketed"!

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