MANILA, Philippines?Gabriel ?Gab? Valenciano?s dream is to put up his own recording studio.

?I bought my first Powerbook laptop in 2003,? said the son of multi-awarded artist Gary Valenciano. ?I saved up for it. That same year, my dad got me my first keyboard. But it was in 2006 when I said I really wanted to concentrate on making music, so I decided to collect equipment.?

In 2008, Gab ?went all out? and bought most of the recording equipment he currently uses. He is now busy setting them all up at his newly bought condominium unit in Eastwood, Libis.

?I?ve been making music everyday since. It?s been fun,? said Gab, one of the hosts of the Sunday variety program ?ASAP.?

For people who share Gab?s dream, he has this advice: ?Start small. In the beginning, my gadgets weren?t the best. I can now afford top-of-the-line equipment because I?ve worked hard for them. Invest in software, too.?

Gadgets

?I cannot live without my 15-inch Macbook Pro. It has everything important to me?my music, pictures, my research. Everything is done here.

?My Korg MicroKontrol mini keyboard is where I create music. I use this if I need a quick arrangement of something.

?I use my Edirol field recorder to record anything from voice to instrument, to music. Since I make the music for ?ASAP,? this comes in very handy. It?s a really good recorder by Roland. It?s not very hard to use. Once you turn it on, just press record then that?s it.

?I don?t leave home without my trusty iPod Classic. I can?t do iTouch because I need buttons. I have about 500 CDs at home so I also need a lot of space. iPod Classic is perfect for that.

?My Flip Mino high-definition recorder is what I use when I rehearse and perform. This is very compact and records very clearly.

?My Blackberry Bold 2 or Onyx cell phone serves me well. I use it for e-mails, pictures and texting.

?My Panasonic Lumix camera has Leica lens, so ?dun pa lang panalo na ako. I like taking pictures. When you?re on-the-go, it?s really best to go compact.

?This brand, Foxl, is not sold locally. It?s a portable speaker system that?s super loud. This acts as my bass. I partner it with this speaker?the JBL On Tour, which is in-charge of the high frequencies. I connect both speakers to my computer.

?They don?t sell the Apple Hi-Fi speakers anymore. I don?t know why. It?s super lakas. I?ve had this for three years now. It?s very sturdy. I bring it everywhere because its very handy.

?The Line 6 Pod Studio ux2 audio interface records instruments, mic and voice. You can connect speakers here. I can record even when I?m on-the-go.

?I?m very keen to sound. I use Beats by Dr. Dre. These are noise-canceling headphones. They?re my listening headphones. After recording and mixing are done, I use these to make sure that everything is perfect.

?I got my M-Audio IE 40 earbuds from the States. These really cancel out sound. I can use these for performances, or when I?m just hanging out.?