London residence rental guide
4. Practicing and working
4.1 Practicing and working
The residence is a flat in an ordinary apartment building. Therefore, undue noise should be avoided. Since the grand piano can be played with headphones, use that option.
The upstairs work space has speakers, but especially in the evenings it might be advisable to use headphones which are connected to the mixer or directly to the keyboard instrument. If necessary, you can switch the speakers off by turning the volume control at the lower left corner counterclockwise as far as it goes.
Four music stands and microphone stands together with adapters are available on the bottom shelf of the cupboard in bedroom 4.
4.2 Grand piano
The grand piano is a Yamaha model C3 silent (186 cm), so you can also play it with headphones. There is a lever underneath the keyboard that you can pull to turn the grand piano into a silent digital grand piano. It is advisable to leave the headphones hanging on the hook on the left-hand side of the grand piano.
The volume and echo controls are located next to the headphone terminal. You can also record your playing. The user manual is available on the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard.
There is also a MIDI/USB cable interface (Roland UM-ONE MK2) attached to the MIDI terminal of the grand piano. You can use the grand piano as a master keyboard and connect it, for example, to your laptop computer. Instructions and drivers can be found online.
The digital mechanism of the grand piano is always in tune, even when the acoustic piano is not. The tuning of the grand piano is agreed upon with the Union office.
4.3 Guitars, bass and cajón
In the apartment, there are two acoustic steel-string guitars and an acoustic bass guitar, which are kept on wall mounts in the 1st floor work space and bedrooms 2 and 4. Handle them with care so that they will also serve future users, and put them back after use.
If strings break, replace the whole set. If there are no string sets in the pocket of the guitar case (in the cupboard next to the work space), pay a visit to one of the many guitar/music stores in London.
Do not adjust the neck of the guitar or bass unless you know what you are doing.
If necessary, you can amplify the sound of a Basson or Tanglewood guitar by using the upstairs mixer and speakers. In the work space, there is also a small stereo amplifier for an electroacoustic guitar (Yamaha THR5A) that features mic models, effects and a USB connector for the computer.
Do not leave the guitar or bass with the power switched on. You should also disconnect guitar cables after use. Replace batteries when needed.
Under the desk in the work space, you will also find a cajón drum which should not be played late at night since its fairly loud sound penetrates the structures through the floor.
4.4 Work space
The upstairs work space is intended for electronic music work.
The equipment includes:
- A Yamaha CP50 MIDI/USB keyboard/electric piano
- A 27-inch Samsung Full HD LCD LED display with RGB and HDMI inputs
- 2 Genelec 8020B powered speakers
- A Mackie 1202-VLZ3 mixer
- A Yamaha THR5A amplifier for an electro-acoustic guitar
- A Samsung ML-2955DW B&W printer
- Beyerdynamic DT-240 PRO headphones
There is an RGB cable, a DVI adapter, Apple adapters etc. on the shelf as well as operating instructions.
The intention is that users bring their own computers for work purposes. You can place them on the stand at the end of the movable arm.
It is important that the rear leg of the chair points directly away from the desk, otherwise the chair may tip over when you lean backwards.
Basic connections have already been made. Do not change them needlessly, or if you do, restore them back to their original configuration before leaving.
To connect the keyboard to your computer, you probably need a driver that can be found on the Yamaha web site under model name CP50 (support / downloads). Install the driver program on your computer as instructed.
There are also 4 music and microphone stands together with adapters on the lower shelf of the adjacent cupboard.
4.5 Internet
The apartment has a BT (British Telecom) broadband connection and a wireless network (WLAN).
Network name: BTHub3-T5PC
Password: bea5b7c327
The network name and password can also be found on the front panel of the WLAN hub on the shelf of the first floor work space. The wireless network can be accessed in all rooms and in the backyard. You can use the Internet connection with your own device or the PS3 console in the living room. In the work space on the first floor, you can connect your computer with a network cable to the WLAN hub (terminals 1-4 on the back of the device) to ensure maximum speed and minimum interference. The printer in the work space is WLAN enabled.
If the connection is lost and cannot be re-established, restart your computer and wait for the connection to start working again. Then, open the Web browser. If this does not help, you can reset the modem by pressing the reset button on the back of the device with the tip of a pen for 15 seconds. Then, wait for the modem to find all the settings.