When he is in his recording studio with a group of musicians, Joe Deller uses strange and poetic language to describe the subtle differences between sounds.

He says things like: "that bass is quite rude", "there's not enough car crash", and "what we need is some moon gel on the bong."

Listening back to a recording, a band member might say: "I'd like the sound to be more . . .

coffee-like" and Mr Deller will try to interpret their wishes using the technology at his disposal.

This technology includes a modern 16-track digital recording system, but Mr Deller often uses his trusty old valve system instead, finding it can produce a richer and more interesting result.

He said: "There has been a resurgence of interest in old technologies. Digital technology can sound very clinical. There is no dynamic range in there. The valve sound is much more organic and warm."

For the past 18 months Mr Deller, 38, has been running Rockrooms, a rehearsal space and recording studio in St Clement's, Oxford.

He saw an advertisement for the lease on a local music website and realised this was a chance to fulfill a long-held ambition.

His grandfather, who was an electronics engineer, introduced him to the basics of sound engineering using reel-to-reel tape recorders.

He explained: "At family events I was always recording noises, speeding them up, reversing them, cutting up and re-ordering them. I used to sit there splicing tape."

Mr Deller studied stage lighting and sound at school and later studied drama and TV, but then worked in software for 17 years.

He ran Rockrooms as a sideline at first, but gave up his salaried job last November and is now devoting himself full-time to the business.

It involves a lot of evening and weekend work, but this has enabled him to spend time during the day with his baby daughter, Carmen.

It doesn't often feature prominently in the mainstream press, but Oxfordshire's contemporary music scene is very vibrant indeed.

To date, Mr Deller has worked with around 30 of the 450-plus bands in the county. They play music in every genre, from emo to black metal; from screamo and grindcore to a unique jazz-funk he has named schmood' to suggest smooth' and moody'.

Some bands are made up of 50-something weekend warriors' who have given up dreams of fame but enjoy jamming together; others of talented and driven youngsters who just might hit the big time one day.

Once a glam-rocker, Mr Deller is currently the guitarist in the skunk-folk band Opaque.

He wanted to make his studio the kind of comfortable, user-friendly place where he would like to rehearse or record himself, and as different as possible from some of the grim venues he has played in over the years.

Bearing in mind the times he has lugged amplifiers and drum equipment up long flights of stairs, he provides these in situ, at no extra charge.

He is also happy to lend a spare guitar, an electric piano, leads, or strings, and there is a space where band members can relax and have a cup of tea.

If they can afford it, most bands want to make a recording to use as a demo to set up gigs, or send to record companies, or as a podcast. This can be the time when tempers fray.

Mr Deller said: "There is a lot of pressure once the record button is down. If people can't get it right, it causes a lot of band tension.

"I did a psychodynamics course. It's helpful when musicians are being moody!"

Although it is rewarding and fun to work with young musicians, it is hard to make a profit from the rehearsal side of the business, because they are often broke.

As a result, Mr Deller has been expanding into other types of recording, such as voiceover work.

He has helped to produce a CD for a motivational speaker, and worked with a retired major to produce voice recordings for The Gurkha Museum in Winchester.

Clients have come to him solely through word-of-mouth, including through social networking on the Internet.

Mr Deller added: "It's pretty important now to have a MySpace account. Everybody's on there. It's pretty much your modern business card and also gives you a chance to showcase your music."

Most of the bands with whom he works also use MySpace, and several have given him warm testimonials on the site.

Despite the long hours and the uncertainty entailed in going into business on his own, Mr Deller does not regret his decision.

He said: "Doing this, you're working with people's dreams. In software, you're just working with people's nightmares!"

Contact: www.rockrooms.co.uk www.myspace.com/rockrooms