Two years ago, James Harris gave up a well-paid job in computers to follow his passion to develop a programme for budding musicians to record songs in their own homes.

Today, the 29-year-old's gamble at the start of the economic downfall has paid off, as he has just launched SongFactory, which creates a recording studio in your home.

The software package has already caused a stir in the music industry, with music professionals in the South West considering launching the programme in schools.

Mr Harris, who is married to teacher Laura, 25, quit his job as a computer programmer in January 2008 to set up his own business Notorious Notes.

Mr Harris, of St Anne's Park, has always been interested in music, started to play the piano at the age of seven, and has played in different bands.

But when it came to going to university, Mr Harris had to make the tough decision between studying music and computers, and the latter won.

For four years Mr Harris worked for two companies developing software for the police and a fleet car company.

But in his spare time he helped his musician friends turn their songs into reality in his home recording studio.

He told the Evening Post: "Turning a song into a professional sound involves many hours of rehearsing and recording, usually with expensive studio equipment. SongFactory enables songwriters to capture their song idea and try out different arrangements in minutes.

"It allows the user to hear their lyrics and melodies in different arrangements in a way no other package does. In 30 minutes you can work out the arrangement you want, and take an example CD and chord sheet to your band."

Mr Harris said before he developed this software he would often spend a whole day on just one song.

He said: "It has taken about three years to develop, and in January 2008 I gave up my job to work on it full-time. My wife is a teacher and she has been fantastic supporting me while I finished this."

Unlike other music software which uses electronically generated samples, Mr Harris' package uses real backing music and music samples recorded by professional musicians.

SongFactory is available as a download and a boxed version from www.notoriousnotes.com.