Chairs... Not sure where to post this...

[Autist]

I was using a very cheap uncomfortable chair in my studio. Yesterday it was replaced with another computer desk type chair (softer and leather). The first chair made me slouch and now my back is suffering from it. The new chair is far more comfortable, but almost makes me feel like I am sitting up too straight. Are those executive chairs with the arms that can recline somewhat any better? I tried many out at OfficeMax. My companion likes one of the ones with arms and thinks it would be better for my back, but the arms were uncomfortable for me, they pushed up on my shoulders in an un-natural manner.

Any suggestions?

[MadAudio]

Got mine at a yard sale for $20.

[thane1200]

I went to *cough* WalMart and paid 40 bones for a super-strong, office chair. It has adjustable height, adustable arm height, and rolls well; solid steel, one of the best WalMart purchases ever!

[HapiCmpur]

Ya know, those guys in the mic forum are always doing mic shoot-outs and Pepsi Challenges. I want somebody in this forum to do a study to determine the perfect mixing chair. Please start with the Herman Miller Aeron chair and let me know if it's worth the money. Be sure to sample some of the cheaper Aeron knock-offs, too.

Perhaps there should be a Musician's Science Foundation or something to research this kind of stuff for us. Doesn't that sound like a good use of our tax dollars (for a change)?

[Autist]

I wish I could afford a real nice chair, but my budget for one is below 100.00 and in that range it is real hard to decide.

I do wish that there were more resources on chairs, but they seem to be a very overlooked part of the recording environment, despite the fact that everyone in every studio has one. But my back is telling me to stop overlooking the chair.

[Massive Master]

I used to have one of these...

http://www.massivemastering.com/special/ultraseat.jpg

But I've recently moved into another HM knockoff from Office Depot or something... About $150... GREAT lower back support. It's one of those chairs that's very comfortable IF your posture is correct, but it (not so gently) lets' you know if you're posture is bad.

It's a "tough love" thing...

[Nick The Man]

def go with the desk chair with no arms


they are quiet and you have room for the guitar cause the arms are gone

[mikeh]

When you sit for hours at a mixing desk you need a decent chair.

My main axe is the drum kit,(and my day gig involves sitting in an office all day) so I learned long ago that your ass and back need proper support.

I spent about $200 for a fairly decent cloth office chair with adjustable lumbar support. I chose cloth because it does not make the squeaks that leather does (which a mic could pick up). Cloth is not subject to the hot & cold like leather can be.

I chose a chair with no arms, since I often track guitar and/or bass while sitting at the board, so I did not want arms that would interfere with holding a guitar in my lap. Candidly, I am often reaching to the right or left to tweak a module or a porcessor, when I did have arms on a chair, I was contantly banging my elbows!

[Autist]

My companion and I went to Office Dpot yesterday and got this chair:

Raynor Maverick

Someone had put a sale tag on it for $79.99. They had multiple colors and only the black one had the sales tag. We couldn't figure out why the black ones were on sale, but we decided that this is the chair. At the checkout they rang it up for the full price and when my companion protested, stating it was marked as being on sale for $79.99 the manager checked and said they had to sell it to us for $79.99. We got a $200.00 chair for $80.00!

So far, it is one of the most comfortable chairs I have EVER sat in and like a luxury car seat it can be adjusted in any way that I want. THIS is THE chair, at least for me. It has arms, which will make it difficult to use with guitar, but I have other options for that. So far, I like the arms on this chair, but I can always remove them if I need to. The metal parts have a build like military hardware and this thing is so heavy it is hard to roll on my carpet, the only downside. It is recommended for 5 to 7 hours of use at a time, more than any other chair they had on display.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

[HapiCmpur]

Originally Posted by Autist

So far, it is one of the most comfortable chairs I have EVER sat in and like a luxury car seat it can be adjusted in any way that I want. THIS is THE chair, at least for me.

Please report back to us after you've used the chair significantly for about a week. I find that chairs are a lot like athletic shoes: they often feel really comfortable when doing quick trials in the store, only to fail miserably when you put them to actual use.

Has anybody used one of those cushionless chairs, modeled after the Aeron, that supports your weight with a fine webbing instead of padding? They're supposed to be very comfortable AND they allow your body heat to vent away, which is great for long sessions. But I'm wondering if they're noisy.

[Autist]

Originally Posted by HapiCmpur

Please report back to us after you've used the chair significantly for about a week. I find that chairs are a lot like athletic shoes: they often feel really comfortable when doing quick trials in the store, only to fail miserably when you put them to actual use.

Has anybody used one of those cushionless chairs, modeled after the Aeron, that supports your weight with a fine webbing instead of padding? They're supposed to be very comfortable AND they allow your body heat to vent away, which is great for long sessions. But I'm wondering if they're noisy.

I will do, but I can tell you, the chair I tried in my studio yesterday: after the first hour I had to get out of it and was miserable with it all day. I barely notice this chair even exisits. The longer I sit in it, the more I like it.

I tried a few of those mesh chairs. They seem like they would be very cool (not Fonzy cool) and they are comfortable on the back and butt, but the designs of the ones I tried at Office Max were not very comfortable. The backs were not high enough, or the arms were too high, or they leaned back too far, with no way to adjust them forward.

The BEST mesh chair I tried was this one at Office Depot:

Mesh Chair

It was extremely comfortable, but the headrest was too low for me, even for neck support.

[cellardweller]

Originally Posted by Autist

My companion and I went to Office Dpot yesterday and got this chair:

Raynor Maverick

Someone had put a sale tag on it for $79.99. They had multiple colors and only the black one had the sales tag. We couldn't figure out why the black ones were on sale, but we decided that this is the chair. At the checkout they rang it up for the full price and when my companion protested, stating it was marked as being on sale for $79.99 the manager checked and said they had to sell it to us for $79.99. We got a $200.00 chair for $80.00!

So far, it is one of the most comfortable chairs I have EVER sat in and like a luxury car seat it can be adjusted in any way that I want. THIS is THE chair, at least for me. It has arms, which will make it difficult to use with guitar, but I have other options for that. So far, I like the arms on this chair, but I can always remove them if I need to. The metal parts have a build like military hardware and this thing is so heavy it is hard to roll on my carpet, the only downside. It is recommended for 5 to 7 hours of use at a time, more than any other chair they had on display.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

That chair is very similar to those used in the inspection of glass containers containing injectible medicines. Actually they are nearly identical were you to remove the headrest from yours.

[Autist]

Originally Posted by cellardweller

That chair is very similar to those used in the inspection of glass containers containing injectible medicines. Actually they are nearly identical were you to remove the headrest from yours.

That is interesting and it forces me to wonder how you are so familiar with chairs used for such purposes. I will say this though, if those chairs are as comfortable as this one then I understand why they use them. The headrest is fantastic, especially when just relaxing and listening to stuff. I have had Zeppelin 3 playing at 85dB for about 3 hours and haven't once been interupted by a sore back, or butt.

[HapiCmpur]

When I first mentioned the Herman Miller Aeron chair in this thread, it was just a joke. Those things cost upwards of $800, and that's just for the base models. However...

I was at The Great Indoors today picking up a few plumbing fixtures when I recalled this thread on mixing chairs. So I ambled on over to the office furniture section and discovered a whole assortment of Herman Miller chairs.

Oh -- My -- God!

The Aeron is amazing. It's unbelievably comfortable, but not because it's soft and cushy. It's comfortable because it's firm and situates you in good postural alignment. (Okay, I made up a word there. Let's not get hung up on it.)

The price is outrageous, of course, but when I consider how much time I spend at my desk it occurs to me that I ought to think about office chairs the same way I think about matresses: it's an item where quality and comfort really count. Not only that, if you get a good chair or a good matress you won't have to buy another one for a very long time. So I can soothe my conscience by pro-rating the sticker price of the item over its life expectancy.

Bottom line: I'm saving up for an Aeron, not for a mixing chair but for a desk chair. (Sadly, I spend a lot more time in my home office than in my home studio.) And if I can figure out a way to make it vibrate, I will never stand up again.

P.S. Herman Miller makes a cute little chair for about $400, called the Caper, which is much less adjustable than the Aeron but still very firm and supportive, and you can get it with or without arms. That's what I may end up getting for my mixing desk one day.

[dwillis45]

I'm still looking for the ideal chair that won't roll over mic and instrument cables!

[HapiCmpur]

Originally Posted by dwillis45

I'm still looking for the ideal chair that won't roll over mic and instrument cables!

Right. What you need is a Hover Chair.

http://www.heartnsoul.co.uk/roadtrip...hoverchair.jpg

http://www.discoverhover.org/img/hoverchair2.jpg

[dwillis45]

Originally Posted by HapiCmpur

Right. What you need is a Hover Chair.

http://www.heartnsoul.co.uk/roadtrip...hoverchair.jpg

http://www.discoverhover.org/img/hoverchair2.jpg

I was thinking about something closer to the following design:

[Lanny Cox]

I use an old wooden chair that's stiff as hell and hurts my arse. I'm currently taking up donations for a new office chair. Or a pillow, either or.

[Autist]

I used to use an old folding metal chair, talk about pain. Each time I got a slightly better chair I was able to be a little more productive. It wasn't until my back started hurting constantly that I actually realized how important a comfortable chair really is.

[Autist]

Well, one week later and here is my opinion on this chair.

It definitely falls into the "one of the best upgrades ever" category.

It is beyond comfortable. Sometimes I don't even notice I am sitting in a chair. The arms have not been an issue, in fact I rather like them. The headrest is great feature when I just want to throw my head back and relax for a minute. My back has had far less discomfort since using this chair.

The only negative thing: it is heavy and hard to roll on carpet, even with a chairmat.

[thane1200]

Originally Posted by Massive Master

I used to have one of these... http://www.massivemastering.com/special/ultraseat.jpg

LMAO! HAHAHAHAHA!

[thane1200]

Originally Posted by dwillis45

I'm still looking for the ideal chair that won't roll over mic and instrument cables!

Ha, they don't exist!

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by mikeh

I spent about $200 for a fairly decent cloth office chair with adjustable lumbar support. I chose cloth because it does not make the squeaks that leather does (which a mic could pick up). Cloth is not subject to the hot & cold like leather can be.

Plus, when you fart in it - it won't be as loud!


I'm going to get a Lazy-Boy, and mount my speakers on each side of the chair, so I can lay back and listen to mixes.... and maybe mount a few buttkickers or a sub inside the chair.


Tim

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by dwillis45

I was thinking about something closer to the following design:

Hey, that works for me! it looks like a Giant toilet, with a "Snow sliding disc(like a sled)" to put your feet in.





Tim

[mikeh]

Man, if I could find a studio chair that could double as a toilet, I could turn my 6 hour sessions into 10 hour sessions. Hey, if I could then convert a fridge into a rack (just using enough of the fridge to keep my beer cold) - I would never have to leave the studio!