Sit or stand

StoneMonk

New member
Hi, I'm new here, and new to home recording/production. Thanks for the add! Forgive me if I sound ignorant. I've noticed something I didn't expect. When I'm playing guitar or bass I've always found myself standing up a lot, especially if I'm really gettin into it. I'm preparing to move all my stuff into a dedicated room ("studio space" WOO HOO!) and I am trying to take this into account in my design/arrangement of how I'll set it up. For example it is a real pain to be clicking a mouse for daw work when standing up, having to bend over with a guitar swinging around your neck is actually problematic. Everything I have seen anywhere I have looked seems to NOT reflect a standing solution to laptop/qwerty/peripheral/keyboard access etc. I very well could be misinterpreting what I see, but I want my plan to include a solution for a higher plane of work surface. Sortof a "stool height" option. Anyone else have an example of this kind of arrangement? I'm trying to satisfy the need to sit AND stand while working with the computer. My carpenter friend is waiting on final dimension for my desk which will be 36 x 92 on two rolling pedestals. But I'm torn between going this typical route versus going with a "counter height" solution. That would cost about 30% more and put me on a stool ALL the time, which I don't want lol. If you stand a lot too and have a space/arrangement that really works well for you I would LOVE to see pics! Rock on Garth!
 
I always play sitting down, so reaching mouse and keyboard is not a problem.

So you can make yourself a higher work surface so that you can stand.

But maybe you can just get a wireless mouse and keyboard, and make some kind of higher saurface for just them.
 
I play standing up...but all my computer peripherals and monitors are setup for a seated position, because when editing/mixing, I'm seated for long periods...plus I also have a mixing console, and that's at a set, seated height.

The real simple solution to your problem is to get a wireless keyboard and mouse...and one of those small computer stands, the kind that you can use while computing at a sofa or in bed, etc...which can be raised or lowered to taste, and it's on wheels...and then you can play standing and also mix sitting. You just move the wireless keyboard and mouse to your desk or to the roll-around stand (or whatever you decide to use for standing).

That way you are not locked into a set thing...but all the years I've had to deal with a guitar around my neck...I just got use to reaching down, but most of the time when tracking, it's only a couple mouse clicks when needed...just setup your DAW with the tracks all pre-configured, etc...and then you're just pressing REC/STOP/PLAY...rather than having to type and do all kinds of stuff while the guitar is around your neck. :)
 
My son bought a desk that has a set of buttons on the side that will raise or lower the desk to go from seated to standing position. He said that sitting too long was tough, so he put this in his home office. Now if they only had wireless video, you could set up the monitor, keyboard and mouse on the desk and everything else could be down on a bench below.

I wonder how long it will be before they have wifi monitors!?
 
I have a totally seated setup, and I play while standing. I use a PreSonus Faderport (the old one) that I use to start/stop recording and transport controls. It's just a matter of walking up to the desk and tapping the record or stop button. When I'm playing drums across the room, I use Reaper's remote web interface for transport controls. If you've got a phone or tablet, you could set that up. Surely other DAWs have such a remote interface that can turn your mobile device into a basic transport control.

You could maybe try one of those adjustable sit/stand desks, but that becomes problematic with all of the cables involved in a home studio. Finding the right amount of slack to leave in the cables would be tough!
 
Most stuff I play sitting down except vocals, double bass, congas, bongos, timbales and some percussion I'll stand for and some percussion I'll kneel for {tablas, for example}. Thinking about it, I have been known to sit on a high stool for double bass and vocals. But because however I do anything I'm in cramped space {bedrooms, front rooms, bathroom, kitchen, corridor}, I've had to learn to eliminate the habit of banging into things when I turn around. It means being very methodical and always conscious of what one does. I use a footswitch and I have to place mics a way from my DAW because it's a standalone and if you get right close in, you can hear the whirr.
A couple of questions; are you totally against sitting ? Is your primary focus with this desk going to be recording or are you planning to mix on it too ?
 
You could maybe try one of those adjustable sit/stand desks, but that becomes problematic with all of the cables involved in a home studio. Finding the right amount of slack to leave in the cables would be tough!

Back at my former day gig...one person got all wound up about getting one of those desks, and to make his request justifiable, he polled everyone in the organization to see if others would want one. A bunch of people got them...and I said from the start that most of them would get over it after awhile...and sure enough, after a few months, only a couple of the people regularly moved the desks up/down...most forgot about them and never raised them.

I found them to be more awkward than helpful, and I never bothered with it. My solution to standing was to just get up and walk around a bit every so often, use the stairs, etc.
I know for some workers that isn't optional, since they are tied to their desks most of the day...but in a studio setting, you are better off IMO with a wireless keyboard and mouse, since you can move them wherever you want, though of course, you still need to see the screens, but those can be seen from a few feet away if they are a good size.
 
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