5 Under-Appreciated Home Studio Improvements
Monday, September 28th, 2009Today I was thinking about some of the simple things in my studio that have been really helpful and have been well worth the investment. Things that help me work, make things more efficient or more convenient. There’s plenty more obvious things (like headphones or speaker stands), but I decided to narrow down the list to 5 things that might normally be overlooked.
- Acoustic Treatment.
I know talked about acoustic treatment before, probably a few times. I’ts too important to leave off the list. Its just one of those things that doesn’t have to cost a lot to make a big improvement. $200 invested to build 12 rigid fiberglass panels has made everything I’ve recorded, and heard in this room sound so much better. Music is more enjoyable to listen to and when I’m mixing I can put a lot more trust into what I’m hearing. - A Good Chair
I spend an unhealthy amount of time in front of the computer each day, if I didn’t have a decent chair I’d be a cripple by now. Last year when money started coming in from my sample collection, the first thing I bought was a pair of decent office chairs for $150 each. Before that I was using a beat up old chair I saved from the dumpster, and before that I was using a $50 office chair with no features. You don’t have to spend a thousands on seating for your home studio, just consider the amount of time you spend making music, and buy something comfortable and practical. - A Network
If you have more than one computer in your home, a network is a really inexpensive way to make your life simpler. A network will allow you to share an internet connection, and files all over your house, it will also help protect your computer from viruses. I have a PC and a mac, sharing files between the two computers is a chore without the network.
You can get a network router pretty cheap, I actually got one for free and I never thought it would be so helpful. - Dual Monitors
Having two monitors for my desktop PC is so nice. I have a 22” monitor on the left and a 19” on the right. When I’m working in a DAW, I have the edit window on the left and mix window on the right. Sometimes when I’m mixing I extend the mixer across both screens. There is a program called UltraMon for PC that is really great for managing the windows and customizing across the two monitors. - A Good Desk
I was really tempted to say lava lamp, but then I remembered I’d be screwed without my desk. I’d have nowhere to put my two monitors, my coffee, my MIDI controller, my keyboard and mouse.
Choosing a desk can be tricky, you need something sturdy, a comfortable height, and deep enough for some distance for your computer screens.
The ones marketed for music workstations I’ve been pretty unimpressed with. They’re too tall or too short, and some of them at the same time. Your best bet is to stick with something that is just a flat top, no shelf. Something to put your feet up on might be something you want too. My desk looks close to this, but I have it straight across, with my rack inbetween and the corner part on top of the gap. I also hacked that shelf off because it was useless for me.
So that’s my short list. Are there any under-appreciated things in your studio that make your life easier? Let me know in the comments.
