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Ergonomic improvements you have made in your studio.

Macrawn

Senior Member
I've spent a lot of $ on gear, instruments and so forth but this past year I've been working on ergonomics.

I never really thought about it too much until I started getting some aches in certain parts of my body, like for example my arm, back even my neck.

I never really researched ergonomics but I wish I'd planned things better from the start.

Improvements I've made. Sounds stupid and obvious but my mouse is at the same level as my arm rest to the right of me and requires no reach at all. I've got a chair (Aeron) that actually kicks the armrest outward at a 45 degree angle and it just keeps my elbow in a nice spot if I'm using my mouse. It's reduced some of the aches in my wrist and elbow. I found that I was reaching and leaning at times which was causing issues in my arm which impacted my back too.

I used to have 3 monitors. One for the mixer, edit screen and main track window. I reduced it to 2 monitors. I found that I just need the track and mix screen. The edit screen can just be pulled up when I want onto the main screen. I was turning my head too much. I found that I want everything directly in front of me whenever possible so I don't have to turn my head a lot. Just turning my head causes my whole body to kinda go with it and doing that over and over again every day was putting things out of balance. I'm thinking I should move my second screen and mount it above my primary screen instead of having it more to the left. Would cause me to look up a little more but that might be better than turning my head. Not sure on that yet.

I built a custom desk that is an L shape. Now I have everything within a distance I don't have to reach for. I put my keyboard on a retractable track that I can pull out when I need it and my keyboard is also on rails. My typing keyboard sits under my midi controller keyboard at a comfortable level for typing perfectly lined up with my arm rests. The midi keyboard can be out at the same time and is higher and a little less ideal but I've found that I use the typing keyboard more than the midi keyboard so I prioritized that.

I'm working on this but my work area is almost like a horseshoe. I've got basically a cooler on a box right now until I build something out of wood. I'd got some cupholders built in for my coffee and that's where my mouse pad sits to the right. The desk I made covers the front and left side.

And of course the chair. I got a used Aeron chair for pretty cheap that is just like new, or certainly looks it. The value of a good chair goes without saying. The chair swivels so if I need to turn left or right I can just swivel instead of leaning.

Some of this stuff sounds stupid I know, but I'm not a young chicken anymore and the repetitive movements, and leaning and reaching too much was causing actual real problems in my back. Of course standing up, moving, stretching and drinking waster often is important.

What kinds of things have you done to improve the ergonomics of your set up?
 
I have changed my mouse back to right hand from left. Spent 10 years right, then about 10 left, now back. It's trivial at one level but does help with the wrists.

New mouse also has flexible angle so you can vary it a bit. Besides at its highest angle it keeps your hand in a more natural position: Logitech MX Ergo
 
I have changed my mouse back to right hand from left. Spent 10 years right, then about 10 left, now back. It's trivial at one level but does help with the wrists.

New mouse also has flexible angle so you can vary it a bit. Besides at its highest angle it keeps your hand in a more natural position: Logitech MX Ergo
Great tip ! I have been feeling a little pain on my right wrist because of my mouse usage. Also I might look into to getting a more ergonomic mouse.
 
I have changed my mouse back to right hand from left. Spent 10 years right, then about 10 left, now back. It's trivial at one level but does help with the wrists.

New mouse also has flexible angle so you can vary it a bit. Besides at its highest angle it keeps your hand in a more natural position: Logitech MX Ergo
I’m impressed you could use the mouse effectively with either hand!
 
Last year, I've finally found an almost perfect chair for me: Ikea Jarvfjallet. Never before I had such a comfortable seat that is also disciplining my troublesome spine at the same time. I must mention that I exercise daily, though. Before the pandemic, I used to go to the gym at least twice a week.

I've opted for a model without the armrests as I occasionally work with various guitars as well. However, I sometimes do miss them when doing a lot of editing. Speaking of which, I'll probably need to change my current Logitech mouse ASAP and get something more serious like MX Master 3.

Hopefully, I will be also able to change the desk itself in the future and get the one that has a big enough drawer for my 61-keys controller - currently, I have it on top of the desk below the screen. I'm keeping my 88-keys controller to the right of the desk and the other synths on the left and at the back.
 
I’m impressed you could use the mouse effectively with either hand!
If you forced yourself to do it for a week you wouldn't even think about it. No reason only to have one mouse though! I have two (left, right) and switch off often, it's especially handy if you are playing on the keyboard with one hand to have the other hand free to mouse.

EDIT: Oh and you can click the mouse with your foot instead of your fingers.

Vertical mice are also a godsend to me. Also if you search this forum for "ergorests" they are the single best and most important move I've ever made, moreso even than chair or desk.
 
Last year, I've finally found an almost perfect chair for me: Ikea Jarvfjallet. Never before I had such a comfortable seat that is also disciplining my troublesome spine at the same time.
I've been using a Herman Miller Aeron for the last two years and I've recently started to find some gripes with it. I can definitely sit for long periods of time but I'm tall (6'1) and sort of want to find a chair with a little bit more depth so that my weight is distributed a little bit more. I find that my butt gets sore after really long sessions of working since my weight gets really concentrated into one spot. I also want to find a chair that has lift-able arm rests. I haven't really looked into it much, but it's something that I started actively thinking about the past two weeks.

So if anyone has any recommendations of good chairs, I'd love to check some out!

Also, another ergonomic thing I did at the beginning of the pandemic was build a custom desk with a piano drawer. It was such a good move, and super happy with how it turned out. I will also probably be doing another iteration of it in the next couple months to make a Mk2 version that is the same design but with a standing desk base.
 
Great tip ! I have been feeling a little pain on my right wrist because of my mouse usage. Also I might look into to getting a more ergonomic mouse.
I use an Evoluent left-handed vertical mouse for the left, and the Logitech MX Ergo for the right, which is about 30-40 degrees vertical. Both help a lot.
 
I have changed my mouse back to right hand from left. Spent 10 years right, then about 10 left, now back. It's trivial at one level but does help with the wrists.

New mouse also has flexible angle so you can vary it a bit. Besides at its highest angle it keeps your hand in a more natural position: Logitech MX Ergo

I switched to left handed track-ball years ago and never looked back. I was having a ton of tendinitis problems in my right hand...hasn't bothered me in years since switching to left-hand, and in my case I'm using the trackball too. I am by no means ambidextrous, but I was able to adapt pretty easily. In very unusual cases, I might reach over with my right hand, like 2 times a year, to do some little thing that requires a bit more finesse, really rare though...
 
Great topic!

I've been working on the same issues. Due to eyesight, got glasses specific to studio, and moved screen much lower to reduce strain on neck. Also replaced mouse with trackball, and added a Wacom pen display that I mostly use for piano roll and plug ins, but can use it for everything when I want to. Made a desk with sliding shelf to bring desktop to me so I don't have to reach out and then look up too much. Basic set up is a horseshoe shape, with everything within more or less within reach. Trying to find balance between too much movement and not enough.

So far my studio is so much more comfortable and enjoyable to work in.
 
For me, I finally transitioned to the keyboard under the desk setup and the M-Audio Keystation 88 has low enough depth that it doesn't make my desktop surface too high (usually the problem for every fully weighted controller I tried). I also managed to get everything setup so that I'm not reaching over the keys to such an extent that using my computer keyboard and mouse strain my back. I'm still not 100% convinced this is better than a smaller 61 key controller on the desk itself right in front of me, but nice to have an 88 key controller and my Softube Console 1+Fader on the desk in front of me.
 
Switched Apple Magic Trackpad to left-hand so that my Wacom tablet is not as far a reach for my right.
Everything is well laid out in front of me, although my second keyboard (Roli) is not as close as I'd like (Still not far enough to cause any issues, though). Could do with lifting the screen up by another couple of centimetres, so will look for something to sit the monitor on.

However, the best change I've made is getting rid of chairs and moving to a floor-seated setup. My studio 'chair' is a meditation cushion :) I also game and do general internet stuff in the same position, so can be seated for many hours a day. But it's active sitting, which has made a huge difference.
It's been over three years and can't imagine going back to sitting in chairs when I don't have to. Also have a standing desk, which I used to use for a studio and probably will set up aa a mobile music station.
 
The Ergo mouse looks good. Has anyone picked up the matching querty keyboard as well (my cooler closet is a bit away from my desk and have to run usb with receiver to desk (I need both mouse and querty to connect together on that receiver.)



bundled mouse and querty
 
However, the best change I've made is getting rid of chairs and moving to a floor-seated setup. My studio 'chair' is a meditation cushion :) I also game and do general internet stuff in the same position, so can be seated for many hours a day. But it's active sitting, which has made a huge difference.
Very cool - do you have pictures?
 
I put an NI M32 mini key thing on the desktop for programming, orchestral stuff etc. So comfortable.

The ‘88 is still under the desk, but now only used when actually needed.

Also: Sweat bands make a good wrist support.
 
Best thing I ever did was to sink my Kensington Expert Mouse trackball into the desk, by cutting a hole in the desk surface and sinking the back edge of the trackball down by about an inch and a half. I had used an SSL Duality console which had an OEM version of the Kensington mounted flat and flush, without the factory enclosure, and it was a revelation on my wrist.

Can't deal with a mouse, hate the trackpad, Expert Mouse for life!

(I have a dozen or so in stock so I'll have enough to last until the dirt nap.)
 
Improvements I've made. Sounds stupid and obvious but my mouse is at the same level as my arm rest to the right of me and requires no reach at all. I've got a chair (Aeron) that actually kicks the armrest outward at a 45 degree angle and it just keeps my elbow in a nice spot if I'm using my mouse. It's reduced some of the aches in my wrist and elbow. I found that I was reaching and leaning at times which was causing issues in my arm which impacted my back too.
Also if you search this forum for "ergorests" they are the single best and most important move I've ever made, moreso even than chair or desk.
I’m wanting to buy a nice ergo track ball style mouse but the armrest position in relation to the desk is problematic. See pic below to explain.

The ergorest sounded great but as you can see, it wouldn’t help me because of the 88 key keyboard and the fact that the chair is too far from the desk.

Is there something similar that attaches to the armchair itself perhaps, as opposed to the desk?
 

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