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Ergonomic improvements you have made in your studio.

zach.mx said:
So if anyone has any recommendations of good chairs, I'd love to check some out!
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It's really difficult to give a recommendation to someone as every person has different traits and requirements. But I would probably suggest everyone trying out Ikea Jarvfjallet. I've found out about this chair thanks to the article at MusicRadar which lists this as the optimal choice for studio work. What I particularly like is the higher backrest than usual as well as the adjustable headrest and lumbar support. The seat itself is also very comfortable, at least to me. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to work for everyone. But it has (IMO) a nice balance of features.

John Longley said:
The MX Master totally alleviated my hand cramping. Very helpful.
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That is exactly what I'm hoping for, once I get my hands on it. Currently, I'm using Logitech MX 705. I'm always "on a budget", but I feel that I've made quite a mistake by not going straight to the MX Master in this case.
 
muk said:
The top of my desk is slightly higher than usual because I have a digital piano underneath. Using the mouse on the desktop gets tiring after a few hours. So I am using a mousepad that can be strapped on the armrest of my chair:


Comfortable and convenient.
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Think this is exactly what I am looking for. Is the memory foam wrist support removable? I wonder if it gets in the way of the MX ergo.
 
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Recently bought my first non-mouse pointing device, Kensington Slimblade trackball! Above all else I enjoy it because it allows me to control it with my fingers, with my thumb if my fingers need a break or my wrist wants to be less pronated, and I can swap left/right to distribute the effort to both hands if needed. The learning curve for both the new input style and using my left hand has been easier than expected.

...It also makes me feel like a wizard with a magic audio orb, which may be more important than saving my wrists and hands.
 
TiagoG said:
Think this is exactly what I am looking for. Is the memory foam wrist support removable?
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Not in the model that I use. I don't know if there are models without the foam pad.

TiagoG said:
I wonder if it gets in the way of the MX ergo.
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You'd probably have to try to know. The foam is 2cm high, and it compresses very little when my arm rests on it.
 
@el-bo I am loving that floor setup. Save so much money on spending a billion dollars to buy a chair that still won't provide better hip/back health than freely sitting on the ground! Those cans creating levels on your desk speaks to me in a way I cannot describe, and I may need to steal the idea...

The tablet as a control device was something I considered, and for some it would probably be the most ergonomic-for-ease-of-use pointer, but I have a terrible habit of death-gripping my pens/pencils and I'd rather not go back to having to endure such trials!
 
Mike T said:
Man I have thought about doing this exact thing but worry it'll feel awkward to play properly. Do you use a sustain pedal?
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Yeah! It's proper ghetto, though :grin:

Screenshot 2021-03-21 at 11.04.09.png

What I did was cut a few pieces of polystyrene to the shape of the pedal and stacked them before taping them up. This gives enough height that when I sit cross-legged I can wedge it under my right knee, or when i have my legs stretched out it sits under/behind my knee.

If you do want to try it I'd recommend starting really slowly, and preferably practicing with a little setup that you can use without having to change what you're currently doing. You'll also need to pay more mind to the ergonomics in terms of heights etc. as these little things can accumulate quite quickly when you have no artificial support.

I could give more tips if you're interested.

Ultimately, I think that if done the right way it will help mitigate all the problems that might arise from postural support to external devices. But if done wrong would probably cause problems.
 
CATDAD said:
@el-bo I am loving that floor setup. Save so much money on spending a billion dollars to buy a chair that still won't provide better hip/back health than freely sitting on the ground! Those cans creating levels on your desk speaks to me in a way I cannot describe, and I may need to steal the idea...
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I only got as far as spending about 70 euros on a chair, so didn't get into the luxury end of the market. Ended up giving away the chair. And creating the levels took a bit of working out and the cans have changed depending on my setup changes. Currently I have small cans of tinned peas for the first level, with even smaller cans of roasted peppers for the higher shelf :)

CATDAD said:
The tablet as a control device was something I considered, and for some it would probably be the most ergonomic-for-ease-of-use pointer, but I have a terrible habit of death-gripping my pens/pencils and I'd rather not go back to having to endure such trials!
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After having both wrists operated on for carpal-tunnel, I became really sensitive to how I use different controllers etc. Mice are a no-go. The Kensington Expert trackball was a good first step, but ultimately failed due to the constant pronation. Tried various vertical mice before getting my first Wacom (Circa 2009). This is my third model. Honestly, couldn't do without it. The trackpad is good for it's gestures and for small adjustments when picking up the pen feels a bit too inconvenient.

The death-grip is something that probably wouldn't be too hard to sort out, if you really wanted to do so.
 
A lot of people are endorsing trackballs. I never really considered one before.

I sorta thought that instead of the wrist having problems you might get issues in the thumb. I take it people still find it a lot better. I also noticed that if I set my arm down it is definitely more natural to have like a 45 degree angle to it like that logitech mouse has. I might give that mouse a try.
 
muk said:
It looks the same, but mine is by a company called 'General Office'. It was around 20 bucks, so really inexpensive.
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Thanks a bunch. And yours doesn't bend or deflect much? I think the second link I give above seems a bit more robust.
 
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el-bo said:
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 :)
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I’d like to know more about this; how does it work with height and instruments/mixing surfaces, etc.

Edit: nevermind, saw the pics above.
 
Ergonomics is more important to me than sample libraries or any other music related stuff to be honest. From the very start I tested things out to see how much strain they would cause and then look to customize things as best I could for comfort. Still have a long way to go.

Happy to have chair, desks, etc recommendations, it really helps. Even though we are all different shapes and sizes, it does help to know what works for others.
 
Thinking about getting a trackball to help with wrist pressure from using a mouse even though it is a good resting height. I am also looking at optimizing controllers and even touch screens to reduce mouse usage.

My biggest issue is the chair, which I will look to sort out once lockdown is over.
 
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