Anybody Work Standing Up?

[wheatus]

I am thinking about switching to a standing setup for my monitor/control room position...Do any of you do this already? What should I know?

I'm fine sitting down it's just I am becoming a fat slob in this chair and there are also some hunching neck and back problems when I'm sitting down for 10+hours per session staring at the screen between the monitors.

thanks,
brendan b brown
wheatus.com

[-Noodles-]

I spend the majority of my time when I'm tracking standing up.. then when I'm mixing I'll spend most of that sitting down.

I think if you've got problems which are caused by the position, then a change of position or the chair you're using may have to come into it.

I hope you manage to find some relief though..

[Mike Brown]

Originally Posted by wheatus

I am thinking about switching to a standing setup for my monitor/control room position...Do any of you do this already? What should I know?

I'm fine sitting down it's just I am becoming a fat slob in this chair and there are also some hunching neck and back problems when I'm sitting down for 10+hours per session staring at the screen between the monitors.

thanks,
brendan b brown
wheatus.com

Sometimes ill mix standing up. I tend to pace and walk around a bit more.... gets me some different perspectives on the mix sooner... (i like to listen in the hallway/through the door/in the corner etc).

One suggestion I can make for hunching/back problems is when you are mixing/editing/reamping alone (because you look like an idiot) sit on one of those excercise balls. It forces you to have good posture and is not uncomfortable. It has helped my posture sitting in real chairs and when im walking as well and my back feels a ton better. (I have been a life long sloucher).

[wheatus]

I'm gonna replace all the seating in the studio with those balls.

brendan b brown
wheatus.com

[ALL*MYTEE]

Lee "Scratch" Perry..

[SHIRK]

Back when I was getting my start as a general assistant, I remember a few engineers that came through the hit factory that used those kneeling type chairs with wheels.
Jobri Standard Kneeling Chair - bad back store

Not sure it would work for me...those guys seemed to like them.

[joeq]

I don't want to work standing up all the time, or even most of the time but I was thinking that it would be a healthy thing to have as an alternative, just to not do the same thing all day.


I thought about getting one of those adjustable computer desks that can range from seated to full standing up.

If you use nearfields they have to be able to follow your position

[drBill]

Originally Posted by -Noodles-

I spend the majority of my time when I'm tracking standing up..

Me as well. Not so much in my own studio, but with an 80 input large frame console, a full rhythm section or orchestra in the main room and cue mixes and outboard to patch in, I tend to be on my feet for the first half of the tracking date. After it starts gelling, I may sit more. I'm sitting during mixing though....

[wheatus]

Yeah.....I am worried about a change in position resulting in a change in my mixes....That's the thing.

I need a steady cam body harness for my O300's ...then I can walk around in the near field and work my core at the same time.

They're gonna flip when I walk into the deli and order a sandwich with that thing on.

brendan b brown
wheatus.com

"I work at a standing desk for more than 8 hours a day. How can forced standing be considered torture?"
-Donald Rumsfeld

[Sky]

Anthro makes a nice height-adjustable table in various widths that's on sale through Dec 31:

Fit Adjusta: Adjustable Ergonomic Computer Workstation

I'm also a fan of exercise balls for the reasons Mayor described.

Sky

[ALL*MYTEE]

Have you tried an Aeron? That made the difference for me.

[Geert van den Berg]

+1 on the exercise ball! Cheap but working alternative. You need to get a slightly bigger ball, then you'd use to exercise with though.

Those kneeling chairs work also great.

[youngmo]

Originally Posted by -Noodles-

I spend the majority of my time when I'm tracking standing up.. then when I'm mixing I'll spend most of that sitting down.

I think if you've got problems which are caused by the position, then a change of position or the chair you're using may have to come into it.

I hope you manage to find some relief though..

Plus 1 !!!

[Bob Olhsson]

It's a real tradition in mastering!

I've also heard amazing stories about the Robb brothers.

[FAT]

Sometimes I work standing on my head.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by wheatus

I need a steady cam body harness for my O300's ...then I can walk around in the near field and work my core at the same time.

They're gonna flip when I walk into the deli and order a sandwich with that thing on.

You think the deli guys will flip, wait until you try to wear it through airport security!

[Deuce 225]

I seem to remember reading a Tape-Op article with Andy Johns and he said he like to mix at a little bit higher volume than most people 'cause he liked to "dance around" a little bit while he mixed. I remember thinking it was such a cool thing to say and it served as a reminder that great music is supposed to make you wanna wiggle around a little bit.

[Phelan Kane]

+1 for moving around the room to check outside the sweet spot.

If your hurting try so yoga / stretching...

[memphisindie]

Definitely +10 for dancing around the room when the energy starts, and two words for sitting,,, Herman Miller.
Herman Miler chairs are the best "chair" chair you can get, they are way better than any office depot weirdness you can buy and you can get them at a used office furniture store for around $40, hit them with lithium grease to stop the squeaks and you're chair happy. They are a sturdy roll around with a very solid feel and the best ergonomic design.
They cost $500 new. Ain't no lightweight's chair.
I have two.

[Protools Guy]

I track a lot standing. I have a little cardboard box I've rigged up to put my keyboard and trackball on so that I don't have to bend over so much.

Mixing, for me, is mostly sitting, but I do get up quite a bit to check the low end in the back of the room.

I need to stand up more and move around....

[Dor]

Originally Posted by memphisindie

Definitely +10 for dancing around the room when the energy starts, and two words for sitting,,, Herman Miller.
Herman Miler chairs are the best "chair" chair you can get, they are way better than any office depot weirdness you can buy and you can get them at a used office furniture store for around $40, hit them with lithium grease to stop the squeaks and you're chair happy. They are a sturdy roll around with a very solid feel and the best ergonomic design.
They cost $500 new. Ain't no lightweight's chair.
I have two.

Please tell me where you are finding Herman Miller Aerons for $40.

D

[Eganmedia]

One of the video editors I work with has his studio configured for standing while working. He uses a drafting chair for times when he needs to sit. We had to install another monitor for his clients ( who think he's weird but apparently dig his work) so they can sit like the rest of us.

As far as chairs go, I have an Allsteel #19 chair which kicks butt over the all-too-hyped Aeron. despite the various sizes and all the adjustments, I could never get an Aeron to feel like anything but a dentist's chair. The Allsteel #19 just plain fits. Everyone in the studio agrees- including the one guy who still uses a Aeron.

[memphisindie]

Originally Posted by Dor

Please tell me where you are finding Herman Miller Aerons for $40.

D

I wish, but, ANY Herman Miller chair is a big leap forward in sitting technology.
I have an old office chair with no arms, Herman Miller, everyone who sits in it says WOW, this thing is good. And after having a chair shopping extravaganza that spanned years and all the back trouble, chiropractors, Physical therapy, you could ever want, I went and got one on a suggestion.
My back straightened out considerably, enough to go from almost in a wheel chair to doing Qui Chong in the morning an not having a problem. $40.
I was elated and I still am. It features prominently on my webpage.
Aeron, NICE chair! Still, check used office supply places, you never know.

[StarfishMusic]

I constructed myself a little lap desk, exactly the demensions of my old laptop computer and way lighter. It's just a piece of strong polished particle board cut to comfortable dimensions. On it is velcroed a regular keyboard and a touchpad in the same position it would be on a laptop. This allows me to sit back and not hunched over, while also allowing me to change up postions throught the day. I can even walk around the room with it a bit. Some people may not like the touchpad so could sub a trackball. For tracking i can't use it the whole time while I'm setting up. It gets in the way, but for mixing ITB and editing it helps so much.

[edvdr76]

I tend to stand when I'm producing in the studio...... I guess it just something that comes natural when the takes get exiting.....

[colinmiller]

If you get the mixing helmet, you can mix on the tread mill.

[AntillesSound]

Originally Posted by -Noodles-

I spend the majority of my time when I'm tracking standing up.. then when I'm mixing I'll spend most of that sitting down.

I think if you've got problems which are caused by the position, then a change of position or the chair you're using may have to come into it.

I hope you manage to find some relief though..

Same here!

And I think looking into an ergonomic chair would be worth it. I use Herman-Miller chairs and, though pretty pricey, COMPLETELY worth it. I can sit for longer sessions and not hurt too much.

The key is a ten minute break every hour. Your ears AND body will appreciate it.

[synthoid]

100% standing up here! I put my computer monitor and keyboard on top of some tall rolling rack cases, and I got some tables from Ikea whose surface can be mounted at any height up to 1.5m or so. I did it because I get back problems from sitting too long, even in an Aeron chair. I have plenty of seating for others though. Monitor (speaker) height is a bit of an issue, since it's hard to mount them to be ideal for both someone sitting and for someone standing ...

-synthoid

[dbbubba]

I stand and sit and move around.
Because of my back I can't stay in any one position very long.

With a band I am on my feet.
I also did years of radio/TV mixing and that required hours and hours of sitting.
I ruined my eyes staring at computer screens.

My back is totally ruined from years of live rock-n-roll p.a. hauling and I still do live corporate work.
I try not to be an arrogant slob and I like to see that the sh*t gets done, so I jump on up in the truck sometimes.
I do let the younger and "hired help" folks do the labor intensive stuff more and more.
Still, when the show needs to be up in four hours or down in two... I make it happen.
... and I have scoliosis, so I REALLy hate to hear whiners!

My back always hurts!

[Sky]

Aeron is a big improvement over low-cost chairs, but its effectiveness still diminishes if you sit in one position for too long. Having a good chair and moving around during a session are a good one-two combination.

Fyi, I tried an Aeron but settled on Streelcase Leap which works a bit better for me. Everyone is different so you'll want to test a few chairs to find the one that's best for you.

Sky