What Seat you using?

WayneSim · Post by **WayneSim** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 12:52 am

I'm currently looking at a new seat for my home recording studio. This will be the main seat in front of my computer. I wanted to buy a comfortable leather seat. But a "sales person" tried to convince me into buying a "computer chair" with all the ajustments. However I find these types of chair very uncomfortable. Yes, I'm a lazy sitter.

Below is a link of a chair simular to ones i'm looking at.

http://www.officechairs4u.com/higbacexleat.html

Please any advise would be much appericated.

Has anyone got one of these comfortable leather seats in there studio? I know that the high end recording studios have the fully ajustable leather chairs but they cost mega bucks. Would I really get a sore back and mussles if I sat in a leather chair all day?

Thanks

remixme · Post by **remixme** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 1:53 am

Leather big backed chair? Sore back muscles? Yes I'm afraid so, but I can't resist my 'big boss' chair.

But it appears the salesman was right for once, if you are going to spend a long time in the chair, it needs to have proper support for your back, I usually resort to a pillow, but it doesn't match up to my old computer chair.

Why no try to find the best of both worlds; a leather computer operators chair, with arm rests.

So will save yourself back ache.

Sunshine · Post by **Sunshine** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 5:05 am

Interesting, I have never seen a discussion on chairs...but I have had my problems as well. I have also tried and bought all kinds of chairs just to find the right solution... What is so special about a "German" pneumatic system? Not all chairs in Germany a well built. Most chairs you find in german stores are imported from Italy...

Regards,
Sunshine

sinix · Post by **sinix** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 5:59 am

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=1752&fp=sc

Now *THAT* my friends is a proper studio chair!!

That's what I always see in front of Neve's and SSL's...

(I might have a rob a bank to get one though)

- sinix

remixme · Post by **remixme** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 6:09 am

Looks like you need a degree in chair design to sit in the damn thing!!!

Spirit · Post by **Spirit** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 7:06 am

I find it's not so much your chair that will ruin your back or make your shoulders ache, it's what height your desk & keyboard are. If your desk is the wrong height then no chair will save you.

And one other thing to watch out for is if you get armrests then make sure they're not the wrong height for your desk. Nothing is so annoying than to have your swizel stopped by clunking armrests.

And while we're at it, check for squeaks ! My chair is a computer chair with armrests (

) but it squeaks whenever I lean back and be damned if I can find a place to oil it !

w_ellis · Post by **w_ellis** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 7:42 am

I found the following article in Sound on Sound quite useful:
http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/jan02/arti ... nomics.asp

Apologies if you are unable to view this, as you may need a subscription. I have one, so I'm not sure.

Cheers,
Will

Neutron · Post by **Neutron** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 7:56 am

when some dot com went out of buisness i got a Herman Miller Aeron chair pretty cheap

http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/product ... ml,00.html

[ This Message was edited by: Neutron on 2002-06-10 08:58 ]

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 8:21 am

Nice.

I also highly recommend Bodybilt chairs:

http://www.bodybilt.com

EarlyFirst · Post by **EarlyFirst** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 8:58 am

WOW never EVER heard such music in a chair store before

sure made me feel like I was picking out a throne ...

Thanks Sub

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 9:02 am

Yeah bodybilt DID cheese up their site since last I was there. FLASH can be annoying.

Still, these are top notch chairs, I prefered them to the Aerons, but can't afford either, yet (one of my best friends DID come home with a BodyBilt though and raves about it). BodyBilt are top notch, even if their site may not project that.

Post by **garyb** » Mon Jun 10, 2002 11:50 pm

yeah,i had to stop at $100.got a pretty good one tho by sitting in a bunch of them.

doodyrh · Post by **doodyrh** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 1:02 am

Does anybody actually ever rest their arms on the armrests?
If you want to be able to play guitar in this seat make sure they're removable.

WayneSim · Post by **WayneSim** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 1:15 am

Thanks for all the input guys.
I never thought chosing a chair was going to be such a pain. Well unless you have a huge buget the Aeron chair is out of the question

. But I must say SWEET chair. I have seen them infront of Neve consoles. But then again I said NEVE.

I guess I still don't really know what to buy. I hate to compromise things but I hate to spend heaps of money, on of all things a chair (which I didn't budget for). I soooo want a fully adjustable leather chair. But my wallet says no... Who do I listen to?

(Wallet says no, mind says yes....?)
(Wallet says no, mind says yes....?)

And the circle starts again.

I think my mind is stuck with leather.... Fully Adjustable = yes, no or maybe so ???

Please more comments.

krizrox · Post by **krizrox** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 7:20 am

I remember asking a similar question about chairs a while back. Let me offer my own personal observations....

Don't scrimp on money here!!!!!!!

I can't say this with enough emphasis. Anyone who is working audio (mixing/mastering) all day long will quickly tell you that a comfortable chair is your best friend. You can't pick a chair from a website. You have to actually sit in the darn thing. You would be amazed at how subtle differences can quickly annoy you.

I made the mistake of buying a cheapo leather chair from a local Office Max and regretted the decision almost as soon as I got the chair home. It wasn't as comfortable as I originally thought and the quality was meager at best. Over time, the damn thing started to squeak and I need to retighten the screws every so often.

Later, I went to a higher quality office store in the area and saw chairs in the $500-$1000 range. The difference in quality was obvious immediately. But even among all the choices, it amazed me at the difference in comfort level. So you really need to sit in the thing before making a decision. Sit in it for an hour at the store. If it starts to bother you after a few minutes, it will seem much worse after a few hours.

As far as armrests I can't live without them (padded preferred) but I'm not normally playing an instrument while working the PC. Armrests can be a bother if you're trying to play a guitar or something while working the PC.

Good luck!

samuel40 · Post by **samuel40** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 8:42 am

i love this place . you guys leave no stone unturned. I never knew there were such high tech options for seating. i too have an office depot squeaker special that i got for a sale but considering all the hours i have to sit i am going to invest in either the herman miller or the body built. thanks again peoples

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 8:43 am

I found a reasonably comfortable adjustable chair for $99, and am saving in the long term for the BodyBilt or Aeron chair. For as many hours as I sit in front of my DAW each day, the only way I'll be able to keep doing this through my life is to take care of my body, wrists, arms, back. I already have a really good friend who can no longer make music because he spent long hours in front of a computer coding for work (and he's under 25 years old), so I take this seriously. It'll still be a year or so until I get the chair I really want...

RedSun · Post by **RedSun** » Wed Jun 12, 2002 8:17 am

Good chairs, just like your computer screen, should always be considered the most important part of your setup. They're the last things you'll upgrade and they're what you spend the most time with.

I have seen so many people spend premium $ for the latest processor available only to use it on the cheapest 17" screen available.

What's the point of buying a very expensive part that you're going to upgrade in a few months if you're eyes hurt after 2 hours?

What about that seat? It probably doesn't help your creativity if it gets uncomfortable after an hour and you have to keep shifting your weight all the time.

In the long run, good ergonomics will make you much more productive than the few seconds you saved on batch processing files with Wavelab(pick your favourite).

I have to admit that buying chairs, good screens and the like doesn't satisfy my new gear craving as well as a new Scope board but, they're the best upgrades money can buy.

RedSun .:.

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Fri Jun 14, 2002 10:37 am

I just found out the name of this other chair, which I think I like better than the <a href=http://www.bodybilt.com>BodyBilt</a> I was planning on getting: <a href=http://www.humanscale.com/>HumanScale Freedom Chair</a>. It actually moves with your body, when you lean back, etc, it adjusts to hold you properly, something the Aeron and BodyBilt don't have. I'm going to see how this CEO enjoys his for a few months before stepping up....

Also HumanScale has an excellent <a href=http://www.humanscale.com/ergo_info/erg ... Ergonomics 101</a> page, which I suggest you check out, which explains a few key points on setting up an ergonomic work space. Go <a href=http://www.humanscale.com/ergo_info/erg ... .htm>check it out</a>. This stuff is important, guys... here are a few snips to get you going:

Despite what your mother said sitting up straight is not good for you. And despite what the old ergonomic theories proposed, sitting with your body at 90-degree angles is not the healthiest way to spend a workday. In terms of workplace ergonomics, the startling truth is that comfort and health are synonymous. If you're not comfortable at your desk, it's because you're probably sitting and working wrong.

More adjustability doesn't necessarily mean more ergonomic. While the ability to adjust is a critical component of most ergonomic products, workers may unwittingly adjust themselves into bad postures and positions. Products should be adjustable within a safe operating range to keep un trained users from putting themselves at risk. Since most people know precious little about ergonomics, when workers set up their own work stations, the position of the keyboard, mouse, monitor and copy holder is typically determined by available desk space, in which case the likelihood of an ergonomic workspace is next to nil. .

[snip]

Not all products labeled 'ergonomic" are actually good for you. There are currently no laws or governing bodies overseeing the use of the "ergonomic" label.

[ This Message was edited by: subhuman on 2002-06-14 11:40 ]

krizrox · Post by **krizrox** » Fri Jun 14, 2002 1:47 pm

Hey cool! An office in Lombard. Maybe I'll take a trip over there next week and actually sit in one of those babies and let you know what I think.

Sub - you are a fountain of information

I was thinking about this thread the other day (pretty sad huh?). I think I sat in a clone of one of these chairs not too long ago. Not to be negative but I didn't like it although I can't really tell you exactly why at the moment. I think it was these contured butt shapes. I have a skinny ass and it didn't seem to fit the grooves very well (or something like that). I don't know. To each his own.

I'll tell one thing I like about my current chair - a high back and neck rest. I love kicking back and having support behind my head. Great for long mixing sessions