It seems that these days…
Recording studio “furniture” has gotten a bad rap.
Because with our ever-shrinking budgets…
Many home musicians have decided that all “non-essential” gear be removed from future shopping lists.
That means no high-end electronic drum kits or other fancy equipment, and of course, no furniture.
But while that might make sense for beginner studios…
The truth is, that once you’ve got the essentials in place…
A few small investments in the right furniture can add MASSIVE value to your current setup. To show you what I mean…
In today’s post, I’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 Recording Studio Furniture MUST-HAVES.
Starting with…
1. Monitor Isolation Pads
Above all else, we as musicians value sound quality, correct?
Well the reason that monitor isolation pads rank at #1 on this list is…
For as little as 40 bucks, you can significantly improve the accuracy of your studio monitors…
And ultimately, the quality of your mixes…overnight.
Here’s how they work:
Normally, when you place your monitors directly on your desk, the bass frequencies will resonant down through the table, resulting in a low frequency rumble.
You may not notice it at lower volumes, but it’s always happening. And the result is, the sound is far less accurate than it COULD be.
To combat this problem, monitor isolation pads create an acoustic barrier which prevents those vibrations from transferring.
As a side benefit, they allow you to angle your monitors up or down for super-precise positioning. Not bad, huh?
To see which ones I recommend, check out this article:
Up next…
2. Studio Monitor Stands
To take monitor upgrades one step further…
The next thing you can add is a pair of studio monitor stands.
Normally, when placing monitors directly on a desk, positioning options are severely limited.
And as we all know, good monitor positioning can be just as important as the monitors themselves.
The great thing about these stands is…you can adjust:
- height
- width
- distance
…to virtually whatever your setup requires. In other words, you have complete control.
Certain stands, like those in the picture, come with monitor isolation pads included, meaning there’s one less thing to worry about.
To see which ones I recommend, check out this article:
Up next…
3. A Proper Desk/Workstation
Besides sound quality, the other big problem all home studios struggle with is…
Organization.
And when you’ve reached a point where you have more gear than places to put it…
The natural solution is to simply upgrade to a better studio desk.
Yet few folks realize it’s really not as simple as you might think. Because the right desk can be extremely hard to find online.
Most “recording studio” desks are enormous, expensive to ship, and take up way too much space for an average sized room.
Among the smaller, more practical options, the selection is minimal, even with the big online superstores.
For a few good recommendations, check out this article:
Up next…
4. A Rack for Your Hardware
While you could easily argue that all furniture upgrades are “optional”…
A rack is the one item that every studio must have eventually.
Because as your studio matures, and you acquire more sophisticated tools…
You notice an ever-increasing portion of your equipment housed in a rackmounted chassis.
Because the best hardware manufacturers all know, a rack is the smartest way to organize your gear…period.
If your studio is approaching the point where you’ll soon need one…
Check out this article to see which racks I recommend:
And finally, the last item…
5. A Few Good Chairs
Once your gear is neatly organized…
And your studio monitors sound their best…
The last upgrade I recommend to put the finishing touches on your room…is some good chairs.
While many might consider chair upgrades unnecessary, or even trivial…
When you really stop to think about it, all that time spent sitting around in your studio adds up quick.
And over many years, it can be brutal on your back.
And it’s not just YOUR chair you need to worry about. The musicians you record need chairs that are not only comfortable, but quiet as well, so the sounds of squeaky hinges aren’t polluting your tracks.
Long story short…you CAN’T underestimate the value of a good chair.
To see which ones I recommend, check out this article: