Group Test: Studio Furniture
Us producers all have one thing in common: the space in which we work. It’s no good having all the gear, but nowhere to put it. From low-cost problem solvers, to major investments, it’s time to put a little love into your studio furniture.
Built around rubberised feet mounted on plastic frames, the ISO-L8R stands come in a variety of sizes depending on the size of your monitors. Each model gives you a plethora of height and tilt variations, courtesy of the different length risers supplied in the box. What you’re getting from IsoAcoustics is a reduction in low frequency energy loss, creating a punchier and more focused sound. In short, if you can afford good quality monitors, you can afford these stands. www.isoacoustics.com VERDICT 9.0
Handmade in Italy are these rather nice looking instrument/laptop stands, which are laser-cut from poplar plywood. Arriving flat-packed in card wallets, the pieces interlock to form stands that can hold anything from an iPad to a small controller keyboard. Despite feeling a little too lightweight, once assembled, they are very sturdy indeed and feature tiny rubber feet to prevent movement. Each stand design is compatible with a whole host of instruments and devices, with detailed lists available on the Cremacaffè website. cremacaffedesign.com VERDICT 9.2
So you may think that upcycling any old desk found on Gumtree is more than suitable for your studio, but believe us when we say you’ll always be disappointed. The Yesk from Zaor is in the Romanian firm’s lowest price bracket for workstations. The design is a solid-wood frame with Melamine-faced chipboard surfaces. It features a pullout keyboard drawer, two 4U rack spaces and a monitor shelf. The desk arrives flat-packed and, while the instructions are by no means useless, in a world of Ikea and Lego manuals, our expectations were slightly higher. That said, assembly is pretty painless and the final product is a very sturdy, yet lightweight workstation. We like that the drawer is open-ended, so you’re not too limited on keyboard size. www.zaorstudiofurniture.com VERDICT 9.2
Is it time to ditch that tatty old, homemade skiff case? Treat yourself to a premium, solid wood case from SynthRacks. The Peter model here is 6U and comes in 104, 110 and 126HP variations, as well as a variety of finishes, of which the walnut is our favourite. You can either purchase powered or unpowered versions. synthracks.com VERDICT 9.0
It’s funny that some of the working environments we subject ourselves to in our Techno dungeons have more of the ‘dungeon’ than ‘Techno’ about them. Throw away that tatty old dining room chair for what has to be the undisputed king of chairs. If the Aeron from Herman Miller looks familiar to you, that’ll be because we have seen it in countless pro studios we’ve visited around the world. The highlight of Aeron’s ergonomic design has to be the woven suspended membrane; it’s breathable and eliminates fatigue to those pressure points. However, it costs around the same price as a Behringer DeepMind 12, which may be slightly higher on your list of priorities right now. www.hermanmiller.co.uk VERDICT 9.1