Recording Studio Furniture

The furniture in the studio itself needs to be functional. Depending on the type of recording you do, you’ll need the following:

Lectern or music stand

This should be high quality. If you have vocalists or voiceover people they will often need to spread out several sheets across the lectern and you don’t want paper to be falling off. You also want to minimise the amount of rustling of the sheets that the talent has to do. A foldaway music stand just doesn’t cut the mustard here.

You’ll be able to use a couple of bulldog clips to hold a script in place as well.

Thin metal lecterns can vibrate in sympathy with loud sounds. Also, remember that a lectern is a reflective surface close to your microphone

Fixed lecterns are no good. They need to be able to be adjusted for height, and angle. I used a Proel one in my studio, but any decent brand will be fine.

Stool

I recorded a lot of long voiceover sessions, and you can’t expect a voiceover artist to stand for two hours or you’ll get a vastly diminished performance towards the end. A high stool is important. Ideally it should be fabric, not vinyl or leather, to avoid unwanted squeaks as the voiceover person moves.

Chair

If you record a lot of solo acoustic guitar, an simple, lightly padded chair with no arms) can often be more comfortable for the recording artist than a stool. The important thing for this chair is that if it’s adjustable it will eventually squeak, so expect to have to oil it occasionally. If you get a non-adjustable chair, you won’t have this problem. Again, go for a fabric cover, not vinyl or leather, as the artist will move while playing and sensitive microphones will pick this up.

Small table

Musicians and voiceover talent should be able to have water in the studio, so you will need something for them to put a glass, bottle or cup on.

Other furniture

A wooden chest to store cables works well and doesn’t vibrate like a metal unit. Racks or hangers can also be used, especially for headphones.

If you have a really large studio and you want to specialise in classical music, you’re going to need up to 120 chairs, and possibly a riser for a conductor. If you’re embarking on this project, it’s likely you’re already experienced in studios in general.

Browse online to find out specifications and prices. You can research a broader range of products rather than going down to your local music store or furniture store which may not have exactly what you need.