Hi All - I've been away for a while. My Stick was out for repair. It is back. I'm back.

I'm looking for some feedback on the computer monitor placement in my studio. I'm going to move to two monitors and would like to know thy thoughts about stacked vs side-by-side placement of 2 LCD monitors.

Side-by-side seems to be the default, but I've been thinking about it and I think the vertical stack could have a couple of advantages.

1) It saves desktop space.
2) It might lend itself to a more "control room" feel - mixing desk below the view of the musicians in the studio. While I won't be looking at musicians, I think there is something natural about following the track view above the mixing console view.

Any thoughts you'd like to share would be appreciated.

Cheers

John

Hi John,

Just beware of crick in the neck syndrome from looking up too much.

Thanks Greg - That is definitely a consideration. I have found some monitor supports that are vertically adjustable. The lower monitor can be adjusted such that the bottom edge is at the level of the desk...

Cheers

John

+1 to what Greg just said. From an ergonomic point of view, you definitely want your monitor to be at eye level. But it all depends on how much time you are planning to spend in front of a computer monitor (I work with them all day long)

I've experimented with a few monitor configurations: I currently have 3 monitors (counting the laptop) including an ultrawide monitor in the center position (2560x1080). I always end up with the classic left-center-right configuration. If you are considering getting a new monitor, do evaluate the ultrawides: while they are often shorter, the added width makes them an excellent option for working with DAWs with long tracks and web browsers with many open tabs. It takes a while to get used to it, but once on that path it's very hard to go back.

I've also tried setting up monitors in "portrait" mode, which is cool for reading long documents and other tasks that require more height than width (multitrack recording?). I typically use a "classic" monitor for this purpose, since the ultrawide would be way too narrow and tall for my usage pattern.

In the end, it's all about taste and your personal usage patterns. Start with two monitors and see how it "feels"... give yourself enough time to play with different applications in one setup before you make adjustments, so that you can identify what works for you and what doesn't.

Side note: Make sure your computer has enough power to run multiple monitors. This not only depends on the number of outputs you may have, but also on other factors (e.g., CPU/graphics). Nowadays, most computers should be able to run 2 monitors + the internal laptop's display.

I recently struggled with this thought as well. So my solution was to pick this guy up:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/361183334207?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Having articulated monitors has been more useful than I ever could have imagined. With the right desk, the monitors could be stacked vertically or side by side, along with any other configuration you could think of. Even orient one in portrait setting from time to time if you're into programming.

The only downside is expense. They are a little more money than a stationary mount, but if you shop around, you can find them for good prices. (I paid 75 for the one listed above, was new, box was just beat up).

This is a great suggestion...I wanted to find an option that allowed me to try all the different configurations. I found the same unit on Amazon for $90. Not too bad for the flexibility.

Cheers

John