Studio Lighting Question

[russellnollen]

In the next few weeks, my home studio will be getting remodeled/assembled. It's essentially an old bedroom, about 175 square feet with one single ceiling fan with light. There are three windows in the room which let in sunlight from the east and north. At night, this locale' gets very dark.
I will be installing four new electrical outlets on a dedicated clean circuit as recommended.
What suggestion(s) have you for lighting this room? Any changes necessary? Do's & don'ts?
Always thankful for your advice!

[lesmac]

My only recommendation is don't use dimmers, they are known to introduce noise into audio systems. If you want bright light to find things and mood light to sing by install more lights or use a lamp. Dare I say lava.
Enjoy setting up your new studio.

[Len911]

fluorescents noisy also.

I like those arching floor lamps. You can move them around and position them where you need them. You just have to be careful not to bang your head on them. Also if you could somehow use different color/thickness fabric to diffuse the light, sometimes you need a clearer reading light and sometimes not such a harsh light.

[russellnollen]

Thanks friends! I do have a lava lamp... No flourescent lights (I don't like them anyway). I suppose that the ceiling fan won't get used much there and probably shouldn't, correct? No dimmers there, then. Otherwise I'll have four clean/separate circuits and two dirty circuits in the room. Lots of potential. Thanks for the feedback! I'm always open for suggestions.

[Russell Landwehr]

Yeah, don't use any lights that have a ballast. I would stay away from CFLs too. I'm not sure if the new LED bulbs introduce noise on the power or not. Be careful about track lighting because some have transformers.

I have a LOT of light in my studio. I like a bright environment. It helps keep me awake on the long and late sessions. (Kinda like all those bright lights in a casino will do.) My lights are mostly spot bulbs. (narrow beam) it creates pools of light in the control room and adds a nice ambiance. What I wish I would have done is to put them on more switches so I could get some mellow ambiance going on when needed.

I would really suggest staying away from anything that is perpetually dark and cave-like. To me that just seems seedy and dirty. And saps energy... Like I said, I like a BRIGHT work environment.

Additionally, if you can get all your lighting and extra non-music stuff on the same leg of your 220 feed, and the audio stuff (including audio monitors, video monitors, amps, outboard gear, computer, keyboards, etc) on the other leg of the 220 feed, that would help with keeping your power clean. I did that in my studio. TONS of outlets everywhere. And I color coded them white for audio power and beige for other "dirty" power.

Russell

[Russell Landwehr]

Oh, hey, are you the "other" Russell in the TAXI TV chatroom?

[russellnollen]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. I hear both sides of the "what color should I paint my studio" argument. Some like it cool and very dark, saying that it allows for better focus from the ears and eliminates visual distractions. I've also heard the "dark is dreary, depressing, and fatiguing". I'd like to hear more personal testimonies and preferences.
Yes, I am the other Russell in the chatroom! I've been SO very busy with renovating a new (old) house for my wife, kids and I (and the cat), along with trying to relocate the Studio, day jobs, teaching guitar lessons, other daily responsibilities... no time for the Taxi TV until ~ August or so...

[Russell Landwehr]

if you need to eliminate visual distraction... sit there with your face in your hands... fingers over your eyes....
It also makes your wife feel sympathetic.

[lesmac]

if you need to eliminate visual distraction... sit there with your face in your hands... fingers over your eyes....
It also makes your wife feel sympathetic.

Add sobbing to that and you've made a home run

[Len911]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. I hear both sides of the "what color should I paint my studio" argument. Some like it cool and very dark, saying that it allows for better focus from the ears and eliminates visual distractions. I've also heard the "dark is dreary, depressing, and fatiguing". I'd like to hear more personal testimonies and preferences.
Yes, I am the other Russell in the chatroom! I've been SO very busy with renovating a new (old) house for my wife, kids and I (and the cat), along with trying to relocate the Studio, day jobs, teaching guitar lessons, other daily responsibilities... no time for the Taxi TV until ~ August or so...

I think it matters more what color the walls are when you are either choosing the color initially, or are selling the house.

When I bought carpet once for a living room, I chose grass green, it's not as common believe it or not as desert sand beiges,lol, but I didn't want to replicate a desert!

I remember in the '70's, when my folks bought carpets of multi-colored browns because they supposedly didn't show dirt. Nothing hides dirt if you know it's filthy, and how something wears is probably a better determination of what it's going to look like later on.
Skip the carpet and go for wood or tile?? The multi-browns looked like a barn lot,lol!

I suppose painting a winter or fall scene mural on the wall or a volcano or forest fire might make the room feel a couple of degrees warmer or cooler, but it's probably negligible in terms of the actual heating or cooling bill.

For more decorating tips... Just kidding

Oh hell, go for the Christmas spirit, isn't anything more cheerful! Wrapping paper wall paper, Christmas lights, red and green carpets, candy cane mic stands,