Recording Studio Furniture, With Designer Talent

Yesterday’s recording studio was a walled in, soundproofed booth with a chair and microphone in one corner. The rest of the room was filled with tables covered with lots of complex looking equipment that boasted a plethora of dials, knobs, switches and blinking lights. The most famous bit of audio studio furniture  from those days was outside the door. It was, of course, the “on air/off air” sign, that was lit with whichever message was appropriate, warning people not to enter during recording sessions. Today’s studios, and the recording studio furniture available to decorate them, put the old one’s to shame.

I saw an interview of a prominent record producer aired by one of our local television stations last month. During the segment, he was seated in a leather chair at a desk. Just over his shoulder, on one side of the room, you could see a glassed off area framed in glass bricks. That’s where today’s talent applies their layer to the many that make up a finished recording. While there were still bits and pieces of impressive equipment, most of it seemed to be computerized and a lot more compact. That allowed for a cushioned seating area for producers who, wearing their headphones, could be seen scrolling through options not with a knob or dial, but a mouse.

The recording studio furniture upgrades were abundant. Along with the leather chair and the glass room instead of a booth, I even saw lounger or divan that rested against one wall, probably for when someone needed a nap while pulling an all night session. It was as different from the old studios as day from night. Only one thing still looked familiar. It was scrolled in red digital letters above the glass window of the performer’s “booth”.

While “On air” and “off air” may not be current terms, I recognized the message was just the same.