MOTM

--- David Bivins <dbivins@...> wrote:
> One other point (someone may have mentioned but I may have missed): The
> C-shape assumes that you will be looking up toward the top modules, as
> opposed to looking forward, or down, at them. This means you may have to
> raise your arms above your shoulders to reach those modules for patching or
> tweaking. Over time, this will probably lead to greater fatigue than moving
> your arms forward or down to accomplish the same tasks. 

I've had a bit of experience with this arm fatigue on my own system.  It isn't too
bad in most cases since I don't tend to keep my arms in the same location for long
periods.  I too tend to stand/sit/move around as I am working with my system.  The
worst problem I have had is trying to "tune" an analog sequencer row up high.  That
can tire out your arms quickly!  So, if you use an analog sequencer a lot, don't
copy the Moog modular model with the sequencer way up on top!  It looks great but it
can be a pain when you are tweaking those knobs for accurate tuning.  Actually, I
have found that a quantizer helps greatly in this situation.

Yet another issue you have to be aware of when making a tall system is the lighting.
 If you have lights right over your system and you start looking up, you can get
blinded by an overhead light.  I have a recessed ceiling light near my system that I
sometimes unscrew because of the brightness and glare.  I have found that some small
lights, like the gooseneck litlelites or small desk lamps, on top of the system
pointed at the panels, instead of down at the user, work very well to reduce this,
ummm, hazard.

Eric


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