When it comes to working from home,
I want to ensure that I have a workspace that I find comfortable to work from
that can also accommodate the different things I need to be able to do the task at hand
such as making these videos. So, let’s take a closer look at my desk and working setup.
I’ve likely individually reviewed a lot of the products that I am using in my setup,
so I will leave links in the description if you wish to learn more about a specific product.
Before I talk about what’s on the desk, let’s talk about the desk itself.
Around a year or so ago I moved from a sitting desk to a sit-stand desk, and I’ve really enjoyed
the flexibility that it brings. This desk is from a company called GoStand and features motors in
both legs which quietly raise and lower the desk. I chose to go with a white and black
design for the desk. The white tabletop keeps things bright and hides any dust that may settle
before I have a chance to wipe the desk down and the black legs blend underneath the desk and
hide and dirt that may come from my shoes. To keep things organised, I added a cable
management tray underneath the desk, this allows me to keep all the wires tidy and
hidden away so I only have a few visible cables going from my computer and plug sockets
as I also have an Anker USB hub stored away in there. Regardless of what kind of desk you use,
I’d highly recommend picking up a cable management tray as I found getting the cables up off the
ground gives you a lot more floor space. Around the back of the desk,
I have a LIFX LED strip that adds some backlighting to the desk throughout the day
and I can change the colour of the strip using the LIFX app on my phone or computer.
If you’re on more of a budget, I previously used an Ikea Malm desk which worked very
nicely for a number of years and has now been repurposed to somewhere else in the house.
Of course, when I’m not standing up, I’ll be sitting. My chair of choice is the Herman Miller
Aeron which is great for ergonomics and sitting in all day. I also like the meshed design of the
chair which means that it is breathable and still comfortable to sit in throughout summer
where it tends to be a little hotter. The Aeron is quite a pricey chair, but if you look at the
used market you can get a good price for one. As far as audio goes, I have a microphone and
speaker setup for recording voiceovers and listening to music when working.
The Rode Complete Studio Kit has been my latest choice for my microphone and audio
interface and I’m very happy with how the microphone performs, providing high-quality
vocal recordings. The audio interface is used to provide to connect the microphone to my computer,
but I also have my Mackie CR3 speakers plugged into the audio output on the interface, so I have
my audio in and out running through one device. The Mackie CR3 speakers are a good choice for
monitor speakers on a budget, although I believe they have been replaced with
a slightly newer model at this point. The speakers sit on Kanto S2W speaker stands
which blend in with the desk and isolate the speakers, so they don’t pass any significant
vibrations through to the tabletop. The speakers still provide a good quality sound, and I don’t
see myself upgrading these any time soon, they still get the job done and their flatter
frequency response makes them great for editing these videos, so I know how they truly sound.
My only complaint with the speakers is their channel orientation switch on the back,
which can become a little faulty and require some WD40 to work properly,
which I did mention in my initial review a few years ago. This can be fixed permanently by taking
apart the speakers and soldering a wire instead of using a switch, but I haven’t done that yet.
I’m a big fan of dual-screen setups as it allows me to have multiple things open at the same time
without having to worry about sorting between windows and applications – I can have exactly
what I need open in their own individual spaces. My main display is a BenQ PD2700U
which I chose for its 4K resolution and 100% sRGB colour coverage, these specifications
are fantastic for editing videos and photos as I am dealing with high-resolution media,
usually 4K video and 30-megapixel photos. This display is incredibly sharp, and it has some
handy software features that allow you to tweak display settings and colour profiles
directly from within Windows – a nice feature to have as monitor menus aren’t the nicest to browse.
My secondary display is a Samsung monitor. There’s nothing too special about this monitor as it has
fairly average colour performance and a 1080p resolution, but it does what I need it to do
as a secondary display and area for me to have more information visible at a glance.
Both displays are 27-inches which I find is a nice balance between visible size
and space consumed on my desk and to free up a bit more space on the desk I have the
monitors mounted on arms which feature some handy cable channelling to keep things tidy.
When it comes to peripherals, I’ve been very happy with the Logitech MX line of products.
My keyboard of choice is the MX Keys, which I switched to from a mechanical keyboard,
I find the design of the keyboard to be comfortable for typing on and it makes
writing scripts pleasant to do. My mouse is the MX Master 2S which also works nicely.
The design of the Master 2S is great for regular daily use as the shape of
the mouse is more ergonomic in comparison to computer mice that I have previously used.
I then use the mouse of an ASUS cloth mousepad which allows the mouse to glide smoothly across
the surface and it also keeps things quiet. Both of my Logitech peripherals are connected using the
USB unifying receiver as I do find that it offers better battery life than a Bluetooth connection.
On the top of my monitors, I also have a couple of accessories. On my primary monitor,
I have the BenQ ScreenBar which is an on-monitor desk lamp. The ScreenBar is great in the winter
when it gets dark quite early in the afternoon as it keeps my workspace bright and well lit.
On my secondary monitor, I have a Microsoft LifeCam webcam for the occasional video call.
If I’m gaming there may also be an Xbox One controller sat around for playing Forza
or any other games that involve driving around and I also have some Soundcore Q35 headphones
off to the side if I wish to use headphones, but most of the time I use the Mackie speakers.
That’s been a look at the different tech I use on a daily basis to make and write videos.
Hopefully, it was insightful if you’re looking to add some things to your setup. Is there
anything you think I’m missing? Let me know! That’s all for this video, if you enjoyed
watching give the video a link and if you’re not already subscribed consider
clicking that subscribe button below. Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.