OT: any advice on potential health issues?

Some questions:
First, at all longtime OT user: do you encounter any health issues while operating the OT? Any kind of joint fatigue or posture issues? If so, how to avoid them?

Second, do you think a stand is necessary to avoid some health issues? Any good places for affordable not overly big stands?

Third and most important: how to protect my ears? Is the OT capable of producing unwanted burst, noise, etc. Any way to protect the ears?

Thanks

Yes. OT is my cure!
I think what youā€™re talking about is not specific to OT.

Yes a stand, and a good seat!
Diy stand!

These days Iā€™m very tired, back problems > OT in bed. Cheap stand : my legs.

Yes with very exaggerated settings, but no surprises. And it can be very noisy under control.

Analog filters can be worse imho.

Good monitoring speakers, be careful with volume.
Good ā€œopenā€ headphones, be careful with volume.

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I already had a bad back and tinnitus before i bought the Octatrack. I cant stand or sit for long periods. So i make the most of my time by preplanning everything. Plus you could tilt the OT so its facing you head on when seated if that helps. No stooping down bad for back.

There been talk of using the Compressor as a limiter. I know with the OP-1 a limiter is a must as that thing can seriously damage your ears through headphones. So some kind of limiter is a must to safeguard your lugs. Hope this helps.

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There are several threads about OT stands, the idea being in general to align any screen/device with you looking in front of you and not down.
Of course a good combo of height chair/table is important.

There are simple exercises to release tension of shoulders and neck that occur after hours at a desk, very efficient in my case.
Avoiding crossing the legs and having feets on the ground (not under the chair) is also very helpful for maintaining a good posture.

On the hearing side, i try to be careful with the general volume. If i need higher volume for a purpose i try to not have it for a long period of time. Having breaks is a key.

I work with headphones so i chose a DT 880 which is open: closed headphones put way more pressure when working hours in a row.

Edit: for good posture i have a friend who is sculptor on tiny figurines for RPG and he uses a kind of seat pillow that is like a soft ball. It forces you maintaining a straight back.
Also working in sofa/bed is a total killer for the body.

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Just check out some videos or a book on general office ergonomy. Keep your neck straight, not drooped down, make sure your wrists and forearms are straight and relaxed etc.

Standing up while making music helps a lot.

Octatrack is one of the most dangerous devices. It makes you stay in uncomfortable positions for hours. You can try to make wack beats that make you want to switch it off after some minutes. To protect your ears you can wear ear plugs. They can also act as an additional lowpass filter. Be careful with that Octatrack! Itā€™s criminally insane.

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I experience loss of time. I sit down with the OT and then - wham - hours has passed. If this keeps happening Iā€™ll be 80 by the end of summer.

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XF_neverbeenxfile

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Im a new OT user but always found with my other Elektron gear that having it placed at an angle so I dont have have to look down at the screen helps avoid neck pain, bad posture.

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The biggest health threat from the OT is when you produce too many sick beats!

But in all seriousness if youā€™re working at a desk with your gear I would recommend a height adjustable desk along with some stands to tilt your device(s). I spent countless hours scratching over decades hunching over my turntables and ruined my posture so now I canā€™t do it for a long time without getting serious back pain. And for loudness issues a limiter is the easiest solution.

One of those inexpensive, larger Ikea laptop stands might sort you. I canā€™t stand using an Elektron box flat on the table most of the time lol. I feel ya.

Unfortunately I have no idea where to start :smiley:
I checked some threads as well as google but could not find something which could fit my needs.
I find the Elektron Swingcheeks from Korple nice but ā€˜sold outā€™
I would like to have something the OT can breath on and what is not making the unit much bigger.
I also like this one but also ā€˜sold outā€™

And this one unfortunately for the Roland TR8 only

Thanks for the head up but I really canā€™t stand those Ikea stands :slight_smile:

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I experience extreme amnesia and short term memory loss while trying to operate the OT.

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http://www.mixingtable.com/elektron-classic-fs-desk-stand

Expensive but a good angle

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Its all about the angles

My Lady made some stands for me, she likes woodwork.

Dimmable lights on the TR8-S is so good! I wish elektron had that, the new elektrons have retina burning LEDs.

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I think this would go for any piece of music equipment but, a good ergonomic setup will go a long way. A simple angled stand, comfortable sitting area, and having the device positioned close enough that you donā€™t have to strain to reach or view it, would all go a long way to reducing or eliminating strain.

When working with any new piece of gear, thereā€™s a tendency to lose track of time while you study and work to understand it. Make sure to take breaks; not only to reduce physical strain but to ensure you donā€™t burn yourself out or overwhelm yourself in complexity. Itā€™s an instrument that takes time to learn. Enjoy the process of learning it!

Also, be mindful about channeling evil spirits while you explore the dark voids of creation. :smiling_imp:

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I just bought the OT AE and at first it was lit up lit a Christmas tree. Thankfully you can lower the led brightness. Cant you do this on the other Elektrons?

One answer- donā€™t spend 12 hours on a crappy chair with a bad posture.

Use your monitor/speakers at the right distance.

the bigger the speakers the farther your need to be.

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Prop 65 warning!

Maybe donā€™t eat it