Color grading with monitor in a corner?

Hello there, I've finally decided to redo my home office properly and I want to set it up to where I can easily upgrade it in the future. I am merely a hobbyist (my day job is Senior Network Engineer) and I am barely a novice, but I feel like I have learned enough to be able to understand/experiment more, if that makes any sense. Please forgive me if I am posting this in the wrong section. I would greatly appreciate any input.

My first question is about color grading and editing in the corner of a room.
I have been looking for examples of color grading studios that have the main monitor in a corner but haven't managed to find any. Is there a specific reason why?

I couldn't find anything about it neither being good or bad neither in the book "Color Correction Handbook (Second Edition)" by Alexis Van Hurkman, nor "The Studio Builder's Handbook" by Bobby Owsinski and Dennis Moody.

I made a basic drawing of my house to keep track of the circuit breakers and I decided to make a quick drawing of a desk that I was planning on building and where I was considering putting it. I just bought a 48" LG A2 (wife wouldn't let me take the 65" CX from the living room), that I was hoping to place in the corner.

A second question would be regarding noise.
The hatched area is where my workstation will be mounted (it's plumbed to the basement for cooling so I don't want to move it horizontally from that spot). I don't want anything to make noise. I have 4 different dedicated 20A circuits in one corner of the room but neither of these are hooked to a UPS. I am currently using consumer grade UPSes for all my equipment thanks to their silence, but I am hoping to get rid off all of them.

I am pondering either hardwiring a smaller 1980W UPS to a subpanel and running a single 20A circuit from that Subpanel to feed the workstation and monitors, or possibly hardwiring a 6kW UPS between the main panel and the subpanel that is feeding the 4 differently colored 20A outlets, and just adding a single dedicated outlet on a new 20A breaker to that subpanel to feed the workstation.

I am attaching screenshots of the drawings.

I just realized that the second question never materialized.

I was wondering how y'all handle the noise of the equipment being used in the room, and was hoping for some advice. =)

Probably the majority of full colorists suites assume at least occasional client attended sessions, and I'd guess that's why you don't see layouts into a corner.

As you won't soon be having clients in, if it works for you is all that matters.

Having both proper counter width and depth for any tools, such as keyboards, control panels, Streamdecks or Wacom tablets is crucial.

Having the monitors placed so they are usable without a lot of movement on your part is big.

Coordinating chair/counter/monitors is HUGE for body care and comfort.

As to machine noise, if you have a computer or two, and their fans can be noisy, Having them in the next room is quite handy.

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I will only answer your first question. The reason is most working studios, which you have seen, does not has their workspace in the corner because they cater to clients coming in and seating behind them usually on a couch with a view to a client or reference screen. Since you’re a hobbyist and doing this for your own pleasure, you can put your workstation anywhere you prefer.

Probably the majority of full colorists suites assume at least occasional client attended sessions, and I'd guess that's why you don't see layouts into a corner.

As you won't soon be having clients in, if it works for you is all that matters.

Having both proper counter width and depth for any tools, such as keyboards, control panels, Streamdecks or Wacom tablets is crucial.

Having the monitors placed so they are usable without a lot of movement on your part is big.

Coordinating chair/counter/monitors is HUGE for body care and comfort.

As to machine noise, if you have a computer or two, and their fans can be noisy, Having them in the next room is quite handy.

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Thank you very much!

I was hoping that it was just because of clients! =)

I plan on getting a few slabs, adding legs and figuring out what feels best over a longer period of time and once I'm satisfied, cut out holes for the tools and their cables. I've been working from home for more than half a decade, so I definitely see what you mean about being comfortable!

Luckily my main workhorse is silently dumping its heat into the basement where its fans live, but I have had to limit its power to 900W in order to keep the consumer grade (fanless) UPS from complaining.

I will only answer your first question. The reason is most working studios, which you have seen, does not has their workspace in the corner because they cater to clients coming in and seating behind them usually on a couch with a view to a client or reference screen. Since you’re a hobbyist and doing this for your own pleasure, you can put your workstation anywhere you prefer.

Thank you very much for the explanation! =)

The reason you haven't been able to find many examples of corner edit suites, is they are also impractical for other reasons than client attended sessions. Such a setup requires you to place your computer monitors either side of your TV/video monitor, or awkwardly to one side or the other, especially with a 48" TV. Your floor plans are somewhat confusing and I can't follow your power supply description fully, but it would appear to me better to place the edit suite against the window on the lower 10' 1" side, where to the left you have the main power points, though it is not clear whether an internal door would impede this left side. You may have a specific reason, for your choice, but I can't see one from the supplied information.

In professional edit suites, noise is abated by simply removing the computer to another room - an MCR, or Machine Room - you would then use KVM switches for remote control of screens, keyboard and mouse. In such a setup the power is normally 3-phase, with a/c extraction for PC and storage server, but this is not practical in a domestic environment, though you could still remote with the KVM. In practice noise from a good workstation with quiet fans should be reasonably quiet. In my professional home online suite, I have the HP workstation PC right there with me and noise is never a problem.

Steve,

A lot of colorist setups have say a Reference monitor center, with Resolve on a pair of monitors to either side, and another scopes monitor in there somewhere. Often above the panel and below the Reference monitor.

But at times below/above or beside one of the Resolve monitors either side of the Reference.

With such a setup, whether the user faces into a corner or flat wall seems irrelevant to me.

You'll have monitors to either side either way.

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A lot of colorist setups have say a Reference monitor center, with Resolve on a pair of monitors to either side, and another scopes monitor in there somewhere. Often above the panel and below the Reference monitor.

Yes they do Neil but not with a 48" monitor. Most reference monitors are somewhat smaller and it is not good to have them above at too high an angle. Here is my own home solution in a very narrow space, yet I have happily had clients attend. I wish I had more room but I am happy with how it worked out:

Studio.jpg (757.45 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

The reason you haven't been able to find many examples of corner edit suites, is they are also impractical for other reasons than client attended sessions. Such a setup requires you to place your computer monitors either side of your TV/video monitor, or awkwardly to one side or the other, especially with a 48" TV. Your floor plans are somewhat confusing and I can't follow your power supply description fully, but it would appear to me better to place the edit suite against the window on the lower 10' 1" side, where to the left you have the main power points, though it is not clear whether an internal door would impede this left side. You may have a specific reason, for your choice, but I can't see one from the supplied information.

In professional edit suites, noise is abated by simply removing the computer to another room - an MCR, or Machine Room - you would then use KVM switches for remote control of screens, keyboard and mouse. In such a setup the power is normally 3-phase, with a/c extraction for PC and storage server, but this is not practical in a domestic environment, though you could still remote with the KVM. In practice noise from a good workstation with quiet fans should be reasonably quiet. In my professional home online suite, I have the HP workstation PC right there with me and noise is never a problem.

Thank you for your input!
I was considering having the tops of my main monitors (for GUI) a few inches below eye level, tilted up a bit, and the TV mounted 6 feet from my eyes, tilted down slightly, at a level where it will appear to be almost touching the 2 main monitors, despite being 6 feet away, if that makes any sense. The main reason why I was hoping to be able to use a "V", "L" or "U" style table is simply having more desk space.

The doors next to the 4 20A duplex outlets are folding doors (it's a closet), that I'm seriously considering removing.

That's a great point about the KVM switch, thank you, I hadn't thought about that! I have a 32 port KVM switch in my main rack in the basement that still has several ports unoccupied. That rack is already protected by a double conversion 6kW UPS and is currently housing among other things about 350-400 TB of storage that I could repurpose for this endeavor if need be. =)

I have gutted the entire basement, including the ceilings, so it's very easy for me to add/modify electrical, ethernet and fiber connections right now, hence me asking for advice at this stage. =)

As per Steve's comments about monitor size, that has to do with distance to the screen.

Certainly if you are right close to it, 42 is too big.

But if your counter/desk setup is out from the wall a bit, it's not a problem.

Details always complicate things.

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As per Steve's comments about monitor size, that has to do with distance to the screen.

Certainly if you are right close to it, 42 is too big.

But if your counter/desk setup is out from the wall a bit, it's not a problem.

Details always complicate things.

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Ah, yes, I remember mounting a 49" 4k TV above my 2 main monitors when I had my office in another room, at roughly the same distance as my monitors. I need as much screen real estate as possible for my job, so I figured that I could do a 4x4 split screen on the TV and that would increase my productivity. Instead it just gave me the worst headaches ever once the inflammation in my neck kicked into overdrive. =)

I will most likely start out by placing everything roughly where I think that I want it, without any kind of cable management, since it's just temporary, until my OCD kicks in and forces me to make more permanent choices. =)

I will probably just hold on to the silent 900W UPSes that I have in the office right now and figure out a permanent power solution in the future, based on what actually makes sense after trying out different things.

Quick question: Is there any difference SP-50 by eCinema and the N5 paint by GTI or are they pretty much the same? Is there anything better out there? I like shopping at B&H so I would probably prefer the GTI one just for that reason.

I was considering having the tops of my main monitors (for GUI) a few inches below eye level, tilted up a bit, and the TV mounted 6 feet from my eyes, tilted down slightly, at a level where it will appear to be almost touching the 2 main monitors, despite being 6 feet away, if that makes any sense.

The only problem with this, I can see Janis, is that your eyes will have to continually refocus between the GUI and video monitor, which is not ideal. It's best to have them as close to a plane as possible. Which means it is probably better to go for a smaller monitor, for reference, if possible. The most expensive used in major suites are a maximum currently of 31.5", for example. The larger monitors are usually for the client, or they will be mounted as a supplement to the main grading reference monitor behind, above on the wall.

It seems like you have your basement well thought out and it is very useful to have that space. Be careful of damp and environmental conditions in it though. Air conditioning there would be ideal.

I was considering having the tops of my main monitors (for GUI) a few inches below eye level, tilted up a bit, and the TV mounted 6 feet from my eyes, tilted down slightly, at a level where it will appear to be almost touching the 2 main monitors, despite being 6 feet away, if that makes any sense.

The only problem with this, I can see Janis, is that your eyes will have to continually refocus between the GUI and video monitor, which is not ideal. It's best to have them as close to a plane as possible. Which means it is probably better to go for a smaller monitor, for reference, if possible. The most expensive used in major suites are a maximum currently of 31.5", for example. The larger monitors are usually for the client, or they will be mounted as a supplement to the main grading reference monitor behind, above on the wall.

It seems like you have your basement well thought out and it is very useful to have that space. Be careful of damp and environmental conditions in it though. Air conditioning there would be ideal.

I never even considered the refocusing aspect, thank you for bringing that to my attention! Since I already bought the 48" TV (I couldn't say no to the current price at Best Buy), I will still play around with different setups with the TV as a part of it. I honestly can't know how my eyes will react to it until I force them to experience it. =)

One thing that I have noticed from more than half a decade of working from home with monitors on the same plane is that my eyes seem to get very tired. I was given the advice to take breaks and step outside to refocus my eyes, which actually helped, so who knows, maybe it might not be a bad idea to have them on a different plane, at least when it comes to eye strain.

Regarding the dampness in the basement, I am running a dehumidifier there 24/7. I am actually going to water seal around 1/4 of the basement wall today, leaving only around 1/4 of the wall to still be in need of water sealing (drylok extreme), it's taking a minute since I have gym equipment, tools, servers etc down there that needs to be moved around. I have already done around 40% of the floor with the drylok floor stuff.

My end goal is to install an HRV unit for the basement with a ground loop to allow for slightly more (very cheap) cooling and dehumidification (where the incoming fresh air meets the ground loop's liquid to air heat exchanger after the air-to-air heat exchanger). The side effects being fresh air and less noise since the fans would be running slower but continuously. The HRV unit won't happen in 2022 though.

When I am done I want the basement to be 50% studio, 16% gym, 17% dance floor/VR space, 17% Utility/Networking/Servers/Storage/Electronics repair/3D printing space. It has taken me 3 years to get this far, I think I'm only lacking about 1-2 years until I am done, and I am sure that there will be tweaks needed here and there, including in regards to the coloring room.

One thing that I have noticed from more than half a decade of working from home with monitors on the same plane is that my eyes seem to get very tired. I was given the advice to take breaks and step outside to refocus my eyes, which actually helped, so who knows, maybe it might not be a bad idea to have them on a different plane, at least when it comes to eye strain.

The trade Union here used to recommend always positioning your edit suite by a window, in that way you could often refocus your eyes, from time to time. There is certainly some merit in that, though not always practical, especially for a finishing suite. But I don't think the main problem is the tiredness of your eyes, with monitors on a different plane, though that is vitally important too. I think it's not very helpful to an edit workflow, at least for me and it certainly seems to be the norm to avoid it in most professional suites I have worked in.

I like your thinking re your basement. It may not look like it from the picture above, but every inch and piece of equipment, of my home suite has been carefully though about. It's also quickly deployable to onsite too. Regular PC equipment, we normally deal with shouldn't require too much cooling. It's really only when you have big racked servers and other such equipment in a machine room and then as I mentioned proper regulated 3-phase power is preferable. As long as there is a reasonable airflow then it should be fine. Standard domestic A/C will suffice, as in winter it can provide ambient temperature too, together with dehumidifying.

One thing that I have noticed from more than half a decade of working from home with monitors on the same plane is that my eyes seem to get very tired. I was given the advice to take breaks and step outside to refocus my eyes, which actually helped, so who knows, maybe it might not be a bad idea to have them on a different plane, at least when it comes to eye strain.

The trade Union here used to recommend always positioning your edit suite by a window, in that way you could often refocus your eyes, from time to time. There is certainly some merit in that, though not always practical, especially for a finishing suite. But I don't think the main problem is the tiredness of your eyes, with monitors on a different plane, though that is vitally important too. I think it's not very helpful to an edit workflow, at least for me and it certainly seems to be the norm to avoid it in most professional suites I have worked in.

I like your thinking re your basement. It may not look like it from the picture above, but every inch and piece of equipment, of my home suite has been carefully though about. It's also quickly deployable to onsite too. Regular PC equipment, we normally deal with shouldn't require too much cooling. It's really only when you have big racked servers and other such equipment in a machine room and then as I mentioned proper regulated 3-phase power is preferable. As long as there is a reasonable airflow then it should be fine. Standard domestic A/C will suffice, as in winter it can provide ambient temperature too, together with dehumidifying.

I just have to say that I love that you have an on-camera monitor attached to one of your monitors, I would have never thought of that! Is that one hooked to a BM card with a clean feed and then the pass-through goes to the reference monitor or how do you have it all wired? I am assuming that the monitor doesn't modify the clean signal?

Regarding PC cooling, my Threadripper is a monster when it comes to heat, it would heat up the entire office when it was running (2 other PCs were running but they didn't produce anywhere near that amount of heat). That's the reason I plumbed it to a radiator in the basement. The temp in the basement is usually in the mid to upper 60s year round which is great for cooling.

The basement is split by a wall almost exactly in half and the radiator fans are forcing the air from one half to the other. I'm plugging holes atm but once I am done, the only path from one side of the basement to the other will be through the radiator and one other path at the opposite end of the basement, forcing the air to move in a circle across the basement walls, cooling it down on its path.

I just have to say that I love that you have an on-camera monitor attached to one of your monitors, I would have never thought of that! Is that one hooked to a BM card with a clean feed and then the pass-through goes to the reference monitor or how do you have it all wired? I am assuming that the monitor doesn't modify the clean signal?

Yes thanks Janis, it's hooked up to an Ultrastudio Mini 4K, via SDI, where in this suite it serves as a waveform monitor. I then downstream 4K out from the Video Assist to the client monitor you see in the foreground. The reference monitor, which is HD, is fed via HDMI from the Ultrastudio. On location I can use the Video Assist as a monitor. On both camera and reference monitor I have fitted quick change hotshoe mounts. Everything I try to buy must have a dual purpose. The Sound devices MixPre II 6, below the reference monitor has a similar function, in being both a sound card in the studio and a location recorder too.

I really wanted a Duoscope 4K for waveform but I simply didn't have the 19" rack space to fit it and so the VA occurred to me as the next best thing.

Steve's comments about refocusing are very good to consider. As are the OP comments about getting tired eyes from staring at all monitors at the same distance.

This is the kind of ergonomic choice that in the end has to be decided by each user. Just like some vertical mice are great for one person, but cramp the wrist of another within ten minutes.

My current setup has the reference monitor above a vertically narrow ultrawide 2560x1080 "main" Ui monitor, with another 1920x1080 monitor to the left.

The reference is back about 10" from the UI under it, and I like having that eye difference.

I'll be moving into a new room this winter and will be able to either recreate this, or probably modify. I find that I tend to do editing and sound between the two UI monitors.

But for color, my eyes pretty much stay on the reference one.

So I'm either working the two close monitors, or the slightly farther one, not both.

So naturally this thread is of interest, and I'll want to follow the OP to hear how this plays out.

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So I'm either working the two close monitors, or the slightly farther one, not both.

So naturally this thread is of interest, and I'll want to follow the OP to hear how this plays out.

It sounds like you've got an optimum solution there, Neil. Ultimately it takes some experimentation to find what suits us individually and there are no actual hard and fast rules.

I wish I could afford to simply travel to view various suites ...

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