Can you record a chair?

 

Yes, you can record a chair.  But you don't want to.  In a recording studio, having the right chair is just as important as having the right microphones.  

Here's the back story on my recording chair, the Emeco model 1006, shown in the preceding photo.

Prior to 1999, I had some ruined takes in both my studio and others by squeaking or creaking chairs.  Studio microphones hear things you and I don't, and chair squeaks and creaks are two of those things.  When this occurs, you have chair noise in the final recordings.  It was maddening; something so basic and arcane as a chair squeak could ruin an otherwise good take.  I decided I had to find a solid chair that wouldn't squeak or creak; yet still allowed for the right playing posture and with no chair side-arms or other obstructions.  

I stumbled across the Emeco chairs in a high-end furniture store one day in Boston.  I knew that would be the perfect studio chair.  At the time, I couldn't find any used ones, so I ordered a new one from the Emeco factory in Pennsylvania.  It arrived in September 2000, and has been in daily service ever since.  The chairs are incredibly well-made and crafted.  They also have a lifetime guarantee.  And are made from recycled aluminum.  

Since then, I was always on the lookout for used Emeco chairs.  They are hard to find.  Around 2005, I met the owner of a vintage furniture store in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He had an old Emeco chair from the late '40s/early '50s.  It was a fraction of the price of a new 1006, so I bought it.  I gave him my contact info and said if you run across any more, please call me.  About a year later he called me; he had a pair of old 1950s Emeco 1006s.  So I drove out to Worcester and snapped those up.  Those were also very old, but these things are like anvils; you can't damage them.  So now I have four.  When I have collaborators here in the studio, everyone gets an Emeco chair.  Several of my collaborators have commented on how much they also like them.  They may not appear to be comfortable, but they totally are.  They instantly put you in a perfect playing position, enabling you to maintain excellent posture, and you never get fatigued from the chair like you do in some chairs.  I've even taken my Emeco 1006 to other recording studios with me for recording sessions.

I've done every recording session in my studio since 2000 in that chair.  As of today, I'd estimate it to be around 100 albums worth of material and counting. Of that, over 40 have been officially released with more to come.

I keep another one in my study that I use when practicing.

And.... never a ruined take because of chair squeaks or creaks!  I love these things.  Plus, to me, they look like art.  They possess a timeless, iconic design.

Read about them here:

The Emeco 1006

Birth of the 1006

See how they're crafted here:

77 Steps

-kk