How many monitors (Screens) do you think its optimal?

[Klark Trent]

Hiya,

Been thinking for a while in extending my monitor/screens so I can have one for the Mixer and the other for the Sequencer etc without having to keep swapping.

I am wondering others experience. Ideally I would like 3. But then if you put 3 x 27 or even 24 inch monitors side by side they take up 100 meters (nearly ha)

So then I think maybe 2? I'm not the biggest fan of two as you have the bezel down the middle. Mind I only use my music computer for music so its not that much of a bother.

Wondering what others have and if there happy with their set ups. Would they have done something different? I know one isn't cutting it for me. Sick of F5/6/7 over and over.

[stillifegaijin]

I have 3. It's perfect. Though one is actually a Wacom Cintiq on a moveable arm that I use for my other job, photo retouching. The top 2 are NEC 27" and the Cintiq is 24". You could actually put any monitor down on an arm like my Cintiq floating below two other monitors.

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[WaxTrax]

Biggest improvement for my overall workflow (on all tasks I do, music-related or not) was ditch my old screens for a good 50" 4K TV (Samsung AU8000 specifically). This is like having four 24" 1080p screens all together, except without middle borders. Now most of the time I keep whatever I am working on in the middle, and everything else around the edges. This has been such an improvement for me, there is no way I would go back to individual smaller screens!

[Klark Trent]

Hi mate,

Cool thanks for the pic. Yeah I'm leaning towards 3 TBH. Screens are just not as expensive as they we're a decade ago where one broke the bank. Seems rude not too.

[Klark Trent]

WaxTrax, Not a fan of one big screen. Not sure why, just not my thing. cant quite put my finger on it. I have considered it though. Thanks

[Rising Night Wave]

naah, i have a TV for extra need.
although i have a problem with mouse - slow response. i sometimes get pissed off because of it. hehe.
othervise i have a laptop. working music composing on it. mostly all the time.
my laptop is 15" in diameter and TV is 49" in diameter.
i find this combination very good and more costly efficient. - instead of having more external monitors.
i found resizing sequencer, rack and mixer windows in Reason DAW not that problematic.
i do not use these windows all the time in my composing workflow. so when i need other window i just resize it.
i found most important reason for using TV for sequencer needs. othervise i do not use TV.
but this scenarios i use is based on my music composition needs. other people might find more monitors more suitable.

[Pepin]

So then I think maybe 2? I'm not the biggest fan of two as you have the bezel down the middle. Mind I only use my music computer for music so its not that much of a bother.

I use two monitors, but I always keep one in the center and one off to the side. I think that's the most ergonomic way to handle it, and I prefer having a "primary" monitor where most work gets done.

For Reason, I like keeping the rack and sequencer on the same screen. I find it less disorienting, since I'm switching between them so much. But I'm probably in the minority there.

[integerpoet]

The answer is very simple.

All of them.

[jam-s]

naah, i have a TV for extra need.
although i have a problem with mouse - slow response. i sometimes get pissed off because of it. hehe.

Check if your TV has got a setting for some kind of "gaming mode" or the option to disable "picture enhancement" or "post processing". This might drastically reduce the latency you're experiencing.

[jam-s]

I think 3 screens is very good, but I like to have one of those in portrait orientation to show the Rack and also for reading websites or text documents or manuals.

[Vincent Vitellius]

naah, i have a TV for extra need.
although i have a problem with mouse - slow response. i sometimes get pissed off because of it. hehe.

There's usually a fix for input lag. Google your brand and model plus "input lag" to find the settings.

On my Samsung 4K tv the trick was to rename the hdmi input to PC.
I'm not kidding, renaming the input really reduces lag on Samsungs, at least those models that I've tried it on.
I also disabled all the image "enhancement" processing, enabled game mode and made some other small tweaks.
Works perfectly without any perceptible lag.

[ScuzzyEye]

One big, hi-res monitor. I've tried two, that's awful, with the bezel in the middle as you said. Three is better because you can have one in the middle. But then the left and right are pretty far off, and you end up using the middle one for most everything. Now I have a 32" 4k monitor, and it suits me very well. I don't maximize most windows. I can put what I'm working on in the middle, and then put auxiliary stuff off to the sides.

One of those ultra-wide screens might also be good, but I've not tried them. I also kinda feel it might be getting back into three monitor territory, where the far left and right are too far, and don't get used much, and then I'd be missing the extra height.

[Rising Night Wave]

holy shhhhhhaytan! hehe
Mr. Dr. jam-s & Vincent Vitellius...

... YES!!! the game mode solved everything. LOL i am happy right now. hehe.

thank you both of you two guys million times!

damn!!! how many times i got frustrated with that mouse lag. o sh**. hehe.
especially at first time when i got my TV. i was so damn happy when i got it...
... and then so f* frustrated when i firstly connected my TV on PC...
... because of that mouse lagging.

well, i just checked about picture and post picture effects and everything was set to OFF.
i somehow prefer neutral things, flat things, what concerns to sound and image quality.
no enhancements. but still there was a lag on mouse.

now, when i changed to GAME MODE everything changed. hehe.
yuhey!!!

i am so glad you two guys recommended that to be checked. hehe.
again: thanks.

[QVprod]

However many you want. I had two at one point, but for most things audio I'm fine with just one. I don't miss the 2nd screen. Dragging the mouse from screen to screen isn't the best experience imo. Everyone's different though and conceivably 3 screens in Reason could be very useful for seeing everything at once.

[arnigretar]

I'm using two and that works best for me One is for the rack and the other for the sequencer. When I mix the track I'm using the monitors for the mixer and the sequencer.

[DaveyG]

Two is definitely the optimum for me. Any more than that and they would compromise the speaker positioning.

[rootwheel]

3 monitors, with full screen windows in this order:

Sequencer, Rack, Mixer

[crimsonwarlock]

I have three screens. Two 24" side by side and a 4K 42" TV above that. I had this setup from before moving to Reason. Used the two screens for Reaper with the tracks on one and the mixer on the other. I initially added the 4K TV for video editing (as the playback screen) and also to have some more screen estate to run VCV Rack on.

However, since working with Reason more and now having the zoom option in R12, I tend to work on the 42" only and switch between the Reason screens with the function keys. So, I'm thinking of moving the 4K TV as central monitor on my desk (I'm in the process of building a new desk as well) and move one of the 24" screens on top of my main MIDI controller keyboard. The other 24".... well, still thinking about that.

[avasopht]

42

[moneykube]

42

42>The answer to life, the universe, and everything is indeed the correct response. You win a cookie.

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[gullum]

1 is just fine get used to using the F keys on the keyboard 3 monitors will distract me for sure

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[arnigretar]

Two is definitely the optimum for me. Any more than that and they would compromise the speaker positioning.

oh yes-- and that as well (in my case)!

[orthodox]

I placed the speakers above the displays on the shelf.

[drloop]

I need three monitors

[drloop]

Two standing so I get the whole SSL mixer without having to scroll up and down and as many REs as possible to the left.