If you turn those two edge monitors into portrait then you'll get more use out of them, it's simply too much for your neck and head to move to get use from them in landscape. Try it, portrait monitors really help with a lot of longitudinal tasks and windows!
Nice setup. Curious how you manage background noise with the condenser mic. I have a similar set up but also hardwood floors and the audio can be quite "echoey". Software suppression seems to work, but sometimes results in uneven volume levels. For recoding voice overs I move to another, smaller room.
Yea I had some issues with that at first. To fix that I turned down the "gain" knob as far as possible but not so far people couldn't hear me
This makes it so the mic doesn't pick up noise outside of my room unless it's really loud
Last noise my mic was picking up that I didn't want was the sound of my typing. I used "krisp.ai" (paid product) to remove that completely. I comped it through work, not sure if I'd pay for it otherwise
Definitely never have and definitely won’t get all that extra AV hardware for work meetings, I work 100% remote and my AirPods and MacBooks camera are fantastic, I even drop it down as I really don’t need 1080p streaming for a work call.
The built in voice isolation is great so never have to turn off my music either.
I did opt for the 34” ultrawide when I got the extra monitor and that pays for itself hands down, for mobile devices I can keep everything on 1 screen with usual 2 -3 files split, Copilot and Vysor (phone mirror).
Web or API I’ll use both screens, and they arranged vertically instead of horizontal as that’s more eye than neck movement.
High adjustable desk as also have the Aeron.
Keyboards a Keycron K2 Pro with Gamakay Pegasus silent tactile and the developer keycap set, use an external trackpad as I have not touched a mouse since 2015 and love my gestures.
I've often had to take to a library or cafe and make do with a laptop screen instead of the large home setup because home is just too comfortable while a public place at least removes the possibility of lounging/napping.
My productivity is great when I have a lot of intrinsic motivation for the work, but if there's some busy work I'm less interested I've noticed the same. Easy to lounge for a bit especially after lunch
Honestly not a bad product, it just doesn't fit my habits. If you're okay with the setup cost or you have enough space to leave it out permanently it can work well
Docking station for the laptop - One cable to plug it in and all the connected monitors and peripherals. Much less hassle for the hybrid worker. Zero use for desktop computer users.
Under-desk elliptical machine - It can live under the desk, so zero friction to get those steps in.
Heated poncho - It's cold up in the attic office.
I keep being tempted by minimalist desk setup items and gadgets but manage to resist, and now I can't even remember most of them. The only exception was a couple of fake leather desk mats to hide the horrible laminated chipboard top of my desk (maybe I should upgrade my desk...)
Not as much as I should/could, but it gets 2-3k steps in during the 3 days a week I work at home. I might have been overselling the 'zero friction' thing as literal friction is an issue; mine is set up on a laminate floor so you either have to fix the chair in place by putting 2 castors on these rubber-bottomed grooved discs or keep a hold of the table, otherwise the action of using the machine rolls the chair away. No problems on rug/carpet though.
Curious what difference the camera and mic actually made as I see managers a couple levels up also using either laptop or basic issued equipment at multiple FAANGs.
Camera: being in a tiny window kind of negates the benefits of a real camera.
Mic: we're not singing so the frequency range is limited. Distance to mic makes the most difference. The commonly issued Plantronics headset is hard to beat and has a neat feature the fancy stuff don't; it plays back your own voice to your ears so it sounds like you're in person.
Monitors: I don't like seeing a gap straight center so when I had 2 monitors, I put 1 off to the side. But then it wasn't comfortable always looking in 1 direction when not at center. I'd recommend a *curved* ultrawide. Something like 34" WQHD resolution for ~$300 or, for splurgers, something with WUHD resolution.
> Curious what difference the camera and mic actually made as I see managers a couple levels up also using either laptop or basic issued equipment at multiple FAANGs
This proves it isn't mandatory to succeed; it can still help. My intuition is that makes a marginal difference in how you're perceived (e.g. first impressions). Difficult to measure how much that type of thing matters
> Camera: being in a tiny window kind of negates the benefits of a real camera.
Yes except 1:1 meetings
> Mic: we're not singing so the frequency range is limited.
Great setup Ryan! Nice, simple, and efficient :)
Beautiful setup🔥
If you turn those two edge monitors into portrait then you'll get more use out of them, it's simply too much for your neck and head to move to get use from them in landscape. Try it, portrait monitors really help with a lot of longitudinal tasks and windows!
Great idea, turning my head for these monitors does get uncomfortable. I'll give it a try; should be better for looking at code too
Nice setup, Ryan!
Great setup! A wired desktop speaker helps a lot to reduce fatigue from wearing headphones all day.
Since I like working late at night, a monitor light bar helped me reduce eye strain.
Desktop speakers sound nice, maybe one day when I don’t have roommates I’ll get some
Nice setup. Curious how you manage background noise with the condenser mic. I have a similar set up but also hardwood floors and the audio can be quite "echoey". Software suppression seems to work, but sometimes results in uneven volume levels. For recoding voice overs I move to another, smaller room.
Yea I had some issues with that at first. To fix that I turned down the "gain" knob as far as possible but not so far people couldn't hear me
This makes it so the mic doesn't pick up noise outside of my room unless it's really loud
Last noise my mic was picking up that I didn't want was the sound of my typing. I used "krisp.ai" (paid product) to remove that completely. I comped it through work, not sure if I'd pay for it otherwise
Definitely never have and definitely won’t get all that extra AV hardware for work meetings, I work 100% remote and my AirPods and MacBooks camera are fantastic, I even drop it down as I really don’t need 1080p streaming for a work call.
The built in voice isolation is great so never have to turn off my music either.
I did opt for the 34” ultrawide when I got the extra monitor and that pays for itself hands down, for mobile devices I can keep everything on 1 screen with usual 2 -3 files split, Copilot and Vysor (phone mirror).
Web or API I’ll use both screens, and they arranged vertically instead of horizontal as that’s more eye than neck movement.
High adjustable desk as also have the Aeron.
Keyboards a Keycron K2 Pro with Gamakay Pegasus silent tactile and the developer keycap set, use an external trackpad as I have not touched a mouse since 2015 and love my gestures.
Makes sense, if I had to prioritize the items in my setup I'd say:
2nd or ultrawide monitor > ergonomics > extra A/V setup
How is your WFH productivity?
I've often had to take to a library or cafe and make do with a laptop screen instead of the large home setup because home is just too comfortable while a public place at least removes the possibility of lounging/napping.
My productivity is great when I have a lot of intrinsic motivation for the work, but if there's some busy work I'm less interested I've noticed the same. Easy to lounge for a bit especially after lunch
Curious here on the split keyboard.
Did you notice a big difference with it?
If you don't have any discomfort with a normal keyboard then you're good.
Otherwise, a split keyboard likely fixes it, when used properly.
Yep agreed with this, I bought it because I was feeling a little bit of pain in my right wrist. It did fix the problem
If you don't have pain there might be some value in getting it preventatively but not necessary
I think you could get a good webcam and use that one instead of camera+mic.
What standing desk did you use? I know you don’t use it much but I’d be curious what brand you picked. Does it have incline?
It is the "Jarvis" standing desk: https://store.hermanmiller.com/standing-desks/jarvis-bamboo-standing-desk/2542428.html
It moves up and down but doesn't tilt if that is what you mean by incline
Ah sorry I made a typo, I meant the treadmill
Here's the treadmill: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V7F8QYK
Honestly not a bad product, it just doesn't fit my habits. If you're okay with the setup cost or you have enough space to leave it out permanently it can work well
What is the model of 3 monitors. How did you split output to 3 monitor from one input?
They are Dell UP2516 monitors. My computer has three separate output ports so I didn't need a splitter
Docking station for the laptop - One cable to plug it in and all the connected monitors and peripherals. Much less hassle for the hybrid worker. Zero use for desktop computer users.
Under-desk elliptical machine - It can live under the desk, so zero friction to get those steps in.
Heated poncho - It's cold up in the attic office.
I keep being tempted by minimalist desk setup items and gadgets but manage to resist, and now I can't even remember most of them. The only exception was a couple of fake leather desk mats to hide the horrible laminated chipboard top of my desk (maybe I should upgrade my desk...)
Docking station is nice. I would definitely have one if I used a laptop
Do you use the elliptical machine often? This type of thing is tempting but I wonder if I'll just forget about it at some point
Not as much as I should/could, but it gets 2-3k steps in during the 3 days a week I work at home. I might have been overselling the 'zero friction' thing as literal friction is an issue; mine is set up on a laminate floor so you either have to fix the chair in place by putting 2 castors on these rubber-bottomed grooved discs or keep a hold of the table, otherwise the action of using the machine rolls the chair away. No problems on rug/carpet though.
Curious what difference the camera and mic actually made as I see managers a couple levels up also using either laptop or basic issued equipment at multiple FAANGs.
Camera: being in a tiny window kind of negates the benefits of a real camera.
Mic: we're not singing so the frequency range is limited. Distance to mic makes the most difference. The commonly issued Plantronics headset is hard to beat and has a neat feature the fancy stuff don't; it plays back your own voice to your ears so it sounds like you're in person.
Monitors: I don't like seeing a gap straight center so when I had 2 monitors, I put 1 off to the side. But then it wasn't comfortable always looking in 1 direction when not at center. I'd recommend a *curved* ultrawide. Something like 34" WQHD resolution for ~$300 or, for splurgers, something with WUHD resolution.
Lastly, was the Apple desktop company-issued?
> Curious what difference the camera and mic actually made as I see managers a couple levels up also using either laptop or basic issued equipment at multiple FAANGs
This proves it isn't mandatory to succeed; it can still help. My intuition is that makes a marginal difference in how you're perceived (e.g. first impressions). Difficult to measure how much that type of thing matters
> Camera: being in a tiny window kind of negates the benefits of a real camera.
Yes except 1:1 meetings
> Mic: we're not singing so the frequency range is limited.
There's a noticeable difference in the timbre/fullness of even a talking voice. Here's a comparison w/ Airpods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCIglqssFlM
You can probably find some comparison w/ the Plantronics headset you're talking about to see if there's any difference.
> I'd recommend a *curved* ultrawide
A lot of people rave about their ultrawide, will think about it. Do you split up the ultrawide into multiple windows?
> Lastly, was the Apple desktop company-issued?
Yep
Yup ultrawide is basically your 3 monitor setup without the gaps.
Perhaps more frequently, I split 1/3 and 2/3 e.g. between browser tab with documentation and IDE.
As for 1:1 meetings, webcam effect is similar to using real camera but with makeup ;) Especially with virtual backgrounds.
I had assumed you were going to become a YT'er with that camera, which I'm guessing might already be in progress.
> Yup ultrawide is basically your 3 monitor setup without the gaps
That makes sense, this sounds pretty great imo
> webcam effect is similar to using real camera but with makeup ;)
Haha true