Quiklok/Innox/Gear4Music 4 tier studio desk (WSA -02) - can't be done FFS

thecolourbox

Hi all, i'm trying to find a way to contain my "work at home" and "music" setups into one desk to save space. As well as looking at a million different Ikea bodge/hack jobs, I did come across this model for sale cheaply at Bax Music. They seem to be under a few different brand names elsewhere but look exactly the same so included all the brand names for ease in case anybody recognised them.

4 shelves, a 6u rack space, a cable thing that i don't really understand, and seemingly strong metal frame. Colour of the wood is a bit ugly 1980s office but hey ho.



£69 at Bax but around £200 elsewhere which seems a bargain though I'm not sure it's quite the right dimensions. As the desk will be 90% work and 10% music, ideally I'd want my music keyboard underneath and my typing keyboard and mouse on the top - unfortunately my music keyboard is 23cm wider than the underneath shelf, so 11.5cm overhang either side, so I'm not sure if that would be a pain. Of course the intended idea is that such a keyboard would go on the top, then the typing keyboard and mouse would go on the underneath shelf, but I can't help thinking that will be a bit awkward when most of my use of the desk will be using the typing keyboard and mouse

I do need to draw it out to scale with my current kit that I'd like to include on it (listed below).

• Top shelf (112 x 30cm) - 2x speakers, model as yet to be decided (my current Fostex speakers are, I now know, rubbish). Maybe a small mixer to enable me to either use computer audio, guitar audio, or just normal Spotify streaming.
• Rack (6u) - I only have one useful Rack unit (Digitech GSP1101), but that would go nicely there. I have a Behringer Patch Bay which I could use there, but i'm pretty sure that's also pretty rubbish?
• Main two shelves (110 x 55cm main and 60 x 40cm underneath) - for work I need one big screen and my laptop screen, plus obviously typing keyboard and mouse, oh and a headset dock thing which is fairly small. I'd also like to have my Yamaha keyboard on there somewhere (Yamaha MX49, 83cm wide) as I'd like to use it more for recording stuff but also as a quick practice tool for my wedding piano side hustle. Not sure if the little underneath shelf will take the weight though...
• Bottom mini shelf - not sure, possible could house my USB interface on a non-slip mat thing, maybe my personal computer (work laptop needs to be on the top so I can see the screen)
• Floor - pedalboard with HX Effects and maybe a couple of external pedals and an expression pedal. Sustain pedal for the keyboard.

For guitar playing I'd have the option of using the GSP1101, with or without the HX Effects, or the audio interface into Helix Native or Amplitube, using the HX FX instead as a midi controller through the interface. Should be pretty versatile. The keyboard can be used as an audio input or as a midi input also, which would do me right I think.

Hmm. It's quite good to write it all out though, am looking forward to finding a good method of combining all these things even if it's not this desk. I'd have pretty much everything I need in one place if I can work out the logistics of 2x screens (big one and laptop), midi keyboard and normal office peripherals
 

Hellsbells87

Great post, keen to follow for my own similar purposes. 

Have you also looked into the various options for simultaneously hooking up both laptops to the same screen with some sort of switching (instead of moving the cable from one to the other)?

thecolourbox

Hellsbells87 said:

Have you also looked into the various options for simultaneously hooking up both laptops to the same screen with some sort of switching (instead of moving the cable from one to the other)?

I haven't really, though I know it exists. mostly because my work laptop is powered by the monitor screen and my personal one is not, so I would assume that it would just create more cabling (extra power lead and HDMI lead) to do that

Hellsbells87

Scope creep - so you’re saying I should be looking at a new monitor that powers my laptops…? 

thecolourbox

Hellsbells87 said:

Scope creep - so you’re saying I should be looking at a new monitor that powers my laptops…? 

Not necessarily! My monitor was given to me by work, I wouldn't have one quite as big or as fancy if I was paying.

You would also need a laptop that can be powered by usb-c, which again is why my work one can be powered by the monitor and my personal crap machine cannot

thecolourbox

Yeah so it can't be done, the desk is incredibly good value and for its intended use it would be great, but clearly I have too much stuff to sit on it so the piano would block the monitor and laptop, they'd all block the 19" rack access, the monitor would block a speaker, typing keyboard would be in an annoying place considering I'd be using that every day.

So annoying

Hellsbells87

That makes it look like you need something twice as big!

thecolourbox

It's the right width for the space I have so am stuck really what to do. Oh well