What's a good but inexpensive way to arrive at something like this?
Coz those bloody desks cost £535 and I'm not paying that!!
Right now I have some Ikea KALLAX storage units with a desk top straddled across the top of them. Cheap and cheerful, but the storage aspect isn't perfect - hard to get into the rear units because of where my computer sits and they're just big holes with no shelving - so I'm looking at changing it when we move.
What are people doing for attractive and cheap(ish) desks with enough storage for audio interfaces, pedals, cables, etc etc
??
Comments
Most of it is overpriced chipboard with a few rack spaces.
If you want to shock yourself have a look at the price of an Argosy Eclipse.
On a budget I'd be doing this- get a table from Ikea, some cheap Ultimate Stands for your monitors and put everything rack mounted in some rack cases that you stack up on a dolly or some wheels.
It won't be that ergonomic but to do it properly otherwise takes a couple of grand.
The cheap stuff doesn't travel well if you ever have to pull it apart and move.
I would absolutely not be buying the thing in first post- 9u spaces for £500 is poor value for money.
Also I hate the monitor position of those- way too high.
I'm using a Buso Producer XL that I had modified to be a bit wider- it gives me 36 units of rack space- 16 up top, 10 each side underneath each 8u side.
It has hardwood edges and can fit an 88 note controller- it looks like this:
It has also survived two international moves, albeit it crated.
It was expensive but IMHO worth the money- less than half what I'd pay for something from Argosy.
One other thing- it is a massive pain in the ass when your studio uses more than one screw size for securing rack gear- I've finally managed to move everything to just M5 bolts. I'd consider that as part of the purchase too.
Otherwise find someone who can build something for you, or adapt an Ikea thing to give you some rack spaces.
You could buy an Ikea table and a pair of 4u wooden racks and put them on either side of the table, secured with velcro.
For storage- low Ikea Billy bookcases and some cheap 3u rack drawers.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Have a look for used stuff ..... we got this Argosy unit for about £300 and I sold it for about the same
Used studio furniture is basically worthless compared to the purchase price.
I tried selling a Quiklok Z600, it took forever, and in the end I gave it away to someone when I desperately needed the space back.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
My wood working is nonexistent too, but maybe I could build something. Won't know really until we move in a month or two.
https://www.thehomeroute.com/diy-studio-desk-plans-and-ideas/
I solved that by putting a very small keyboard stand on my Ikea table for the music keyboard to go on and to me that is just as functional as the one in your photo. Then the speakers are on piles of books to get them up to height and isolation pads to acoustically separate them.
Seems pretty cool, would love to know about that.
It is transport control and gives me iPad control for faders.
I've tried larger devices with more faders but they never work as well with all DAW's.
For what I do I need to be able to use multiple DAW's- currently I mix and record in Logic, Pro Tools, Studio One, Reaper, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live and Sampltude. This is the device that talks to the most DAW's without massive compromise.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I've tried all sorts of controllers, SSL Nucleus, Mackie Control, Faderport and various large format consoles that also work as studio controllers.
It is a massive technical challenge and simply keeping pace with the rate of change a single DAW is a massive ask, and I need to use all the major DAW's.
Avid are pretty good at keeping things up to date- Mackie Control hasn't been updated in ages, SSL Nucleus still isn't Catalina compatible.
Also, if most people are honest they mostly use the mouse and keyboard- I'm the same.
I had 32 channels of Mackie control plus a C4 for plugin control.
It worked ok but it is basically a solution looking for a problem.
I basically just need transport control plus a bit of extra control when needed.
I'm also really glad to get 80% of my desk back.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
On stage in less than half the price. But no space for rack stuff.
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19-2U-DESKTOP-STUDIO-RACK-POD-CASE-CABINET-FURNITURE-TEXTURED-BLACK/333405243862?_trkparms=aid%3D1110002%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200122160600%26meid%3D9b604ee90d0c4fddb4322cb3eb2d7328%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D233433207630%26itm%3D333405243862%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850
I can't express how much nicer it is being able to pull cables out without having the interface slide about. I can almost read some of the information on the display of a UFX II, so money well spent.
Here's a couple of them going into my then-new workshop, where they've now survived ~2-3 years of rough use!
I've also got one in my main music room, but with shelves above (simple DiY mdf job) and drawers below. plus a fairly cheap keyboard stand to one side with a controller & synth on it. Total cost <£100.
There must be s/h office furniture shops nearby? These desks aren't fancy, but they're sturdy, take up little room (ie simple design) and you can then add whatever you need in terms of shelves, speaker stands, etc to fit your space and needs.
https://i.imgur.com/ql5jrun.jpg
Tbh when I had racks of FX, mixers and a control surface I did have proper studio furniture but it ate half of my small room. It's a much nicer experience having plenty of room to play instruments and my Mac tucked in a corner out of the way.
It does really need a revamp though, I'm just too busy to do it yet and it works just fine.