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DIY Space Efficient studio desk...

Big Hoss

Big Hoss

Up note, down note, blue note, brown note...
Sep 5, 2014
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In body. Texas. In spirit on the road.
daves-workshop.blogspot.com
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#1
I know I need to design and build something here, but I am wondering about design considerations.

My home studio is in the smallest of the bedrooms at 10'x10', and is more or less crammed with gear. 5pc Drums +cymbals, Digital Piano, Rumble 500 C + 210 stack, Behringer GTX-60 guitar combo, Fender Champion 40.

I need a workstation to hold my Laptop, and provide KVM access to my desktop / servers in a cooled sound deadened closet away from this. I need to support 2 24" monitors, keyboard, mouse etc... I also want standing access to my Behringer Xenyx X2442USB mixer, although I could potentially use the Xenyx 1202FX...
 
#3
That's a huge quantity of gear for a 10'x10' room! You must be a wizard when it comes to loading up the van after a gig :p

My first question in terms of "quality of life" improvements would be whether or not all of it was actually needed, and whether or not some things could be done just as well in the box without the need for anything outboard. The two mixers you referenced come to mind. Do you really need a board in such a small space? I'm not making any judgements, just asking. My preference would be to just work in the box and forgo the board(s) for the sake of saving precious floor/desk space. You preferences may vary, but floor space in a small room is always at a premium.

You mentioned 24" monitors. What does that mean exactly? 24" deep? 24" tall? Regardless, those sound like large monitors for such a small space. Assuming you don't want to replace them with something smaller as another means of saving space; Can you get them off of the desk? Desk placement is often pretty far from ideal as it's commonly too low, too narrow and may lack the ability to toe-in the monitors. There may be wall shelf options that will get them off your desk, into ideal positions and will reduce the size of the desk required, which would seem to be a real boon in a room this size. There are some great threads over on Gearslutz that describe effective ways of flying nearfields on wall mounts.
 
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#7
silky smoove said:
That's a huge quantity of gear for a 10'x10' room! You must be a wizard when it comes to loading up the van after a gig :p

My first question in terms of "quality of life" improvements would be whether or not all of it was actually needed, and whether or not some things could be done just as well in the box without the need for anything outboard. The two mixers you referenced come to mind. Do you really need a board in such a small space? I'm not making any judgements, just asking. My preference would be to just work in the box and forgo the board(s) for the sake of saving precious floor/desk space. You preferences may vary, but floor space in a small room is always at a premium.

You mentioned 24" monitors. What does that mean exactly? 24" deep? 24" tall? Regardless, those sound like large monitors for such a small space. Assuming you don't want to replace them with something smaller as another means of saving space; Can you get them off of the desk? Desk placement is often pretty far from ideal as it's commonly too low, too narrow and may lack the ability to toe-in the monitors. There may be wall shelf options that will get them off your desk, into ideal positions and will reduce the size of the desk required, which would seem to be a real boon in a room this size. There are some great threads over on Gearslutz that describe effective ways of flying nearfields on wall mounts.
Click to expand...

24" computer monitors. Dell specifically.

The mixer provides the XLR inputs for mics / vocals only. Which is why I am steering toward the 1202FX and USB interface...

Yes I have been considering liquidating the multiple computer monitors in favor of one larger 4K screen. I don't need 8K in the slightest, and a single 32" 4K screen would do the trick.

Yes, this indeed is a LOT of equipment in a very small space. Not all of which gets used simultaneously. And mind you, with my band, we've played on, and sometimes fallen off of a 10x8 stage. But there are no walls to interfere with where the headstock is going with that setup... The idea is to be able to track one or two instruments at a time, provide a place to play and relax for my wife and I, and centralize the musical gear...
 
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#8
For my studio I found that simpler was better for the studio desk. I grabbed an appropriately sized table from Ikea and went with one specifically that had metal pedestal legs to keep it as durable as possible while maintaining as much open leg space underneath as I could. This worked well. I have the luxury of more space than you, but the concept should hold true. Elaborate desk designs with lots of rack spaces and bay are very cool and look great, but are often quite large for what they are.
69870353_10158826093044408_111408037159239680_n.jpg
 
#10
Big Hoss said:
... I have been considering liquidating the multiple computer monitors in favor of one larger 4K screen. I don't need 8K in the slightest, and a single 32" 4K screen would do the trick.
Click to expand...

I use 2 24" screens, but they are stacked vertically. The top one is at eye level and always shows the mixer. The bottom one is angled at about 30 degrees, and shows the track waveforms.
 

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