Studio Furniture

[gregory.bell]

Thanks, @Laubmoos and @LLK.

Yes, I often make small adjustments to locate the keyboard (musical or typing) at ‘just the right level’. Or the speakers, if I’m mixing.

The desk is surprisingly stable even with a heavy midi keyboard fully extended (see photo). If you like to pound really hard - barrelhouse style - then you might feel differently. Personally I’m more conscious of latency than physical stability when playing.

Also, I’ve found I can adjust how the keyboard ‘glides’ (whether it wants to reach its full extension, or hang out mid way) with slight changes to the Jarvis leveling feet.

Overall I’m really happy with the tradeoffs.

[devolution]

I’m curious about more non-studio studio furniture. What I mean is furniture that you have in your recording/music making space that is not dedicated studio furniture. I’ve noticed that every time I look up “music studio desk” I get results of really complex monsters with tons of rack space and places to install gear. I don’t personally need this; I have monitor stands and my audio interface is only 2 channels, non rack mountable. Studio desks also seem quite expensive, likely to pay for all this fancy stuff to actually integrate into a real studio.

What kind of desks do you all use for your small studios? I’ve been looking at large Ikea tables, which seem solid, but I’m wondering if there are gems out there with more ergonomic shapes. I really like the Nucleus desks from ultimate support but would love to avoid dropping so much on a desk.

[eblomquist]

I have several plastic tables from Home Depot or Staples.

Portable, folding, cheap, durable, some are height adjustable…

Great for gigs as well as casual home studio/office use, and can be used as general utility tables as needed around the house…

[OlSugarbread]

I’ve used a basic IKEA table as my desk for the past 4 or 5 years; it’s not perfect but it’s served me well. I have monitors on stands behind the desk, my monitor is on a riser, I have a 49-key midi keyboard in front of it and my typing keyboard in front of that. That leaves some room on either side for my interface and hardware faders. I’m sure it would be nice to have a keyboard tray or some other amenities, but this works for now, and it was SO much cheaper than an Argosy or whatever.

I can’t fit my synths on the desk, though, so those are off to the side on a basic table that I covered with fabric to make it look a bit nicer. I can snake cables from the synths to the interface well enough.

[Szuumm]

I bought a desk like this to work from home during lock-down, but I will be re-purposing it from my music equipment as it’s extremely stable/heavy duty & pretty much the perfect size for my set-up. I did buy it via Amazon though…

[devolution]

Yeah I think this is broadly what I’m looking at doing too. I’m hoping I can get a wide desk, have my eurorack on the side, push on the other side, and then have typing keybaord in the middle, with some room for my work computer for WFH. My biggest concern with this setup, though, is cable management. I’m bad at it anyway, and the minimal table aesthetic doesn’t leave much cover for cable mess

[OlSugarbread]

Right. Cable management is kind of a nightmare. I bet it wouldn’t be too bad if you drilled a hole or two into the desk, but for me it’s definitely not pretty.

[therk]

My home office desk is a steel table leg frame from someone on etsy and a bit of kitchen worktop. Don’t think it’s any cheaper than something ready made, but it means you can get exactly the size/height you want and if e.g. you want some holes in it for cables, you can get them cut by the worktop folks.

[zoundsabar]

Hi. Just saw this, belatedly. I had a Jarvis desk and had no issues with stability. It seems very solid to me. The legs are very heavy and didn’t wobble. I had computer monitors and keyboards and mixers and things like that on it, so not heavily laden. I would buy another one if I needed a new adjustable table.

[Mangrove]

Hi, forgive me if this sounds superfluous, but I was wondering how folks light their studios. My studio is relatively small, but I’m really tired of having 20 dollar ugly lamps lighting my workspace. You know, the place I spend every available moment when I’m not working or taking care of my daughter.

To be clear, I’m not necessarily looking for better lighting, just something sturdy and attractive.

[equipoise]

I have a Pixar-style Ikea clone of the Luxo task lamp bolted to my desk, with a Hue bulb in it, and a few floor or desk lamps in the room with shades. I don’t like direct lighting unless it’s necessary, so being able to dim or colour the task lamp at will is very helpful. I also like being able to set a tone or mood in the room that complements my energy level or inspires me. I use them to red-shift for later work so that I can still get a good sleep, too.

[Starthief]

My studio’s just in a barely-converted bedroom; there’s a basic overhead light and a window behind me. I’ve also got a clip-on LED light if I need more focused light on something, an RGB light strip on the back of my computer monitor if I want to set the mood or not feel like I’m starting at a big bright panel in the dark, and a novelty light that projects psuedo-caustics on the walls and ceiling as if I’m underwater

[Gahlord]

Floor stand goose neck for my smallish home knob den. Can move to where I need it, or point away for softer/indirect light. Doesn’t take up space where I’m working.

[scttcmpbll]

Just picked up this well designed compact desk from LeetesIslandWoodwork . Would be a great option for a small studio.

[jkbrogan]

I have one in my home studio; love it.

[acajide]

I don’t understand the price for this. But I like the desk a lot:

https://www.unterlass.info/EN/products/key-88/

[encephalitislethargi]

@devolution I have the ikea malm i think. and i could never make my mpk49 fit on it. eventually i got these

Hardware Resources 14" Keyboard Slide Black, 1 pr - Cabinet And Furniture Drawer...

and a piece of plywood to place between them but the keyboard didn’t fit, so i sold it for a launchpad. but the main thing is i have a lot of room for synths and whatnot now that i can put my control surfaces and some more hands on pedals/grids on the sliding shelf. it’s really nice

[Ithacus]

i share your pain as my music room is festooned with GU10 overheads (hate these things).

I don’t think directional light is necessary for studio/music work; I wanted something to set an ambience/mood rather than light something in forensic detail.

I’ve got some Ikea Sinnerlig’s placed around the room. These might still be available (love these lights ):

I think Ikea in general is good for table lamps/lights. I really like the paper lamps they do (at a 1/10th the price of what you pay for something from Vitra):

And if you are in the UK/EU, Made, Habitat and Swoon have some nice options that are a step up from Ikea stuff.

[jlmitch5]

Agreed! I have this lamp in the corner which I got from amazon with a hue light bulb in it, which is nice because you can control the brightness and tone. I’ll note it’s not super sturdy…it’s definitely leaning and using the wall for support when loaded up with books light that. It was cheap though.

99% of the time I either use that or have the blinds open and just use natural light. I only turn the overhead light on when I have to look for something. I personally feel like just enough light to not be straining to see is the best for making music.

[Mangrove]

Thanks for all the lighting suggestions folks. These are definitely good. Also, if people have fancier stuff they like, I’m open to potentially doing that, brushed metal maybe? I recently had to emergency move (fired for helping start a wildcat strike… long story), and my studio is now in a room facing a highway. I have had to put dampening quilts over the windows to reduce the noise to a level where I can do some work during the way, and have no natural light, so I have been much more invested in the light in there.

Thanks to whoever moved my post to this thread, this is exactly what I was looking for. Once you get over gear acquisition syndrome, it really is nice to have a resource for for making things more pleasant in your work space.