• SONAR
  • New Studio set-up needed...ideas please...
2013/03/12 11:07:08
Frostysnake
I'm looking for a few sites or ideas I can look at to free up some desk space as well as make thinkgs a little more ergonomic. Something to hold my MIDI Keyboard, drum machine and a couple other pieces..maybe a 2 tier system of some sort. Anyone know of a good site that can provide a nice array of options?
2013/03/12 11:25:09
daveny5
Musician's Friend and Sweetwater sell studio furniture. 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/studio-furniture
2013/03/12 11:40:07
Paul P
A good chair is at the top of my list of important items.

The PC keyboard and your Midi keyboard both like to be right in front of you so it would be good to figure out some sort of two tiered system for that.

Some have the PC keyboard under the desk on slides, for others it's the Midi keyboard that's underneath.
One problem is that you can't have both at proper height.

I just made a desk for my installation that is shaped like a kidney with a curved cutout in the front so the desk wraps a bit around me. This keeps things closer when you swivel to get at equipment on the sides or behind. It also looks pretty cool.

For strickly Midi keyboard playing, you'd probably be better off if you were standing.

One thing I'd like to do is grow a few more arms. There are too many pieces involved in electronic music making for just two arms and hands.
2013/03/12 11:43:51
sharke
I know it's not entirely revolutionary but recently I put some shelves up behind my desk, with the lowest shelf about 4 inches higher than the desk. I put my screens (and some other stuff - interface, VRM box etc) on this shelf, which freed up a lot of space on the desk. I stash my MIDI keyboard underneath the shelf so it's out of the way when I'm not using it. Anytime I need it I just pull it toward me, and put my computer keyboard on the shelf between the monitors. Not exactly a pro studio setup but it worked wonders to tidy up and organize my music space, which was a cramped mess before. Of course you have to make sure you use something like toggle bolts for the shelves if you're putting heavy stuff on there. 
2013/03/12 11:50:03
Frostysnake
All good guys...giving lots of ideas...a few I hadn't thought about...this is turning into much more of a change up than I intended. I also want to leave room to grow as well...but I am confined to a fairly small space...
2013/03/12 12:10:48
Paul P
sharke : " Of course you have to make sure you use something like toggle bolts for the shelves if you're putting heavy stuff on there."

This is very important !

And if you use a magnet or stud finder, you can screw your shelf supports into solid wood which is very strong.

I have nightmares left over from hanging out in an acoustics forum and hearing the ways people hung their bass traps and diffusors over their heads
without regard to how well they were anchored. And some for customers.

Gypsum board is only two sheets of thin cardboard with chalk in between. Imagine if it gets damp...
2013/03/12 13:48:57
Paul P
Another thing to think about : your monitors don't like wide table-like surfaces just in front of them, as this causes comb filtering which will screw up your mixes (the combination of the direct sound from the speaker and its reflection off the desk causes all sorts of havoc).

You can reduce the effect by having absorption on your desk, but then you might as well use a smaller desk.

There a great free tool for measuring room and monitor performance called Room EQ Wizard.
2013/03/12 13:55:41
Frostysnake
Thanks Paul...I was looking at this one, which might help alleviate the issue of wide surfaces in front of the monitors...http://www.musiciansfrien...tier-metal-workstation
2013/03/12 14:20:44
Beepster
  Are you opposed to using a trackball? Just the fact you don't have to have room to slide a mouse around can save quite a bit of desk space.  It may not seem like much but it really makes a difference. Also with the right trackball it's a lot easier on your hand especially for a guitarist. You aren't turning your hand into a claw all the time. They also tend to be far more precise for editing and adjusting parameters.  

This is the one I use.

http://www.amazon.com/Ken...ll-64325/dp/B00009KH63

Pricey but it's awesome. It free rolls almost like an old arcade game... which also makes it really cool for playing FPS's.
2013/03/12 14:24:34
Beepster
One thing though is the scroll ring on mine doesn't play nice with Sonar but I think that's because mine is old and starting to fail. I'm gonna have to buy a new one eventually.
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