I've spent some of today designing a new desk for a home studio setup. I quite like the Output Platform desk, but there's a few things I'd improve, so did it myself. This is the end product. Still unsure whether I'm happy enough to commit this as the final design.

It was designed in SketchUp and is designed for me and my height etc, being made up of 18mm timber sheets, 1600mm wide, 914.4mm deep, and the main desk is 720mm off the ground. I just used the plywood finish, but in reality it will be stained in a colour to fit the decor etc, so don't take the wood finish to heart! Once I mocked up with some gear, I already started to feel like it was getting cluttered and that I may need to make a 2000mm wide version though

Any thoughts on ways to further refine and improve this?

 

[saved for easy access future revisions of the desk}

 

Looks good, I would try a different solution for that critical structural points. It should works but could cause some issues.

 

Think about this...I bought a Glorious Workbench, basically the same as in the photo. Even though my current needs are modest I don't have enough rack space any more because I just got an Audioscape Opto which is 3 units tall and now I have the Daking Mic Pre One needing to take up valuable real estate on the desk. It's messing me up. Always have more space than you need because it runs out really fast!

 

Bravo it was great

 

Everything is great

 

What is the income of music sales in your country?

 

i built that same desk ... pretty much. got the dimensions of the platform desk off of their website. the only thing i would suggest different from your plans would be maybe instead of the keyboard cubby being fixed making it pull out like a drawer. i just threw tracks off of my old desk and made it retractable.

this is what the finished product turned out like. don't know how much diy you've done but it definitely was a bit of an undertaking. i built mine solo and it took me ab a week of evenings after work.

 

i did mine single level across the back so my faderport daw controller had room but otherwise pretty similar to your plans. i built the little sidecar a few weeks later to keep the rack spaces on the desk open for other things. overall tho i love the desk and it suits my needs great. u should build it man.

 

Nicely done!

And it is a pullout drawer on my plans. I've just not put the sliders in because I would rather cut to size and then shave the ends off as needed once I've got specific sliders.

How do you find yours? Do you find it cluttered at all, or would you prefer it to be wider, deeper, etc?

 

Last edited: Apr 12, 2024

One of the main tweaks on mine is that I increased the rack space to 4U and also angled them so the overall height doesn't need to increase too much. That's why I then had to modify by cutting the cut outs for the angled rack gear to sink into.

I also added a disguised but easy access socket and cable run on the back, as well as cable routing cut outs to minimise visible cable clutter.

My hope it to used the racks for hardware synths probably, and then I may build a sidecar in the future for rack gear I rarely tweak.

 

Last edited: Apr 12, 2024

I would put wheels on that beauty monster

 

Me too, it's been through a couple of configurations but right now the whole setup is a mess - no photo of that.

It's been a relatively good desk. I had some of those furniture sliders under the legs but one has come off - I bought two sets of four castors that the legs will slot into but I haven't fitted them yet. My legs don't fit under the keyboard shelf so I need to raise the whole thing, or shorten my legs.

Most recent photo - but I now have an NI keyboard on the lower shelf, no Oculus Rift gear or Push 2. I still have my computer strapped to that thin cupboard stand, it's pretty useful. I removed the top shelf because it took a lot of width-space and I don't use racks. Same cup.

Most of you will frown at the monitors but they're fine when you're slowly going deaf.




Older setup, when I first got it. I don't use the external guitar gear, that was just setup so I can could experiment with live settings. Then age caught up with me...

 

Put it on wheels with locking casters (at least 2 out of 4) so you can move it when you need to recable or replace anything. add some mount points either lights or boom for mic that swings out the way. Get rid of the dip in the middle for the monitor, you will eventually want two monitors.Unless you use the dip in the middle to mount a monitor tree, then it might be useful...

Consider a drawer or two on the sides to store all the connectors, and cables and velcro straps and razor blades and scissors and tape and markers and the miscellanous shit it takes to route and mark cables and gear. memory sticks, sd cards, hard drives and associated cables.

Gooseneck lamps are handy for putting light where you need it and not in your eyes, if you mount them on the sides you won't take up any precious desk space.

 

I would advise you to look at bing or google or whatever image search and see what has already been created. I think a curved work surface is better as it puts you closer to everything, with the keyboard on a slide out below the desk. I have a work surface from a ge medical workstation, its curved with aluminum legs.

Look at what has already been designed, people have been dealing with ways to do this for several decades.

 

here's a fair design of a curved desk, this is unfinished but shows the shapes.


https://www.etsy.com/listing/598422246/recording-studio-desk-12ru-workstation

 

here's a site with some industrial design ideas

http://www.concept-frenoy.fr/en/mmi-ergonomics/ergonomics-human-factor/operator-console-design.html

 

I do plan on buying a swing arm mic stand for it, not that I sing, but more to record my moody techno ad libs and exciters

I outgrown multi monitor. The monitor I have is a 34" 4K ultrawide, so is essentially 2 monitors in one already.

There is also going to be a Kallax unit in the room, utilising the cube cotton boxes for gear storage drawers and the top as my DJ booth, so I don't need storage compartments. As stated, I will eventually also be builsing a sidecar to put some other rack gear, which may also have a drawer.

 

Last edited: Apr 12, 2024

The desk is already based on an existing Output Platform desk, but modified and improved for my own needs.