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Show me your desk

Yep it is. The shiny material of this Privia makes the knob look weird.
The PX-S is on the tray and I stuck a folding ruler between the volume knob
and the underside of the desk. (see reflection of ruler).
This to show the spare space there is, being about 3 mm. This is more than enough
to slide the tray in or out without having to be too careful.

A pitty I don't use the Skulpt and the Mikro much doh. A bit of lost space for now.
A mixface has been ordered and I'm thinking about selling the unused equipment
and replace it with a small synth or synthkey controller with both wheels.
(Maybe with in a year a Modal Cobalt, small and joystick is also usable instead of wheels)
 
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Earlier this year I invested quite a bit into my future as a composer and it’s been a dream ever since. I’m thinking of getting a bigger keyboard/weighted one at some point. Maybe the hammer 88 pro. But I’ll probably have to take my tray down a notch or two to fit it. This one is only 2 inches high. Anyways, here’s a before and after (I was previously using my wife’s old drafting table for artists and pulling out the drawers and putting random shit under the keyboard until it would stay still hahahaha)
Nice transformation! Pictures like this are always helpful to look at, to see how other make the best of a smaller space.
 
Thank you man, unfortunately there's not much to do. This one works better than the old flat style one I had, because its heavier but it still moves a bit. I'll just have to grab it with both feet and position it how I need to if it ever gets too far hahaha. So far so good tho.
Ah, not just me who has to do that, lol!
 
I always wonder, do you guys actually use rack-stuff? It seems like most of it is no longer "needed", and could be placed elsewere? I mention this because I plan on doing a custom build for my controller desk. I want nice wood and such. You know, not that pressed stuff, but a nice, big, old slab of wood. I always see these desks which have the screens lifted on a ledge, because you need room for those unused racks. But that seems insane, who would do that? You would have to constantly look up. Neckstrain and such. :)

Edit: I am 1.74. So maybe I am just to short to use a proper desk.
 
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I always wonder, do you guys actually use rack-stuff? It seems like most of it is no longer "needed", and could be placed elsewere? I mention this because I plan on doing a custom build for my controller desk. I want nice wood and such. You know, not that pressed stuff, but a nice, big, old slab of wood. I always see these desks which have the screens lifted on a ledge, because you need room for those unused racks. But that seems insane, who would do that? You would have to constantly look up. Neckstrain and such. :)

Edit: I am 1.74. So maybe I am just to short to use a proper desk.
It just seems like rack-mounted gear at your desk is only necessary if you are going to service any analog recordings with a mic, where you may want one or more nice mic preamps, a couple LA-2A hardware compressors, and at that level maybe an Apollo or RME rackmount audio interface with lots of mic inputs (drums for example). And then you might as well pop on a rack-mounted power distribution unit, Furman or otherwise, etc. I was planning my desk space to allow for at least a 4-space rack area, then I decided, why? At this point in history aren't the modelled or even well-programmed plugins not good enough? "An LA-2A plugin doesn't match the tone of the hardware unit". Yeah, probably not but consider who the current and future audience is, as well as the playback systems our future customers are using (AirPods, not a tube-driven McIntosh gold-contact amp driving Klipsch tower speakers like we had 40 years ago). In the end, if you have a good mix and mastering, does it matter, enough to matter for most of us? I just invested in FabFilter's EQ, Compressors, Limiter and DeEsser... WOW, do they sound GREAT. Works for me! If you are accomplished and have funds to buy what you want, sure, have racks and racks of outboard gear and vintage synths. But Jake Jackson and Christian Henson did a blind-folded reverb shootout and Christian's beloved $16,000 TC6000 got knocked out in the second-to-last round and the Lexicon PCM emerged the winner by him, and the loser to the winner for Jake Jackson. I got that reverb on sale for $239. I get it, that's not a comprehensive test and in the end, Christian loves the TC6000 and was able to afford it. Great. I'm totally stuck on the Random Hall in the Lexicon, I'm happy too.

Do you HAVE to have any rackmount gear? Don't think so, several high-end mix engineers (Andrew Scheps for one... grammies for Adele, Ziggy Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers) are all in the box. All plugins, no outboard gear. Should you rack stuff up if you really like it? Absolutely! At my level, I'm totally wonderfully happy with zero rack gear. My Babyface Pro FS never fails and the one AKG mic I have sounds VERY good going through the RME's pre's. And my soon-to-be finished desk has just what I need and no racks on the floor. Just a small interface and a few controllers. Love it.

OTOH, if you check out Paul Thomson's studio walkthrough and see the myriad of stuff he controls from his desk including video, that man need RACKS and plenty of them. In fact he has a second desk with even more crazy stuff. I think if we have to ask the question and aren't sure, you don't need any. You can always construct a nice wood rack if that changes and custom-build it to slide under your desk or sit on top if it's only a few IU high.

I planned on two sentences, need to run to the store. How did I write a book...
 
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If I had more $$ & a permanent studio/residence I would certainly have some analogue gear/rack mounted stuff for recording bands.

At the moment tho, I use a scarlet 18x20 usb interface and my laptop to record bands at my practice space or anywhere else remotely, and I use my home desk/studio for midi/orchestration stuff etc so at the moment I can't unite the two fronts really. So I don't bolt anything in.

But honestly its nice to have the extra space, I view that space as open drawers basically. Storage for stuff I need at arms reach but not full time use.

Keeping the front of my desk available for notebooks/laptops/small controllers, COFFEE mugs, etc.
 
@rnieto and @Paulogic while your desks couldn't look more different, I like them both very much. Congratulations and I wish you many happy, creative years behind your beautiful desks.
Thanks !

And in answer to the obsolete rack-space : I use it to place my USB hub, Mac Mini, UR-22C, SSD's and
2 led-lamps.
Ledlamps are Plastic ball/cube, converted from battery to external power with a Walmart.
This power supply also is connected to the led strip at the back of the monitor and this
results in a calm light pinky atmosphere, although the wall's are painted light orange. LOL
 
I always wonder, do you guys actually use rack-stuff? It seems like most of it is no longer "needed", and could be placed elsewere? I mention this because I plan on doing a custom build for my controller desk. I want nice wood and such. You know, not that pressed stuff, but a nice, big, old slab of wood. I always see these desks which have the screens lifted on a ledge, because you need room for those unused racks. But that seems insane, who would do that? You would have to constantly look up. Neckstrain and such. :)

Edit: I am 1.74. So maybe I am just to short to use a proper desk.
I have 16 channels of mic pre in my racks….and some outboard FX and guitar FX….and then I have my computer in a rack….then my Patchbays…..so yes I need racks…I’ve been in the process of moving my desk and upgrading the workspace…I’ll post a pic once finished….
 
This old school bugger has got rid of his paper manuscript at long last. It cost me mind you because I've forked out for a Surface Studio. Oh boy what a transformation, Sibelius with a stylus is amazing and the Surface Studio can go from vertical to a drafting position.

DSC03006.jpg
 
This old school bugger has got rid of his paper manuscript at long last. It cost me mind you because I've forked out for a Surface Studio. Oh boy what a transformation, Sibelius with a stylus is amazing and the Surface Studio can go from vertical to a drafting position.

DSC03006.jpg
What’s in your racks ?
 
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