I Built a MIDI Keyboard Tray for Only $80

[@kredibled]

So I (literally today) made this exact setup, using likely the same mounting backets. I found the brackets to be pretty flimsy (lots of lateral movement, not up and down), so pulling it out is a two handed operation. After setting it all up I realized that the draw slides extensions are 10.5 inches, which I *stupidly* thought would be enough, but it blocks the half of the screen space and upper selection buttons. Like another user, 4 inches is a lot of leg room to give up considering 4-6 inches is a typical comfortable distance from your legs to the desk height. I can deal with this, as if I need to cross my legs I can move the desk up, but I couldn't get over losing the functionality of the screen space and upper buttons. Took it down and will be rebuilding with full extension drawer slides. For anyone wondering, you can TRY and find some L Brackets but it may just be easier to get some big box store S4S, drill some pocket holes, and build a 3 sided box (cabinet style). Will give you way more support - bonus is most can be removed with a latch, so you can regain your leg space and re-attach the slides whenever you want. The other alternative, would be to put the midi keyboard your desk, and have a keyboard tray. I decided against this because I like to keep my valuable equipment shielded from the elements of a desktop :D Hope someone looking to do this finds this helpful.

[@Semyon_Music]

It also depends on the type of wood you’re mounting to! My desk is solid maple wood, whereas if you’re mounting to a MDF desk, the mounting screws may wobble. My setup does not wobble at all

[@kredibled]

@@Semyon_Music hear ya, but it’s not the desk, it’s the flimsy bracket the weak point isn’t a 3/4 inch mdf or pine board. A bracket should have a rib to combat lateral motion. A board will only flex down, these flex left to right. Either way I built my V2 out of red oak and pocket screws!

[@Semyon_Music]

@kredibled that sounds like a good V2!

[@riffdex]

⁠@@kredibledI have these slides aswell and was also disappointed with the “flex” of the metal. Again, it’s not about the material they are connected into (hardwood in my case) but the metal itself allows for more lateral flex than is ideal. It gets even worse if you adjust the brackets down to the long position since the lever arm is increased. I was able to compensate for the lateral instability by placing a small wood shim beside each bracket connection to the bottom of the desk surface.

[@kredibled]

@ I ended up using drawer slides (full extension soft close) and built my sides with red oak. It ended up being perfect for my use case! A pocket hole jig is really all that’s necessary for a huge gain in stability

[@kauai45]

great video, would love to hear how you set up your floating wall synth rack/drum machine it looks clean!

[@Semyon_Music]

Was thinking about making a video about the synth wall!

[@riffdex]

I have the same slides you have, but I wanted to mention… as apparent from your video around the 1:52 time mark, the amount of bend in that top mounting piece is highly concerning. That is not meant to be bent like that, it should be entirely vertical. I’d be surprised if you aren’t already having some trouble with the functionality of the “sliding” mechanism. Does it slide smoothly or is there some resistance at specific points of the sliding? Keep in mind that, while the sliding mechanism might work “good enough” at this moment, that bend is just asking for trouble. It’s very likely that the additional stress of that bend will transfer force to the weaker links nearby… essentially don’t be surprised if the screws holding it in start to pull out over time, or the threads of the screws in the desk fail entirely over time. However you could easily remedy the situation by adjusting the mounting location now, before the wear and tear of months of use causes degradation. If the bracket is already deformed where it’s holding that bent position, it could probably be removed entirely and flattened back out before adjusting the mounting location. (You would want to unscrew the top bent part of the bracket from the bottom so you can flatten it out easily. Use something like a vise grip that can stabilize it then completely flatten it out.)

[@Semyon_Music]

No problems from the slides yet, but to note these are meant to be a budget friendly option! There are slides available for $300 that are much more heavy duty, but for $20, these do the job (hopefully for a few years at least). Thanks for the tip on how to make these last longer btw!

[@TennaOfficial]

The keyboard tray looks even better in person!

[@Semyon_Music]

It’s been so useful!

[@gettingtotherootofitall]

What kind of speaker stands are those, and where can I get something similar???

[@Semyon_Music]

They’re called SoundAnchors. Sold at some online music retailers, depends where you’re located

[@JeffyG]

Hey Semyon - stumbled upon your KZbin site for a video on the Apollo x4. Great videos, excellent style. Seems we’re at a similar stage in KZbin evolution and share similar gear and I’m also from Toronto. A pleasure to connect and wishes for more future success 😎

[@Semyon_Music]

Thank you! Always happy to connect with someone who's from Toronto! I'll have to check out your channel

[@MrCustardio]

Tysm I love you for this

[@che7777]

Thanks for making this video! I'm about to get the same parts as you. I have the exact same controller and a standing desk so I'll be able to adjust the height to accommodate. Are you able to pull the keyboard out enough so that you can see the screen and the top buttons on the controller? The specs for the 18" slide say it can be pulled out 11.6" and the keyboard is slightly deeper than that.

[@Semyon_Music]

Awesome! You can if you put the keyboard feet right to the edge of the tray (then the keys extend a bit past the tray), but it’s hard to reach the buttons above the screen

[@DaMixWizard]

Nice setup👍🏽👌🏽. What tabletop/desk are you using? Where did u purchase it?

[@Semyon_Music]

It’s a solid maple sit to stand desk from a company called Ergonofis!

[@sqwerty0829]

Thanks man, this is really helpful think I'm going to be doing the same thing! I can see the front rails in this video but where did you place the back rails? Did the middle support bar of the desk not get in the way? Do you maybe have any photos by chance? I actually just bought this mount today, and now I'm trying to find a compatible des since the desk you used is a bit out of my price range.

[@Semyon_Music]

Thanks for watching! The drawer slides can go around the desk support beam given the design of how the slides mount to the desk. There are no front and back drawer slides. There is just the one pair!

[@sqwerty0829]

@@Semyon_Music I see! Yeah when I said "back rails" I was referring to the two back screw mounts of the rail... So you just attatched the back of the rail mount behind the support bar? I guess it depends on the design of your desk. Some standing desks have thicker support bars or have the desk motors blocking where you would mount the rails.

[@Semyon_Music]

@sqwerty0829 yea I got lucky with the placement of the screws but I could see it being a problem if the support beam is in thicker!

[@johnsilvercloud2667]

Thank you for this video ! what size brackets did you sue for your S61 Komplete ? I have the same and I am not sure if it is 12/14/16/ or 18 inches ?? thank you !!!

[@Semyon_Music]

Glad you found it helpful! I purchased the 18 inch version

[@shookmusic]

great video. p.s your Prophet 12 looks so nice, did you put new wood on yours? keep it up

[@Semyon_Music]

Thanks! I bought it used off of a musician so the wood was just in good condition!

[@JoshuaOnTheTube]

🙋 Does it "snap" into place so that it doesen't slide in again when you play the keyboard? I'm planning on using it for a computer keyboard and I'm worried it wont stay in place and is gonna slide in when I'm using it.

[@Semyon_Music]

Yup it snaps and locks in both the open and closed positions

[@DonSolaris]

I did exact thing many yrs ago. Couldn't wait to remove it. Why? I cross my legs whenever I work. Dunno why. And with tray in front I would hit myself don't remember how many times. LOL! So it is gone. Also it was never sturdy. This hanging mechanism and a tray extension thing are kinda flimsy... never gave me confidence to hit a 127 note velo. :)))

[@Semyon_Music]

I think why it works for me is 1) my desk is sit to stand so I can fine tune the height so it works perfectly for giving me enough leg space and not being too high, and 2) the slides are heavy duty and mounted to a hardwood desk, rather than a MDF desk, which prevents any flimsiness. If you get a sit to stand desk in the future, try it out!

[@yannickloosa9694]

Beautiful set up! What stand do you use for your monitors?

[@Semyon_Music]

Thank you! They're called Sound Anchors. I actually just posted a video about my studio monitors and the stands! (kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHfciouQqM1patE)

[@-Bryant]

Cool set up! I'm curious what desk do you have?

[@Semyon_Music]

Thanks! It’s the ergonofis sway (maple) sit to stand desk

[@JasonXBeats]

Do you have the Amazon link or the link to those monitor mounts?

[@Semyon_Music]

They’re not on Amazon unfortunately. They’re made by a company called SoundAnchors

[@JasonXBeats]

@@Semyon_Music link?

[@CORALRIFFS]

Hi there. Great video! Would love to do this for my own set-up! May I ask what are the dimensions of your main tabletop? Looks like it fits the ikea tabletop below it perfectly. 😊

[@Semyon_Music]

Thanks! My main tabletop is 72 inches by 30 inches. It’s a sit to stand desk from Ergonofis

[@CORALRIFFS]

​@@Semyon_Music Thank you so much!

[@elijah-wilson-music]

good stuff dude, thanks

[@Semyon_Music]

Thanks!

[@maryanne2025]

My 88 keyboard piano is about 6.5 inches tall is there a drawer slides that can fit that? I tried googling am not sure if I’m searching right or what but haven’t found it

[@Semyon_Music]

Check the ones linked in the description, they can be adjusted up and down

[@iamrichlol]

I really want to do this. I even have the exact same keyboard as you. I need to get a new desk, and I really want one of those standing desks with the motor to make it go up and down. they're not cheap though so im scared ill fuck it up doing this... do you need a super thick desk to do this?

[@Semyon_Music]

I think my desk is about an inch in thickness but it’s hardwood and not MDF so that probably helps with rigidity for the mounting screws. If you get an expensive desk like mine, just measure twice and you should have no problems installing this!

[@shanexbloom]

Do you by any chance know how much the ikea top panel weighs?

[@Semyon_Music]

8kg or about 18lbs

[@drauglurdarkambient]

this is art got yourself a new sub here hails from drauglur from germany

[@Semyon_Music]

Thank you!

[@seventhtower]

Noice! How much legroom / distance between the floor and the tray?

[@Semyon_Music]

I wanna say about 26 inches. It’s about 30 from floor to desk and the sliders are at about 4 inches right now

[@seventhtower]

@Semyon_Music roger! Thanks mate. I will be making similar tray for my 88 keys. Cheers!

[@Semyon_Music]

Good luck with the build!

[@qiqi2692]

Bought the exact same thing !

[@Semyon_Music]

🔥🔥

[@aldenhill]

I just bought some slides from Amazon that support up to 99 lbs!

[@Semyon_Music]

Not bad!

[@riffdex]

Hey can you drop a link to the slides you got? Or just tell me the brand and product name so I can search for it?

[@DaveDFX]

Not sure if your main tabletop is IKEA. From what I know, most Ikea tabletops are not solid. They are made of honeycombed cardboard with laminated top bottom and sides. The corners have solid particle boards for the legs. So the only solid part of most Ikea tabletops are the corner, sides and anywhere that is gonna mount a leg. If your main tabletop is Ikea, drilling and mounting in the center area may not be a good idea. There are some youtube videos showing the innards of Ikea tops.

[@Semyon_Music]

My main tabletop is hardwood maple from Ergonofis, only the sliding keyboard tray is from IKEA and it’s been solid for holding the keyboard

[@personone6881]

Has it fallen off yet? ...I'd friendly suggest that even using a cheap "strip" or "panel" of MDF or pine as a buffer layer. Mount the "Hanging Arms' of the tray mechanism to that strip/panel ***Using BOLTS*** - instead of two screws each side into the underside of your desks table-top. Then, wood glue and screw through the panel, joining the panel itself to the underside of the table-top, using as many screws as you like 'til you feel comfortable it's sturdy enough. Idk... I would feel confident slamming out Beethoven's No.5 with just 2 vertical screws either side lol

[@Semyon_Music]

Has not fallen off yet thankfully, but I’ll definitely look at securing it with how you mentioned!

[@personone6881]

​@@Semyon_Music Ahh that is a relief! -Also a relief you could interpret my jargon deficiency :) Sounds like a potential "part 2" could be upcoming!

[@MN-hv9md]

Good if you have no legs or knees lmfao. Also the rails you link you don't have enough clearance/height in them. For example M-Audio Oxygen 61 MKV doesn't fit as it has a tilted base and knobs sticking out.

[@Semyon_Music]

I have a sit to stand desk so at the height I have it (30 inches), there’s still enough clearance! Also this works with my NI S61 MK2, but I could see how thicker keyboards might not fit

[@PeterSramka]

You didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars for a keyboard tray, but you bought studio monitors that cost around $4500?

[@Semyon_Music]

It’s less about the cost, but more about the principle. Why would I buy a $500 midi tray when I can make it for $80? Or spend $2000 on cables when I can make them for $400? Studio monitors though, as much as I wish I could, I can’t make them at home!

[@PeterSramka]

@@Semyon_Music Makes Sense. Thanks for the clarification.