Making the PERFECT Studio Desk! Part 1: The Tour

[@hanton22]

Nice! You definitely need CV control of the desk height, though. 😂

[@LeoMakes]

Ha! Attach it to a sine LFO and get seasick while I work!

[@mightymike1978]

LFO to Desk height would be eh... disturbing...

[@trainzack]

@@LeoMakes Control it with a saw LFO and break your arms!

[@natevirtual]

Sweet! Looks like an airplane deck!

[@SeanHodgins]

I love it! It would be total overkill for me, but maybe I will build this instead of a eurorack case.

[@LeoMakes]

Ha! If you’ve gone down the (totally great) rabbit hole that is Eurorack, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll need all the space! Good luck with your build!

[@dcurry7287]

Oh man, welcome back! Can't wait to put on some coffee and watch this morning.

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks and enjoy!

[@lprophit]

That desk is a turn on as a electronic music tech person and producer😍

[@CharlieThorstenson]

Looks really nice! And that plumber module! Clever

[@LeoMakes]

IT really solved a lot of headaches in an elegant way. I was worried it would be noisy or problematic over longer runs but, it's been brilliant! I think Doepfer and others make similar modules, BTW.

[@jasefosTV]

Bravo! I learned heaps! Since ever getting into music-making 30+ years ago, I've been addicted to looking out for furniture on roadside rubbish collections to create my own multi-tiered 'ghetto' structures. You certainly take things to the next level with this design and build. I had no idea that Fusion 360 was available for free use by hobbiests! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. You've just got a new subscriber and I've shared this to my socials.

[@mitijapieri2004]

Best setup EVER bro! Excellent speakers choice ;)

[@finonomastropiero4261]

Woow....just when im starting to believe im doing great diy synth/audio stuff, then even bigger mega fancy projects start coming up to my feed. Excellent job♥️

[@digo8167]

Love the eurorack cabinet. Nice!

[@JoshuaBlomberg]

I have an ongoing (pre-pandemic) project at work where I'm building a movable sound operator desk for musicals in our large theater. Due to our house having curved, raked seating and no dedicated work space (or removable seating), it was built to sit over top of some of the seats. Right now, it's just four legs, a frame, and a top (chipboard covered in black plexiglass - yes, it's a fingerprint magnet, but I use a tablecloth anyway), but my plan was to build additional functionality into it after some initial testing. Unfortunately, that has been delayed, but our next musical production is coming up this winter, and this is wonderful inspiration for what I can add and how I can make my life easier.

[@LeoMakes]

Brilliant-I’m glad this has been helpful! Best of luck with your build!

[@sanchezrflortiz]

That's awesome man! I'm designing a desk too and it's pretty similar to yours. Only big difference is that the elevation on the top is gonna be angled by 30° where the audio monitors rest. This allows me to have the equipment under it to be facing directly at me at the cost of some (irrelevant to me) workspace.

[@LeoMakes]

Cool! If you can, share it somehow when it's done. It would be cool to see how it turns out!

[@catdisc5304]

Man, found this video on r/synthesizers and I'm SO stealing this idea for my studio! I'm not using modular synths, I'm more of a soft synth/analogue semi modular synth kind of guy, but I'll replace the rails with standard 19" rack rails for like compressors, EQ and stuff like that. My studio needs some reworking anyways, so this would be a great project to work on. Thanks for inspiring me! Subbed, liked and shared!

[@LeoMakes]

Steal away! And come back and share your results if you can. It would be cool to see how your desk ends up with your own mods!

[@santijazz]

I love it! I'm designing mine and I'm definitely gonna use the headphone holder idea. I'm considering leaving the centre free to slide the keyboard back - then I can do some soldering and stuff like that

[@LeoMakes]

Nice! The nice thing about custom desks is that you can make it fit your exact needs. Good luck with your build!

[@leonwild3297]

Looks realy good. Could you make a video about how you made your Keyboard tray. It looks so much cleaner that the ones in other tutorials.

[@imperialimperialimperial]

this is my dream desk

[@markgueren9633]

Looks great!!! I actually just updated the desk I built last year!!! It’s a very satisfying build!!! Cheers!

[@NiamorH]

For all of you considering buying DT-770 Pro (as they are really popular), if you don't need to have closed headphones (not recording someone singing or accoustic instruments, not using them in a public space) , consider DT-990 Pro instead as they are much more confortable when used in long sessions, much less fatigue in the end.

[@LeoMakes]

Good tip! I've had these 770s for a LONG time (almost 10 years, I think) but if I needed a new set of headphones, I'd consider the 990s. Or even another brand. A lot has changed in 10 years and headphones are such a personal decision anyway.

[@Erreaka]

Lovely studio

[@rhinoskin7550]

This is awesome!

[@jeffalfonso1558]

You forgot to mention the Leatherman Wave :) Nice set up brother!

[@LeoMakes]

Leatherman Wave+ Probably the single most useful thing I own!

[@Tecknowledgy]

That keyboard trey doesn’t interfere with the bekant frame? I want to add a keyboard tray to my setup but am afraid it might hit the frame.

[@LeoMakes]

It might interfere depending on the tray and keyboard you happen to have. You’ll have to measure it out and do some trial and error. In my case, I actually had to slide the desktop forward (closer to me) just so that the front of the keyboard is flush with the front of the desk (it doesn’t stick out) and the back of the tray doesn’t hit the center “spine” of the desk. This means that the desk isn’t totally symmetric from the side but that’s ok because most of the weight (monitor, modules, speakers) is at the back of the desk so it stays balanced overall. If that makes any sense. Hope it’s helpful!

[@MattBat127]

Could you provide the Fusion 360 project? This would be super neat to modify!

[@timdanyo898]

Do you find the two legged desk wobbles or shakes when playing the keys when it's extended out? There are more expensive four legged sit/stand desk frames out there that look super stable. Curious.. if you had an opportunity would you opt for a four legged desk or is the two legged sufficient stability wise? Your desk style of build is something I've been working on myself and your design is very close to mine! Thanks!

[@LeoMakes]

If the desk is way up high and the keyboard tray is fully extended, then yes it definitely wobbles but I don’t usually play like that anyway (if I really want to play, I prefer to be seated). If it’s lower down and the keyboard isn’t all the way out it’s remarkably stable and balanced. I did see the four leg bases and they looked like a great option, but as you say, they’re way more expensive than the 2-leg options. In the end I just went with what I already had and I’m happy with it so I won’t change it. If you’re building from scratch and you need that extra stability and higher weight limit (and don’t mind spending more) then a four leg version would be a fine choice! Thanks for watching!

[@timdanyo898]

@@LeoMakes that makes sense about having it raised up high and being more unstable. I like to do most things standing due to back and mobility issues so your input is helping me spend more money.. Lol.. thanks a lot! 😝 Seriously though.. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback and have subbed your channel. 👍🏻

[@LeoMakes]

@@timdanyo898 Glad to be of help!

[@jeffagoddard]

Apollo twin on the left, mouse on the right. Are you right-handed but use your left for the big knob? Or do you reach across with your right?

[@LeoMakes]

Correct. Mouse on right hand and Apollo on left. I generally don’t need to adjust anything on the Apollo once it’s set so it’s mostly a “set and forget”situation for me.

[@jdoo2252]

Looks great. Just wondering if you plan on making the cnc files available?

[@seanbrower9612]

I didn't see the installation of the keyboard drawer which is key. Can you give some description on how you did that...

[@FrancescoSaverioMilloni]

This is just… AWESOME! I have two questions that are not directly connected to the desk: It’s an M1 mini Mac? I hear everything about that computers, ranging from “godlike, game changer” to “almost a tablet, not usable for pro purposes”. How is your experience? I also have an Apollo as audio interface, how do you manage the expert sleepers modules on ableton? Aren’t those recognized as audio interfaces too? Ableton does support just a single interface

[@LeoMakes]

Hey there. I got the Mac Mini before the M1 announcement so it’s still Intel based. I actually have the same thoughts as you about the new M1 processor! These Expert Sleepers modules connect to the Apollo though light pipe (optical) cables so the music software just sees them as audio inputs/outputs on the Apollo interface. Thanks for watching!

[@FrancescoSaverioMilloni]

@@LeoMakes didn’t know that es modules are equipped with optical in/out! Thank you! Anyway, IKEA should hire you as a designer!!

[@DamnHeadHumpers]

pretty snazzy

[@benoftroy]

wonderful videos :)

[@LeoMakes]

Thanks for watching!

[@Mixedbydavey]

Hey mate what is the monitor you have and what size is it? Desk looks amazing btw!

[@LeoMakes]

It’s an old (very old) 25” Dell U2515. It’s decent but I’ll eventually upgrade it at some point.

[@Mixedbydavey]

@@LeoMakes nice one man! What would you recommend these days?

[@jmclane27]

Hey Leo!! I was inspired by your build and was able to put something similar together for my home recording/production space!! Thank you for sharing and inspiring!! I've run into one issue I was wondering if you encountered and would love to know what you did/recommend!?! I did get the same monitor mount, however, I've noticed a lot of wobbling 😞. things as simple as typing this message seem to cause slightly noticeable wobbling and gets worrse of course when actually producing/using my monitor. Is this something you've had an issue with or no? and what might you recommend?? Thank you in advance!!!

[@LeoMakes]

Glad it was inspiring! My display does wobble a bit if I’m really pounding the MIDI keyboard but not so much when I’m just typing emails. Maybe a little but not enough to bother me. Is your display lightweight? I can imagine a lightweight screen wobbling more easily than a heavy one. My new screen (Eizo cs2740) is quite heavy for its size and I think it takes more to make it move. If your screen is lightweight you might try adding a bit of mass to the monitor arm to see if it damps the movement. Hope this helps!

[@jmclane27]

@@LeoMakes thanks for getting back to me! Yea I think I'd be fine if it were just when I was playing keys. But it shakes a bit when typing and other simple desk touches. Will try adding some weight to the monitor arm though! My lg screen is a nice 32 inch wide screen...but pretty lightweight. Thanks for your time and advice! Will be trying to figure it out in the next few days!

[@LeoMakes]

@@jmclane27 Hope it helps!

[@diikay4657]

Hey Leo, thank you so much for the videos! I wonder how you managed to get that keyboard slider under the desk? I also have the bekant and more or less gave up the idea of that because the table has its massive steal frame in the way... would be great if you could share a picture from underneath maybe? Have a great 2022!

[@LeoMakes]

Did you see part 2 of this series? I didn't spend that much time talking about the keyboard tray but there is a still image at the end of that video where you can see the desk flipped upside down and the keyboard tray attached. That will hopefully help you see what I did. The short version is that the Bekant has an extra support brace right in the middle (perpendicular to the spine of the desk). I removed because the 24mm plywood desktop is plenty strong and won't bow/warp/twist/etc. I've been living with it for a year now and it's still fine so I'm guessing it'll be fine. Hope this helps.

[@diikay4657]

@@LeoMakes Thank you very much, I now exactly did that. Works like a charm:)

[@Moleculardnb]

This is amazing, I'm just finishing building my new studio and want to make a custom desk, this one pretty much fits all the needs! Just a simple question, because the actual top (where the keyboard and mouse are) is so long and wide, does it not cause reflection issues with the speakers being right next to it? Love the video, subbed!

[@LeoMakes]

The size of the desktop hasn’t really been a noticeable problem. In an idea world, I’d have the speakers on stands just behind the desk so reflections would go past me to the back of the room, but this room is way to small to have speaker stands so I have to make due with the limited space I have. Thanks for watching!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

I'm making My desk from My old solid wood front door to My apartment, I dont really care how it looks, I'll paint it black when I'm done. I'll be building the keyboard tray and top self out of used wood. Haven't made My mind up on the legs yet, probably make those from used wood. My garden is full of wood I raided from garbage tips.

[@LeoMakes]

There’s something extra satisfying about using what you already have around the house to make what you want. Good luck with your build!

[@jonathanbobo722]

I'm thinking to buy 8341 or 8331. I am in a medium sized living room.

[@LeoMakes]

Talk to the people at Genelec. They’re quite friendly (not pushy) and will help you pick out the right speakers for you. You can’t go wrong with any of “the one” point source speakers!

[@jeromehankins7542]

Can you tell me how you made the CV Patchbay “ Keylab 61 1U Module “

[@LeoMakes]

Hi there. It’s covered in Part 2 of this desk build video series. Have a look there.

[@kalubandali2241]

you should always put a link to your company.

[@igortikhonov2676]

Are those Genelec 8331s?

[@LeoMakes]

Yes. Best speakers I have ever owned!

[@igortikhonov2676]

@@LeoMakes And guessing...the sub is 7350?

[@brianboyer9383]

@@igortikhonov2676, in the GLM screenshot you can see he’s labeled the monitors - 8331+7530 - although I’m sure he meant to type 7350.

[@kalubandali2241]

Can you come to my house and make me one ? Please lol

[@LeoMakes]

LOL--no chance! This was so much work--I gained a lot of respect for professional furniture makers. It's a super hard job.

[@kalubandali2241]

@@LeoMakes you did a amazing job. Well done 👏

[@jeremyfreedman1207]

Could i ever pay you to build me this desk?

[@LeoMakes]

Sorry mate, for this project (my biggest build) once was enough! More than enough, really! :)

[@lprophit]

That desk you said you had in la, I hate them I find them completely unappealing big bulky unsophisticated

[@LeoMakes]

Ahh, they weren't that bad! The design did feel a little dated (like late 90s styling) but--to Argosy's credit--it was well built and did the job. That said, if I had to buy one today I'd get something like the Output Platform or something similar.

[@The_Master_Brain]

It isn´t perfect. 88 Key Midi-Controller do not fit 👍