Sundown Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Hey all, I hate desktop clutter and while much of my rack/outboard gear is essential, it’s not stuff I want to see in my line of sight (e.g. audio interfaces, MIDI interfaces, etc). I took my ~2001 oak veneer desk/table and added a pine extension to create a 12-space rack. I’m really happy with the results. I can put most of my rack gear under the table and regain valuable desktop space. The stick-on LED lights are simply for making periodic connections and the pass-through holes are for audio, power, and interface cables. With the pecan stain the pine really matches the original veneer quite well and there are steel reinforcement brackets that are hidden that give it a lot of strength. Frankly, the rack is stronger than the rest of the desk. Ergonomics and aesthetics are important to a creative space and I’m glad I took the leap on this one. Should I choose a rack mount computer in the future I’ll have the space, and the shelf below is perfect for a retail/prosumer DVD player (to grab the all-essential random B-movie drops for instrumental and electronic music). Todd 3 Quote Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Heins Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Nice work! Aesthetics are very important to me as well...if it looks like a mess I don't feel inclined to create. You're gonna look forward to working at your desk now, congrats! Bill Quote http://www.billheins.com/ Hail Vibrania! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Vnuk Jr. Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Really cool and simple. Nice job! Quote Editor - RECORDING Magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techristian Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 VERY COOL !! DAN Quote TEACHMEDRUMS.COM My Music Videos RED PILL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Well thought out and well done! I'm in the "pondering what I actually need" stage right now. Somehow I filled a 8 space rack and most of a 6 space. Too much stuff!!!! My desk isn't as nice looking as yours, I do like that there is a shelf in the back that puts the computer monitor and my Mackie HR824s at a good height. Maybe I'll convert some of the space below into rack space and sell a few things. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Thanks guys! I’m quite proud of it. I only have 4U of gear but I bought 12U rails so that I can space them out a bit and so I can later add a 4U rack-mounted DAW. I learned a lot about finishing wood (stain/poly) and perhaps I’ll make some other studio furniture as well. Todd Quote Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted February 6, 2023 Author Share Posted February 6, 2023 Photo with gear mounted … Full disclosure, this is actually a rebuild. When I went to mount my gear I realized that my patch bay was on the upper limit of the rack width spec and I couldn’t get it between the rails. I was off by no more than a sixteenth, but it was a sixteenth too much. So I created a new “L” and opened up the width a bit and now everything fits like it should. The new hole centers for the rails are 18-7/16”. I was baffled that I could make that mistake, but I focused all of my original measurements on the front mounting holes and I neglected to measure the actual widths of the units behind the faceplates. That Samson patch bay uses every hair of width available. The 1U spacer plates are used just to provide more cooling and breathing room. I still have 4U left for a rack mount DAW when that day comes. Todd 1 Quote Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Mein Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Nice work and I really admire the DIY impetus. I've also built my own rack units on a couple of occasions. Although mine were more function than aesthetic I rather like the raw look. I'd once built a mixer rack unit that I actually took to gigs for a while and around the same time I built a rather tall rack case. Years later, as I thinned out some of my rack gear, I modified the tall rack case to accommodate my SL1642 mixer. It continues to be my home studio rack case. Many years ago I built a pedal board using a power supply I built myself from my well stocked hobbyist supply. I most likely used industry application notes for that as it would have been the early days of the internet. Quote https://www.facebook.com/Meinfield-346702719450783/ Songs on SoundCloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted February 9, 2023 Author Share Posted February 9, 2023 Nice stuff … Quote Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 Really nice. And here I thought that I had done well when I realized that the new shoe rack/shelf that was too big for the coat closet would make a really handy chord organizer/storage area. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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