I’m starting a little side project fabricating music/music production focused furniture/accessories. I have a background in product design and my day job is high end custom furniture and cabinetry. Music is my hobby and I’m an Elektron user so, I’m starting here.
I know there are some other similar desktop stands out there. However, all the ones I’ve found fall short in some way or another. This is my first prototype, which ticks all the boxes for me. Clean look, compact, no visible fasteners, comfortable angle and the ability to use a Decksaver.
I’d really like to hear from Elektron users about what they think about this product. Like it? Hate it? What do you want from this type of product? What needs are not being met when it come to accessories for Elektron gear or any gear.
Constructive criticism is welcome. So are any questions or ideas on how this could be better or on other potential projects. I hope to hear from some of you.
Please note this is just a prototype lacking a refined finish. Aesthetics are not reflective of the final product.
My only suggestions are options for a much flatter angle, I play the DN like a keyboard so the ergonomics wouldn’t be that great, same with the crossfader on the OT. Also laminate just looks meh, I would pay more and want solid hardwoods if possible
Yeah I’d be wondering about stability if the two sides aren’t connected in some way. Even more so without rubber feet. For me it needs to feel super solid in use. How does it feel to you (slam those buttons a bit)? I guess the benefit of doing it that way is that the same stand can also be used for OT etc. Maybe some kind of extendable / telescoping connector rod?
Nice tidy look. Appreciate the cable gap underneath
Angle is a matter of taste. Not sure it’d work with this kind of slot design, but I like reversible stands that give you two positions
This is good feedback, thank you. Definitely planning to offer an option for solid hardwood. I’ve also questioned the angle. I think I will probably end up offering a low angle and a high angle option.
Curious about a low angle option though, being someone who likes the higher angle. How is the stand serving you at a lower angle? What are the core functionalities for you?
Thank you everyone for your input. A few people have asked how it’s put together, here’s an image with the Digitakt removed. There’s a single cross member with a quick connector at each end. It’s a very rigid assembly, lots of support for the device. The device fits snugly but, can also be pulled out easily. Assembly time is probably less that 2 mins and the unit goes together with a single Allen key that will ship with every unit.
Rubber feet are an excellent addition, will do.
@kairos - I considered a dual angle design. However it inevitably increases the size of the stand. To me, a minimal footprint stands out as a primary constraint for the design of a device stand. But, flexibility may trump size?
If I were to have a stand I’d want as thin sides as possible, aligned to the DT’s front and bottom panel and as little space as possible underneath. To my eyes that would be cleaner & more compact.
A few years ago I made one for a couple of volcas (poor woodworking skills, mind you) and turned out like this:
If you are CNC milling the wood per order, I would also consider (in addition to multiple angles) offering multiple heights. I built my own stand for my Digis, and it’s taller (though less elegant) than yours specifically to provide cable clearance for my AK. Some users may have a bigger synth/controller in front of it that they’ll need clearance for.
These units will be CNC machined but, not to order. In order to offer these products to people at a reasonable price they will need to be batched. Which means there will have to be a few iterations that cover the most popular/requested functionalities. There are definitely some larger units that will come out as things progress with this new venture. Multi-unit stands, riser stands, etc.
Hopefully the comments keep coming in so I can get a sense of what the averages are. I won’t be able to please everyone without an unreasonable amount of variants. But, I may offer custom down the road.
Depends how much bigger it would need to be, and how it would affect cost. I do love flexible gear though… most of us around here are messing with our set-ups a fair bit. And folks have stuff in very different positions, some sit, some stand etc
If not reversible / adjustable, I’d seriously consider doing versions in a couple of different angles
In order to be multi-angle and also very stable, I think it would have to be larger than desirable for most. But, if there’s enough interest it could be an option.
Different angles are straightforward. That will surely be an option. They could also be swappable with he same cross member.
What are the angles people want? high/low, High/medium/low?
Well if you look at a piano key, its actually tilted away from your hand, because thats the natural postion: elbows a bit higher than wrists and wrists a bit higher than the fingertips. .Or like if you were playing hand percussion on a djembe or conga you tilt the drum head down so your hand can squarely hit it, the other direction would just potentailly break your wrists. so ideally an electronic intrument would have the knobs, faders and buttons facing you for ease of use (like the MS20 is and extreme example) and the keys angled slightly away from you. So for a digi box maybe no more than a 15 degree tilt? And crossfaders are universally on a flat surface which helps you do more performace based moves with it, if its tilted towards you it doesn’t feel natural.
Edit: also maybe just a nice veneer on the edge of the laminate? so you can still cnc and batch
What I’m really looking for is something like this, where I could have a Digi box placed behind and above another Digi box. I already have good stands for single devices (laptop stands usually works well for this), but it’s trickier to find solutions for multiple devices.
Here’s some random thoughts and honest feedback for @Nope:
Nice idea! I like the concept. It seems like you have found a good balance between the stand being functional and being minimalistic.
Regarding angles, I’m using something even steeper than what is shown in your pictures. Probably a factor of 1.5 at least. But that’s just me.
Unfortunately, I think the finish looks fuuuugly (and I can imagine it won’t age well). But if I needed a stand like this, I’d paint it myself, so for me personally it probably wouldn’t be an issue (it would even be a feature that I wouldn’t have to pay for a nicer finish when I was going to paint over it anyway). I’m not sure everybody are as keen on doing this as me though, so it’s probably a good idea to work a bit more on how it looks.
Rubber feet is probably a good idea, both to make the thing sturdier and to protect the underlying surface.
I’m looking forward to see what you’ll end up with. If you build a multi-device stand, I even might buy one or two myself.
@davestasiuk: This looks great! Is there any chance you could replicate that and ship in the EU? If so, what would the price be?
I‘m currently using four laptop stands like the ones @Enrico_Pallazzo has posted right above me. However, they’re not ideal if you want to place OT and three digis next to each other. You have to set them at slightly different angles/depths so that they fit next to each other seamlessly, but then their height and angle is not exactly the same. Not a deal breaker, but one stand for all of these units would be cooler, if you have always set them up anyways. Also less space lost by stand feet, which can make cabling tricky in some situations.
Looks quite beautiful, I like space for cables at the bottom and angle seems optimal for fixed variant. But I would also prefer easily (dis)assemblable stand with a few height and angle options, to be able to use it either at lowest position (as front device) or raised a few cm and a bit more angled (to be placed behind my keyboard controller with sticking midi cables at the back). There are notebook stands that does this, but because they are usually freely adjustable, they can be quite filmsy, while plastic or thin alu construction also doesn’t help.
Noted, I appreciate your input. Edging small pieces blows efficiency so much that it doesn’t make sense. Solid wood can still be CNC’d and batched. Solid wood is also looking like preference so far.
Thank you for your input, I appreciate it. Tiered stands are definitely in line for development
The finish is not in any way a representation of the final product, just for test purposes and proof of concept. I should have mentioned this in my opening comment.
