By the way, what do you guys do to keep your tables full of gear and stands clean? I’m about to move to a new studio and I’m looking into the best way to keep all my stuff as dust-free as possible…
Dust is a serious problem at my place, I use Dust covers and T-shirts to keep dust off the equipment. Every so often I’ll move synths to clean the table and stands off.
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Like @jefones I use dust covers (a mix of waterproof covers I sewed myself and Decksavers) for the gear I can easily cover, I use an air blaster (gently, so I don’t blast dust INTO the pots/faders) frequently enough to prevent the settled dust from really sticking, and I vacuum often.
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Same here - I use a microfiber cloth or two to cover the important (expensive) stuff. I remember to put them on about 40% of the time. I also change my house air filter every two months. Keeping that habit seems to help reduce overall dust in the house. When my kid was born, a lot of general house maintenance got postponed. You should’ve seen the filter I pulled out after over a year…
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A duster and a vacuum like a normal person I guess
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@jefones
I understand the dust struggle as well.
Since I’ve been buying new gear recently I’m more aware of dust and what a nuisance it is.
Plus I always have the fan on because it’s hot here so that doesn’t help either.
@ballener0
Try keeping the windows shut as much as possible.
Anyone think it would be hazardous to place a blanket on my studio desk with all my gear resting on top of it?
Has anyone been using this?
It’s a wool blanket so I’m a bit skeptical about fire hazard.
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I’m probably going for the blanket myself, but yeah, it makes me worry about static electricity and all that. I’m already using decksavers but tables + cables = total dust nightmare 
I’ve actually had dust accumulation ruin a piece of gear (rubberized parts on and XR20), and from that time forward I always keep my gear that’s out covered and everything else in cases. I also run fans cause of heat, and my windows open to a frequently traveled/trafficky street.
For some gear, especially if you travel with it, the decksavers are great but they are quite pricey. I had a painting fall off my wall onto gear and the decksaver definitely saved it.
I wouldn’t throw a wool blanket on top of equipment because of static electricity, A cotton sheet may work better.
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@jefones
I have the official Elektron Rytm lid cover but I’m still concerned with the exposed outer case and also the back input section.
Not so much the dust for the sides but concerned about scratches.
I like to keep my equipment looking new and it’s always so easy to scratch up your gear in your work area, especially with cables.
But I understand the build process for this. How inconvenient would it be to unplug all your connections in order to use a fully enclosed lid every time.
Then again they could of at least did something to protect the sides and maybe cut out around the cable section.
But that’s crazy tho, it held up to a painting drop so I guess it’s worth it.
Paintings wouldn’t hit my gear but now that you mentioned it my heavy iMac is right above it.
I haven’t owned an iMac that long but it looks like it can be easily tipped over. And I’m always around that area turning off my monitors.
Might have to take extra caution now. Thanks for bringing that up.
I wonder if the official Elektron dust cover will fit over the lid as well.
Also I meant all my gear sitting on top of the blanket.
Not for dust protection, just like the way it might look.
Plus I’m always resting my arms & hands on my desk so it will give some comfort level. And also if I happen to slightly drop something or just moving gear around it will keep my desk looking new from scratches.
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I rotate my own paintings in my workspace, for visual stimulation, sometimes helps the music come out. Though I haven’t put another up since the one fell and I probably won’t honestly.
I would personally weary of the wool. If you are resting your arms on it while working, I would think that you would build up static easier with your arms rubbing against it. I’d go felt.
I could be entirely wrong.
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In my obsessive war against dust I use a combo of microfiber cloths, decksavers, a black shower curtain to cover the whole setup and a dyson portable vacuum cleaner with a brush tip. I have noticed that keeping not only the gear area but the whole studio room clean, is critical
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Wide, soft bristle, paintbrush.
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white thin cotton bedsheets when not in use
Compressed air duster can is the bomb for me
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Be careful, this can ruin gear. Blowing dust in to cracks, sockets, buttons and areas that you can not reach later. It will build up over time. Dust should be wiped or sucked/vacuumed away!
I learned the hard way cleaning the sensor of my camera with compressed air. 
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Yeah, I hear you - been lucky using it for about a decade now but you can never be too careful
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All my gear is covered with decksavers
Digitakt, Roland sp404A, Volca FM
The only piece I can’t buy a deck saver for is the m audio interface which is annoying because the electrical components inside (mic pre amp, headphone amp etc) make the thing a dust magnet.
So I utilise a 100% cotton black bedsheet that I bought for the sole purpose of keeping dust at bay as well as decksavers.
A few comments I want to respond to.
Compressed air: is an absolute no go. It states explicitly on the can that it is only to be used on peripherals like computer keyboards that are separate from the main circuitry. You wouldn’t never dream of using compressed air on a pc tower for example. Someone rightly noted above it has the potential to cosmetically fix your issue but in turn worsen the situation by displacing the dust in places which can cause damage and are also unreachable.
Opening windows: dust for the most part is made up of dead skin cells (really gross when thought about) but opening windows is a great way to bring cleaner air into the room and also vacate many of the dust particles. Fresher air also has a higher ratio of negatively charged ions which will help the reduction of airborne dust which in turn should make dust removal with traditional methods more easy.
I totally get that some people in areas where opening a window can have the opposite effect due to traffic fumes, noise etc. In this case I would recommend a HEPA certified air purifier. HEPA certification means that the purifier is fit for use in a hospital environment. It is also good practice to use a filter that is approved by your regional allergy mitigation service.
This can fix a rooms dust problems overnight.
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On the subject of dust - with as much gear as I have, it’s not practical to keep it all covered. I just dust it all occasionally as best as I can. Luckily, I’ve not yet had a unit fail in my studio from dust in forty years. Some of the older gear gets internal maintenance (key contact and pot/slider cleaning, etc) so that might be helping keep those dust bunnies at bay.
That’s not to say I’ve not seen gear fail due to dust. I bought an old Yamaha RX7 drum machine just a few weeks ago and many of the buttons and ‘pads’ didn’t work. I opened it up and found a considerable amount of dust and debris inside. I cleaned it all out and cleaned the button contacts with alcohol. Works great now. Here’s what the button panel assembly looked like on the inside - some of that debris we found was actually carcasses of dead, dried out bugs. How did they get in, I wonder?
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I recommend an air filter! Shut it off when you’re working and leave it on between jams. It eats the dust
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