Hi,
my flat is rather small, and keeping two of my Elektrons (Syntakt, Digitakt), Microfreak and a few pedals on the desk is not an option, unfortunately.
I saw somewhere onilne people build cases (like, suitcases with metal corners) - mostly for bringing their gear somewhere to play live AFAIK - and their setups are already interconnected inside the case, so it’s kind of plug-and-play. Or at least, that’s what I imagine it is.
This would actually suit me very well if I could pull such a case out from under my bed, open it, turn everything on, play with it for a few hours and put it away again.
But I don’t even know which direction to look for those cases in terms of sizes, connectivity options, etc.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you
UPDATE:
After my post here, the gods of Google rewarded me with this, which perfectly fits my needs. Unfortunately, the XL edition is not in stores yet where I live. But I think I’ll wait.
An idea if you don’t mind a bit of DIY might be to get some cardboard big enough to contain all your gear, make a template, experiment with placement until you get a layout that suits you, then get 2 sheets of board cut in that size plus enough of a space around the edge for some battens for the edges, the battens should be deep enough so that you can make a lid which would be the same as the base. Use hinges that can lift off and a catch to keep it closed.
I had a couple of flight cases built for my Elektron stuff years ago. One case for A4 and OT was built exactly for the same reasons as you: I slid it out from under a sofa when I wanted to use it, took the lid off, plugged the power cable in and I was jamming on 2 minutes.
There was just one issue: the weight. I hadn’t considered how heavy it would be. I needed a sturdy surface to hold it, no sofa jamming on my knee that’s for sure!
My advice, think about the ergonomics of lifting and positioning the rig every time you need to get it out. It never stopped me using it and I loved the fact it was all cased up and safe when not in use. I still have the cases but the equipment had changed.
+1 for a guitar pedalboard. The aluminum-framed ones like the PedalTrains are surprisingly light for their size, and they are built to make cable routing easy, and to mount power supplies. Get one with a soft case and you can zip it up and hide it under the bed.
I ran out of the space on desk and invested a little in mobile Jaspers rack. It does not take a lot of space and has wheels so can be freely moved.
Now, when I don’t produce I keep it between the desk and bed. When I produce, I move it a little so I have it near me.
The obvious pro is that it is always ready to be used, it isc only a matter of moving it a little. All the gear stays connected so there is no risk of damaging cables an I/O.
The only problem is a price, but if you can quite easily do some DIY analogue
