I keep my dogs in my studio room during the days, and my younger dog once chewed up my headphones out of boredom. So a friend of mine made me two big pedal cases that I can fit a pretty good setup in, but only just. It’s a bit frustrating, having to set up every time I want to try something different but I guess it can’t be helped.
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At the moment, mental formations of a keyboard stand / pedal board combo are coming together (in the absence of a classy writers bureau). Though I still like the idea of something with wheels (maybe a pedal board on top of a trolley). We’'ll see…
Hello Dava,
Here’s something i built, base box is an Ikea “Besta” (60x40x38 cm) (20 euros), with 4 heavy duty wheels off of Amazon (i bought some that were 10-15 cm high)(20 euros).
Then inside i put some rails that can extend full length and support up to 30 kilos (2x 10 euros).
That gives me space for a Minilogue XD on one plater, and on the second plater a Digitakt + Launchkontrol XL.
On the bottom, a sound card, behind it a 7 plugs power adapter + 7 plugs powered usb hub. Then bought a 2 meters usb lead so that i can use this with either my laptop or iPad.
On top of it a B. Pro1 and Beatstep pro + Zoom MS 70, and in the near future i’ll add a B. K2 and a nice stand to have both top synths at a nice angle.
You could probably add a door to that setup and put a lock on it, if you have no synth on the top i believe that would be child-proof.
The height of that box allows me to use it sitting on the edge of the sofa, or on a small stool.
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That’s amazing!
Did you buy / cut shelves to sit on the rails?
Was it easy to attach the wheels to the base?
Context: I fall somewhere in between being a handyman and not-such-a-handyman (I can turn my hand to stuff around the house, but only when needed).
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Oh man, that looks great! I have to look into building something like that, would be awesome to have all my gear hooked up at the same time. Maybe two of those would be enough.
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What about a keyboard hard case?
An SKB in the 61 note size may fit all your gear. Open for instant satisfaction.
Slides under the bed, sits on the bed, cot, table, ironing board…
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Same skill level for me 
The wheels are simply screwed to the base using wood screws with spacers.
The wood i had it cut to size at a local shop.
Overall it was quite a simple build, took me longer to research the wheels and rails than to build it.
I also had the wood cut only once the cabinet was built and the rails in place, so as to figure out the correct dimensions to cut.
Also Ikea has another Besta that has twice the width (120 cm) with a divider in the middle if you need so have something wider.
The biggest limitation is the size of the stuff you would want inside and the ergonomics are not for everyone.
The day that i don’t have to work from home i’ll move my stuff to the desk and keep this as a reduced living room setup i think.
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any update one this after 3 years? moved to a smaller apartment and need ideas
I’m still rocking the second-hand two tier computer trolley in the living room.
Perfect for my set up.
There’s a thread on the Lines forum that might offer some inspiration:
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I’ve always thought that one of these Danish Modern transformer armoire/desks would be a killer candidate to turn into a stealth studio space. Would require some modifications obviously.
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I have used a small secretary desk (not for music) and the issue is having to first of all have the space to fold out into, and second of all do the setup. While I can imagine various sliding trays and cable management systems, it would take a whole whack of work, and probably a custom solution would be less frustrating and possibly even less costly in the long run.
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As a fan of mid-century modern design and retrofuturism, I’ve always wanted to implement the Joe Columbo Boby Trolley into my setup. It’s still in production unlike a lot of those iconic designs. I’ve seen them in a couple of shops here in Tokyo. They come in a few different configurations and lots of colors.
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This is a good assessment. As soon as you have sliding trays you usually have to accommodate a fair bit more in audio/midi cable bulk for the extra length.
I’ve moved into a smaller house and I’ve been toying with the idea of hobby stations on rolling carts so that I can keep them out in the shed, but roll them into my office, or the living room or outside to work on stuff.
Something a bit like a drywall trolley as a base, although this example would be overkill: https://shop.intex.com.au/intex-steel-drywall-cart.html
But you get the idea, designed to be manoeuvred through house doorways, be stable with a lot of tippy weight on them, solid frame you could attach shelving to as you need.
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Unless your shed is temperature controlled and well-insulated, wouldn’t your stuff get ruined by heat/moisture/dust, etc?
Not as bad as if I took them hiking or to the beach.
We have a variety of outbuildings at various levels of dryness/insulation. I was just using ‘shed’ as shorthand.
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I’m In a similar boat but smaller, one bed place after a break up, I got this desk and a keyboard tray for 80 quid off of Amazon, it’s just under a metre wide so it’s pretty minimal footprint wise whilst still having plenty of space for a small setup…
I recommend Gladiator’s mobile – 600lb+ weight capacity, quality wheels, solid wood top, and you can use it in the garage/shed at a later date if you find yourself in a living situation with a proper office/studio:
Here’s how I’m using mine:
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I am thinking about this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B2W8VBQX/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A3686AOLDPXXOD&th=1