samll mixing desk recommendations?

P

paresh

Member
I'm looking for a small, under 40 inch desk to use with my laptop-based studio. Ideally I would like to have a second monitor but I can't picture where it would go. Many of the workstation desks have a second shelf for speakers to put them up at ear level but that's really too high for a second monitor, I would be craning my neck looking up from the laptop. The problem is the laptop itself blocks The view. Any suggestions? Thank you.
 
This is my set up. The laptop screen is not the main event, so hides behind the big monitor.
My speakers are not too high, just sitting on the vertical racks. The screen sits on a Stagg height adjustable speaker stand.
The mixer sits on a board, on top of a fixed width/height Z-stand I've had knocking around for ages.
You should consider using a Z-stand. I have others for keyboards, Hercules andd Roland, which are both height adjustable. The Hercules stand goes narrowest, and is good for
narrow keyboards like mono synths. The Roland Z-stand goes much wider, and may well suit your purpose.
The Stagg monitor stands are cheap and versatile, and sturdy. They have a strong triangle base, which you can partly see on the floor, beneath the mixer. They let
you put whatever you want at whatever height you want.
The other one is behind us in the corner, with a Poly-D perched on it.
I've looked at off the shelf desks, but they are fixed configuration, and don't seem to do what I want, and are expensive.
my-setup.png
 
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SLURPY! SLURPY! Mixer Ray! Paresh has given few details of his required mixer specs? E.g No of inputs,, inserts? D outs? Onboard recording capability? SUCH a big subject.

Re monitor screens: It is perfectly possible to run a laptop with the lid closed and use a separate kbd and mouse (I prefer the latter over track pads anyway) even if it has to be open it can be quite a ways away as kbd&m USB is still 1.1 I think and you can use long cables and a hub.
I also read about Very Wide Screen monitors about a week ago. These have advantages over twin screens but are a bit pricey I think?
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Oh! Not as bad as I thought. You can pay a LOT more though.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
SLURPY! SLURPY! Mixer Ray! Paresh has given few details of his required mixer specs? E.g No of inputs,, inserts? D outs? Onboard recording capability? SUCH a big subject.

Re monitor screens: It is perfectly possible to run a laptop with the lid closed and use a separate kbd and mouse (I prefer the latter over track pads anyway) even if it has to be open it can be quite a ways away as kbd&m USB is still 1.1 I think and you can use long cables and a hub.
I also read about Very Wide Screen monitors about a week ago. These have advantages over twin screens but are a bit pricey I think?
Click to expand...
The proximity of the laptop and mixer was dictated by the fairly short usbC lead that SSL give you. The laptop keyyboard is only used for occasional track and project naming,
so it doesn't matter that it is out of the way. Being petite, you couldn't do a final mix of a large project on the mixer. I see it as a quality versatile way of getting tracks into the daw, while listening to a few selected daw tracks. I think the next step will be an SSL UF8.
My dream mixer would be SSL AWS948 something or other, with 24 stereo chanels, and full daw control. I just bought a lottery ticket.....
I'm sure the biggest and best screens are worth it. I could spend my miserable budget 100 times over.
 
Slouching Raymond said:
The proximity of the laptop and mixer was dictated by the fairly short usbC lead that SSL give you. The laptop keyyboard is only used for occasional track and project naming,
so it doesn't matter that it is out of the way. Being petite, you couldn't do a final mix of a large project on the mixer. I see it as a quality versatile way of getting tracks into the daw, while listening to a few selected daw tracks. I think the next step will be an SSL UF8.
My dream mixer would be SSL AWS948 something or other, with 24 stereo chanels, and full daw control. I just bought a lottery ticket.....
I'm sure the biggest and best screens are worth it. I could spend my miserable budget 100 times over.
Click to expand...
Oh! Ray, my comment was really aimed at the OP not a critique of your setup mate!

Dave.
 
Slouching Raymond said:
This is my set up. The laptop screen is not the main event, so hides behind the big monitor.
My speakers are not too high, just sitting on the vertical racks. The screen sits on a Stagg height adjustable speaker stand.
The mixer sits on a board, on top of a fixed width/height Z-stand I've had knocking around for ages.
You should consider using a Z-stand. I have others for keyboards, Hercules andd Roland, which are both height adjustable. The Hercules stand goes narrowest, and is good for
narrow keyboards like mono synths. The Roland Z-stand goes much wider, and may well suit your purpose.
The Stagg monitor stands are cheap and versatile, and sturdy. They have a strong triangle base, which you can partly see on the floor, beneath the mixer. They let
you put whatever you want at whatever height you want.
The other one is behind us in the corner, with a Poly-D perched on it.
I've looked at off the shelf desks, but they are fixed configuration, and don't seem to do what I want, and are expensive.
View attachment 128286
Click to expand...
Damn show off!
Nice clean set up Ray! I'm a little jelly.
 
Thanks for yr input! Good ideas...i don't use an outboard mixer or controller, it's all computer-based. I hadn't thought about running the laptop closed & making the second monitor the main one. Something to consider!
 
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