Studio Furniture

[Patrick_]

I've accumulated enough equipment to start having problems with where to put it. If I use 1 meter SPDIF cables(tech guy at the pro shop said so), I can only connect my VS880 and my Fantom X if the VS is on the left side of the Fantom(or directly above it). It gives me a headache trying to figure out the perfect arrangement for all my gear. By the way, I've got an 88 key MAudio controller, and a bunch of other rackmount stuff(minus the rack), microphones, two acoustic guitars and an electric guitar(I play both keys and guitar).
I think the thing I hate the most is setting up the microphones in front of the PC to record guitar and vocals and then having to shove it all to the side to write an email.

Anyway, to the point. What kind of studio "furniture" do you guys use? (or not use.) Years ago I used to prop my QSR up on the box it came in, directly behind a cheap Yamaha PSR500, and then I bought this multilevel keyboard stand and life got better.
My current predicament is a way to place my nearfields optimally, now that my PC is becoming the centerpiece of my studio. The crap CRT monitor I'm currently using gets distorted when too close to the monitors.

This is more a comment than a request for advice, but I'm open to advice if anybody cares.

[PauloF]

Do you have photos of your actual setup ?

[KRE8A]

You could draw out a rough sketch and have someone customize your set up, for your desired comfort work around. I've actually got a heavy steel tube frame (can be disassembled and reassembled), which was customized by a family member. I like it heavy, because that way there isn't to much shake and movement when playing with the electronic instruments.
Otherwise, as PauloF suggested - a photo image (send through) of your set up is a good idea, because PauloF will give you excellent feed back, for furniture set up.

[Patrick_]

I could do that. I'm actually trying to design my own studio furniture using a 3D modeling program that I own. Because the specs are all in 3D space I can create an assemble the thing myself using the right materials. I've got catalogues of studio furniture that I'm using as a reference. I particularly like the pictures of Piaknow's studio. I think my biggest logistical problem is playing two instruments. If I was strictly a keyboard player I'd just need a mike for vocals, but it's more like two mikes for guitar and vocals which get in the way when I want to work with the keyboard. I am just trying to figure out a way to optimize my workflow and I think it could all be better.

My studio is in a current state of disarray because
1- there is is no place to put it
2- I just bought a new PC and Sonar 8.5 and I'm trying to re-arrange the whole mess.

Here is my equipment list, to give you an idea of what I'm up against.

Roland Fantom X6
Yamaha PSR500
MAudio Keystation88 midi controller
Alesis QSR rackmount module
Roland VS880
Digitech Studio Vocalist(rackmount module)
Alesis RA100 reference amp and two near field monitors
2 PCs- EMU 1616m PCI interface

Then there's the guitars, the mike stands, the microphones...

I don't have a functional set up at the moment otherwise I'd post a picture of it right now. I really do appreciate your input and hopefully I'll post something later today.

[dbijoux]

Sounds like you are ahead of the game.

Now you just need measurements for 3D models of all your gear. You can even approximate your monitoring and don't forget to make some room for acoustic treatment.

Some MDF, a box of screws, and who knows what you could come up with.