Workspace of the Week: Music workstation
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Brendan Burns’ home studio.
Brendan is a guitarist and music educator in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His desk is composed from two small IKEA desks with a unfinished door on top to extend the workspace. He keeps two small guitar amplifiers on the desk for amplification of both acoustic and electric instruments. A pedalboard keeps his stompboxes organized (and within foots’ reach) below the desk on the right.
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
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Posted by PJ on Feb 20, 2009 |
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11 comments posted
Posted by Tim Haughton - 02/20/2009
Happy memories….guitars…music…hair.
Posted by Rue - 02/20/2009
I like the idea of putting two small desks together…hmm.
Posted by timgray - 02/20/2009
Looks kinda cluttered to me. the piles of wires under the desk can be either put in bins or hidden from view. Granted with a low budget desk there is not much you can do but even a freebie shorty filing cabinet can hold a mixer in the top drawer and the wires in the bottom.
That’s how I have my setup here at the office for my video editing station. I went to a office furniture outlet and bought a $19.99 used “PED” from a traded in cubicle setup, put a set of $8.00 wheels under it and instant audio gear workstation. drilled a hole in back and put in a desk wire grommet to protect the wires.
Posted by PJ Doland - 02/20/2009
That’s not just a pile of wires. It’s a pedalboard with a variety of different stompboxes on it and it’s pretty well organized as far as those things go. I’m sure it’s probably in constant use, and given the requirements of the space, I’m not sure it’s realistic to store it “out of the way.”
Posted by Sherri (Serene Journey) - 02/20/2009
I love the idea of two smaller desks and an unfinished door as a desk top?!? that’s great! It looks like a bright and relaxing environment to be creative in as well!
Congrats Brendan!
Posted by Alex - 02/20/2009
One thing I’ve discovered when I started playing guitar is that equipment is impossible to organice in a visually uncluttered way, it usually has cables going from the front, back and every other imaginable way, you can organice it as best as you can cables are still gonna be there, so as far as this goes, it really is great even if it can’t be picture perfect to some.
I got a setup almos extactly like this, and funny thing is that on my last apartment I even used a door to have one single surface, not like now with a crack between desks, I’ve always wanted to post pictures of it if it wasn’t for the embarrasing third world aesthetic… maybe if I saw more people using doors as desks or chairs as tables
Posted by DemMom - 02/20/2009
This is beautiful compared to the music workspace/recording studio in my house! Wires everywhere, multiple computers, strange set ups for the perfect sound, etc. But it’s not mine, it’s my husband’s. And it makes him happy so I choose to live with it. It’s why we bought a new house with a basement.
Posted by Brendan - 02/20/2009
My two favorite things about having a door as a desktop is that the door handle opening is great for gathering cables together in a central location, and the desk can be a giant coaster or doodle-pad if I need it to be – there is nothing precious about it.
I do have to admit that cables below are a bit hectic, but my home setup is also my to-go setup. All of that stuff packs & unpacks quickly, which is incredibly imporant for gigs at night and teaching in the morning.
Thanks for the post! I’ve gotten a lot great wisdom and advice from the Unclutterer. Cheers!
Posted by Catherine Cantieri, Sorted - 02/20/2009
Nice! Add me to the list of folks who dig the two-small-desks strategy. I also like that there are two open windows to look out of when you want/need outside stimulation — and a relatively blank space between them for when you need to focus.
Posted by Lynda - 02/22/2009
Hey, Brendan: do you move the pedal board out from under the desk when playing guitar in this room? In which case, y’all, the cables are the right length.
Posted by Michele - 02/25/2009
This is so much tidier than our band room! Does he consult? And where did he hide the beer fridge? :p
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