An opportunity to build a bespoke sound desk came my way recently – one that on the one hand was relatively simple, while on the other hand was very specific in its design, demanding a very high quality of finish.
It started with some sketches, a walk through a local hardware store to determine the materials required, a ride on my Kawasaki W650 to see the equipment that had to be accommodated, 3D drawings in SketchUp to see how it would all come together, and a lot of emails just checking and refining the details.
This would be a project about logistics, priorities, and process – with a few surprises on the way past. The main considerations were:
• Handling and storage of expensive materials to ensure they don’t get marked or damaged
• A cutting schedule
• Very accurate dimensions and ergonomic considerations
• The specific requirements of dealing with music and sound – in this case, vibration and any interference by the desk in the process. This would mean that I couldn’t have two steel surfaces touching, for example
• Both the weight and value of the considerable amount of equipment, its layout and accessibility. This included allowing for a piano keyboard to be mounted on a sliding shelf and kept under the desktop when not in use
• The use of castors – this was ultimately discarded due to their impact on the height
• The nature of the bamboo panels; the bamboo was was very hard on tools – something I would factor in if I were to use bamboo panels again
The weight: the four sheets of 2200x600x25mm laminated bamboo benchtop each weighed 21.5kg, while the four proprietary steel legs to hold it all up each weighed around 5kg.
Once assembled, the desk would weigh around 110kg – and that was before the equipment was installed. The Yamaha DX7 keyboard alone weighed 14.2kg.
There was confidence in knowing the desk was very stable, and therefore wouldn’t detract from the user experience. However, the weight did influence our decision on how we
