Standing Desk for a Music Studio? (Jarvis Desk Review) 

All the dimensions are in the description.

Hi Mark, they are 34 inch ultrawides, so that's 83cm wide. The only issue with making the desk wider and having the monitors set wider is you have to sit further back to be in the listening sweet spot.

Thanks! Solid flooring would help a bit, so no carpet. Also distributing the weight of the equipment evenly (not really practical). Really though it would need to be a four legged design to add any significant stability.

Hi, thanks. The desk top was something I made from scaffold boards. It's quite heavy and thick but feels nice and I think solid wood attaches better than say particle board, it also lasts longer. Extra weight on top will effect stability the higher you have the desk. Cable management is just a simple metal cable try from Amazon, it was about £20. I have a few grommeted holes in the top to allow cables to pass through to the underside and into the cable tray.

It's just two end pieces of wood, these attach to the underside of the desk with some right angle metal brackets. The big tray part has drawer rails attached to it which fit into the two end pieces of wood. So in total it's 3 pieces of wood, two drawer rails and a few right angle brackets. Try and get some heavy duty drawer rails, especially if your keyboard is a heavy one.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic do you drill holes into the jarvis fully? Or it comes with places to mount this stuff Thank you for the breakdown

@@SnoMan1818 The Jarvis has premade holes, so you can screw through them into the desktop.

Its just two wooden sides attached to the desktop with right angle brackets, then on the inside of the wooden sides there are some heavy duty drawer rails, just attach these to the big tray part and that's it.

@2MP REPORT thanks! Yep the 3 black covers underneath the monitor stand are attached to 9U of rack space, 3 in each bay.

@@sound4label as long as the tray slides out far enough like mine it works just fine. Do be aware though that you'll have to sit further back and won't be as close to the screen.

hi, sorry I lost the quick sketch thing I did as plans but I've put most of the measurements up in the description.

Hi, no worries, yes I was sent just the legs/frame. The desktop and shelf I made myself. Fully do sell their own desktop for the Jarvis legs, I just wanted a different size so opted for my own.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Ahh I understand, now! Excellent work on the desktop!

Hi, so the desk top is big enough that the sliding keyboard drawer fits inside the front half of the spreading bar. If you think of the spreading bar as this shape I-----I ,the left and rights sides of the kb drawer fit just inside and parallel to the parts on each end. Hope that helps!

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Hello William, thanks for replying and for your explanation, it helped a lot. Now, I’m sure that I will buy a standing desk and have a drawer built :) Regards

@@GuillermoJuarezSyou're welcome! Best of luck with the build.

Cool idea, I had wondered about options for improving stability.

Distance between the top of the shelf and the bottom of the desk surface is 10cm.

How did this go bro I’m in the same position looking for the right option

@@WilliamMorrisMusic I ended up getting a 70 inch shelf for my studio monitors and my thunderbolt apple monitor. I had a keyboard shelf that I got rom another studio desk that I screwed underneath the table. Not a perfect solution but it's working in the meantime.

Hi Clay, no plans as such, my woodworking is mostly winging it. There are some dimensions up in the description. The desk top is just 4 scaffold boards jointed together, sanded and an oil finish. Keyboard tray, it's just two end pieces of wood, these attach to the underside of the desk with some right angle metal brackets. The big tray part has drawer rails attached to it which fit into the two end pieces of wood. So in total it's 3 pieces of wood, two drawer rails and a few right angle brackets. Try and get some heavy duty drawer rails, especially if your keyboard is a heavy one.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Thanks. Appreciated.

Thanks, I can't recall exactly where I got the hardware but you can use any heavy duty draw sliders. Just get the length you need and make sure they are rated to support the weight of your keyboard.

They were all made by myself, it's just the desk legs that I'm reviewing.

Thanks Steven, most of the desk measurements are in the video description.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Thanks. How hight is the Monitor Shelf? Can you only fit one 9U rack unit into each spot ?

@@SoundLabcanada it's about 15cm high, each section holds 3U for a total of 9U.

There's some wobble when playing stood up. I included an example in the video.

Thanks! The desk top I made from 4 old scaffold boards. The finish is achieved by burning the wood with a heat gun to bring out the grain. Then its just oiled.

Probably not for two legged designs. I think some of the four legged options stand a better chance in that regard but I've not had one to test.

Cheers Louie, I used some similar to these (same dimensions): www.eurofitdirect.co.uk/products/ball-bearing-100kg-drawer-slide-56-x-400mm-ext-100 In all honesty they are ok but my old ones were way better and held position a lot better. Sadly they were too short for this build. I went through two other pairs on this build that were really poor so the current pair was me settling. If I get around to it I'll change them though. The wood I think was just pine furniture board from B&Q. Its light enough and strong enough for the job.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic That's really great to know, thanks a lot! What were the old ones you had?

@@LouieTaylorMusic it was so many years back that I can't recall where they were from, been trying to find the order email so I can get some new ones. Will let you know if I do.

Thanks! I'd say the Jarvis one might be on the thin side, it's more regular desk work, a laptop and some papers kind of thing. Another option I considered was the Rasunda worktop from IKEA, it's about the same dimensions as mine in the video, good quality and would look nice. The scaffold board route is pretty labour intensive unless you have a great tools and even then it's a bit of a slog.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic thanks for the response. Helpful

thanks! yep the desk top is a bit closer to the back than the front, I think this might have just been a recommendation from the manual that came with the legs. Probably for the best as I have more weight at the back. My MIDI keyboard is on the lighter side (6.5kg) so compared to even just my monitors (20kg) there isn't really any risk of it being front heavy, even with the keyboard tray pulled out. You could maybe calculate the weight of what you'd want on the back versus your digital piano and see how it looks?

Thanks! It's all still running smoothly. I'm thinking of upgrading to something with four legs for a bit more stability at full height but I'm glad I made the move to a standing desk.

William Morris Music I’ll be setting up a home studio slash working from home office over the coming months and it seems a no brainier to have sit/stand desk for the flexibility of moving. I really can’t see any reason not too. Since your video I’ve been bookmarking some four legged desks. Is your desk a custom build? There’s so many nuances to getting this right for you like how to set the speakers and monitors up etc Thanks for putting this video out it’s been really helpful.

@@kray9438 glad it's been helpful, yep the desktop, monitor shelf and keyboard shelf were all custom just to get the sizing right.

William Morris Music outstanding! There’s nothing like a custom build to fit your needs. I notice you haven’t decoupled your monitors from your desk with iso acoustic stands or similar. Any reason why?

@@kray9438 agreed! I do have some small iso pads under the monitors. They are just the ones that are included from Focal.

Thanks Simon, if you mean the shelf at the back of the desk I made it myself. If you mean the stand for the monitor screens it's just one from Amazon but they don't seem to sell it anymore.

Thanks! I sit with my feet crossed quite a bit and no problems but if by legs crossed you mean one leg across the other thigh then you might have to raise the desk, which isn't a problem except for then the desk top might be too high for your arms. Without the keyboard tray underneath I think it would be much easier.

sounds good! I'm not sure they do the L-shape anymore, Fully were taken over by Herman Miller.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Ah that's really sad, annoying they have discontinued the L shaped desk. Herman Miller honouring Fully's 10 year guarantee but if they don't make my desk anymore and I need parts, not sure how that will work?! Saw the Andi Owen video that made me think "absolutely feck this company."

@@ideosound hopefully HM will have all the old stock and parts, otherwise their only option to honour the warranty would be a refund. I'd like to see them do a four legged option in the future as there aren't really any options for this in the U.K.

Thanks! Mic stand is a Rode PSA-1.

Thanks Andrew, the midi keyboard is 1006 x 297 x 84 mm.

Thanks! Dimensions are up in the description.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Doh! Thanks

Am afraid I don't have any plans, its all fairly simple though in terms of measurements. Let me know if there's anything specific you need and I'll add it in the description.

@Project Resonance Thanks! I've added all the dimensions to the video description for you.

Thanks! Yes I made it, it's just a piece of pine cut to size with rack hardware from Penn elcomm. Finished in Danish oil for a little protection.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Thanks for the info

Afraid I don't have any videos of the construction. Let me know if you have any questions though.

Thanks, I think there are a few, AZ Workstations do one and I've seen a few others depending on where in the world you're based. Most of them are particle board though if you're after solid wood.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic where did you get the monitor 9U shelf? I'm thinking of doing this, buying a regular solid wood desk and then buying those rack shelves to put on top, cause most of these "studio desks" on the market are pure garbage made of MDF and plywood and overpriced as hell for what it is

@@naegleriafowleri2230 The shelf is something I made, its just pine boards with some rack rails and covers.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic they sell them online on etsy and other sites. Some made of solid wood. Im prone to allergies so im always hesitant with fake wood. These studio desk most of them are made of plywood which is full of formaldehyde but not only that they use melamine laminate for the top finish which it has be glued on with formaldehyde as well. Same for the MDF ones. I bought pieces from Ikea in the past and had to return all of them because they smell like shit and triggered my allergies. So i realized is formaldehyde what messes me up. Solid wood does not have this stuff. Uplift actually sells solid wood desks. I got some sample and they look beautiful and they don’t smell at all. So I may go with that and later on buy those 2 o 3 bay rack shelfs to put on desk.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic one thing i noticed is most of these studio desk companies they tell you all the features but always hide what wood type is used, what finish type is used, etc. Many sell these desks but hide that they’re MDF or simple plywood or call it “solid wood” when is just baltic birch plywood

Thanks!

Jarvis do still do the 3 section desk legs, you just need to select the extended range option, this is what I have. I've not used the Uplift 4 leg one but yes getting a keyboard tray in there might be challenging.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic 3 stages will be less stable than 2 due to more moving parts.

The cross section under the desk wouldn't allow the keyboard tray to fit in I'm afraid and it would also mean a lot of weight screens/monitors etc would now be on the side that has less support.

Sure, they look good. There is a massive cost difference though. What weight can the studio desk sit stand hold? I can't see many people needing much more than the 158kg of the Jarvis, mine now has 2 UW screens, my monitors, 9U of rack space, a synth, 61 key keyboard, ROLI seaboard, CC121 controller, stream deck, RME remote, mouse/keyboard and usually a bunch of guitar pedals. Not to mention the weight of the desk top itself and slide out tray for my MIDI controller.

I made mine from scaffold boards. I also considered a work top from IKEA, they have solid wood ones in similar dimensions.

link works just fine for me and yes they ship to Canada.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic thanks but where did you get the top table with the shelf ?

@@ikamy I made the desktop and monitor shelf.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic You didn't show that part okay,.

Hi, yes the right angle metal brackets are placed both on the inside and outside of the shelf L/R pieces. I use 4 brackets per side but you could probably also get longer brackets and use half the amount. Try and use brackets with multiple screw holes so you can make the connection between the brackets and the wood as strong as possible.

Thanks!

Not sure I can explain it any better than the demo at 5:46. I tend to play sat down anyway for which its fine for. At full height and with the keyboard tray extended out there will definitely be some movement.

Hi James, the desktop is something I built from scaffold boards.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Do you have instructions for building it?

@@jamesjett1561 Sorry no instructions as such but it's just 4 scaffold boards jointed together with glue and held in clamps overnight. Then I just sanded the top and sides and finished with oil. The issue with scaffold boards is they are usually warped from being outside and the wood can shift as it dries. I did it as a bit of a project but it's probably easier to buy one. I was initially thinking of getting an IKEA kitchen worktop, it's the same size and solid wood as well.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Yours has rack space and a top shelf. The one at IKEA isn’t like that is it?

@@jamesjett1561 ah right I thought you just meant the desk surface. The rack / shelf on mine is something I built separately and placed on top.

A little yes, although they're near-fields and my head is still in the right place when stood. It just alters the first reflection points a little. You could simple make your acoustic treatment a little taller to compensate.

Thanks! All the dimensions are up in the description.

Hi Ivan, whilst sat down its very stable, when stood there is some wobble when playing on my MIDI keyboard but I don't really play stood up so its not an issue for me. I think any 2 legged design will have some wobble at stood height. I'd love to see Fully make a 4 legged version. I've tried to show the wobble in the video but its a tricky thing to capture.

Nope. You wanna keep them on the desk so you retain your listening position as you go in standing mode

@@AleSuggests got it

Thanks, I can't see any issue with taking the frame apart, it's just Allen bolts.

Hi there, the shelf on top with the rack space is something I made. All the rack hardware was from Penn Elcom.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic appreciate the reply, thanks

Hi, it's 3U high, so 9 total rack spaces.

If you don't have any woodworking tools then the desk shelf and tray are going to be very difficult. If by compartment doors you mean the 19inch rack spaces and covers then I got all of the rack hardware from Penn Elcom.

I don't think so, the assembly is pretty straight forward.

It's the Kemper Profiler Amp footswitch.

Its just the position from my old desk where the monitors would have been closer together and I didn't have as much screen in the way. Depending on the room, yes it might be better to get it in behind the speakers.

The tray is something that I made myself.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic oh nice. Did you get the wood at a store like IKEA?

@@JJ1NE thanks, the keyboard tray and monitor shelf are made from pine furniture board from B&Q. The desktop itself is made from scaffold boards that I ordered online. If you're looking for an easy desktop though check out the rasunda worktop in IKEA, great size and all hardwood. Their kitchen worktops have a few other good ones in the range.

For the desktop I picked up a couple of solid wood dining tables from fb marketplace and cut up the second one to make the shelves.

Thanks! Yeah still going strong, I think it's one of the better options for a 2 legged design. Great carry weight and solid warranty.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic I decided to go with the uplift commercial desk because I bought it off someone for a huge discount. How did you build the piano tray? My keyboard weighs about 20lbs so I'm scared to make the structure wrong lol!

@@vbz7153 cool, the uplift ones look good to me but I'm UK based. For the tray it's just two side pieces that attach to the underside of the desk with L brackets. These have drawer runners on the inside that attach to the big single sheet of wood that the keyboard sits on. My keyboard is about 15lbs so I think you should be ok. Just don't exceed the total holding weight of the desk and get as heavy duty drawer runners as you can.

Hi, yes they are.

Mine will fit most 88 key controllers as the shelf is 150cm wide. The other consideration is weight, which will depend on what else you have on the desk. You'd have to have quite a lot though to go over the weight limit. Also be aware that the more weight you put on the desk top the less stability you will get, especially in the stood height.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Thank you for the quick response, as far as weight is considered I will most likely have a keyboard that will weigh around 16 to 18 kilos and all of the things on the desk would be less than 20 kilos. (not including desktop) I will be doing all of my keyboard playing sitting down since I have a smaller controller so that wouldn't be an issue. With that in mind do you still think this is worth the investment, despite my needs?

@@5hourMike The desk is rated for up to 158kg so I would have thought you'd be fine. The stability when sat is pretty good, I do most of my playing sat down as well. I looked around quite a bit before getting the Jarvis and couldn't find anything in the same price range that held the same weight and shipped to the U.K. There is more choice in the U.S though.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic I'm in the U.S. so that should be a problem. Thank you for all of your help.

As in the racks?

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Possibly... But, I suppose whichever parts that didn't come from the desk itself (my sit/stand desk didn't include a desktop, so i'm not sure how much you customized).

@@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios ah right, well everything apart from the legs I made myself.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic Did you happen to make any "Plans" from your build?

@@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios I've not got any plans as such but I've tried to add some of the dimensions in the video description. Let me know if you've got any specific questions and I'll try and help.

In the corner of the room are some bass traps I made. Just rockwool with a wooden frame and fabric covers.

It's a bit beyond my skillset that, I think you'd have to weld any extension to the frame.

Its more to show how the Jarvis legs can work in a build. The overall desk is custom to my needs so someone else would likely want something different anyway. Its fairly straightforward to make though with a few basic tools. Alternatively any carpenter could have it done pretty easily and at a fraction of the cost of buying the equivalent.

@@WilliamMorrisMusic thanks for replying. What I was trying to say is that it would be great to have a schematics of your so if someone really like it can do or ask for the same. :) I actually like a lot the way you made it. Congrats

@@djpirra thanks, yeah I wish I'd documented the process more. I do have a few basic dimensions in the description. I'll try to add to it if I get time to. The tray is fairly simple just one big sheet of wood to hold the keyboard, two wooden side pieces that attach to the underside of the desk and a heavy duty drawer runner on each one. Its just attached to the desk with some metal L brackets.

I'm from the U.K