Need Ideas for Storage in Studio Space

[Genghis]

This is a bit different, but my studio recording space used to be my uncle's woodshed, and he has a long workbench about 25" deep along one wall. I have done quite a bit of acoustic treatment and am happy with the sounds, but there is an area about 48"wide x 32" height x 25" deep that I would like to find some kind of storage for. I looked at a toolbox/workbench at Harbor Frieight that was just a bit too tall at 37". I may measure to see if it would fit without the wheels, but thought I'd see if anyone has good ideas for what else to look at. Either drawers or shelves would work for me, and actually the toolbox drawers aren't the best for what I'm looking for. Will store mostly mics and cables and assorted small studio items like DI's etc.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

apothecary cabinet‘s are awesome but quite pricey for good ones. Ikea have some metal drawers which are cool for mics/accessories but can be a bit rattly and flimsy. I quite like 19” racks and then adding drawers/shelves/cable management to them. Check out Chunky Furniture racks for inspiration. They’re a bit pricey to fill with rack drawers and shelves but I love how flexible they are. They tend to hold their value well too

 

[PatF]

You might get lucky and find a file cabinet close to those dimensions. Could be cool to trick it out with casters, heavy duty slides and a wood top. They are always cheap in the classified ads.

 

[Genghis]

You might get lucky and find a file cabinet close to those dimensions. Could be cool to trick it out with casters, heavy duty slides and a wood top. They are always cheap in the classified ads.

Yeah, thought about that or a used dresser. Once in place I really don’t need to move it out.
I’ll look around and see what I can find.

 

[gearJunkie]

some metal drawers which are cool for mics/accessories but can be a bit rattly and flimsy.

find a file cabinet close to those dimensions.

Avoid metal shelving, drawers, and file cabinets and glass doors if you've invested in sound treatment. Wood and plastic are the best bet to prevent contaminating your studio with unwanted rattles, reflections, and resonance.

 

[Genghis]

Avoid metal shelving, drawers, and file cabinets and glass doors if you've invested in sound treatment. Wood and plastic are the best bet to prevent contaminating your studio with unwanted rattles, reflections, and resonance.

Good point. That’s why I was leaning toward a used dresser.

 

[László]

I've been using a home studio for my ad music work for a long time. Though years ago it was all-analog, and in a different house with a large console and tape machines, I'm now "in the box" for competitive reasons (deadlines are much shorter now). The studio is a long, rectangular room in my basement. It's 33' x 17', though it narrows slightly near the workstation. The room is absolutely nothing special but I tried to make it nice looking for when clients come over. I call it Studio Craptastic for obvious reasons!

I'm attaching a couple of pics - maybe they'll help with some ideas. And it's always fun to check out other studios.

My brother and I built the workstation desk and the keyboard side desk from scratch in the '90s and they're still going strong and look new. We even welded the legs. It took a few days to build but turned out well. The corners are mitered, and the work surfaces are double-ply with maple edging. We glued formica to the tops, so it's easy to keep clean.

I also bought a couple of flat-pack racks from Argosy that were reasonably priced, and they look nice.

Ikea makes some sturdy shelf units and cabinets that are intended for office use. The series is called 'Galant'. They're significantly more rugged than most of Ikea's stuff. As needs grew, I assembled some of these shelves and cabinets for in-room storage. They work fine and are very solid (I also have a separate storage room). The shelves each handle 66 pounds, and the black ones are real stained ash veneer, so they look pretty good, all things considered, even up close.

I had Real Traps help me with placement of the acoustic materials and bass traps they make; again, not terribly expensive. They work extremely well, the room sounds great.

Over the years I added some artwork and some nicknacks to give the place a little personality.

Here's the workstation area with the home-made furniture and some of the Ikea stuff:

The recording area in the rear of the room with Ikea Galant drawer unit and shelves, and another Argosy rack. Granted, it's nothing special but for me it's a nice place to work.

 

[Rock Chalk]

 

[László]

View attachment 57771

Terrific, looks great!

 

[SymphonicDischord]

View attachment 57771

Man, that is slick. I’m guessing that was a custom job?

 

[Rock Chalk]

Man, that is slick. I’m guessing that was a custom job?

That's just a pic from a site that sells them......I don't think I would want to fork out that much for one, but I'm sure a person could make one, too.

 

[SymphonicDischord]

That's just a pic from a site that sells them......I don't think I would want to fork out that much for one, but I'm sure a person could make one, too.

Out of curiosity, link to the site. It’s something that makes a lot of sense but just would never think of.

 

[Rock Chalk]

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

Out of curiosity, link to the site. It’s something that makes a lot of sense but just would never think of.

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

 

[SymphonicDischord]

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

God damn, those aren’t cheap. I’m not the hardiest person, but I feel I know the people who could do that substantially cheaper for me. That may be something to keep in my back pocket.

 

[Rock Chalk]

God damn, those aren’t cheap. I’m not the hardiest person, but I feel I know the people who could do that substantially cheaper for me. That may be something to keep in my back pocket.

Yeah, that's what I meant by not wanting to fork out that much.......

 

[László]

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

There's that one for starters... https://www.thebigorchard.com/custo...MqHQ9EyswS7ZD2LhALM4LJ_-wEaTS9OeP84VAIj_kBdMq

For those putting together a new studio and having custom furniture installed, that's a slick idea; I think it'd be worth the investment. It's something I would have done at my last studio. It was also at my home, but larger and more custom/built-in than my current one. Downsized when the kids got out of college and the new place is...meh.

I know that price seems expensive, but I spent over a grand just on materials for the furniture my brother and I made, and that was 32 years ago! Plus we did all the labor.

I came up with the name 'Craptastic' because compared to my old studio, that's what it is. I had planned to completely redo it from scratch, but never quite got it done. Then things like instruments and amps seemed to take priority. And...um...food.

 

[Rock Chalk]

For those putting together a new studio and having custom furniture installed, that's a slick idea; I think it'd be worth the investment. It's something I would have done at my last studio. It was also at my home, but larger and more custom/built-in than my current one. Downsized when the kids got out of college and the new place is...meh.

I know that price seems expensive, but I spent over a grand just on materials for the furniture my brother and I made, and that was 32 years ago! Plus we did all the labor.

I came up with the name 'Craptastic' because compared to my old studio, that's what it is. I had planned to completely redo it from scratch, but never quite got it done. Then things like instruments and amps seemed to take priority. And...um...food.

Dang man.....I don't think the name fits......looks pretty damn nice to me!

 

[Genghis]

For those putting together a new studio and having custom furniture installed, that's a slick idea; I think it'd be worth the investment. It's something I would have done at my last studio. It was also at my home, but larger and more custom/built-in than my current one. Downsized when the kids got out of college and the new place is...meh.

I know that price seems expensive, but I spent over a grand just on materials for the furniture my brother and I made, and that was 32 years ago! Plus we did all the labor.

I came up with the name 'Craptastic' because compared to my old studio, that's what it is. I had planned to completely redo it from scratch, but never quite got it done. Then things like instruments and amps seemed to take priority. And...um...food.

Your space is a LOT better looking than mine. My space is about the same size, but it was my uncle’s wood shop when he was alive. I put some rugs on the concrete floor and put bass traps in the corners with some additional panels on the walls so that it sounds pretty good, but it is a pretty ugly space.

 

[László]

Dang man.....I don't think the name fits......looks pretty damn nice to me!

The materials and the job done finishing it by the prior owner suck. I put in the ceiling and the carpet and manufactured floor where the chair is, but on close inspection it's not up to snuff.

Your space is a LOT better looking than mine. My space is about the same size, but it was my uncle’s wood shop when he was alive. I put some rugs on the concrete floor and put bass traps in the corners with some additional panels on the walls so that it sounds pretty good, but it is a pretty ugly space.

Sounds like a good start, to me.

My brother (an artist) renovated an old machine shop (that was originally part of a tenement in the 1800s) in a building in Soho (NYC) in the late 1970s. It was the ugliest space I ever saw; it smelled like machine oil to boot.

He sandblasted the old brick walls himself, and had someone machine-sand the wooden floor; then urethane-finished the floor himself. Everything else was pretty much as it was. He stuck an easel and some very simple furniture in the room and after a few months of work it was eventually one of the coolest spaces I'd ever seen!

I should have torn out the crappy stuff in my studio, but I wanted to get started with the music work, and now I'm just too damn lazy to redo it. Plus I'm old enough that I'll be dead before I know it.

If I was ten years younger, I'd be redoing it.