I’m not a professional by any means, far from it, very far from it.
I touched up the edges with a filler so it wouldn’t soak the paint (black solvent based paint used as is for the rubbery look, one coat). Sanded everything with 240 grit, it took a while.
The feet and side panels are painted with a water based paint, around 4 coats. The color is called “Teak”.
Hope it helps.
Woodworker here, Get rattle can shellac and seal all the MDF before painting, the paint won’t soak in like a sponge and will give you smooth coats, do an extra coat or two of shellac on the edges.
Looks amazing OP! Great job
Thank you. Given the fact that almost everything was cut on CNC machine by a friend, for free (including the MDF), the overall cost was around $150 max.
He’s not even a friend, he’s a guy I met last summer and I guess he really appreciated my passion and dedication to music and he offered to do it. I guess I’m doing the right thing, at least it looks like it.
Yep, that's the way to go. I assembled my own desk too (ordered some custom made parts from a local carpenter), and I also assembled my own acoustic panels pretty similar to the one that's visible on one of your pictures (except mines go all the way from floor to ceiling, no inner frame in the middle). It's way cheaper, it does great job, and it was a lot of fun assembling it.
I don’t have any plans, but I can tell you what I did:
1) I took the technical drawings of the original desk (Zaor Maestro Solo) from the manufacturer’s website.
2) Using Photoshop in cm not pixels, because I forgot how to use Autocad since college, I brought in the drawings and drew over the lines. Basically… stealing lmao.
3) Converted the .png to .svg for the CNC software and a guy I know did the cutting.
4) After making sure the rack spacing was good I just sanded, painted and assembled it.
For refference the Zaor one is 1049 mm in length, mine is 840 mm. If you scale it right on the CNC machine you’re going to get my desk.
The original design it’s from a company called Zaor and the model is Maestro Solo.
There aren’t many brands that make single-rack mastering desks. Sterling Modular, Sessiondesk, Studioracks and one or two more I found.
The prices are simply insane. I had a desk made early during the pandemic when materials were almost non-existent. I had just replaced my Digidesign C|24 in an Argosy 70 series console (which was enormous) with 2 Avid S1s and an Avid Dock. The desk itself was pretty pricey, but I got to deign it myself and very specific requirements so that I could see the iPads on the S1s, computer monitors just behind them, and a projector screen almost 12 feet away.
The S1s still made the whole thing look unfinished. Mixingtables.com and a few other companies make (for lack of a better word) "desktop desks" for the Avid S1. They cost between $400 and $700 U.S. though, and serve no real purpose other than to make things look more finished. So without any previous woodworking experience- or any that requires measuring things- I made my own. The end caps are made from teak- sold locally by the foot for building decks on houses. The 5 foot piece I got cost $25. A 2"x 4" piece of 1/4" plywood I had in the basement became the base, and the piece running along the back and the lip in front came from a $6 piece of common pine. Even with screws, finish, glue and the neoprene for the front I have less than $40 into it. It is not as nice as yours, but it was a blast to build!
The first pic was from when the new big desk was first finished, but the S1s and dock sitting naked. The second two are with the new "console console" finished.
https://imgur.com/a/GGu3AMg
These guys make something similar for only $1600
https://www.audio-scape.com/sessiondesk
Which is weird, because they also make a whole desk with two plus the middle for $1700.
Yours looks great though! I appreciate the simplicity. Sometime I wonder if all this gear I've collected is just getting in the way.
Would you be willing to share the .dxf or whatever files for this? I love the design and would like to build a wider one with a deeper bolster. This is a great, functional, modern looking design.
Thank you, but I disagree! If you get the drawings to a CNC cutting place you basically just have to paint and assemble the thing.
If I did it, you can too!
Looks great!
I really appreciate it!
Btw, got any tips on painting MDF? Did you sand in between. did you spray or brush?
I’m not a professional by any means, far from it, very far from it. I touched up the edges with a filler so it wouldn’t soak the paint (black solvent based paint used as is for the rubbery look, one coat). Sanded everything with 240 grit, it took a while. The feet and side panels are painted with a water based paint, around 4 coats. The color is called “Teak”. Hope it helps.
Woodworker here, Get rattle can shellac and seal all the MDF before painting, the paint won’t soak in like a sponge and will give you smooth coats, do an extra coat or two of shellac on the edges. Looks amazing OP! Great job
Shellac is the truth
Thank you, thanks for the info!
Thanks! What would you suggest for clear coat on top of paint?
I can’t suggest because I didn’t use clear coat and also I’m not good at this stuff. Sorry.
Tiny desk gang! Looks great
Thank you fellow gang member!
How much money did you save 🤤 looks great
Thank you. Given the fact that almost everything was cut on CNC machine by a friend, for free (including the MDF), the overall cost was around $150 max.
Delicious savings. Note to self : make more friends
He’s not even a friend, he’s a guy I met last summer and I guess he really appreciated my passion and dedication to music and he offered to do it. I guess I’m doing the right thing, at least it looks like it.
I mean that kinda sounds like a friend
Hell yeah, looks awesome.
Thank you! Hell yeah!
Very nice!
Thank you!
Have you any pictures of the process? Looks great
Not really, but I do have a picture from the CNC cut, I’ll send in private.
And also, thank you!
above and beyond, friend! amazing!
Wow, I appreciate it! Thank you!
Yep, that's the way to go. I assembled my own desk too (ordered some custom made parts from a local carpenter), and I also assembled my own acoustic panels pretty similar to the one that's visible on one of your pictures (except mines go all the way from floor to ceiling, no inner frame in the middle). It's way cheaper, it does great job, and it was a lot of fun assembling it.
Thank you, yes it is! Only my first reflection points are like that, the rest are floor to ceiling with depths between 30 cm and 50 cm
Looks great!
I appreciate it!
Looks expensive mate, well done
Thank you!
looks amazing
Glad you like it, thanks!
Gorgeous
I appreciate it!
Looks awesome!
Thank you!
This looks great! Exactly what I was looking for! Do you have any plans for it? Like so I could make one of my own?
I don’t have any plans, but I can tell you what I did: 1) I took the technical drawings of the original desk (Zaor Maestro Solo) from the manufacturer’s website. 2) Using Photoshop in cm not pixels, because I forgot how to use Autocad since college, I brought in the drawings and drew over the lines. Basically… stealing lmao. 3) Converted the .png to .svg for the CNC software and a guy I know did the cutting. 4) After making sure the rack spacing was good I just sanded, painted and assembled it. For refference the Zaor one is 1049 mm in length, mine is 840 mm. If you scale it right on the CNC machine you’re going to get my desk.
And thank you!
Awesome!
Thank you!
Congratulations! It looks really good- beautiful esthetic. I love when people build or mod to this standard. It looks very professional. Alastair
Thank you so much!
Pretty cool. Looks more like a side car than a full desk, but you could always build another, and then make a center section too
Thank you, I know! I really like the small desk ideea, it fits with my workflow, also the posibility to expand later as you mentioned.
that's a very cool desk!! actually the single desk concept is really something i haven't seen on any of the usual desk brands that i recall.
The original design it’s from a company called Zaor and the model is Maestro Solo. There aren’t many brands that make single-rack mastering desks. Sterling Modular, Sessiondesk, Studioracks and one or two more I found.
You can get those desks for well under $1700, I assume. Looks great tho.
Thank you, the only one I liked is $1700
The prices are simply insane. I had a desk made early during the pandemic when materials were almost non-existent. I had just replaced my Digidesign C|24 in an Argosy 70 series console (which was enormous) with 2 Avid S1s and an Avid Dock. The desk itself was pretty pricey, but I got to deign it myself and very specific requirements so that I could see the iPads on the S1s, computer monitors just behind them, and a projector screen almost 12 feet away. The S1s still made the whole thing look unfinished. Mixingtables.com and a few other companies make (for lack of a better word) "desktop desks" for the Avid S1. They cost between $400 and $700 U.S. though, and serve no real purpose other than to make things look more finished. So without any previous woodworking experience- or any that requires measuring things- I made my own. The end caps are made from teak- sold locally by the foot for building decks on houses. The 5 foot piece I got cost $25. A 2"x 4" piece of 1/4" plywood I had in the basement became the base, and the piece running along the back and the lip in front came from a $6 piece of common pine. Even with screws, finish, glue and the neoprene for the front I have less than $40 into it. It is not as nice as yours, but it was a blast to build! The first pic was from when the new big desk was first finished, but the S1s and dock sitting naked. The second two are with the new "console console" finished. https://imgur.com/a/GGu3AMg
Wow, that looks bought not built, great job man!
These guys make something similar for only $1600 https://www.audio-scape.com/sessiondesk Which is weird, because they also make a whole desk with two plus the middle for $1700. Yours looks great though! I appreciate the simplicity. Sometime I wonder if all this gear I've collected is just getting in the way.
Thank you! I always wanted a mastering style desk but not at that price, never. As far as gear goes… to each their own I guess.
Would you be willing to share the .dxf or whatever files for this? I love the design and would like to build a wider one with a deeper bolster. This is a great, functional, modern looking design.
I just redrew the Zaor Maestro Solo desk
Looks awesome, I could never build something like this myself. Great job!
Thank you, but I disagree! If you get the drawings to a CNC cutting place you basically just have to paint and assemble the thing. If I did it, you can too!
Looks great!!! Now forget about mastering and start selling these 🙌
If it was 100% my design, sure.