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Add Keyboard drawer to a regular desk?

If you want to keep your existing desk, I'd just make a cove for your keyboard, and slide it out when you need it. Your monitors and stuff can go on top of it, and you only have to move the laptop on top of it to play.

Not ideal, because you have to move stuff to play, but better than what you have now.

It might be more comfortable if you made something to angle the keyboard forward too, i.e. raise its rear.

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I actually really like this idea. Are there any products like this out there?
 
I make them custom to order.

And yes, even I am starting to be embarrassed at all the self-promotion I'm doing.

I ment the "If you want to keep your existing desk, I'd just make a cove for your keyboard, and slide it out when you need it. Your monitors and stuff can go on top of it, and you only have to move the laptop on top of it to play."
 
Well, if anyone wants instructions how to make that, I'm happy to explain.

You go to a lumber yard and get some plywood - probably plywood - cut to size if you don't have a circular saw (or better yet a table saw). Then there are many ways to put it together, from crude but sturdy to sturdy and not crude.
 
I've been working at the "prototype" for almost 15 years, have sold about 30 of them to other composers, been making them myself for the past three or so. Sorry to be such a shameless serial slut (work in general has slowed to a near-halt during the pandemic and I'm no longer too proud to grovel), but the sliding desktop concept really does work.

I shipped this one to a composer in Paris last year.

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Have to say these look fantastic! I've stopped myself from buying desks with keyboard drawers because I don't like the idea of moving my chair and listening position every time I need to switch what i am doing.

It looks like the sliding 'mechanism' of the desk top is done solely with wood and no metal drawer slide?

And by any chance do you live on the west coast of Canada? :)
 
I thought this was more common...
Buy server racks rails. There are some that can be screwed to the button of the desk. And add a plywood.

the only thing is the height of the keyboard needs to be low. So m audio key station is good.
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Have to say these look fantastic! I've stopped myself from buying desks with keyboard drawers because I don't like the idea of moving my chair and listening position every time I need to switch what i am doing.

It looks like the sliding 'mechanism' of the desk top is done solely with wood and no metal drawer slide?

Yeah, hardwood and put on paste wax. For years I used drawer slides, but I figured out three desks ago that they're not necessary. People made drawers for years before drawer slides were around.

It's quite likely pine or Douglas fir (i.e. soft wood) would work too, but I don't want it to get worn down.

And by any chance do you live on the west coast of Canada? :)

Los Angeles. Right now I wish I did.

Shipping to Canada isn't outrageous, and we've shipped desks there a few times, but you want to figure out the tariffs first to avoid surprises.
 
Front view of one side. Hope this makes sense.

Actually the horizontal black part doesn't have to be that thick - it can be a 1/8" strip.

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The more I think about it - the more simple it gets in my mind.
I can just buy a regular shelf, add 4 small "legs" and that's it. I'm kind of done. No?
 
To be in an ergonomic position, piano keyboards and computer keyboards require the same height: in a way that your elbow forms a square angle. You need room for your hands, so the one or the other will end up too high or too low.

Obviously, if you can devote a separate workplace for separately making music and typing, you can accept a less comfortable position for one of them.

Paolo

I think the problem is that they need to be at the same height for the top of each keyboard, i.e. where your hands are. But a music keyboard is thicker than a computer keyboard, so the desk surface height needs to be different for each one.
 
My ikea Fredde Desk with S61mk2 underneath

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But a music keyboard is thicker than a computer keyboard, so the desk surface height needs to be different for each one.
That's the main problem for me: if you put the top of the musical keyboard at the right level, you end up bumping your knees on it. When playing, you are sitting a bit back, so it is not a problem. But when typing, you usually sit more forward, and you meet the bottom of the musical keyboard.

Also, the height of a piano keyboard is higher than what I would find comfortable for sitting at the desk. Playing piano is an athletic exercise, requiring all your body to be projected over the keyboard. Sitting at the desk you are more comfortably plunged into your chair, and you will sit lower to avoid the chair border to cut your leg's circulation.

A solution like the workstation made by Nick wouldn't work for me, because the computer keyboard would be too high. The top of my typing keyboard is at 26" (66 cm), and it's perfect for me. It would also be the ideal height for the musical keyboard, but then its bottom would be too low.

Individual height is obviously very important, when taking the measurements for a workstation. At 175 cm, I'm starting to be a bit short in this world of giants.

Paolo
 
I just added a keyboard tray to my studio trends 46” desk For my NI a49 midi controller.

I went to Lowes and purchased a set of sliding cabinet rails, 4 5” L brackets, 36” shelf, #10 3/4 wood screws and #10 1/2 machine screws and washers.
 

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I just added a keyboard tray to my studio trends desk For my NI a49 midi controller.

I went to Lowes and purchased a set of sliding cabinet rails, 4 5” L brackets, 36” shelf, #10 3/4 wood screws and #10 1/2 machine screws and washers.
Neat! How is the leg room? enough room to not hit the drawer?
 
I have the drawer mounted as far back as it can go on 14” sliding rails.

With the drawer closed, I can sit at the desk normally without touching the bottom of the shelf. If I pull the keyboard out and move my chair back to play I am good as well. I might be able to move the mounts up one notch go get more thigh room. Overall I am happy with the desk and the new keyboard tray.
 
I just added a keyboard tray to my studio trends desk For my NI a49 midi controller.

I went to Lowes and purchased a set of sliding cabinet rails, 4 5” L brackets, 36” shelf, #10 3/4 wood screws and #10 1/2 machine screws and washers.
How much did you have to raise your desk in order to fit this in and give yourself enough room? Looks like a good 5-6" at least?
 
I didn’t raise the desk as all, it’s not adjustable to my knowledge. From the floor to the top of the desk is 29” and to the top of the keybed is 26” or so.

edit: I just read the assembly instructions. It looks like the casters are height adjustable. I do not plan on raising them as it will make the desk too height for regular computer use.
 
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@easyrider That's a very cool setup. I also have a Fredde Ikea desk and am considering getting another one for music production, if I can make the keyboard work underneath.
I was about to pull the trigger on a Buso Audio Artist88 or Artist61 desk (better alternative imho to the Output Platform desk), but the Fredde is far more affordable.
The desktop cutout also allows to not only play some of the keyboard without having to pull it out much at all, but even when you pull it out more, you can actually stay much closer to the desk, accessing computer keyboard/mouse, as you can see the Komplete's Kontrol screens and knobs in the cutout.

Do you have any more photos of your setup and details on the type of hardware and materials you used to make this happen?

How do you find it in terms of height? As I was experimenting fitting my Komplete Kontrol underneath, which has to be low enough, but the pots/knobs not to hit it as you slide the keyboard to/from under the desk.
I would consider even raising the desk ever so slightly, in order to not have the chair too low when I am playing for longer periods of time, as the surface of the desk is @73cm (71cm from under that worktop to the ground), but because of the (4cm high) horizontal bar running under the desk, the clearance between the top of the drawer board and the underside of the worktop would need to be at least 12cm for it to work comfortably with that Komplete Kontrol keyboard (which is 8.5cm high), so the bottom of the keyboard is @59cm from the ground.
Add to that the thickness of the drawer board (which could be cut at the front like the Output Desk keyboard tray I guess, in order to bring the legs closer), say 2cm, then your keyboard tray's underside is only 57-58cm to the ground (most keyboard stands tend to be at least 60-61cm high for comparison purposes).

If you were trying to put in a weighted keyboard underneath (like a Nord Stage 3 88 @19Kg, or a Studiologic SL @13Kg, which are both nearly 13cm high), on top of the larger clearance which means that 59cm distance Ground-Top of Keyboard tray must decrease from from 59 to 54.5cm, you have the weight factor to consider with the need to have a very sturdy pullout drawer mechanism.

It would be amazing to get more details from you on the setup
 
I've downsized my controllers. I thought it would be great if someone created a shelf where a QWERTY is on top and the controller on the bottom. I thought about getting a DJ rack to do this. Space is limited for me. Sometimes my options have been using tv trays for each one.
 
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