There's nothing like a tidy studio — and where I keep my synths and recording gear is nothing like a tidy studio! If your situation echoes mine, then give the folks at CIS a call. They're behind the GT Pro keyboard/computer stand (reviewed in SOS April 1994), and they also produce the more substantial (but still self‑assembly) Portable Studio Desk Pro Mk2. We'll let the word 'portable' pass for the moment, and move onto what the desk offers.
Basically, the Studio Desk has been designed to support pretty well anything in the average modest studio setup and keep it in one place. To this end, the desk provides three work surfaces: a pull‑out keyboard shelf, the main worktop, and an upper shelf. In addition, a rack shelf unit is built in to accommodate up to 4U of 19‑inch rack‑mounting hardware.
But first, you've got to build it. Constructionally, there should be no problems: if you've ever had the misfortune to be reduced to assembling MFI furniture (yeah, me too), the Studio Desk Pro Mk 2 should hold no shocks for you. What will surprise you is the weight and bulk of the package. The whole desk is flat‑packed in one large
and very heavy box, so you may need a hand to move it around. Construction should take less than an hour, using the clear seven‑page instruction leaflet.
The result is reassuringly sturdy. As with other CIS stands, there is a compromise between elegance and price, but the all‑black Studio Desk Pro Mk 2 does look impressive. The sliding shelf will take your main synth or a master keyboard, the main work surface will easily hold a mixer or cassette multitracker with room for a computer, and the top shelf is ideal for your monitors — both computer and audio.
My favourite feature of the desk must be the pull‑out keyboard shelf: simply slide it away to get access to your computer for non‑musical tasks or your mixer/cassette multitracker during a mixdown. Do keep in mind that it is not adjustable for height, although it seems to be in a good position for most people. The internal height isn't adjustable either, so if your keyboard is too high at the back, it won't fit. For the majority of keyboards, both the width (about 55 inches) and the height (a little over five inches) will be perfectly adequate. For example, Yamaha's new W5 76‑note synth is 50 inches wide and 4.75 inches high at the rear.
Other points to rave about include the 4U of rack space (very thoughtful), which can also be mounted left or right, a rear 'modesty panel' that keeps unsightly cables from view, and the fact that the two front castors lock, although there's not much chance of a fully‑laden GT Desk Pro Mk 2 rolling off into the sunset under its own steam. As mentioned in my introduction, CIS actually call this a 'portable' desk, by which I presume they mean it'll move around on its castors; as long as you don't expect the desk to be portable in the real sense of the word, you won't be disappointed.
I must also remark on the overall sturdiness of the desk — I would feel quite confident about loading it, unlike certain other budget stands I could name. All in all, the GT Desk Pro Mk 2 is a convenient and affordable way to tidy the average bedroom studio (or the main control components of a larger one) into a tidy corner.