I feel that!! I've had a million different desk layouts in the past 12-13 years (my close friends can confirm). What works best for me now is I keep a weighted digital piano on a rolling keyboard stand that I can tuck under my desk. So when I'm recording, literally all that's usually on my desk is my Mac Mini, monitor, interface, mouse, and keyboard. Lots of space for whatever else. I think it's really helpful to move either the mouse/keyboard or the MIDI keyboard to a different "tier" or height (this could be achieved with the rolling stand idea, or a multi-tier desk with a dedicated tray, or keyboard tray added/attached later). Just be careful to do it in a way which won't cause significant ergonomic problems using either one.

@@MattCitrano Thanks so much for this thoughtful response! Having things in "tiers" would solve my problem. I'm gonna play around with that and see what I can come up with. Thanks again!

I haven’t made a video on the studio like yet just cause I felt like it was kind of a no-brainer, but I’ll consider it! I already love the Mac Mini and that thing is like a Mini on steroids. It would race through everything I could throw at it.

I'm so happy to hear that! My Mac Mini has certainly eased a lot of previously recurring headaches and made most things I do much more enjoyable (minus a couple glitches here and there). I hope you have a blast with your first Mac! Thanks for watching.

Thank you! And thanks for watching!

My desk is the IKEA LINNMON, but in what seems to be a sadly discontinued color called "white stained oak effect." Amazon has a lot of great table tops too. If you have access to IKEA, I used the OLOV legs which are adjustable so I could raise it just a tiny bit to allow for the keyboard.

@@MattCitrano Thx so much! And how did you make the keyboard tray?

@@YohanGayle I actually don’t have a “tray” per se, I have a Casio PX160 sitting on a rolling “Z-Style” piano stand by Plixio (available on Amazon).

Thanks for watching! After taking a look, the closest match I can find to that exact stand is the MXV Desk Monitor Arm by Ergotron. If it's not that exact one, it may be one of their other models as the design language is extremely close.

I'm in the process of figuring this out for myself as well. The OnStage Stands SMS6000 is a very popular choice if you are wanting standard stands which sit on the floor. I have some white ones from VRT which are essentially the same thing, and are pretty great aside from just slightly not going low enough for me. I am currently trying out the Gator Frameworks Desktop Clamp-On monitor stands. I'm liking the space savings so far and feel that I am able to angle them in a way which works better in my room. I would generally recommend getting something height-adjustable. Another classic desktop option is the IsoAcoustics stands, but be sure to elevate your speakers a decent bit if they are sitting on the desk. If not for desktop vibrations, getting them higher up can have a positive effect as you decrease the amount of reflections from your desk which could color the signal. Hope that helps a bit! Thanks for watching!

I’m using a pair of Kali Audio LP6 V2 speakers. They’re connected to a MOTU M4, I think via 1/4” TRS to XLR cables.

@@MattCitrano Thanks!

Mine does not have a SATA port. I like it! I mostly use it for my mouse’s USB receiver and for the SD card slot when I record videos. It’s a little thing but a massive help to me personally, especially because it takes up as little space as possible.

@@MattCitrano thanks for getting back to me so fast :) love the vids keep slayin' the mf game

FL Studio I think it's safe to assume you can use it ok ... But Reaper files is more complicated cause it saves audio separatedlly

I currently use an LG 27UK670

Haha thanks for the comment! I’ll admit, as much as I’ve enjoyed the Mac Mini, I’d there’s ever a Windows PC/NUC that checks the same boxes for me, I’m 100% trying it out. I grew up as mostly a Windows user, and despite the occasional headaches, it seems to be organized and laid out in a way that’s more congruent with how I think.