De-Fi’s Platform Studio Desk Puts Aesthetics Before Ergonomics

Nine years ago I decided to get back to making music after a very long hiatus. In the beginning, my setup was extremely humble, featuring an aging ThinkPad and a cheap MIDI controller. I didn’t even have an audio interface for properly recording my guitar.
Since then, well, things have gotten a bit out of hand. My synth collection grew from a couple toys (a Casio VL-1 and a Stylophone) to well over a dozen instruments. I have more MIDI controllers than any human could ever need. I picked up decent studio monitors, an audio interface, and even some ADAT expansions so I could keep more of my ever growing gear collection permanently connected.
One thing that didn’t change, however, was my desk. Up until just a couple of weeks ago, I was still making do with the same cheap Ikea Lagkapten/Alex combo ($220). It was a large desk, but it didn’t give me a lot of flexibility for laying out my setup. Now that I’ve had an opportunity to check out the updated version of De-Fi’s Platform Studio Production Desk, which has dedicated mounting points for rack gear, space for speakers, and a pull-out keyboard tray, I don’t know that I can ever go back. If you’re in the market for an affordable studio desk for your music-making and are trying to decide between cheaper options and a dedicated desk like this one, read on.
For all of its aesthetic angles and recording studio glamour, the Platform Desk, which was originally made by a brand called Output that has now rebranded to De-Fi, still goes together like Ikea furniture. It’s a piece of flatpack that you need to assemble with the aid of a screwdriver and an Allen wrench. It’s definitely more substantial than your average Malm piece (what with it being made out of plywood instead of particle board), but the basic concept is the same.
As hard as it is to believe, one area where Ikea does have a leg up on De-Fi is the quality of the instructions. There is a video walk-through of the assembly that is OK, but it could be more detailed. The “print” version, well, don’t bother printing it. For whatever reason, it’s formatted as a single-page PDF when it should clearly be five or six. When you try to print it out you end up with a narrow, illegible strip down the middle of a single piece of paper.
The parts list also failed to mention that there was a power drill bit for the hex screws in one of the bags. I only discovered it halfway through assembly, after my hands were aching and I’d stripped a few screws with the Allen wrench.
It’s also worth mentioning a couple of small quality-control issues I encountered during assembly. The shelf pin holes for the top level were missing on one side, and I had to drill them in myself. And some of the edges weren’t particularly neat. I even got a pretty nasty splinter from the lip of the desktop.
There was one pretty obvious con once everything was fully assembled: the size of this desk. I live in NYC, so space is at a premium, and fitting the 60-inch-wide by 38-inch-deep desk was difficult. Folks with a lot of space won’t have the same issue, but it’s worth looking into the size before ordering. My home studio is also my office and my guest bedroom; it was a bit cramped to begin with. Previously there was enough room to walk between the unfolded pullout couch and my desk. Now even my chair won’t fit between the desk and the foot of the pullout. In order to make room for the desk, I had to ditch my monitor stands (the desk has elevated spaces for monitors to be placed).
Another immediately obvious con is that the Platform Desk has no drawers. Granted, studio desks generally don’t, but it did mean I had to keep around the Alex drawer unit from my old desk for typical desk-y storage. The total floor space taken up by my revamped recording area had suddenly exploded.
The larger keyboard tray, which can fit even most 88-key controllers, made it easy for me to keep something more substantial than a mini keyboard at my desk. I eventually settled on stashing both an Arturia KeyLab MK3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and an Ableton Push 3 in the tray, leaving the actual desktop free for a keyboard and mouse, plus whatever instrument I happen to be reviewing that week.
There are optional rack mounts included with the Platform that you can install in the three hutches across the back. I only installed one set, but it gave me someplace to actually mount my ADAT expansions and power conditioner, the former of which used to sit on my desk and the latter was tucked in the corner on my floor.
In addition to cleaning up some floor and desk clutter, the Platform helped get my rat’s nest of barely hidden cables under control. The desktop and side shelves have holes for running wires through, and around the back is a tray with additional gaps for routing cables. All of this has made it easier for me to have access to more of my instruments and effects.
My biggest issue with the Platform is with its ergonomics. At 5’8″ I’m on the shorter side, but not abnormally so, and I still struggled to find a comfortable working arrangement, especially when writing. Everything felt just a bit off and a little uncomfortable. I realize it’s impossible to design something that will fit everyone, and I’m sure there are people out there for whom the Platform poses no issues, but it wasn’t great for me.
The desktop is about an inch and a half too high to comfortably type on, even with my chair at its tallest. So initially I put my keyboard and mouse on the tray and my MIDI controller on the desk. But that introduced two new problems. One, with the tray extended I simply could not read text on my screen and had to blow everything up to “top lines on an eye exam” levels. Since the base of my monitor was too wide, I had to put the middle shelf in the top position, and when my seat was lowered to a place where I could comfortably type on the tray, I found myself looking up at an uncomfortable angle, putting strain on my neck.
In an effort to fix these issues, I actually went out and bought a replacement hydraulic cylinder for my office chair to add an extra couple of inches. Now I could type on the desktop without craning my neck awkwardly or being forced to use accessibility font sizes. But even with the keyboard tray in its highest position, my legs didn’t fit completely under the desk, which leaves me reaching slightly for my keyboard.
I do believe there is a very simple solution here: There is a small angled lip on the desktop which adds to the aesthetics of the Platform, but it eats up precious vertical space. Small nips and tucks like this could bring down the overall height of the Platform and make it much more ergonomic.
Platform certainly isn’t the cheapest studio desk, with a starting price of $999. Most desks under that are smaller, look like cheap crap, or lack features like a keyboard tray. So I started trying to price out a full-featured DIY alternative that wouldn’t sacrifice too much in the looks department.
I figured I might as well start with a pair of Alex drawer units ($90) from Ikea so I didn’t have to give up any storage space. A while back I did replace my Lagkapten tabletop with a Karlby butcher block countertop. It looked much nicer, but the reason to choose it here is that it comes in a much larger 98-inch size ($229). If you want room for an 88-key keyboard tray between the drawer units you’ll need to go big. If you want a smaller keyboard tray or decide you don’t need drawers, you can save some money (and space) by going with the 74-inch countertop ($179) or a smaller tabletop ($70) and a few Hilver legs ($20 apiece). There are a handful of keyboard tray options on Etsy and Reverb. Ones large enough to fit an 88-key keyboard generally range from $300 to $400. Instead of three sets of 3U racks, it’s much easier to get two 4U racks if you’re going the DIY route. Ones that have wooden sides to match the countertop or tabletop you choose will set you back $130 apiece. You’ll also probably want to pick up a tray or two for routing cables ($20).
At this point I realized that going the DIY route wasn’t going to save me as much money as I thought. You could save some money by going with the cheapest (and ugliest) versions of all these things, but if you want to keep your hacked Ikea studio desk from looking too ragtag, you could easily spend north of $800.
The Platform Studio Production Desk is solid and attractive—that much is undeniable. I went into this review thinking it was overpriced, but after pricing out the DIY alternative and researching other studio desks, I’m not so sure. There are decently equipped studio desks out there in the $500 range, but they look cheap and flimsy. Decent options from reliable brands like Zaor regularly go for over $1,000. And you’re not going to spend less than $500 on a hacked-together Ikea studio desk without major concessions on features or size.
What I didn’t anticipate was some of the ergonomic issues I would have with it. My desk needs to do double duty as a studio control center and a place where I spend several hours a day writing and researching. My previous desk was great for writing and pretty mediocre for recording. The Platform is just the opposite: This desk is great for recording, not so much for writing. I can’t knock a studio desk for prioritizing the recording studio experience specifically, but it does make it hard to recommend for someone who wants one desk to do all things.
If you’ve got the space and the funds for a piece of aspirational furniture to serve as your studio centerpiece, I think you’ll be quite happy with the Platform Studio Production Desk. But if you’re living in tight quarters or need a multipurpose workstation, I might press Pause before dropping $999 on one.