For those who are learning to play the synthesizer or who can fully play this instrument, it is very difficult to do without a special stand. And this is not surprising. After all, the tool itself is quite heavy and has considerable dimensions. It is for this reason that a synthesizer stand is required. However, the choice of such products is quite wide. If you are a beginner, then it will be difficult for you to decide on the type of rack. What are they and how to choose the right one?
Metal synthesizer stand
Today in specialized stores you can buy XX, X and Z-shaped racks. They are suitable for almost all types. A synthesizer stand made of metal has a number of advantages. First of all, this design differs from other varieties in strength and lightness. When playing a musical instrument, there is no feeling of discomfort.
Another advantage of such models is the ability to adjust the height. Such a stand for a synthesizer will be ideal option for children. Because they are growing fast. The stand height is easily adjustable. It can be gradually increased, and if necessary - reduced. This feature will allow an adult to play the instrument while sitting. And this is important for long and frequent lessons.
Which is better?
IN Lately there is debate about which stand is better for a synthesizer: X or XX-shaped. According to many, the latter type of design is much more stable. However, its cost is much higher than the cost of the X-shaped. It is worth noting that racks made of metal are more convenient and budget. This explains their popularity. In addition, if necessary, they can be folded and hidden in a place inaccessible to prying eyes. These stands take up little space.
Wooden structure
The keyboard stand can be made of wood. Such structures are usually made of chipboard. This is the most budget option. However, some manufacturers produce solid wood musical instrument stands. Of course, the cost of an array product is much higher and not everyone can afford it.
The main disadvantage of such a rack is that it is simply impossible to fold it and put it in a secluded corner. In addition, the height of the structure cannot be adjusted. And this suggests that such coasters are not suitable for children. Of course, wood construction has its advantages. Among them, it is worth highlighting the strength of parts and stability. In addition, for a synthesizer, it will allow you to revive almost any interior a little.
Keyboard stand Axelvox KST-11
If you often rehearse performances, often study, then you will need a reliable and high-quality stand for a musical instrument. It is precisely these qualities that the Axelvox KST-11 design has. In addition, it is possible to adjust the height of the stand. In this case, the musical instrument will always be securely fastened.
Cross folding stand Axelvox KST-11 is made of fairly durable metal. The design is reliable and can last more than one year. The design is equipped with a spring lock. This allows you to fix the musical instrument at a certain height. As a rule, the design is sold together with a cover. This allows you to transport the rack if necessary without the risk of damaging it.
Stand Axelvox KST-21
Stand for keyboard musical instruments Axelvox KST-21 is a reliable and high-quality design. Products of this model are made of powerful metal. The design is perfect for many modern electronic musical instruments. The Axelvox KST-21 stand has a cruciform shape and is equipped with a double frame. This provides additional reliability and stability of the product. If necessary, the structure can be transported. After all, it folds easily.
Stand for Yamaha L85 synthesizer
The Yamaha L85 stand is ideal for mounting the P95 and P85. The structure is well designed. The musical instrument is fastened securely, which ensures its safety during the game. The stand is attached to the bottom of the synthesizer. It is worth noting that the Yamaha L85 stand is ideal not only for the home, but also for the studio and stage.
Among the advantages of the product, it is worth highlighting its low weight and excellent stability. The stand is finished in black. It easily installs and attaches to the keyboard. Suitable stand Yamaha L85 for musicians of all levels. In addition, it is easy to operate.
Stand CASIO CS-44
The structure is made of multilayer plywood and plastic. The stand provides an additional as well as a non-slip wide surface for a musical instrument and wide legs-stands. Such a product will perfectly fit into almost any interior. With a casual design, your musical instrument will look more graceful.
In conclusion
The stand for the synthesizer makes it easier to play a musical instrument. However, her choice should be approached with all responsibility. First of all, it should be determined who will use it, what qualities it should have and whether it will stand in one place. If a mobile design is required, then you should pay attention not to those made of metal. If you want to create original design room and make the conditions for playing the synthesizer more comfortable, it is better to purchase a stand made of wood. When choosing a stand, the model of the musical instrument should also be taken into account. After all, there are designs designed exclusively for certain synthesizers.
Foreword
Since both my wife and I were taught to press keys in childhood, there was clearly a lack of a device with black and white keys at home to transfer the experience of pressing them to the younger generation. Alas, in a small "odnushka" not like "Stenway" - there was no place for a simple "Red October". The solution was found - MIDI keyboard! Moreover, attempts to do something similar myself were made at the dawn of my "radio destruction". Again, due to lack of space, it was decided to start with 4 octaves. Yes, and finances did not allow to buy some sort of "Roland".
Having searched a little on the Internet, I came across an advertisement for the sale of an evergreen device called Fatar 49 for 50. After searching everything in the same web, I found a description of this miracle.
MIDI keyboard Fatar StudioLogic CMK 49
- 4-octave, full-length, dynamic (velocity-sensitive), unweighted; 49 keys
- Connectors MIDI output, the plug with the inscription "IN" is connected to it
- Power supply Power adapter may not be included.
- The required power adapter is 9V, 0.5A. Internal contact "+", external "-".
- External dimensions 75.2 x 15 x 8 cm
- Weight 2 kg
The family council decided - TAKE!!! The previous owner, demonstrating that it works, even attached a power adapter to it. I already had a MIDI cord (I felt the stock for a long time). And when I brought it home and connected it to the computer, I was finally able to remember my childhood. And ... to understand that in 15 years everything has been forgotten almost completely.
In the open spaces of the network, a very interesting program "Play Piano" by Midisoft was obtained. She can teach almost anyone how to play. She monitors the correctness of the game and points out your mistakes, like a good teacher. It's just a pity that during this time it was not possible to find something similar, but newer (program of the 96th year).
It was all in the last century. As they say in novels, years have passed... Children were born and grew up. The keyboard on the table was not particularly convenient even then - it turned out very high compared to an ordinary piano.
The chair stand helped, but... This year it was decided to start torturing the elder. It is necessary to recoup someone for our training. For him, in general, he had to fence a pyramid on a chair. And the keyboard constantly tried to leave him. Trying to put the keyboard on children's table didn't help much. Now it was too low.
Yes, and the baby now constantly climbed to press the keys, but she especially liked the off button, illuminated by a light bulb. And then I had to take the problem seriously.
Firstly, it became clear that there was no point in making a keyboard at the height of a standard piano, since this was already done for specific people. Secondly, having made only a stand for the keyboard, I quickly realized that I would have to lengthen the MIDI cable. And then the decision was ripe to make a completely autonomous musical instrument. Having dug into the storerooms of computer hardware, quite working (although morally obsolete) components were extracted from it: a motherboard, a processor, a video card and a hard drive. An old power supply was also found. Lacked small - memory. Good man from service department gave me a module before the new year. Now there was everything that was needed.
The configuration turned out to be the most primitive for modern times:
- CPU: Pentium MMX 166 MHz overclocked to 200
- RAM: SDRAM PC100 128 Mb
- HDD: Coner 340 Mb
- VIDEO: TRIDENT
- AUDIO: Onboard Yamaha OPL3
After spending half the day off, I got this unit:
We drill holes for the power button and the "Power" and "HDD" indicators.
Insert the keyboard.
Saw off the body chassis to size motherboard. We fasten it by installing the processor, memory and video card.
We cover all empty chassis sockets with beautiful shiny plugs.
We fasten the HDD basket with the disk to the case.
We connect the power supply and all other cables and wires
The operating system was pre-installed. Only Win98 could be installed on such a volume. Connect monitor, keyboard and mouse. We make sure everything works.
Now let's move on to acoustics. Before, everything went through a computer that was connected to a good amplifier, which, in turn, was connected to decent speakers. You can’t cram all this into the volume of a new device. Yes, and it doesn't make sense. Something simpler is enough for such a sound card. Again we dive into the storerooms and get this (if I may say so) acoustic system:
We disassemble it and see inside:
Yes perishing, but on bezrybe and cancer fish. It will be necessary to go to the dacha, somewhere there are good speakers and an amp soldered by me 12 years ago on the K174UN7 - nevertheless, it will have more power.
We connect this "Sound".
Well... what happened.
The speakers in the country house were not found (obviously already used and forgotten somewhere), but the world is not without good people and a neighbor gave me two car midranges.
In the process of poking the keyboard back and forth, one of the keys began to sound only when pressed hard. I had to take everything apart and give my dear C 2 H 5 OH to drink. I wiped each key, each rubber band, dried it and put it back. At the same time, he clicked the camera on the internal device.
The amplifier on K174UN7 was discovered, but either the conders on it died during this time, or it was too sensitive. In general, terribly fonit. I had to leave the old amplifier for now.
At first I wanted to make the back wall out of plywood, but then I decided to make a wooden one.
A music stand was attached. As decorative grilles two round grilles for ventilation were purchased for the speakers. The entire structure was dismantled, puttied, sanded and covered with a non-aqueous stain.
Until quite recently, only rare lucky ones could master playing the piano, whose apartment allowed them to place such a large-scale instrument. With the advent of digital technology and the advent of synthesizers, the issue of free space has ceased to be so burning. Now the problem of purchasing a stand for a synthesizer has come to the fore, without which it is extremely inconvenient to use this wonderful instrument.
Types of stands for synthesizers
To date, the range of stands for synthesizers can be divided into two types: wooden and metal.
Wooden stands for the synthesizer
Wooden stands for the synthesizer are a stable stationary structure and outwardly resemble a regular table, but without a tabletop. It makes sense to purchase stands made of wood when it becomes necessary to place a large and heavy synthesizer set, and it has a clearly defined place in the room. In addition to the ability to withstand significant loads, wooden synthesizer stands are distinguished by a high level of stability. The cheapest options for such stands are made of chipboard, which cannot but affect their appearance and service life. Stands made of various types of wood will cost much more. But this product will last much longer. The downside of both of them is the lack of the possibility of adjusting the height and width.
Metal stands for the synthesizer
A more versatile option for placing a synthesizer setup are stands made of metal. According to the shape of the structure, metal racks are Z-, X- and XX-shaped. All of them can be adjusted in width and height, and are also able to withstand the load from 
20 to 130 kg. Due to this, such stands are suitable for installing synthesizers of any company (Casio, Yamaha, etc.) and any size, including children. Height adjustment allows you to use them for playing both sitting and standing, and if necessary - quickly disassemble and hide. The main disadvantages of such racks include their relative instability and insufficient fixation of the synthesizer.
Homemade stands for the synthesizer
Craftsmen have adapted to make stands for the synthesizer with their own hands, fitting them to the size of their personal instrument. For example, synthesizer racks, the basis for which are ordinary ironing boards, show themselves to be quite convenient. In addition, an unnecessary written or can be redone for the installation of a synthesizer.
As a child, I had a piano, so real, Soviet, 300 kilograms. I liked to strum on it, and after graduating from a music school, even play something. The piano is cool, authentic, but not at all practical. And in order to be absolutely right for the soul, you also need a drum set, heels of lotions for an electric guitar, a clarinet, a sitar and sample loops ...
Of course, now it is no longer necessary to make a garage studio out of an apartment for a stash of six salaries, it is enough to install a free music editor on a PC. But, it's all inconvenient.
The PC keyboard is not at all like a keyboard instrument, everything is different here. Moreover, it is not suitable for teaching a child at all. It seems that there is no choice but to purchase a synthesizer. But my doubts still haunt me.
What is a synthesizer? A large device, with a musical keyboard, which should take up decent space somewhere. Which has built-in acoustics, but I already have a receiver with speakers. Which has a bad PC built in, and I have a good PC.
It turns out that for 40 thousand I buy what I already have in best quality except for the keyboard. This is just some kind of maximum irrational spending.
In search of a separate keyboard, I came across such a class of devices as the USB MIDI Keyboard.
It always seemed to me that MIDI is from the field of professional musical activity.
But now everyone makes music on a PC, in any convenient place, which means that musicians need mobile musical keyboards that can easily fit in a backpack.
A plan immediately formed in my head. We connect a MIDI keyboard to a home media center based on Raspberry Pi 3, where a software synthesizer is spinning, allowing anyone to perform their next masterpiece at any time. On such MIDI keyboards, as a rule, there is a set of knobs and additional buttons that are programmed for various effects or additional musical instruments. It looks and sounds very cool!
There are larger and smaller devices, there are more expensive and a little cheaper. I chose the option for about 5 sput. It has two octaves, normal-sized keys, drum buttons, tuning knobs, everything that a beginner electronic musician can dream of.
I am not an expert in creating music on PC, so it was difficult to find ways to implement my idea. Information had to be collected bit by bit. The puzzle gradually began to take shape and it turned out to assemble a working solution, which I am sharing with you. Oddly enough, but in the standard distribution of Raspbian/Debian, everything you need was found, you didn’t even have to connect external repositories.
Fluidsynth is used as a sequencer (an application that plays MIDI files).
The MIDI keyboard is immediately detected via ALSA and is available for connection to the sequencer.
To play the sounds of various instruments, open sample bases in the SoundFont2 format are used. Let's install it all first.
sudo -s apt-get update apt-get -y install alsa-utils fluid-soundfont-gm fluidsynth
Connect a MIDI keyboard to Raspberry and start the sequencer in server mode:
Fluidsynth -i -s -a alsa -g 3 /usr/share/sounds/sf2/FluidR3_GM.sf2
We execute the command:
Aconnect -o
As a result, we will see a list of available MIDI clients:
Client 14: "Midi Through" 0 "Midi Through Port-0" client 20: "VMini" 0 "VMini MIDI 1" 1 "VMini MIDI 2" client 128: "FLUID Synth (1628)" 0 "Synth input port (1628) :0)"
Here it is important for us to remember the numbers of the keyboard and sequencer clients in order to then connect them with the command:
Connect 20:0 128:0
Now we are all set to play the Yamaha Piano (this is the default instrument). Read the fluidsynth manual, there are many interesting commands there, for example, to change the instrument to drums or brass, set the amount of reverb or chorus.
Let's make our software synthesizer convenient. In order not to manually connect the keyboard to the sequencer every time, we will write a simple demon that will do this automatically at startup.
cat > /etc/init.d/fluidsynth<< EOF
#!/bin/bash
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: fluidsynth
# Required-Start: $all
# Required-Stop:
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Fluidsynth deamon to play via MIDI-keyboard
### END INIT INFO
startDaemon() {
sleep 30s && fluidsynth -i -s -a alsa -g 3 --load-config=/home/osmc/midi-router >/var/log/fluidsynth & sleep 60s && aconnect 20:0 128:0 & ) stopDaemon() ( pkill -9 fluidsynth &> /dev/null ) restartDaemon() ( stopDaemon startDaemon ) case "$1" in start) startDaemon ; ; stop) stopDaemon ;; restart) restartDaemon ;; status) ;; *) startDaemon esac exit 0 EOF
Register a daemon for autorun:
Chmod 755 /etc/init.d/fluidsynth update-rc.d fluidsynth defaults
Please note that now, at startup, the sequencer is given a configuration file (/home/osmc/midi-router) containing commands that turn our keyboard into a real synthesizer.
Here's the thing. Each key and knob on the keyboard sends certain events, with its own number. As I understand it, there are no special standards here, so each manufacturer does what he wants. For example, I want the square keys to sound like drums, the rest of the keys to sound like piano, and the knobs to control volume, reverb, and chorus.
So, I need to map the event codes from the keyboard to different instruments, and the codes from the knobs to the codes that the sequencer understands. In fluidsynth, this is done using router. These commands are contained in the configuration file.
Here is an example of my config file, with comments on what it does.
Cat > /home/osmc/midi-router<< EOF
# загружаем стандартные инструменты и ударники, найденные где-то на просторах Сети
load /usr/share/sounds/sf2/FluidR3_GM.sf2
load /home/osmc/241-Drums.SF2
# связываем инструмент каждый со своим каналом
select 1 2 128 0
select 2 1 0 0
# по умолчанию звук идет на канал 0
# перенаправляем события с квадратных клавиш на канал с ударными
router_begin note
router_chan 0 0 0 1
router_par1 36 48 1 0
router_end
# события с остальных клавиш перенаправляем на канал с пианино
router_begin note
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 0 35 1 0
router_end
router_begin note
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 49 255 1 0
router_end
# события с ручек мэпим на события, которые понимает секвенсер,
# полный их список есть в документации на сайте fluidsynth
router_begin cc
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 14 14 0 98
router_end
router_begin cc
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 15 15 0 11
router_end
router_begin cc
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 16 16 0 91
router_end
router_begin cc
router_chan 0 0 0 2
router_par1 17 17 0 93
router_end
# выключаем громкость на канале 0,
# иначе при нажатии на клавишу
# разные инструменты будут звучать одновременнно
cc 0 7 0
EOF
To find out what codes your device generates, you need to use this utility:
aseqdump -p 20:0
It listens and prints events from the MIDI keyboard to the console. Press the button or turn the knob and you will see the event type, channel and code. You can program your keyboard the way you want, not the way the engineers who designed the specific synthesizer came up with. For which many thanks to the developers of fluidsynth, alsa, SoundFont2, Raspberry and V-Mini.
By the way, this topic with DIY synthesizers is reflected in several inventions, I recommend it for study.
Electronic musical instruments, along with a computer, occupy a permanent place in the apartments of Russians. Many people know how to play themselves and enjoy playing music in their free time. In addition, children are growing up, and so far no one has canceled the prestige of musical education. Even if the child does not become a talented musician or composer, the ability to play a keyboard instrument will significantly increase his status. The choice of electromusical synthesizers is large, and you can choose an instrument of any level.
Electronic pianos allow you to place your hands and fingers correctly and at the same time do not interfere with your neighbors at all, since you can play with headphones. A big disadvantage of this technique is the separate purchase of a tool stand. These designs are expensive and not very reliable, so many are interested in the question of how make a stand for a synthesizer with your own hands.
There are many options for simple designs that can be made from improvised materials or using things already in the household. A very simple stand for a home synthesizer can be made from an ordinary ironing board. In fact, this is an almost finished folding rack. The material with which it is covered can be cut off and replaced with another coating.
The board itself is attached to the supports with screws, so it can be removed and a new one cut out. If the electric musical instrument is not too heavy, then such a design will be quite reliable. The good thing about the design is that no tools are required to make it. Do-it-yourself synthesizer stand can be made from scrap materials such as metal pipes or profiles. For all its simplicity, this design is not intended for heavy models, in addition, a lively child can overturn it, therefore you can make a stand for a digital piano yourself from wooden parts. The prefabricated rack will be quite stable. The whole structure is assembled from four parts. These are two sidewalls, a tabletop and an additional horizontal bar between the sidewalls, which provides additional rigidity.
DIY Casio Digital Piano Stand
Usually a stand for an electric musical instrument costs about 5-6 thousand rubles. This amount does not suit everyone, therefore do-it-yourself Casio digital piano stand can be done without much difficulty. The basis for the manufacture is a furniture laminated chipboard with a thickness of 16 mm. From it you need to cut out only four parts. Their dimensions are determined by the model of the musical instrument and the required height above the floor. Boards can be sawn out on their own, but it is better to give them for sawing to companies that do this. It will be inexpensive, and the quality will be much higher.
To assemble the structure for an electronic piano, you will need a furniture corner, screws, PVC edging and plastic inserts on the lower part of the sidewalls so that the structure does not scratch the floor. The laminated board can be chosen in the desired color.
If you have a tool and experience with it, then the rack can be made more complex. The design can be made in the form of a table, where the tabletop rises on brackets. You can use a piston system, or some other. Stand-table is made of furniture board 20-22 mm thick. Speakers can be placed on the top shelf. Metal legs and mechanics can be purchased at the construction market. How to make a stand for a synthesizer with your own hands. The main thing here is to file the details correctly. Furniture fittings and self-tapping screws are used for fastening.
When there are two electric musical instruments, you will have to make a two-story structure. For the manufacture of simple and two-tier racks for electric musical synthesizers, an excellent system-constructor called the "Joker" is used. It is designed for quick assembly of various commercial equipment.
These are stands, show-windows, racks and many other things. The system is based on chrome-plated steel pipes with a diameter of 10, 25 and 32 mm. They can be interconnected by various couplings, racks and tees. To do DIY digital piano stand it is enough to cut the pipes of the required length and, using locks, assemble any design from them. In addition to a hacksaw or grinder, you only need an internal hex key. Plastic plugs are put on the ends of the pipes, and shelves for synthesizers are cut from any material. Do-it-yourself music stand for a synthesizer can be done in a very short time.
