This desk is awesome for a small hone studio. It has a small floor-space footprint ideal for small rooms, and a good amount of rack mount space for audio interfaces or effects. Can't wait to buy a new rack-mountable computer to keep it off the floor. My sales engineer, Cristian always taking care of me!

I wasn't sure if this had survived what FedEx did to it in the delivery but the packing was great and there was zero damage inside. I'm not sure if the assembly instructions have been updated, given prior reviews, but I found them to be clear and concise with appropriate descriptions of the screws and the order of assembly. This thing is built like a tank and is a welcomed addition to my one man studio.

Overall the desk is incredibly sturdy and everything fits super nicely, however if this is going to be your first desk, keep in mind that they don't include the screws for the rack equipment. Is not the end of the world, but if you want to install rack gear the same day you build it, is a good idea to have them beforehand. Other than that, I don't know of any other desk that can offer the same quality for the same price. I've worked on way more expensive desks, and this keep up with them.

Great product, timely delivery and the sales associate JD was fantastic

Sometimes I wish it were a little bigger, other times I wish it were smaller, so it must be just right. All the sturdiness and features of the most serious-looking desks but for a reasonable price.

Putting it together takes a little time but isn't a big challenge. It goes together well and is totally solid. It's comfortable to sit at, holds everything without concern, and fits perfectly in my home studio.

Not really much else to say. Trust this desk does what it claims!

This is my first studio desk and I couldn't be happier. The packaging was incredibly secure with high quality foam and plenty of cardboard protection around the desk pieces themselves. Every piece came out of the box in perfect condition after being shipped. Next, the quality of the materials used in the construction of the desk was very impressive! It's not a flimsy particle wood like some "box kit" furniture, but rather it was made from a very hefty MDF type of material. VERY STURDY! The desk took about an hour to assemble (I was taking my time) and everything went together very smoothly. The rack spaces are perfect for holding my AXE FX III and a Furman power conditioner, and I have a little more room to expand in the future. I bought the upgraded monitor stands which was a really good decision. My Adam Audio T8V's fit perfectly on those, and they gave my 27" computer monitor a little more room to spare. All in all, it was a great purchase and I'm super happy with the quality...and of course, the service from Sweetwater! Thank you!

As always, Sweetwater delivers another home run! Superior customer service, quality products, fast delivery, and fair prices. Our family loves dealing with Sweetwater and prefers them over all the competition!

I'm very disappointed in this product. It worked fine for about a year then it started to malfunction. The sliding keyboard tray started to slide out all by itself. It got worse as time went on. Now when when I'm trying to edit and arrange music on my daw the keyboard tray slides out every few minutes and hits me in the gut, which is distracting and irritating. I emailed RAB Audio to see if there was something I could tighten or a part I could replace but they never answered me. So the company does not back up their product. I would steer clear of RAB products.

The LS 840 is a sturdy desk. My only complaint is the same as other reviewers. The keyboard tray instructions were different than the video instructions. RAB needs to update their video and written instructions. The video instructions showed one screw, while the written instructions showed three screws to assemble the keyboard tray brackets. The key board slide attachment screws would not tighten all the way down due to some misalignment with the thread holes in the bracket. Just a manufacturing defect I guess. I used wd-40 lube on the screws to thread them all the way down to a tight fit. The desk is fairly easy to assemble. It's good at some point to have two people to make it easier to assemble. For the money I think the desk is just what I needed to organize my work flow. I will be using the LS 840 for a long time.

Once this was completed (which actually took a few days due to frustration and needing a fresh perspective multiple times) it's a great and sturdy desk. That being said, I have put together dozens of pieces of home furniture and honestly, the instructions are seldom what I would consider easy or intuitive. These have to be the absolute worst!

The parts themselves have no numbers or labeling, the screws aren't called by numbers or letters but rather the "type" of screw which if you don't know what a "conformant screw" is supposed to look like (which I don't) you're basically, well, uh...screwed.

The illustrations of the parts don't really match up either. There was a video on the Sweetwater site that helped but the video goes pretty quick and really doesn't zoom in so some parts are difficult to tell what is what but I don't fault Sweetwater for that as I don't think it was meant to be a video manual...although this company DEFINITELY NEEDS ONE!

Again, great desk...absolutely GOD-AWFUL instructions.

I am very happy with this desk, I just got it set up and it is a major improvement over my prior setup. As long as it lasts a good few years, it will prove to be very much worth the $ it cost at the time of my purchase, and it seems sturdy enough that I am confident it will last me many years as long as I take care of it.

I have 2 minor quibbles, both stemming from what appears to be minor design changes to the product I received versus what appears on the Sweetwater and ProRak websites. The first very minor quibble is that they have added a plastic part with their ProRak logo stamped into it in the center of the monitor shelf, so now I get to look at their logo all day, a very minor annoyance but still an annoyance. I believe this logo is visible in the photo I've uploaded.
The second more significant quibble is that some of the details of the assembly process have changed since their "ProRak LS840 Unboxing & Assembly" video on YouTube from Oct 2021. Most notably the design of the keyboard tray mounting mechanism has changed significantly, and also there are some minor differences in the provided fasteners. Between the printed manual that came in the box, and the video, I determined that where they differed I had to follow the printed manual. Ultimately the assembly worked out for me, because I was patient and methodical, laying out all pieces and hardware and labeling them as shown in the video, and watching the entire video and reading the entire manual multiple times before beginning assembly. There are some negative reviews here on Sweetwater for this desk, most centering around the assembly process. I think ProRak should put out an updated and more comprehensive video, and there would be less people having issues.

The height adjustment for both the desk and the keyboard tray are very helpful, I was able to get it adjusted so that I have just enough room for my slim MIDI controller (linnstrument), and the bottom of the keyboard tray does not get in the way of my knees when the tray is pushed in.

Alright, so this desk is pretty well made and for the most part I like it. It's solid, doesn't wobble in any way, looks pretty good and the cable management keeps almost all of the cables out of sight. Yet with that, there are two issues the manufacturer should consider correcting.

First, the enclosed assembly drawings are greatly lacking. They lack many details along with orientation on many of the similar parts making me head to their website to watch their assembly video. I wish I could say their video was totally helpful but sadly it wasn't. It was typical of an in-house video created from the stand point of being very familiar with the product and assembly instead of coming from the prospective of someone who's not put one of them together giving the details that matter. At one point of the video, the assembler puts part of the desk together behind the desk being used to assemble it, thus blocking the view of what they're doing. I should also note that my comments are coming from someone who is pretty handy too, so hopefully the manufacturer will revisit both the drawings and video and improve them.

Next and the one thing that is probably most irritating, the desk is black and the plastic material used for the entire desk/keyboard drawer shows every single finger/hand print, cup ring and whatever else to set on it thus needing to be constantly wiped down to keep it looking decent. So get ready to constantly clean this bad boy a lot.

Picky of me, possibly, but I've owned other products with this type of 'finish' and don't recall them showing every little thing especially hand and finger prints so badly. Maybe black isn't the best color for this product or possibly they could have the manufacturer put some sort of coating on it to help with this?

Other than these two things I do like the desk.

This desk is just what I needed. The desk I had before was great but took up too much space. This is much smaller but very sturdy and easy to move around on. Love the rack space for gear.... the angle makes it so easy to use.

This is a GREAT desk with a lot going for it! It's very affordable, attractive, sturdy, great footprint, and quite versatile in its adjustability. I also love that it's a slanted 8U with a nice-sized top shelf.

Big misses: If you like to change cabling frequently for your interface, gear, MIDI controllers etc., the cable routing notches at the back edge of the worksurface are not only too small for XLR cables...they're even too small to route 1/4" jacks through. In other words, if you want to change the cables that you're running through the cutouts, you will need to at least remove the lowest mounted piece of gear in the rack to have the room to do so. But, if you set all your gear up and have no plans of changing it for a good while, no problem.

The keyboard shelf: Some people work with their MIDI controllers on the desktop if used frequently, others work with it on the keyboard shelf for less frequent use. I am in the latter camp. At the keyboard shelf's very lowest setting, it still doesn't have the vertical clearance for many common MIDI key controllers. My M-Audio Keystation 49 MK 3 will not fit, even being only 2.68 inches high. Now I have to rig up a way for this to work.

Two very simple, but frustrating, fixes that would have made this desk essentially flawless.

The good: for the price point it's largely very good (make sure you have a drill and metric torch wrench handy for the assembly to save yourself some cramps)

Okay, the bad - the keyboard tray is horrible. It's not well made, the components are junk... here's the problem and the biggest reason for the negative review: just because it's a budget item doesn't mean it shouldn't work. Just because you can buy an upgraded keyboard tray doesn't mean they should be able to make this one essentially worthless.

Just be honest and don't include a keyboard tray or make it pricier and include the upgrade so something that it is supposed to include actually functions.

This is a solid unit and at the price is kind of unbeatable. Im sure this will be a great addition.

As an aside, I purchased the black one and...holy finger prints. The oil from the screws and rails just left a sizable amount of fingerprints all over this thing. I had to use Pledge to get it off. Hopefully it's just from the oily parts but...we'll see.

Also, the instructions suck and leave for a lot of guess work. There's even two videos. One from Sweetwater and one from RAB and they are both lacking. I'm not exactly an idiot when it comes to putting furniture together but this was just poorly written and explained. In the videos they skip steps and hide what it is they're doing leaving a lot of guess work. The written diagrams are two dimensional and could be a lot better.

Great product and I am sure will serve us well.

studio desks are so expensive. a lot of them also lack features or seem flimsy. this one has everything i needed (8 slanted rack spaces, monitor shelf, under-desk keyboard tray) and at 40" across it fits perfectly in my 12'x13' home studio. the construction is also solid, no stability issues at all. the instructions had some outdated parts but the installation video helps a lot. when it arrived it was missing some machine screws - RAB customer support shipped replacements quickly. they were responsive and helpful which is good to know when spending significant $ on any piece of gear.

The desk is sturdy 5 stars there. The reason for the 3 stars is the screws in the keyboard tray are T I N Y tiny TINY!
They easily pop out, causing the entire tray to fall onto your lap and it is impossible (for me at least) to get reinstalled. I have to have someone with me to hold it while I screw it in.

I have had this desk for almost 2 years now and it has fallen out 3 times since. I am gonna go to Home Depot and just get myself longer screws. Hopes and prayers don't seem to be helping.

I love this new desk. I didn't have a proper workstation for a home setup and picking this up has been a major upgrade. It's super durable and it was easy to set up. Directions are clear, and the video attached to the listing here on Sweetwater was helpful as well. Took my about an hour before it was assembled and I started cabling the desk together. It has everything you'd need - keyboard tray, 8u rack space, solid construction, cable trough, and indentations between the rack space and the main desk to make cable maintenance dumb easy.

I was between this and the Gator desk; the negative reviews from the Gator desk steered me here, and I'm glad it did. It's perfectly sized for a small to mid size room without compromising any features. Highly recommend. Thanks to the Sweetwater team.

Fair warning, you're basically on your own with the directions. Zero exploded view. There's not even a picture of the finished product in the manual for reference. There's a link to the an unboxing and assembly on YouTube but it never zooms in or really explains anything well. They didn't even include the hex key.

The desk is fine, but honestly give yourself plenty of time and bring your patience for this assembly. It's not even that complicated but the directions are so terrible that it takes much longer than it should to put this thing together.

After online purchase, Sweetwater texted me confirmation and then again later when the unit was shipped. They checked in on me again later and asked me to reach out for any assistance. Top-notch folks! The unit came in a single box and was very well packaged. Despite some indications of shipping wear on the box, everything inside was shrink wrapped and protected with extra padding and foam. Nice job, RAB!

The unit took about an hour and a half to assemble though I was taking my time, not using a power drill, and had the "assistance" of a 9 year-old. :) I highly recommend watching the video which you can reach using the provided QR Code. I watched it numerous times at specific points and scrubbed back and forth as needed to confirm certain steps.

A couple of things to note. 1 of my screws that is used to attach the keyboard rails to the keyboard tray did not have any threads. It was completely smooth as if missed by the machining. This is really a non-issue as there are many screws per side and omitting 1 screw is non-material to the structural integrity. Also, there is a point in the video where you cannot see the orientation of a part being attached. Again, not a big deal if you read the manual and extrapolate out how to proceed.

Once assembled, the desk is very sturdy and rather heavy (in the complimentary manner of saying) for its size. The rails are holding my 1U gear solidly and also my laptop which I place in a 1U tray to keep the desktop clear. You will need to supply the mounting screws and RAB provides the specifications on what screws to use. I've found that (2) 22" monitors fit the width dimensions perfectly as they come in at 40" across. The other option would be to get a single monitor and setup some nearfield monitors. In my case I prefer to keep monitors off the desk and place them on separate stands. Cable management is excellent with pass-throughs and hideaways in convenient, thoughtful locations.

I love this desk for the packing, construction, usability, and price. I expect to use it for many a year. Excellent work, Sweetwater and RAB!

Not bad little mastering desk feels a tad cheap but over all pretty nice

I have bought this product in the past from guitar center and I absolutely love it one flaw in it tho is that is doesn't fit my monitors correctly so I have to use stands to put at the end of my table it's fine but the overall easiness of how the keyboard fits into the bottom compartment is great I would recommend this product to anyone that's looking for a good producer table

The price is right for sure. Overall I'm pleased. A few issues though:

1. As others have stated, the instructions (both written and online) are poor. Despite this, I did manage to build it, but it wasn't easy.

2. The gap under the rack that serves as a channel to transmit cables from the front to behind the desk is tiny. After you've racked your gear, most standard audio cables won't fit, and even some USB cables won't fit. I had to increase the size of the gap with a drill which makes the desk more useful but reduces aesthetic appeal.

3. Worst of all (and this was also mentioned by another reviewer), the top of the desk obscures the top rack screw holes. I eventually had to use thin strips of wood under the top to give a little more room (maybe totaling a centimeter thick). Otherwise you either have to be ok with your unit in the top slot only being secured by the two bottom screws, or just not using the top space.

Now that the mods are done it's a pretty good desk overall (especially since I got the expanded keyboard tray and the studio monitor addition). Obviously, though, I wouldn't consider this "plug and play", and I feel like with just a little more beta testing, RAB could have easily made these adjustments.

The video instructions are helpful, but the written instructions for how to put the desk together are pretty useless and require a lot of trial and error. Don't even think about building this without an electric screwdriver or a drill with a hex4 bit.

The most disappointing thing though, is that you cannot put anything in the top slot in the rack without removing the "bridge" part of the top of the desk, which weakens it. See picture below, the top of the desk obstructs the topmost screw holes, so every time you want to change things out you will need to take everything apart.

Otherwise for the price-point, this is a great desk!

Pros:
- The quality (once its finally put together) is pretty decent.

Cons:
- The instructions are completely useless
- The install video is completely useless
- Building it was the most awkward thing ive had to do
- they give you (0) rack screws and (0) face plates for empty slots, and they don't tell you what size screws you need. (This is my first "professional desk, so I don't know if thats common?)


If you can get past all of that, I guess its a good desk. I actually wouldn't completely know that since I now have to wait until tomorrow to buy screws and ACTUALLY have it all together.

Overall I'm pleased with this desk. It was the most (only?) cost-effective desk I could find with 8 rack spaces, which I needed. It's sturdy enough, though it could use a bit more lateral reinforcement. Probably not an issue as long as you're not shaking it around like a pinball machine when you work.

Measure your midi keyboard and then measure it again. The keyboard tray will not fit anything bigger than a medium-small board. Pay attention to the vertical clearance. You only have about 2" to work with. My Impact GX49 just squeaked in there. If it were a centimeter taller or a couple centimeters wider it wouldn't have fit. A controller with 60 full-size keys will almost certainly not fit. Measure twice.

The assembly video on RAB's website is hilarious. There's an entire section where the fella building it attaches the cross supports with the main body of the desk completely blocking your view of what he's doing. I was annoyed by that at first, but it's just so ridiculous I couldn't stop laughing.

Despite the video snafu, assembly is pretty straightforward. If you can put together an Ikea piece, you can handle this. Have a screw gun or drill handy rather than using hand tools. Common sense stuff. It took me about 40 minutes total by myself. If you have a helper, it'll be easier.

There's a screw in the middle of the top shelf that will be a problem for anyone who uses an iMac. You won't be able to center your computer on the shelf. I cut a small hole in an old mouse pad, laid it on top of the shelf and set the Mac on it. Problem solved, but since iMacs are wildly popular as production machines it seems like a minor design flaw.

Be absolutely certain you have it at your preferred height before you start loading gear on it. There are 4 different height options (which is nice). I'm kinda tall, so I went with the 2nd tallest setting. That was a mistake and I'm going to have to lower it. Huge hassle once once the gear is loaded. You either have to completely dismantle the desk or have a couple strong friends hold it up while you detach and reattach the feet. Obviously that's my own fault, not RAB's. Just be aware of it and be sure you've set it to your preferred height.

The gap under the racks at the front of the desk is quite small once you have your gear mounted, so thread any cabling you plan to run through there before you mount your rack gear. A typical USB-A end wont fit through if the rack is full. USB-C will though.

Overall this is a pretty great little desk for not a huge amount of money. I like it enough to have written this long-winded review, so I suppose that means something.

Packaging was solid, excellent construction and sturdy. Easy assembly by myself around 1.5 hours. Since I have 3 monitors, things were cramped and recently purchased the optional monitor extensions. You can pack the desk with tons of gear in a small footprint.

Love it! It was easy to put together and very stylish and sturdy. Just get help carrying it. It's heavy!

This desk is everything I hoped it would be. Solid construction, pretty easy to assemble (Instructions could be a little better at pointing out a few things), and looks awesome. I bought the monitor and keyboard tray expansion kits for it as well and HIGHLY recommended them as they take this desk to another level. And speaking of levels, I love that the desk is height adjustable in a few different ways so you can really set it up for your specific height and preferences. I was a little concerned that the monitors would be too close to me but they're perfect. HIGHLY recommend this desk!

Solid recording/production desk. This piece went together effortless. Everything is as advertised and more. Great company that stands behind their products. This is a great value.

This desk is great!!! Heavy duty, very sturdy. I saw some reviews that said it's not sturdy or the racks were un even. Well, not mine! lol I love how compact it is and doesn't get in the way of the audio coming from the monitors, like how some bulky desks do. For this size and price best workstation out there. Couldn't be happier.

The RAB LS840 is a no-frills home studio desk. It is well constructed & firmly built. However, the assembly instructions are lacking, and for the less-mechanically inclined, putting the desk together might be a challenge. No tools are required, but having a Phillips head screwdriver on hand would be advantageous. There are more elaborate & expensive desks on the market, but for the money, you'll be hard pressed to find a better value.

I followed the video installation videos online, and for the most part it was not bad. The main issues I had were that the rubberized sides went in too deep into the channels and blocked some of the screws. Also a couple of the pre-drilled holes were not there so I had to create them.Also the keyboard drawer directions were for a different style of drawer sliders and I had a very different kind with the one that I received.

Don't get me wrong the desk is fine after it was done but it had a few issues that made it frustrating to put together!

This desk fit my needs perfectly. Not too big, not too small. Great price, good build quality. Will be buying more from Rab. Great job guys.

Perfect and professional studio desk for your bedroom. Love it. Wont need to upgrade for a long time

This desk is perfect for a home/bedroom studio! I just moved in to a new place and this desk fits perfect and does everything I need it to. The instructions are not super clear so be aware of that, and the keyboard tray didn't fit my 48 key midi keyboard, but I'm sure it could fit something smaller

This desk is great! Easy to put together and looks fantastic. It makes my studio room look very professional and inspiring. Finally a pro desk at a very affordable price!

Easy to put together, functional, and looks cool too.

One complaint.. I had to move my iCon controller off to the side as I could not see my rack gear. This desk is phenomenal! To finally be able to have my rack gear right in front of me is so nice. I was able to save room as well. Great desk! Must get.

Very good quality and fits perfect in a bedroom studio. Very approachable for music production.

This desk is amazing, especially for the money. The only issue I really have with it is that one of the rack pieces has its holes drilled in the wrong spots on the middle piece that bridges the left and right rack bays. This is remedied when you screw in a large (2U+) piece of gear as the tension holds the rack in the right place but without any gear, it is able to spin freely.

So needed something that wasn't too big, but was professional enough. This desk does it and looks good! Doesn't take up much space and is really solid! My only complaint would be the instructions are kinda bad. But the online videos helped. It was a bit of a day to get it built, everything racked and working. But worth every penny. I highly recommend this desk if you are looking for 2/4u and something that won't take up an entire room. It works very well with rack gear to tidy up your studio.

I bought this to replace my bigger desk but downsized so the desk had to be smaller too. The installation was a little sketchy to follow and at once point I thought I was missing a piece but they showed a section of the leg and to me it was showing a complete different piece of the desk.

My biggest complaint is that the adjustable height on the keyboard tray was not enough to accommodate a smaller audio controller like a m-audio axiom. I need another half an inch to clear that. I guess now I have to find either extensions or blocking wood to gain that height.

Very well made desk. The computer's keyboard tray is very sturdy, I love that is all height adjustable, and it has a convenient piece at the back of desk to keep floor free of tangled cords and wires.

SIDE NOTES:
-The actual dimensions of the entire space it takes is 41x32
-Installation instructions are not the best, but is not so difficult to build.

Ian McGhee is the best sales engineer.

I was very Leary of the price to quality question everyone had I am sure. I am here to assure you the quality is on par to something costing hundreds more. It takes about 20-30 minutes to put together and the compactness is just what I needed. I have had other "high dollar" desks and this is on point. The only thing I can say remotely negative is if you have a 27" iMac or larger monitor it's tight to put your speakers on the same shelf. You can't beat this desk for the money.

I like the desk it fits perfectly but it will not work for any 61 key midi controller and that is a hard part

First off let me say this; There is no better customer service anywhere than what Sweetwater delivers. I've never had a disappointing experience with them, something I cannot say about any other company. Absolutely the best.

As for the RAB Audio Pro Rak LS840 Studio Workstation, I am totally pleased with that as well. I needed something to fit a specific space and certain equipment needs and was actually considering building it myself. However, my eyes kept coming back to this and after I figured the cost of materials and my time I decided to order this desk. It is working out perfectly. There is just enough space on the desktop for my keyboard and mouse, the adjustable pull out shelf has enough space for my midi controller, and the top shelf is just wide enough for my 24" monitor and my speakers.

It is surprisingly solid with absolutely no shimmy or shaking (something I was sort of expecting at this price range). Simply put... I love this thing.

If I were to complain about anything it would be that the instructions are somewhat poorly written but that seems to be a common theme with most assembly required type products. But.. that's minor compared to what you get with this desk.

I would highly recommend this product and I will, of course, continue to recommend Sweetwater and my sales guy Dan A. (Sorry, Dan. I still can't spell your name!!!)

I've Been on the look for a new desk for a year now. After only have a cheap desk from amazon for the past 3 years. It was safe to say it was time for an upgrade. When I was on the look for a new desk there were some good ones out there. The only thing was the price. Now I'm all for spending money on a good product but somewhere just way too much for what they had or didn't have. Then come RAB Audio with the LS840. The perfect desk for home and project studio. Not only is it a great price but easy to build by yourself and has everything you need. For the 2 4U rack bays to the keyboard tray. This desk has it all. If you looking for a good desk that won't break the bank then this is the desk for you.

Quality control is superb, the desk packaging ia amazing and well thought, instructions are clear and the material is amazing, I recommend anyone this desk, you will fall in love immediately, cable management amazing, Sweetwater at its best...awesome gear for any studio..