3D resin printing has taken many industries by storm over the past couple of years and yet the music industry and production communities seem to be a bit slow on the uptake. As different manufacturers continue to push the limits of what is possible with even the most entry-level printers, we are finally at a point now where producers and audio engineers can start taking advantage of what these powerful, and cost-effective, machines can do.
Elegoo released the Pro version of their famous Mars 3 printer, and it might just be one of the best options for those who want to 3D print but have no idea how it’s done. We got our hands on a sampler unit of the Elegoo 3 Mars Pro to see how well it fits and fixes issues in the studio, so let’s dive into it.
What Is The Elegoo 3 Mars Pro
The Elegoo 3 Mars Pro is designed to compete with the other entry-level 3D resin printers on the market today (and let me tell you, of these there are plenty).
It ships with all of the standard accessories that you would need to get started, including a toolkit a manual, a power cord that works in my country, a paper manual, and some extra PFA Release Liner film sheet. The toolkit, albeit a standard inclusion for most other 3D printers, came well stocked with diagonal cutters for support removal, as well as metal and plastic spatulas.
With Pro model of the Elegoo 3 Mars printer sees the inclusion of an air filter in the main printing cabinet that helps circulate the air (which can get somewhat gnarly to downright toxic). I would still advise that you always use your printer outside of your music studio where the air isn’t trapped and can circulate easily.
Overall, the printer is a solid upgrade from Elegoo’s previous iterations and comes at a far more approachable price point than many other 3D printers of its caliber on the market. And while I could spend hours diving into the specs and angles that every other review covers, I would rather jump into the more fun bits and talk about my favorite features and best applications of this 3D printer for musicians, music producers, and audio engineers.
What I Liked Most About The Elegoo 3 Mars Pro
I’ve always been fascinated with the potential of 3D printing, especially as it pertains to music production and studio ownership. And after having the Elegoo 3 Mars Pro and getting familiar with its workflow, I was not disappointed.
Here are a couple of the things that really stood out to me about this entry-level printer.
It’s User Friendly
Despite being a music producer and being in a constant state of troubleshooting and problem-solving technical issues, I don’t consider myself a technical guy. This is especially true when I’m dealing with any sort of issue outside of audio and production. Which made me hesitant that 3D printing would take some getting used to.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The Elegoo 3 Mars Pro is about as plug-in and plays as one can hope you. You just have to find the files you want to print and follow the instructions and it works seamlessly. Granted all of the things I printed off were smaller bits and bobs for around the studio, and I cannot attest to the most complex prints I have seen some musicians do for their studios, but for smaller things, I couldn’t have asked for a more streamless process.
The hardest part about the workflow overall is finding print files that are reliable. I did my research and asked some of my own friends who do a fair amount of 3D printing (they focus more on miniatures for their DnD games), and they helped me pick out solid files that they knew would work well and the rest is history!
Very impressive and streamlined stuff.
Its Design
Right out of the box, you can tell this thing was well-built (at least for an entry-level printer). I wouldn’t recommend taking this thing out on tour with you to print out new guitar picks or mixer knobs, but the core of the printer is surprisingly high quality for a device at this price point.
Usually, the shell on printers is usually the most brittle and prone to breakage, but after accidentally dropping it on the concrete floor of my garage while printing off some of the files linked below and having it bounce up right as rain, I will say that I am impressed.
Its Functionality
This is where the 3D printer really shines, and you can more than get your money’s worth from this printer in the long term.
If you were to have asked me about the creative and applicable potential of 3D printers even three years ago, I would have said they are gimmicky toys. But we are at a stage where the technology has gotten so powerful that 3D printers may quickly become a studio necessity in the years to come simply because of how diverse the things you can print are.
I will dive into some of my favorite 3D printer files that I found for my studio below but for now The Elegoo 3 Mars Pro has made replacing the smallest bits and bobs that go missing in the studio almost daily a complete breeze. Look around your studio right now at all the things made of plastic in your studio, and know that you can probably 3D print a replacement part if that plastic thing breaks (guitar picks, mixing console knobs, wire clips, headphone stands, cable protectors, and more).
What Musicians and Producers Can Make
After combing the internet to find the best files that I could find for music producers and audio engineers to be 3D printing, I came across a lot of bul***it but also some diamonds in the rough.
Here are a couple of the 3D printer files that really were the A-Ha moments for me on just how useful this thing is (and can be for you).
Fader Tops
These types of prints are as functional as they are fun, and as budget-friendly mixing consoles and digital mixers are becoming more popular, replaceable fader tops have never been more relevant and needed.
Above is the Darth Vader fader top print that I found that I absolutely loved and that I now currently have as the knob on my small little podcast mixing device in my home studio.
And while the “fun” aspect of this fader knob is what drew me to it in the first place, the idea of having an immediate way to replace broken or lost parts across the studio is a dream come true. This leads me to my next item on this list…
Download this 3D Printer File Here
Replacement Parts
The above image is of the end result of a mixer knob for a Pioneer mixer and I found this file to be incredibly useful when I had some minor issues with my own mixer a few weeks ago.
And while this replacement print above is just a single example of one small thing you can replace when the original breaks in your studio, what is even more important here is the precedent that it sets. Music studios are chock-full of bits of plastic, wrappings, containers, and more that all degrade over time. And anything from wire connectors to cable protectors and more can be replaced once you find the proper files online.
It’s truly insane how much utility even a budget printer like the Elegoo 3 Mars Pro can bring to your studio in a pinch.
Download This 3D Printer File Here
Cable Managers
Any extra help managing the myriad cables required to have a functioning studio desk is always welcome and rarely planned for. And having a fast and easy way to help organize that one single extra wire or even a bundle of extra cables after you received some new gear can be a game changer.
Being able to print off gimmicky items like cable managers and organizers at the drop of a hat can really take a lot of the hassle out of last-minute organizations and studio rearranges.
Download This 3D Printer File Here
Elegoo Mars 3 Pro Specifications
Machine Footprint 8.93″ x 8.93″ x 17.28″ (22.7cm x 22.7cm x 43.85cm)
Build Volume 5.64″ x 3.52″ x 6.89″ (143mm x 89.6mm x 175mm)
Resin DLP Photopolymer Resin
UV Light 405nm UV LED
Masking LCD Resolution 4098 x 2560 px
Masking LCD Size 6.6-inch
Interface 3.5-inch Capacitive LCD Touchscreen
XY Axis Resolution 35 microns
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
