If you've ever wondered what sort of equipment I'm working with, this page is for you. If you have any questions or anything feel free to reach out!
I'm not an Apple fangirl, but I've been using Macs forever and I have been a long time user of Mac hardware. This M4 MacBook Pro is an upgrade from my previous M1 MacBook Pro, which was an upgrade from an old 2014 Intel MacBook Pro. I really like the return to form with thes M-series MacBooks having ample ports and magsafe charging.
AppleAn incredible monitor for the price as it's 4K (2160p) and includes a fully integrated USB-C hub that works fantastically with the MacBook Pro. Using a single cable to connect to your monitor, power, and accessories is modern luxury. It also has an integrated KVM switch!
DellThere's so many good things to say about this keyboard. It's aluminum and heavy, making it stay firmly in place so no annoying drifting about. The Alice layout is lovely, and the extra row of macro keys and the knob are satisfying and useful additions. It also supports the open source QMK firmware and VIA configurator, making it a breeze to customize. The gasket mount makes typing on this thing a lovely experience. The switches are even hot-swappable if you're into that sort of thing. The dust cover is a nice touch as well.
This keyboard is the current endgame of my keyboard addition. Previously I've used a Drop CTRL, a WASD V3, and several more.
Keyboard Switches Dust cover Coiled aviator cable DSS Sad Girl keycapsIt's so difficult to find a high-quality mouse that doesn't look just completely obnoxious. The Razer Basilisk is still a little too heavy on the gamer aesthetic but at least it comes in white! I really love the DPI clutch that lets you drop the DPI for super accurate movement - I think it was meant for first-person shooters but I use it for vector art.
I actually have two different versions of this mouse- I have the original RZ01-02330 wired model and the RZ01-0462 V3 Pro wireless model. They're both great, though the V3 is a bit different in how the DPI switching and scroll wheel tension adjustments work. I use the wired one at my desk and the wireless when away.
RZ01-02330 - older, wired model RZ01-04620 - newer, wireless modelThe Magic Trackpad is, well, magic. If you like the trackpad on MacBooks, having a big one is awesome. When my laptop is docked, this lives on my desk to the left of my keyboard and makes it easier for me to navigate when using design programs. When away from my desk, it's a great way to keep my wrist from hurting from being in an awkward position. The only drawback is that the model I have uses lightning for charging, but newer models use USB-C.
AppleA simple, reliable, and solid audio interface. I've never been disappointed with Arturia's products, and the MiniFuse 2 is great. This is my main audio interface at my desk, it's used to drive my headphones, speakers, and occasionally used to record instruments or fancier microphones. My only semi-complaint is that, at least with macOS, the output from the computer is loud as hell.
I previously used a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 (3rd Gen), but was utterly disappointed with it. It constantly had issues and I'm glad to be rid of it.
ArturiaThis is good Schiit! A delightful little audio interface with a really satisfying volume knob. This tiny thing has excellent audio quality and can drive even the most demanding headphones, and the dedicated microphone input is really nice to have. This is a great interface to take along when I'm away from my desk.
WebsiteThese monitors have exceeded all of expectations. They sound great and neutral and have been super reliable, I even picked them up used!
YamahaThis is the webcam that I use at my desk. It's small, cute, and has great image quality. The built-in microphone is more than good enough for video calls. The optional software also works well on macOS.
I previously used a Logitech C920, but I didn't love the built-in microphone and was ready for an upgrade in image quality.
OSBOTI'm obsessed with planar magnetic headphones, and these giant 100mm cans are a blast. They're tight and clear and are currently my favorite open-backed headphones for listening to music. Moondrop has had mixed reviews across their product range, but these headphones are great and the all-metal construction is a nice touch at this price point.
MoondropThe venerable Sony MDR-V6 headphones are a classic for a reason. They're comfortable, sound great, and put up with abuse like a champ. These are my go-to closed-back headphones and are great for mixing, editing, and critical listening. These boys are old as dirt, so their cushions have been replaced with some lovely teal ones.
Sony no longer makes the MDR-V6, but they make a nearly identical MDR-7506. I have both and they're basically identical as far as I can tell.
Sony Wikipedia EarpadsAs much as I love big headphones, it's often uncomfortable for me to wear them for extended periods of time. The answer is in-ear monitors (IEMs)! These are currently my favorite (and most expensive) IEMs, and they continue my obsession with planar magnetic drivers. They lack the bass response of big-girl headphones, but they are astonishingly clear and detailed.
I have a ton of other IEMs ranging from inexpensive to slightly expensive, but these are the ones I like the most right now. Other favorites include the TRUTHEAR x Crinacle ZERO:RED and KZxHBB PR2
LinsoulDo I have too many headphones? Probably, but I also spend a lot of time listening to things in different circumstances. These true wireless, noise cancelling earbuds are my favorite for listening while doing chores, shopping, and traveling. They're small, comfortable, and have an unreal battery life. Soundcore offers a great noise cancelling implementation for this price point, and you'll only get better by moving up to Sony or Bose's flagship models.
SoundcoreDespite my plethora of other headphones, I found myself wanting a pair dedicated to my PlayStation 5. "Gaming" headsets tend to have a fun overlap of cheap, ugly, and terrible. I really wanted low-latency wireless headphones with a decent mircophone that didn't look like I stole them from a 12-year-old. These headphones are the best I could find with those constraints, and they're almost perfect for my use case. The latency is great, sound quality is good, the microphone is great, and the battery life is quite respectable. The only thing I don't like is the fit, they're a little uncomfortable for me- but that's true of all over-ear headphones for me.
I previously just used a cheap pair of KZ IEMs plugged into my PS5 controller, which honestly worked great but the audio port on my controller started to crap out so I wanted to look for a wireless solution. I also tried the Sony Pulse Elite headset, but my set arrived defective and I've heard a lot of complaints about their quality control.
SteelseriesI needed an inexpensive computer to use to talk to our test equipment and run semi-automated hardware tests. This little nugget was a perfect fit. It's running Debian and has been an absolute trooper. I can't speak for the battery life or durability because it stays at the testing workstation, but overall it's been a delight.
CHUWIA beefy little mini PC that runs my "homelab" - AdGuard Home, Omada, Jellyfin, Syncthing, file sharing, and so on. It's running Debian and has plenty of horsepower for all the things we throw at it. My only gripe is that the AMD chipset doesn't play great with Jellyfin/FFMPEG's hardware encoding & decoding, so Jellyfin has to use software encoding for transcoding videos.
AOOSTARI use KiCAD to design all of my hardware projects. It's a powerful open-source electronics design application with a large amount of community plugins.
WebsiteI do almost all of my vector art with Affinity Designer - including website mockups, Eurorack panel artwork, and laser cutter designs. I do all of my photo development and editing in Affinity Photo.
Designer Photo PublisherI use VSCode almost exclusively as my editor. I've also created my own theme for it!
VSCode websiteHere's some of the extensions I use:
JavaScript and TypeScript by Microsoft Pylance by Microsoft Stylelint by stylelint.io Better C++ Syntax by Jeff Hykin Better Jinja by Samuel Colvin Bookmarks by Alessandro Fragnani C/C++ by Microsoft Catppuccin Icons by Catppuccin Code Spell Checker by Street Side Software Cortex Debug by marus25 Error Lens by Alexander ESLint by Microsoft Hex Editor by Microsoft lit-plugin by Rune Mehlsen Mermaid Markdown Syntax Highlighting by Brian Pruitt-Goddard Prettier by prettier.io Python by Microsoft Qalc by Thea Flowers Ruff by Astral Software Witch Hazel by Thea Flowers Zig Language Support by ziglang Zoom Bar by wraith13I've been using Fish almost as long as I've been using unix-like operating systems. It's a modern shell with lots of quality of life features built in.
Fish websiteIn addition to Fish, I also use the following command-line tools:
Starship Bat Dust fd eza pyenv hatch qalc tio Delta ripgrep fzfFreeCAD is my interactive, visual CAD of choice
WebsiteI use OBS for livestreaming, screencasts, and for video production. It's a wonderful piece of free software.
WebsiteAn absolutely incredible video editing suite. It's free version has very few limitations.
WebsiteI use Ableton live along with several VSTs for all of my audio production.
WebsiteHere's some smaller bits of software that I find useful:
System Color Picker DaisyDisk Gifski Handbrake ImHex Jellyfin Mac Mouse Fix Maccy MIDI Monitor Moonlight Sunshine OpenSCAD Rectangle Screen Studio Soundsource Syncthing Typeface 3 iTerm2 PrusaSlicerMy newest guitar and one of my favorite guitar designs ever. It's an unusual but incredible instrument, the weight is different from any other guitar I've played and the sound is really versatile. Mine has been modified with a custom pink mirror acrylic pickguard and pink 3d-printed knobs. It also sports a custom mermaid strap from Bansai8 Creations.
WebsiteMy oldest guitar and the one that feels the most like home to me. It's one of those Mexican Fenders that exceeds all expectations. It has been modified with texas special pickups and Gotoh SD91MG-T locking tuners.
Reverb listingsMy one and only bass. While my best friend always preferred the feel of a Precision Bass, I've always loved the different feel of the Jazz. This bass is currently unmodified.
Reverb listingsMy acoustic is a bit unusual - Taylor's 12-fret series has the neck meet the body at the 12th fret instead of the usual 14th. This has a huge impact on the sound and feel of the guitar. I personally really love the feel of it - it reminds me of the shorter-scale Jaguar that I used to tour with. No modifications to this masterpiece.
WebsiteA wonderful electric piano that sounds even better than it looks. It punches way above its price range and features some really fantastic piano sounds.
WebsiteEvery musician has their preferences, but here's a few of mine, starting with strings:
Ernie Ball 2221 Regular Slinky electric strings Fender Super 250L electric strings D'Addario EJ40 acoustic strings Fender 9050M flatwound bass stringsPicks:
Ernie Ball Everlast picks (0.6mmm) Fender 351 celluloid picks (light/medium)Cables:
Fender instrument cables Lava Retro Coil instrument cables Hosa audio cablesAccessories:
Korg CA-2 chromatic tuner Kyser quick-change capo Fender strap blocks Dunlop Formula 65 cleaner F-ONE oil Fender string winder Original Fuzz guitar straps Bansai8 Creations guitar strapsThe classic Blues Junior has been the foundation of my sound since 2010. This is actually my second one - the first caught on fire on stage. This one has been modified in quite a few ways! I've swapped one of the pre-amp tubes for a quieter 12AY7, completely re-covered it in teal Tolex, installed custom mint chicken head knobs, installed a Weber 12F150 speaker, and gave it a Weber MiniMASS attenuator.
Reverb listingsMy pedalboard is one I constructed myself from laser-cut plywood and scrap palette wood. It's powered by an internal Vitoos AD10S-SV4 power supply.
I don't keep all of my pedals on my board at a time, but here's all of the ones I currently have:
MXR Sugar Drive MXR Dyna Comp MXR Carbon Copy MXR Bass DI+ MXR Smart Gate TC Electronic Polytune 2 OBNE Screen Violence ZVEX Box of Rock Red Witch Empress Chorus Dunlop Cry Baby JHS Lucky Cat Winterbloom Coupling Constant (buffer) Winterbloom Black Sheep (fuzz)Where would I be without my MIDI controllers? A girl needs keys to press and faders to fade.
Arturia KeyStep Custom Paradise MIDI Keyboard ROLI Lumi Keys Ableton Push 2I know that you probably expect me to own more synthesizers than this, but I promise this is plenty!
Roland JU-06A Twisted Electrons MegaFM Kasser Synths DAFMI have too many Eurorack modules. Help.
Arturia RackBrute 6U 4ms Pod 64X After Later Audio DVCA ALM/Busy Circuits Tangle Quartet Electrosmith patch.Init() Erica Synths Pico DSP Erica Synths Pico Mixer Erica Synths Pico VCO Intellijel uVCF Make Noise Rosie Mordax DATA Mutable Instruments Blades Mutable Instruments Kinks Mutable Instruments Links Mutable Instruments Plaits Mutable Instruments Rings Mutable Instruments Shades Mutable Instruments Blinds Mutable Instruments Stages Noise Engineering Desmodus Versio Noise Engineering Loquelic Iteritas (Pink) Noise Engineering Viol Ruina Pittsburgh Modular Lifeforms ADSR System80 Jove TipTop Audio Forbidden Planet Wesley Mauk HardG Winterbloom Big Honking Button Winterbloom Binary Star Winterbloom Castor & Pollux II Winterbloom Helium Winterbloom Micronova Winterbloom Neptune Winterbloom Speak to Me SSF DPLRMy one and only camera. The α6500 is fantastic for my needs. I use it for indoor & outdoor shots and I use it extensively for taking video. It can shoot in 4k and has built-in optical image stabilization. It's a wonderful camera and you can generally find others in the α6000 series used for very reasonable prices.
I carry mine using an Original Fuzz camera strap.
WebsiteSince I largely take photos and videos of electronics, my lens selections reflect that. Outside of the workshop, I am very partial to the SEL35F18 35mm lens and it almost never leaves my camera.
Sony SEL35F18 35mm F/1.8 prime lens Sony SEL18135 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6 zoom lens TTArtisan 40mm f/2.8 macro lens Meike extension tubes Nisha 52mm close-up lens setThe Sony batteries and AC adapters are absurdly expensive. I use these alternatives:
Gonine AC-PW20 AC adapter SmallRig NP-FW50 batteries and chargerA tiny, high-quality camera-mounted shotgun microphone and the easiest way to get decent audio with my camera.
WebsiteAbsolutely critical for using my camera for livestreaming and recording videos through OBS.
WebsiteThis is my primary soldering iron. It's pricey, but it's extremely wonderful to use. There's newer models that are even fancier!
I primarily use the C245729, C245785, C245943, C245041 cartridges.
WebsiteAn automatic desoldering station beats the pants off those goofy little hand pump solder suckers, and this one is extremely affordable. I mostly use this when working with restoring vintage electronics, so I haven't really put it through its paces with lead-free solder. A bonus is that it's easy to pick up a replacement desoldering tool in case you manage the break the one that comes with it, which I did! (It was entirely my fault)
WebsiteThis is a simple, affordable, and reliable hot air rework station. While it can be a bit unwieldy to use because of the thick hose, I don't see myself wanting a different one any time soon.
AdafruitThese adorable little bastards are incredibly useful for reworking surface mount components. The smaller MHP30 heats up in no time at all, while the bigger MHP50 is great for dealing with bigger components. Please be careful when using these, as I now have a lovely scar from burning myself on one.
MHP30 MHP50Not all soldering fumes are toxic, but none of them are good for you. This little carbon filtered fan is a good way to get fumes out of your pathway and a small price to pay for your health. I'm likely going to upgrade to a more specialized fume extraction system soon.
AmazonYour eyes are priceless, but with only $10 you can protect them all kinds of nonsense. Even if you wear glasses, solder spattering or flux splatter can mess you up! These are pretty comfortable and fit well over my glasses, and they do a great job of protecting my eyes from smoke and anything that goes flying!
AmazonI can't live without this. It's a heavy (I mean heavy) vise that holds your PCBs while you work on them. It's one of my all-time favorite tools. 10/10. Go buy one now.
WebsiteAn okay enough monocular microscope that has a built-in screen and HDMI output. The built-in screen is pretty bad, but the HDMI output is pretty solid. There's definitely better microscopes these days!
WebsiteThe difference between cheap solder and decent solder is huge. Kester is some of the best around and I'm a really big fan of their K100LD alloy (based on the SN100C alloy)
Their 275 no clean and 331 water soluble fluxes are my favorite. 275 no clean 331 water solubleNothing beats this paste. It's so beyond every other paste on the market it's not even close. You can leave this open in the middle of the desert for 6 months and it would still reflow like magic.
Techni-toolSometimes you need just a little more oomph, and this light no clean flux is my go-to when working with surface mount stuff. You can get it in pen form and bottle form, and while I like the pen, I've gotten into the habit of using a small syringe to dispense it instead.
Pen RefillWhen the going gets tough, nothing beats really good rosin flux. This flux has never failed me, and it's a godsend when working on vintage stuff. Like all rosin fluxes, it's pain to clean but damn is it good.
WebsiteDid you know that solder wick doesn't have to suck? I didn't either until I discovered good wick, and holy crap, this is good stuff. It's so easy to use and so good at cleaning up and removing solder that it's now an indispensible part of my kit.
Rosin fluxed No-clean fluxedIf you solder, you abuse your side cutters. That's just life. Keep those abused ones around for hacking at your mistakes, but get a pair of these babies for that clean, precise work that you show off to your friends.
AmazonIf you're like me, you have a graveyard of cheap tweezers that are mangled and destroyed beyond belief. However, if you find yourself placing or reworking surface mount components, a really good set of tweezers is your best friend. These are that set. They're fantastic.
WebsiteMG Chemicals has a fantastic array of electronics cleaning products in both aerosol and liquid form. I use the ones listed below, and the hog hair brush is the absolute best thing at removing rosin flux!
Safety Wash II - aerosol plastic safe flux remover and board cleaner Super Wash - aerosol fast drying cleaner Safety Wash - liquid flux remover and cleaner Hog hair cleaning brushDeoxIT is the gold standard for cleaning contacts and is especially effective for working on vintage electronics. The specially formulated fader cleaner and fader grease are also excellent for dealing with electromechanical components.
D-Series cleaner Fader cleaner Fader greaseAn affordable four channel 100MHz oscilloscope. More than enough for my needs- which is mostly audio with the occasional need to debug SPI and I2C buses, which this can decode. I also use this for automated testing using VISA, though this scope definitely has some issues with its VISA implementation.
WebsiteA three channel bench power supply. Two of the channels can be configured in serial or parallel - super useful for generating the +12v and -12v I need for developing Eurorack modules.
WebsiteA 6½-digit programmable bench multimeter. This ridiculous beast is mostly used to calibrate the 16-bit precision DACs that I use in some of my Eurorack modules. My handheld meter gets more day-to-day use.
WebsiteMy handheld multimeter sees daily use and I can't remember the last time I changed the battery. Fluke makes amazing test equipment and I can't recommend this meter enough.
WebsiteA surprisingly solid two-channel signal generator for cheap. It's been going strong since I got it, no complaints!
WebsiteA thermal camera is basically a superpower for debugging electronics- the thing that's way too hot is probably a problem! I evaluated several budget options, but decided to go with the leading brand because frankly they're hard to beat.
Website