Inside My Gear Cabinet: Cameras, Headphones & Creator Tools
I realized I’d never shown you my gear cabinet—the place I reach for when it’s time to produce content. It brings together equipment I’ve collected over years of DJing, music production, photography, video work, and content creation. Some of it is new, and a lot of it has been with me for years.
Sony A7 IV: a better fit for video
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The Sony A7 IV (paid link) has earned its spot because my primary work is video, with photography second. My A7R III was excellent for high-resolution photos, but its larger image files and video focusing limitations weren’t the best fit for how I work. The A7 IV gives me smaller photo files that still look great, along with video results I’m happier with.
In my studio setup, connecting an external monitor to the A7R III meant losing the eye tracking I relied on. Sometimes focus missed where I wanted it. I’d leave the monitor disconnected to keep that feature working. With the A7 IV, I can use the monitor and retain the autofocus features I need.
Now I trust the camera to keep me in focus. The monitor is mainly there to check the product I’m presenting and its exposure—especially when a white box catches the key light. That’s a much better fit for filming on my own.
VSX: mixes that translate
I’ve never had the budget for a properly treated studio room. Slate Audio VSX (paid link) gives me a virtual studio listening environment in headphones, and it’s helped me get mixes that translate. Before, vocals that sounded right in headphones wouldn’t sit the same way in the car or on my home system. The mix didn’t feel glued together. With VSX, I’m getting results where the vocals and instruments feel like one cohesive mix, even when I mix elsewhere.
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO: keeping it for what’s next
The ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (paid link) gets the least use now, but it earned its place on a previous production. I used its synced ISO recordings to cut editing time on multicamera shoots, and its green screen capabilities for a gaming livestream overlay. That production ended, so it sees less use. I still consider it solid gear worth keeping for future projects.
Take a look inside
If there’s a piece of gear here you’d like me to talk about, let me know in the comments on the gear cabinet tour. I’d be happy to discuss it or give it a deeper video.