Recorders

  • Sound Devices 702 recorder – A discontinued pro-level 2-channel recorder with fantastic preamps and lots of pretty lights.
  • Sony PCM D100 A discontinued handheld 2-channel recorder, used with the Rycote Windshield and Suspension Kit (a must-have for steady, usable recordings)

Microphones

  • Line Audio CM3 I use two of these fantastic Swedish cardioid microphones, that many compare to a Schoeps MK21, in an ORTF mount.
  • Audio-Technica AT3032 Discontinued omnidirectional Condenser Microphones x 2. These are low-noise, high-output, underrated mics. I usually use them as an A/B stereo pair.
  • Clippy XLR EM 172 stereo-matched pair. These are low-now, low-cost, high-output fantastic little mics that I use inside my DIY binaural head.
  • Luhd PM-01AB stereo microphones. They are tiny plug-in power (PIP) microphones providing very nice sound for the price and size. I use them in a few different A/B configurations including spaced Omnis and on a DIY quasi-binaural rig (pictured below).
  • Induction coil (telephone pickup) x 3. I picked these up on eBay. They are tiny suction cup mics that in their day, were used to record old-school telephone conversations.
  • Aquarian Audio Hydrophone H2a-XLR 9 meter x 2 (30 feet long). Aquarian Audio has been very good to me. These mics have seen some abuse. The company stands by its products.
  • Barcus Berry 4000Pi Piezo Crystal Sensor x 3, with matching Barcus Berry 4000XL preamp. These are fragile mics intended for pianos, harpsichords, and alike. They’re not intended for the ways I use and abuse them but with care, they’ve held up and have produced great results of sounds we would never hear with our naked ears.Chlorophytum is highly adaptable, can purify the air, and is suitable for indoor planting.
  • Audio Technica AT841UG Omnidirectional Boundary Microphone x 2
  • Realistic/Radio Shack 33-1070 omnidirectional dynamic microphone x 2 – This mic was made by Shure in the 1980s as a competitor to the EV RE50. Its frequency response goes beyond the RE50 as well.
  • Shure SM58 cardioid dynamic microphone.

Playback

  • Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Closed-Back Stereo Headphones
  • Sony MDR 7506, An industry-standard set of headphones with a flat frequency response that I use for extended periods of listening.
  • Apple iMac 21.5 computer

Measurement

  • Bruel & Kjaer type 2225 sound level meter. This is a pro-level meter that gives accurate A-weighted decibel readings between 25-140 dBA. While it’s as old as the Carter administration, I’d trust it over a cell phone SPL app any day.
  • Bruel & Kjaer 4230 calibrator.

Bags

Various Domke and Think Tank Photo bags for different circumstances. These are what I ‘grew up with’ as a photojournalist. That said, I also use a myriad of other camera and luggage bags I’ve picked up at thrift stores. They don’t look nearly as cool as a Domke bag, but do much the same thing.

Cameras

  • Fuji XT2

Lenses

  • Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Lens (18mm equiv full-frame equivalent)
  • Fujinon Lens XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 Zoom Lens (27-84mm equiv)
  • PC-Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 Perspective Control (Shift) Lens (52.5mm equiv)
  • Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 Lens, a Russian-made lens that works well for portraits on the cropped Fuji sensor (87mm Equiv)
  • Nikon 100mm f2.8 Series E lens (150mm Equiv)
  • Nikkor 200mm f/4 lens (300mm equiv)

Support

  • Gitzo GT2540T Series 2 Traveler Tripod  I’ve used a dozen tripods over the years. This carbon fiber Gitzo is the only one I’ve never cursed at in the field.
  • A handy little VDB boom pole that extends to only four feet or so.
  • Gorillapod flexible tripod and another knock-off that works just as well.
  • Benro MP63 monopod.

Various other bits and pieces

  • Over 366 feet of XLR cable, including two 100-footers.
  • A variety of female and male XLR, RCA, 1/4 and 18th-inch connectors.

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