As you can tell already I love my portable-sized equipment, you never know when the inspiration may hit so it is best to have the right tools.

Check out my portable carry kit!

ZOOM H1N

I use the Zoom H1N and I love it. I debated a lot over various different models in the weeks leading up to my purchase. I saw some Tascam models and even felt like the H2 might have been the one but I am more than satisfied with the H1N. The H2 is microphone styled with a screen to read the level. The H1N is a more traditional handheld recorder. I often use it to record my own voice notes or I can leave it in the center of a table and record the room.

I take it everywhere with me and you have the option to purchase different accessories such as a wind muff and pop shield that pull over the microphone allowing you to tackle any situation. The H1N also has a 1/8th stereo in and out. You can monitor all your recordings directly with headphones and you have the option to connect an external device.

My favorite part is the USB interface, the H1N also acts as an interface on your computer. I find it much more convenient to work on the go rather than pulling out my Scarlett. The battery-powered recorder allows you to use the Bus Power option so when you are connected to the computer you do not have to worry about the H1 dying in the middle of your Airplane mixing session. The H1N also allows you to connect to your phone as an Aux Mic, perfect for anybody interested in vlogging or shooting movies on their phone.

Specs for the H1N

ORBA2

It all began with Youtube. I spend hours on Youtube watching the latest music gear review videos. I was watching one of my favorite Youtubers Taetro per usual, and in this particular video, he brought out the ORBA 2 the latest midi device from Artiphon.

I was obsessed and I watched and consumed everything to do with the Orba, I needed to know everything about it. I was extremely lucky to get to visit the Artiphon booth at NAMM. Such a lovely team of people explained how the Orba also pairs over Bluetooth with an Orba application allowing you to change and alter the sounds. 

The Orba offers a lot, way more than you would expect of a little orb. It consists of 8 pads which are all labeled. First four pads are instruments and the second four offer effects such as Looper. This comes in handy to record your own beats on the fly. You know I love my portable equipment!

Capacitive Touch Sensitive Pads: 8 Pads can be used with different gestures: Tap, Press, Vibrato, Radiate, Slide
Modulation and Controllers: Tilt, Spin, Shake, Bump, Move
Haptic Engine
Tactile feedback
Looper: Four-track midi looper
Modes: Four on-board modes: Drum, Bass, Chord, Lead

Bluetooth: Bluetooth LE MIDI

Speaker System: 3W built-in active speaker system

Companion App: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
System Requirements: Minimum System Version: iOS11, Android 9, Windows 10, MacOS 10.12

MONOTRON DELAY

The Monotron Delay is a monster pocket synth! This little guy comes with me everywhere. I can pair this with my ORBA2 or simply run samples through it for some filter effects.  I can even use the ribbon the create different transitions building up to the drops in my electronic music. Personally, it is a combo of my two favorite colors Black and Orange. It is quite small and a little fragile so I would recommend a case for this one. It runs on batteries which is awesome and it features two 1/8th-inch jacks one for an input and one for an output. It does have a small speaker installed so you can play with its functions and get an idea of which way you want it.

Synth structure: 1 VCO (Sawtooth Wave); 1 VCF; 1 LFO; DELAY
Switch: Standby / LFO Shape / LFO Shape
Knobs: LFO Rate, LFO Int., VCF Cutoff, Delay Time, Delay Feedback
Rear Panel Trimpot: LFO Shape
Controller: Wide Range Ribbon Controller
Audio Path: VCO, VCF, LFO
Knobs: VCO Pitch; LFO Rate; LFO Intensity; VCF Cutoff; VCF Peak
LFO Switch: Assignable to Oscillator Pitch or Filter Cutoff

Volume: Headphone Volume
Aux Input: 1/8-inch Stereo Jack
Headphone Output: 1/8-inch Stereo Jack
Speaker: Miniature internal; Disabled when headphones are in use.
Power Supply: AAA Alkalines (x2)
Dimensions: 120 mm (W) x 72 mm (D) x 28 mm (H) / 4.72" (W) x 2.83" (D) x 1.10" (H)