Wondering what’s in my mobile kit? Here’s a quick list!
Laptop – Dell XPS 13 (affiliate link*) – I’ve had this laptop for right at two years now (as of February 10, 2020) and it’s fantastic. Very light, about the size of a sheet of paper, and powerful enough for me to edit photographs using Adobe Lightroom. My only complaint about it is that it doesn’t have an HDMI output, but that was easily remedied by purchasing a USB-C adaptor.
External Hard Drive – Western Digital Elements USB Hard Drive (affiliate link*) – this links to a 4TB model, rather than the 2TB I have) – Rather than storing my raw photos on my laptop’s internal solid state drive, I keep them here. It’s a tough drive, and I’ve been using my 2TB drive for longer than I’ve had the laptop (which probably means I should replace it soon!).
Portable Mixer – Beringer Xenyx Q802USB (affiliate link*) – A fantastic portable mixer that has two XLR inputs with phantom power, three-way equalizers and compression for each channel, and a USB output. I love this mixer!
Microphone #1 – Samson Go Mic (affiliate link*) – A great little portable microphone with both USB and 1/8″ (mini) outputs. You can select either unidirectional or omnidirectional pickup. Works very nicely for recording audio from multiple persons, or oral history interviews. Since it has dual outputs, I can use it either on its own (just with my laptop) or with the Q802USB mixer.
Microphone #2 – Samson Q2U XLR/USB Microphone (affiliate link*) – This one is unidirectional and is larger than the Go Mic, but like the Go Mic has two outputs: USB and XLR. Since it has dual outputs, I can use it either on its own (just with my laptop) or with the Q802USB mixer.
Headphones – MPow H2 Bluetooth Over-the-Ear Headphones (affiliate link*) – I’ve had these for about a year and I absolutely love them. They are super comfortable, and the sound is very good for the price. The Bluetooth connection means I can wander around and keep listening to whatever I’m listening to without worrying about the length of the cable, or tripping over it. The battery life is phenomenal (I can go a week without charging them), and if I happen to need to use them the “old-fashioned” way, I can connect them with a 1/8″ mini cable.
* If you purchase one of the linked items after clicking on one of the affiliate links, I will be paid a small commission by Amazon at no additional cost to you.