Gear

Kits

Inventory

Computers

  • 2007 MacBook Pro 2,2
    • Sold on 9/2015. Firewire ports starting acting buggy when recording (overheating issue), SSD compatibility was also limited
    • Specs
      • 15.4” Matte Screen
      • 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
      • ATI Radeon X1600 128 MB
  • 2012 MacBook Pro 9,1
    • This is the main workhorse and road warrior. Only limitation of this guy is the 1 thunderbolt port
    • Specs
      • 15.4” Matte Screen
      • 2.6 GHz Quad Core Intel Core i7
      • NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB - realized from the first MBP that GPU memory is well worth the investment
      • 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
      • 1TB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
      • One Thunderbolt 2 port, 2 USB 3.0 ports
  • 2014 MacBook Air 6,2
    • “Everything else” laptop, for checking YouTube streams, notes, etc.
    • Specs
      • 13.3” Screen
      • 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7
      • Intel HD Graphics 5000
      • (2) USB 3.0, (1) Thunderbolt, (1) SD Card, Headphone Out
  • 2011 iMac 11,2
    • This machine is ideal for ProRes multicam editing and AE renders, but is far slower than the 2012 MBP for final H264 renders
    • Specs
      • 27” Screen
      • 2.7 Ghz Quad Core Intel Core i5
      • Two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports
      • AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
      • 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM (upgraded after)

Hardware

  • Sony HDR-FX7 HDV 1080i camera
    • Really great for well lit venues, 20x optical zoom
    • 15’ Firewire cable to record to disk rather than MiniDV tapes
    • Still used for livestreaming and/or a zoomed out B cam shot, because the quality loss is less noticeable
    • Reds are a little dark
    • 3.6 lbs
  • Sony FDR-AX100 4K camera
    • Large 1” sensor, fantastic quality color with great low light tolerance
    • 12x optical zoom, 18x “Clear Image Zoom” at 4K (but cannot do face detection then)
    • Unable to pipe 4K via HDMI while recording to SD card, so have to switch to HD when doing live stream + recording. Bandwidth issues I assume.
    • In 4K mode the camera doesn’t zoom in as far as in 1080 HD mode—it’s using the same sensor.
    • No built-in histogram viewer (feed HDMI to your own scopes, see below)
    • 1.7 lbs
  • JuicedLink CX231
    • To feed mic/line level XLR inputs into the camera directly as a 3.5” mic stereo input
    • JuicedLink has since gone out of business, possible reasons
    • After about eigh years this has developed some noise floor problems, looking to replace
  • Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder Thunderbolt
    • Used as HDMI input for live streams
    • Also used to check cameras for proper exposure, using ScopeBox
    • Thunderbolt endpoint, cannot daisy chain (maybe some technical bandwidth limitation)
  • Blackmagic Intensity Pro Shuttle USB 3.0
    • Provides additional composite and component input for capturing from older VHS tapes, etc. for archiving footage
    • Can also be used as an additional HDMI input for live streams/scopes
    • Just wish it had a power LED
  • Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod
    • I love how this fits inside one of my old Samsonite carry on suitcases
  • Manfrotto 290 Tripod MT294A3
    • This newer model is slightly longer/taller than the 190XPROB and doesn’t fit inside a carry-on
  • Manfrotto 701HDV Pro Mini Fluid Head
    • Smaller, lighter fluid head
    • 8.8 lbs capacity, fixed counter-balance spring @ 3.3 lbs
  • Manfrotto MVH502AH Pro Fluid Head
    • Heavier fluid head
    • 15.4 lbs capacity, fixed counter-balance spring @ 8.8 lbs
    • Large plate that prevents camera from tipping when various shoes are attached
  • (2) Manfrotto 519LV Telescoping Pan Handle
  • (1) Manfrotto 502HLV Pan Bar
  • PNY Elite Performance Class 10, 95 MB/s SD Cards: (2) 128 GB, (2) 64 GB (for XAVC-S video)
  • Transcend 32 GB SD card (came with Sony AX100 but not fast enough for XAVC-S)
  • Samson S-convert -10dBV to +4dBu Converter
    • Perfect for plugging laptop/iPhone sound into a mic send
  • (4) Harrison FMOD 12dB Inline RCA Attenuator 900087
    • These RCA attenuators are vital for recording off prosumer -10dB REC/TAPE OUT feeds from a mixer into a portable audio recorder like the Zoom H1. Otherwise, transients in the 0-12dB range on the mixer will not have enough headroom to record
  • X-Rite Color Checker Passport Video
  • X-Rite Color Checker Classic
    • Comes with a nice large white balance card too
  • VariZoom VZ-Rock
    • Absolute must for smooth zooms and pans
    • This connects directly in the Sony FX7 but requires additional adapters for the Sony AX100

Software

Current Rig
  • Final Cut Pro X
  • Compressor 4.4
  • Adobe After Effects CC
  • Motion 5
  • ScopeBox
  • EditReady
  • Plugins
    • Color Finale 2
    • Neat Video
    • Lock and Load X
    • Frames and Instant 4K (Red Giant)
  • CinePlay and Cut Notes (Digital Rebellion)
  • Better Rename 9
  • CopyQueue
  • Play Memories Home
  • Rclone
First Rig (circa 2010)
  • Final Cut Pro 7
  • Compressor 3
  • DVD Studio Pro
  • Motion 4
  • ClipWrap
  • MPEG Streamclip
  • Pixelmator
  • Disc Cover 3
  • Wirecast 6