Stuff I Use (and Like)

This page was last updated on: July 11, 2024

I like gadgets – a lot. And not just electronic gadgets. I’m often experimenting with new apps, mouthpieces, and productivity systems.

One of the side effects of being “the gadget guy”, though, is that I’m constantly being asked about things that I recommend. I also enjoy writing and talking about these things, so I thought consolidating some of my thoughts in one place may be more useful than answering dozens of emails!

To that end, I’ve decided to put together this page as a sort of “living document” for products and services that I both use and recommend.

I’ll confess up front that I’m no Wirecutter – while I do have strong opinions about some of the tech and music things on this page, I haven’t been through exhaustive tests on all these products and their competitors.

That being said, if you have any recommendations for me to try out, I would love to hear them! You can post a comment at the bottom of the page, or contact me here.

Here’s a table of contents for things on this page.

• Horn/Music Equipment
  • Instruments/Mouthpiece/Accessories
  • Digital Music Equipment
• Technology
  • Computer Equipment
  • Portable Devices
  • Audio
• Apps
  • Music Apps
  • Productivity Apps
  • Health Apps
  • Misc Apps
• Home Items

Music Equipment

Instruments, Mouthpieces, and Accessories

I mainly play one of two Paxman instruments. They were both made within a few months of each other in the 1990s. The 75M (full triple) is a great horn but quite heavy, while the 25M (full double) is much lighter and easier to hold off the leg.

Starting in December of 2023, I have primarily been playing on an Englebert Schmid triple horn in F/Bb/Eb.

I first began considering switching during the middle of 2023. I was playing quite a bit (subbing with the Louisville Orchestra quite a bit and playing 3 weeks of Wicked (8 shows per week), along with regular practice, teaching and my regular orchestra/brass quintet gigs), and the weight of the 75M was getting to be very uncomfortable.

I did love the instrument’s sound and playing characteristics (I have kept my Paxman 25M double), but it got to be uncomfortable for me. I know there are ergonomic and posture changes that I need to make (not only for horn playing, but in general), but it got to be that I was literally dreading picking up the horn, and that was not a sustainable path for me.

I will probably write up a full blog post about this some day, but it’s worth saying that for me the Schmid is a very enjoyable instrument. There have definitely been challenges in learning how to play it from day-to-day, but there have been numerous times when I am playing and I am just having a lot of fun, and not overly worried about technical considerations.

I also have an Alexander single F alto horn that doesn’t get a lot of use, since it’s such a specialty instrument, and since the Eb alto side of the Schmid works so well.

My secret shame (not so secret anymore) is that I also own a mellophone (a very old model made by King) and a Yamaha marching Bb horn that I use for certain tunes with my brass group, Small Batch Brass.

While my mouthpiece choice can go through periods of instability, I mostly gravitate to a Houser H3 for the 75M and a San Francisco cup for the 25M. I use both of these cups with a Houser H1 rim (stainless) with an 18mm inner diameter. I also use an old Moosewood RB12 (I think this is a Roland Berger model, but I may be mistaken) from time to time. It’s not quite as easy to play as the Houser cups, but I really like the sound I get out of it. Since Moosewood pieces are now made Atkinson, I don’t know if they have that model on file. I hope so!

For the Schmid, I have been through quite a lot of mouthpieces to try and find something that works well. The Schmid – in general – seems to work better with deeper, more V-shaped cups (as opposed to bowl, U-shaped cups). Right now I’m using a Houser JL-12 with a Gail Williams 18.5mm rim.

I primarily use Hetman lubricants, although I do make a 50/50 split of lamp oil and Blue Juice for the inside of my rotors. I also use a snake and some Spitballs to keep my horns as clean as possible on the inside. I have a complete guide to some basic horn maintenance here.

Due to Hetman (apparently) going out of business, I have switched some of my lubrication needs to Meinlschmidt. It seems that the number system is the same between the two oils, so you can switch easily. I think the formulation is similar – I haven’t had any issues mixing and match the oils and greases.

I carry my horn in a fantastic Wiseman case, and I have numerous smaller bags/pouches to carry accessories. Including:

• Belroy Pencil Pouch
• Custom-made Messina Covers mouthpiece cases (in multiple sizes)

Digital Music

I’m a big proponent of digital solutions for music, and I’ve written about digital music readers many times.

• Original Digital Music Reader Guide (2017)
• Digital Music Reader Buying Guide Update (2019)
• The iPad Air as a Digital Music Reader (2020)
• All my Digital Music Reader Content

Currently, I’m using an 11-inch iPad Pro with ForScore (and an Apple Pencil) as my digital music reader of choice. I switched from my Chromebook mainly due to the poor support that so many physical products sold by Google suffer from. The iPad was more expensive, but everything works very smoothly, and I’m not encountering some of the weirdness that I did while using a Chromebook as a tablet.

Other music-related apps include TonalEnergy (my favorite tuner, metronome, and recorder (I reviewed it here)), MusicScanner (for easily getting music into PDF form), and BetterEars as an ear training aid.

I can use the iPad with my tablet holder and low-profile folding music stand quite easily (the stand and an older tablet holder are reviewed here). I also have a traditional Manhasset music stand and a very small folding stand that I keep in my car for emergencies. We also have a heavier-duty Peak folding music stand that my wife uses.

I have lately become a big fan of Peak Design products – I carry most of my music supplies (for gigs or teaching) in either a Peak Design Everyday Tote or a Peak Design Messenger Bag.

Technology

After some bad experiences with a Google Nexus phone, Google’s customer support, and Microsoft’s dicey track record with Windows updates, I switched over to using mostly Mac/iOS devices in early 2019.

Computer(s)

It wasn’t great timing from an Apple computer perspective.

The 2016-2020 laptops were not good, and the Mac mini went way too long with outdated internals. Since the new devices weren’t great, I actually bought a 2015 MacBook Pro (in 2018), and used that as my primary Mac until late 2020.

As a testament to the long-term build quality of Macs, I’m still using that computer regularly, and aside from limited storage space, it’s still working quite well. After the 2015 model died in the summer of 2022, I replaced it with an M1 MacBook Pro.

While I love my MacBook Pro (and if you need the port flexibility, I highly recommend it), since you can now get the MacBook Air in 2 different screen sizes (MacBook Air 13.6 and MacBook Air 15.3) , I think that’s the best Mac for most people.

In early 2021, I added an M1 Mac Mini desktop, and it’s also fantastic. I also use a Dell U2415 monitor.

As I said before, if you’re in the market for Mac, this (early 2021) is a weird time. It’s unusual that the fastest and most battery-efficient models are at the bottom of Apple’s price points, but that’s how it is right now. If you need a small Macbook or a good all-around, small-form Mac desktop, this is a good time to buy.

For accessories, I use a Logitech MX Master 2S mouse and a Keychron K8 wireless mechanical keyboard. I also use a basic USB hub with my Mac Mini to give it some more standard USB-A ports. I don’t have much need for Thunderbolt 3 (or 4) at the moment.

Portable Technology

I’m still using (and enjoying) my iPhone 8. I bought it shortly after it came out, and it’s been a champ. I’ve had the battery replaced once, and would be fine doing that again to keep it going. My hope is to use it for the entire 5-year period that Apple offers software support for it. (If you’re looking for something with a comparable form factor, I recommend the new iPhone SE – it’s the same iPhone 8 form factor but with the internals of an iPhone 11, which means it will stay up-to-date for a few years longer than the 8).

I replaced the iPhone 8 with the iPhone 14 Pro in late 2022. I was hesitant to go for the “Pro” model, but the longevity of the iPhone 8, combined with the much-improved camera(s) convinced me to make the investment. I hope I get 5+ years out of this phone, too!

When going digital for music, one consideration to keep in mind is that you’ll need to have at least a few cables and power supplies on hand.

I use a Peak Design pouch to carry all my batteries, chargers, and cables. This pouch fits nicely in my bag, and I find all of Peak’s products are very well-designed and appear to be made to last. Inside the pouch, I have all manner of cables, batteries, and chargers. Some of the more useful items are my Anker PowerCore battery pack, my Anker multi-port USB chargern, many (Anker) cables, and a small Anker Qi charger. Having the battery pack and the multi-port charger are two things that have saved me (and some others) on quite a few occasions!

At home, I have several of these Anker Qi-charging stands scattered throughout our house, so I can easily charge my phone wherever I am. I still use these, but at night I use a Belkin 3-in-1 charger for my phone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. It’s overkill, but nice!

I started doing most of my reading on a Kindle Paperwhite a couple of years ago, and I find it very nice to give my eyes a break at night (or just after doing a few hours of Zoom teaching).

Audio

Over the past year, teaching online has gone from special one-off lessons for students far away to a daily occurrence.

For online teaching, I use my Zoom H4n as a computer microphone and I listen through inexpensive-but-surprisingly-good Anker over-the-ear headphones. I don’t use the over-the-ear headphones anymore. I found that long bouts of wearing them made my ears sweaty and gave me a headache. So now I primarily use my AirPod Pros for teaching. I also use a Logitech webcam and a wide variety of online video software.

For other listening (while doing dishes, cleaning, working out, etc), I usually will use my AirPod Pros or some Anker Bluetooth headphones, depending on whichever is nearby.

Apps

One of the things I’ve been focused on over the past few months is reducing the number of apps (especially subscription apps) that I use.

Not only does this help my wallet, but carefully considering and using a few apps makes it easier (and far more likely) for me to actually get work done.

Apps for Music

I think I’ve already covered all the apps I use for music practice. They are:

• TonalEnergy
• ForScore
• Music Scanner
• BetterEars

That pretty much covers all that I need.

Apps for Productivity

• GoodTasks: For one-off or recurring reminders. It hooks into Apple’s built-in reminders system, which means that timed/dated tasks show up in my calendar (if I choose).
• BusyCal: For both macOS and iOS. I was using (and loving) Fantastical, but they moved to a $60/year subscription that I couldn’t justify for a calendar app. The iOS version of BusyCal is fine, but the Mac app is great.
• NotePlan3(iOS/macOS) and Obsidian(PC/Linux/Mac): For general writing. This app lets me write down notes about the day, keep track of projects and ideas that I’m working on, and link notes/ideas (using a Zettlekasten-like method) that may be related to each other. Very effective for trying to connect ideas together.
• Trello: Where I track the progress of long-term projects. Trello has a simple interface, but there’s a lot of power and functionality buried beneath the surface. I find that this kind of UI helps me spend less time fighting the tool and more time actually using it to get work done. I have moved much of my task management for long-term project planning to NotePlan.
• Notion: While I used to use Notion for a lot of things, now I mainly use it to keep track of lesson plans/student progress. It’s slow and cumbersome, but the database features make it hard to replace in this area (at least for now). I have also switched to mainly using NotePlan to keep track of student lesson plans/progress. It’s not quite as nice as Notion in some ways, but I find it’s much faster (it’s just text) and I don’t have to worry about a poor internet connection or a web service going down.
• Toggl: For time tracking. I use this both to see how I’m spending my time over the course of a month and also to bill clients. The Timery iOS extension makes it much easier to automate using the iOS Shortcuts app.

Apps for Health

• FoodNoms: For tracking calories. It’s just fun and feature-filled enough to keep me doing it.
• Fasta: I do intermittent fasting, which basically just amounts to skipping breakfast. This app helps me keep track of when I start and how long I’ve fasted. I used to use the Zero app, but its data collection seems a bit extreme. Fasta is much more reasonable.
• GymBook: For keeping track of my progress during workouts.
• AutoSleep: For tracking my sleep. Ever since reading Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep, I’ve been a lot more proactive about tracking (and getting) enough rest every night.

Other Apps

• You Need a Budget: Also called YNAB, this is one of my most-used and favorite apps. While the app is slick and easy to use, it’s the philosophy behind the software that makes it so effective. If you want a free trial (and a free month after the trial) use my link and we both get a free month!
• InoReader: This is part productivity, part entertainment, and part avoiding the bubble of Facebook. InoReader is an RSS reader – basically you “subscribe” to multiple websites and anytime they post something new you can see (and read) it all in one place. This was another subscription I eliminated. I now use the Reeder app on my iPhone/iPad/Mac. Similar functionality and no recurring subscription cost!
• Overcast: My podcast app of choice. There are many choices, but I find this one both easy-to-use and aesthetically pleasing. It also helps that it’s created and managed by a long-time Apple guy.
• Carrot Weather: A great-looking and very flexible weather app with a personality.
• 1Password or BitWarden: The need for secure passwords essentially means that every single account needs long, unique passwords with maximum randomness. The days of having of reusing passwords (or having a “base” password that is customized) should be long over. With LastPass losing almost all its credibility at the end of 2022, either of these password managers will do.

Home Items

Early in the 2020 pandemic, we had constant wireless internet issues. We eventually figured out that the problem was our WiFi router. To replace it we (really, me) decided to go for a bit of overkill – a UniFi Dream Machine router/access point with another UniFi Flex-HD as a remote access point.

I’m wary about IoT devices, but I do have a few in our house. I like to stick to bigger-name brands since they are more likely to be secure and updated if security vulnerabilities are found. I use Hue and Weemo devices primarily. They are definitely more expensive than some products you can find on Amazon, but I have zero confidence that any of those inexpensive devices will get a security fix when (not if) a security flaw is discovered.

Additional home technology includes a Synology NAS as a media server and local file server. We watch local media (mainly movies ripped from DVDs) via Plex on either our phones or our Rokus.

I like(need) to stay caffeinated. One of my favorite ways to make coffee is with an AeroPress. It’s relatively inexpensive but you can make a lot of different styles of coffee with just an AeroPress and some recipes. You will need a kettle, though, and I use this one.

Travel

Since the pandemic, gigs have picked back up again. Since I do a lot freelancing, I am traveling often at least once every month or two. Right now, here’s my packing situation:

• Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L
• Peak Design Wash Pouch
• Peak Design Tech Pouch
• Gonex Compression Packing Cubes
• A cheap hanging bag for a tux/dress clothes.

Like I mentioned before, I am a big fan of Peak Design products.

The backpack can fit enough clothes (in packing cubes) for 2 or 3 days easily, along with the pouches for toiletries and chargers. My laptop also fits in the backpack, and my iPad can go either in the backpack or in my case.

This means I only have a single bag (plus the hanging bag) for traveling, which makes checking into/out of the hotel easily. The backpack is quite versatile – if I want to walk around with just my laptop/essentials to do some work, I can take out the cubes of clothes and toiletries and compress the backpack down to be a little bit smaller and more inconspicuous.