Skip to content
Influencer StackWhat the influencers actually use.
Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.Sound Devices

Sound Devices USBPRE2

Two-channel field and studio preamp that connects over USB

Two channels of microphone preamp and an audio interface in one portable box, built for location recording, with metering across the front panel and phantom power on both inputs. Owners talk about the preamps first and the durability second. It costs several times what a normal home interface does, which is why the people who own one rarely suggest it to anyone starting out.

Who backs it

Sorted by strength of stance

  • Stephen HackettDoes it

    Technology writer · 512 Pixels and Relay

    Signal goes from the microphone through a Rolls mute switch and into a Sound Devices USBPRE2. He calls the interface awesome and obscenely expensive in the same breath, and says he would not point most people at it.

    Source: 512 Pixels: My Gear

    “Remember when I said I couldn’t recommend my gear to most people? The USBPRE2 is awesome, but it is obscenely expensive.”

    512 Pixels: My Gear (opens in a new tab)

Aimed at the same thing

Other entries filed under productivity.

  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    Home gym

    A private training space at home, from a garage rack to a fully equipped room

    Backed by 7 of 62 stacks: 5 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    Kindle e-reader

    Amazon

    E-ink reader that makes a daily reading habit easy to keep

    Backed by 6 of 62 stacks: 6 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.

    MacBook Pro

    Apple

    Apple's laptop, used as the one machine that runs the talk and the studio

    Backed by 4 of 62 stacks: 4 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    Standing desk

    A desk that raises, so part of the working day happens on your feet

    Backed by 4 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

    iPad

    Apple

    Apple's tablet, used here as the device the reading app runs on

    Backed by 3 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
  • Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.

    Paper notebook

    A bound notebook for thinking on paper away from a screen

    Backed by 3 of 62 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it

Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.