30+ years testing tech, working the trade show floor, and running my own studio. This is what stays on the shelf — the gear, tools, books, and places worth your time. Nothing here is here by accident.
The picks I've been recommending most in DMs, on calls, and to friends this week. Rotates as things change.
The mic that finally made me retire my SM7B. Built-in preamp means one less box in the signal chain — no more Cloudlifter to plug in.
32 keys. Every scene switch, every effect trigger, every VO drop. Hardwired to Ecamm. Never going back.
The signal light in my studio. On-air status, current show, live viewer count. Feels like magic every time it flips.
Ran mine hard for 3 months. Quality is Prusa-tier at a fraction of the price. Actually the printer I recommend to newcomers now.
Cameras, mics, capture, lighting. What runs when the ON AIR light is on.
The mic that finally made me retire my SM7B. Built-in preamp means one less box in the signal chain — no more Cloudlifter to plug in.
32 keys. Every scene switch, every effect trigger, every VO drop. Hardwired to Ecamm. Never going back.
The desk setup that survives 12-hour build sprints. Ergonomics, cable management, focus.
The workhorse. Handles 4K multi-cam Ecamm streams, dev builds, and Notion at the same time without breaking a sweat.
The signal light in my studio. On-air status, current show, live viewer count. Feels like magic every time it flips.
Ran mine hard for 3 months. Quality is Prusa-tier at a fraction of the price. Actually the printer I recommend to newcomers now.
Books that shaped how I think about tech, business, and craft. Non-fiction only. No airport-bookstore nonsense.
Andrew Chen. If you're building anything network-effect-driven, this is the map. I re-read parts of it every time I hit a growth wall.
Basecamp's product methodology. Changed how I scope my own build sprints — 6-week appetites, no roadmaps.
Software subscriptions worth paying for. Free tools that punch above their weight. What I actually use — not what's trending.
Every stream, every recording, every OBS-alternative recommendation ends here. Mac-native. Scene management that's actually usable.
Where TEK INTEL lives, where meeting prep lives, where The Shelf's database lives. Not for everyone, but I'm all-in.
Open-source Calendly alternative. Embeds cleanly on my own site — visitors book without leaving hicksnewmedia.com.