u/MeSlaw3

Currently I have two desks in different locations, but I’ll be downsizing to just one in the near future.

Which setup works best aesthetically?

Any recommendations for a very nice webcam that follows you around like apple's Center Stage? I'm also hunting for an always-listening microphone that works with "Hey Siri", or at least will work great at hearing me once I activate dictation/siri with a keyboard shortcut. Strong background noise elimination is a must-have!)

16" Space Black MacBook Pro M5 Pro w/ Nano-Texture Display
Three Dell S2725QC monitors

White:
Magic Keyboard Mini w/ Touch ID
MX Master 4 for Mac (white/silver)
Magic Trackpad
Satechi Extended Numeric Keypad ❤️
Steelseries mouse pad
MoFT Tripod Stands
Anker thunderbolt cables

Black:
MX Keys Mini (black)
MX Master 4 (graphite)
Magic Trackpad
Chinese Amazon Extended NumPad 🤬
Insignia mousepad
MoFT Tripod stands
Dell's included cables

I’m just blown away by this thing.

Ultra-durable

Ultra-fast

Ultra-thin

Ultra-light

Ultra-sexy

I like to work outside or in exotic places, so I upgraded my work/play-from-anywhere rig this year to Nano-Texture Display devices. Hoping these tools will last me 7-10 years or more. I use them for running a private music school, and music directing for live performances.

Forgot to put the watches in the main pic so I pictured them separately 🤦‍♂️ 

The backpack and wallet were gifts from my wife, and are excellent. She rules!

Upgraded my work/play-from-anywhere rig this year. Hoping these tools will last me 7-10 years. I use them for running a private music school and music directing for live performances.

Forgot to put the watches in the main pic so I pictured them separately 🤦‍♂️

The backpack and wallet were gifts from my wife - I was skeptical when she told me she bought me a backpack because that’s something I thought I’d like to pick myself, but this backpack rules!

I just love the iPhone Air. I use two - one for work and one for personal.

Besides the M5 iPad Pro and the old iPod nano, the iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest product ever. Definitely their thinnest phone ever.

Do you like the iPhone Air? Is it worth the trade offs for the superior form factor?

Pictured:

Light Gold iPhone Air
Space Black iPhone Air
Space Black 13” M5 iPad Pro w/ Nano-Texture Display
Magic Keyboard

Pics taken with my wife’s iPhone 16 Plus lol shahtaht my wife!

Considering the Honey Peppermint Sandwhich. Is it any good?

What sauce should I get for my fries? Is the cheese dip worth it? They have it at my location.

Pictured: some Chicken Minis with Extra Honey Butter that I tried awhile ago after you good people on this sub recommended it to me. It delivered!

Thanks for your help!

I caved and added a Floor Tom, as many of you recommended. 3 drums and 2 cymbals felt unbalanced, so I added a China.

What’s your kit look like right now? I’d love to see it…😘

I’ve had the Light Gold iPhone Air since November ‘25.

I charge it all night every night on the Belkin 3-in-1 (the Apple exclusive one), or, when I fail to do that, with an Apple 60w or 240w cable and a 35w Apple dual charging brick at my desk, or my Car and Driver cigarette lighter-dual-USB C-and-A adapter (which does a lot of watts for how small it is if I remember correctly) in my car.

Also, caseless since 🚀!.. Kind of; I got it November ;)

The Space Black is a new addition, replacing a Mist Blue iPhone 17 as my work phone, which I’d also been using since November.

We have a ton of family visiting us right now, so I decided to (my wife insisted that I) make room for a bed in the music room to create another bedroom.

No problem babe! This’ll be fun ;)

From a 9 piece to a 2 piece lol. Played it yesterday and this morning, and I don’t miss a thing.

Anyone run a 2 piece regularly? My gigging back is getting ideas…

Can you guess mine? Lol

Zildjian K Custom Dark Collection

My first drum set ever was a Pearl Export kit that was gifted to me in third grade. The best part of that kit was a 14” K Custom Dark Crash. To this day, I’ve never heard of crash that I liked more. When I purchased my dream kit two decades later, I purchased a K Custom Dark Pack with it. That was around 2023.

I’m no cymbal collector, but over the last month or two I’ve been trying to collect one of each K Custom Dark that’s ever been made, including the discontinued ones.

I’ve also been on a years-long search for THE perfect China to add to my setup. I was never satisfied with any of the chinas I heard in various drum shops or online. I didn’t even know that there were chinas in the K Custom Dark line. When I learned recently about their existence, I haggled hard immediately for a used/discontinued 19” and a brand new 17”. Now that I have my first ever China cymbals in the room, I’m ending my search. They might not be my forever finisher chinas, but they are absolutely incredible sounding instruments.

The 15” Crash is the most recent arrival - it got here on Thursday! :D

Now I’m 3 crashes (17”, 19”, and 20”) and two Complex Rides (21” and 22”) away from owning one of each K Custom Dark cymbal Zildjian has ever produced. The crashes are easy to find at good prices… Anyone have a K Custom Dark Complex Ride they’d like to sell? lol

Splashes

8”, 10”, *12”

Hats

13”, 14”

Crashes

*14”, *15”, 16”, 18”

Chinas

17”, *19”

Rides

20”, 22”

* = discontinued

The M4/M5 iPad Pros are the thinnest products Apple has ever made, followed by the iPhone Air.

It’s just incredible that these super thin machines are so powerful.

Would you prefer a thicker device with better battery, or do you like your machines as thin as possible?

Pictured:

Space Black 13” M5 iPad Pro w/ Nano-Texture Display (1TB)
Magic Keyboard
Light Gold iPhone Air
Space Black iPhone Air

All 3 Zildjian K Custom Dark Splashes

8” Demo
10” Used
12” Used and Discontinued

All new to me :)

You’re all like “No big deal, just got a new bass”.

My turn:

NBD, just got a new (to me) Fender Aerodyne Special Jazz in Dolphin Gray. It’s my first bass!

My daughter’s into it, which is good because I’m a percussionist/drummer/singer/pianist. I’m gonna need someone who actually knows how to slap this thing.

Which color do you prefer?

Left: Space Black 16” M5 Pro w/ Nano-Texture

Right: Space Gray 16” M1 Pro

Photos taken with an iPhone Air

This month I built a custom cymbal pack featuring four K Cons, and omg these things sound better than I could have hoped. I haggled and negotiated my butt off for a week to get all these brand new cymbals at the prices I listed below, which include shipping and taxes. How’d I do?

14” Hats - $616
19” Crash/Ride $455
22” Bounce Ride $578 (Nate Smith’s fav)
22” Medium Thin High Ride $673 (my new fav ride)

Total: $2322

Feels good considering it would have cost $3163 at list price.

The Hats and Crash/Ride are the most perfect Hats and Crash/Ride I’ve ever heard. I see folks with the Medium Thin Low Ride, but I’ve never seen anyone playing the Medium Thin High - too bad, because this ride is one incredible instrument. I’m impressed that it’s musical enough for Jazz, but cuts high enough and has a sharp enough bell to deliver for classic Rock. It performed exceptionally well for the latter on my July 4th gig.

Show off your K Cons before the weekend?! :D

Had a dream gig last night playing a private party on a lake. 4 hours of classic rock covers, and peak July 4th vibes.

Comment with your July 4th setup?

This Zildjian K Constantinople Medium Thin High Ride arrived one day before the gig! America’s 250th was the perfect night and set for its debut. It’s an incredible-sounding instrument, and feels great to play. Highly recommend!

The people were friendly, dancing, and listening attentively - including the Reggae band that was setup on a second stage at the opposite end of the property and taking turns with us. Super cool cats.

Fireworks over the lake while we were playing, free drinks and food, strong pay, and an outstanding party. It was my second time playing with this band and they’re a fun group of people to play with!

The best part of the night was my wife, daughter, and in-laws coming out to celebrate and support. It was a highlight for me since moving here.

Happy Fourth of July! 🎆
______________

DW Collectors Series Pure Purpleheart custom drums with black nickel 9000 series hardware

22” Zildjian K Constantinople Medium Thin High Ride (my newest cymbal)

18” Istanbul Agop TRASH-hit 🙌🏼

14” Zildjian K Custom Dark Crash (my very first ever cymbal, and still one of my very favorite)

14” Zildjian K Constantinople Hi Hats 😍

This is how the box arrived. 💀 My heart jumped through my throat when I saw it!

Thank God the K Cons were undamaged. 😭

22” Zildjian K Constantinople Bounce Ride
14” Zildjian K Constantinople Hi Hats

Part of a larger K Con Pack I’m putting together that I’ll share once the final cymbal arrives :)

Got some new monitors to hold me over while I save up for two 27” Studio Display XDRs🤞🏼, and I’m having fun experimenting with my layout on my in-studio desk.

Which orientation do you think looks better/is more useful?

If you like vertical monitors, what do you use them for?

This isn’t my primary studio, but it is a place where I frequently practice piano or prep charts/tracks for live performances.

It’s a work in progress. I have risers on the way, but I’d love your recommendations for inexpensive 27” monitors I could add to this setup.

I’m saving up for two Studio Disolay XDRs for my main studio, so looking for something inexpensive that can do either 120hz at the highest possible resolution, or 60hz with very high PPI…. Idk, what do you recommend? Mainly wanting to upgrade from my old 27” Dell HD monitors that I’ve been using for way too long.

Work In Progress - This is my secondary WFH space.

I have risers on the way, and I’m saving up for two Studio Display XDRs for my main workspace - what are some great-looking cheaper monitors that I could get for this secondary space?

I’d love 2 27” monitors that can do 120hz, or maybe 60hz but really high PPI? Idk, just don’t want to spend much. What would you recommend?

Would you add anything else?