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Uses

A non-exhaustive but mostly exhaustive list of the hardware and software I use to run my business and digital life in general.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments at the bottom of the page or on Twitter. Most stuff doesn't have affiliate links included but some does.

Last updated: 2024-04-16

Current Desk View

Editor + Terminal

Desktop & Web Apps

  • I've used TextExpander for many years to keep shortcuts and address details I can't be bothered to remember in. But I'm weaning myself off TextExpander in favour of the previously mentioned Raycast.
  • For to do's and reminders, I use TickTick on macOS / iOS.
  • I write draft blog posts, meeting minutes, and track client work in Notion. It's steadily becoming my everything bucket.
  • I journal and track when my kid's are sick using Day One for macOS / iOS.
  • For group chatting, I use a combination of Slack and Discord - though I'm down to only 2 active Slack groups as more and more have moved to Discord.
  • Pixelmator Pro is my photo and graphic editor of choice. Worth every penny that I don't have to spend on a monthly Adobe Creative Suite subscription.
  • I use Toggl for time tracking projects and Xero for invoicing because it supports multi-currency account tracking.
  • Amphetamine is a useful (and free) app for making sure your Mac stays awake.
  • I use a mixture of Dropbox and Google Drive for sharing files with clients.
  • Cleanshot is a crucial app for taking screen shots and video clips to easily share.
  • I use Time Machine on macOS, and pay for the Apple One bundle to get iOS backup for our family's devices.
  • I'm back using macOS / iOS stock Mail app.
  • I'm also back using Safari as my default browser, with a combination of Chrome and Arc for specific purposes.

For my podcast editing / production business, I use a few apps that might be of interest to some:

  • Apple Logic Pro X is the audio editor I use for 99% of my work.
  • Descript is what I use for most video work, especially any projects requiring social video clips.
  • Occasionally I'll break out Rogue Amoeba's Fission to quickly touch up an MP3 with it's fantastic lossless MP3 editing ability.
  • I also use Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack to record backups of almost every podcast recording I do - and sometimes it is the only recording.
  • Rogue Amoeba's (sensing a theme?) Loopback is indispensable for setting up weird audio devices to allow me to route audio wherever and whenever I want it to go.
  • Farrago, by Rogue Amoeba, is the best looking soundboard app for macOS. The bar was pretty low but Rogue Amoeba leapt way over the top in my opinion.
  • One final Rogue Amoeba app is SoundSource. It's the volume / audio control macOS should be built with.
  • I switch between Ecamm's Ecamm Live and OBS Studio for live streaming to Twitch, YouTube, etc.
  • Izotope's RX suite is my go to for cleaning up audio.
  • Marco Arment's Forecast is the MP3 chapter encoder app I generally use. I was using Auphonic's Desktop app but it's been awhile since it's seen updates. (If you're curious, I recorded a video screencast of how I use Forecast + Logic Pro X to add chapter markers to podcasts.
  • Speaking of screencasts, Screenflow is the app I use to record all the screencasts I do for both my YouTube channel as well as for demoing ideas or projects to clients.
  • All podcasts I create/produce are hosted on Transistor.fm.

Hardware & Gear