What I Use

Last Updated: 26 September 2024

Main Laptop

My daily driver machine is a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3, with 16GB RAM and upgraded to a 2TB Samsung SSD. I bought it for the excellent keyboard, physical clicking trackpad, and user-repairability. I've just added a brand new battery after 6 years as well. It helps that it is widely supported by alternative operating systems (Linux, Haiku, BSDs).

Other Devices

• 2x MacBook Pro 9,1 Mid-2012
  (both upgraded to 16GB RAM & Crucial MX500 2TB SSDs)
• MacBook 1,1 2006, running 10.6 Snow Leopard with 2GB RAM
• PowerBook G3 Pismo with 1GB RAM
• Sony Xperia 5 IV

Operating System

• elementary OS (Linux) is currently my main OS.
• Windows 10 is where I do work I can't do from Linux.
• macOS 10.13 for the software that can only run on the Mac.
• Haiku occasionally for offline focused writing or C++ work.

Selected Hardware

• Microsoft Ergonomic Bluetooth Mouse
• Logitech Pebble 2 Combo (K380S Keyboard, M350S Mouse & USB Bolt Receiver, compatible with Haiku, Linux and BSDs too)
• Dell 27" Monitor, calibrated with Datavision Spyder 5 Elite
• Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd Gen audio interface
• JBL 305P MkII studio monitors
• Sennheiser HD 650 headphones
• Herman Miller Aeron chair

Selected Software

• Email:
  • Postbox on Windows and macOS
  • Mozilla Thunderbird on Linux & Mac PPC
  • Claws Mail on Haiku
• Editor: Sublime Text with Codex SFTP plugin
• Web Browser: Firefox
• Search Engine:
  • Kagi Search
  • Brave Search is also good
• App Launcher:
  • Alfred on macOS
  • Powertoys Run on Windows
  • Ulauncher on Linux
• Gopher / Gemini: Kristall and Lagrange
• Mastodon: Tuba on Linux, Moshidon on Android
• Graphics: Affinity Photo
• Office: LibreOffice (NeoOffice on Mac)
• Music: MusicBee on Windows
• Internet Radio:
  • Gnome Shortwave on Linux
  • Screamer Radio on Windows
• Podcasts: Pocket Casts
• DAW: Renoise 3, Reaper 7
• Waveform Editor: Acon Digital Acoustica

Selected Software Development Tools

• Compilers: Visual Studio 2015, Go, Solar2D
• Diff: Beyond Compare

Selected Music Hardware

• Rode M2
• Sennheiser HD 650
• Sony MDR-7506
• JBL 305P MkII Studio Monitors
• Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 (3rd Gen)
• M-Audio Oxygen 49 MK IV
• Korg A3
• Line 6 POD XT Pro
• Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal
• 1977 Ibanez Model 2351 Lawsuit-era Les Paul
• Yamaha TRBX 174 Bass Guitar

VST Audio Plugins & Instruments

I have far too many of these to list, but my full Equipboard is here. I'm especially a fan of smaller companies that use no DRM or online activation, are cross-platform, and have great customer support.

• Audiothing
• Valhalla DSP
• Amplitube, ToneX, Guitar Rig, Helix
• Arturia
• Korg
• Waves
• Izotope
• Kazrog
• Sonimus
• Venomode
• PSP
• TAL
• AAS
• Wavesfactory Equalizer
• Cytomic The Glue

Favorite Guitar Amp Sim Plugins

• IK Multimedia ToneX
• IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5
• Line 6 Helix
• Native Instruments Guitar Rig & Rammfire
• Black Rooster Audio GA-GT2

Favorite Softsynths

• Modartt Pianoteq 8
• Arturia Synclavier V
• Arturia Prophet V
• Arturia OB-Xa V
• Arturia MiniMoog V4
• Korg M1
• Korg Triton
• Roland D-50
• TAL Noisemaker
• The Usual Suspects Osirus / OsTIrus

Favorite Reverbs

• Valhalla VintageVerb
• AudioThing Fog Convolver
• Arturia REV Plate-140
• AudioThing Springs
• AudioDamage Eos
• Eventide Tverb

This page was inspired by the Uses pages of joshua stein and Derek Sivers.

© Kohan Ikin.