A few months ago I revealed my new standing desk setup. But since then I’ve already changed and added a few things, but instead of doing a full desk tour, I’m just going to give you a quick update.
This post is also part of my What’s on my Desk series which is a new series I started last month. It’s where I will review and show anything I add to my setup, no matter how small.
Mic Arm
First up is my new mic and mic arm, the Blue Yeti X and the Blue Compass arm, which in my opinion is the nicest looking boom arm out there.
So all of my videos on my channel are scripted and recorded while I’m sat at my desk. I used to have the normal Yeti mic and for a long time I had it sat on my desktop here, I’d often knock it when recording or it would pickup the vibrations through the table. Then I bought a cheap scissor arm off Amazon, I think it cost me about £15 or $20, it did the job, it was practical.
But the only thing I didn’t like about the arm was it looked cheap. So I decided to change the mic arm for the Compass arm. And this is really nice.
It’s a tube like design, rather than the normal scissor arm. It means all of the springs are inside the tube, which I think gives it a more premium look, plus you can’t trap your fingers in it. I like the overall look, with the matte black finish and the little branding on the side.
Other than the looks, another thing that swayed me towards this arm was that with most mic arms you have to find a way to hide or tie the USB cable. But with this one it’s got an internal cable management. These little clips just open up, then you slide your USB cable in and snap it shut keeping it looking pretty tidy.
I’ve also picked up the radius shock mount, this is designed to reduce the vibration that the mic feels if I knocked my table while recording. It’s a suspension mount, and also lets me get the mic further away from the arm for easier use.
Oh and I’ve added a pop filter, this isn’t new though I’ve been using this one for the last 6 months. It helps reduce the plosives the PPPs when I talk.
But yeh, moving the arm around, whether it’s in front of me or when I fold it away is easy. It stays in place where I need it and it looks awesome on the desk. I’m really happy with this one.
Microphone
So looking at the mic itself, the Yeti X, I wasn’t expecting much of a difference in terms of audio quality compared to the Yeti. But I’ve used this on my last 5 or 6 videos now and I’m really impressed by it. It’s definitely a lot cleaner sounding, and actually requires a lot less editing afterwards. But the Yeti X, same as the normal Yeti mic, is very sensitive. So it’ll pick up all noises in and outside of your room if you’re not careful. It comes with a USB cable, but it’s short and isn’t USB C, so I swapped it out for a 2meter USB C cable instead.
What I like about this mic is that the controls are all digital this time. So you can see the volume, gain, metering and blending options on the mic itself by watching the LEDs around the dial.
Now I can just press the dial to flick between the different modes, and spin it to increase or decrease it. And the fact it’s got the headphone jack, I can monitor my own voice as I record or listen back, this is useful for me.
Then tapping the front button mutes it, and the dial will go from green to red to show it’s muted. Around the back you can change the polar patterns, but I only use the CARDIOID mode.
So I just plug the mic into my mac, fire up Audacity and hit record. But Blue also have their own software which allows you to tweak the vocal effects. It’s not something I’ve used yet though, maybe I should. Something else I’ve found is that sometimes I get a strange clicking sound when I listen back to my audio, I need to see if this is a cable or mic issue. It happens on both USB cables but not the old Yeti mic I had before.
I really like this new mic and boom arm. It looks good and the audio quality is great. What do you think, it looks alright doesn’t it?
Grid Studio
So another new item or items I’ve picked up recently were these frames from Grid Studio. They are basically iPhones which have been dismantled and arranged on a piece of card and then framed, which I think is actually really impressive.
If you look, you can literally see every piece of the phones laid out with text telling you what each piece is. So here’s the volume buttons, the home button and the power button. Even the vibration motor.
As you can see I went for the 4S as it just looks awesome, and I like the frame and overall layout, but I also went for the 3GS as that was my first ever iPhone. Since this iPhone I’ve never owned another phone, only iPhones. Plus the fact I record all videos with my phone for YouTube, it’s got a nostalgic and personal meaning behind it.
I’ve also changed the grey shelf I had to this one, I think the darker style suits my setup better now, I’m really pleased with this.
But the quality of these frames, the thought that’s gone into it, it’s brilliant. A nice piece of art to have on my shelf or wall. I’m not sure what I’m doing with the layout as I think this shelf needs some work.
And if you want to see a dedicated video about these, let me know in the comments. I’ll definitely do one if I get enough interest, like I did with the floating bulb.
Mechanical Keyboard
Next up is the F96 mechanical keyboard from IQUnix. This is the Coral Sea version. I was tempted to go for an all black version, but I wanted something different, something that added some colour to my desk.
But I’ll be honest, I know absolutely nothing about mechanical keyboards. All I know is I wanted to pick one up to use for my script writing. On a daily basis I use the MX Keys, this is my productivity keyboard that I won’t give up. But when typing for long periods I find the keys are too shallow.
This keyboard is bluetooth, so it works on pretty much any device once connected. It’s also USB C, so I can plug it in when it’s running flat, using the retractable USB cable I have hidden behind my monitor. I did show this in my full desk review, this isn’t anything new.
Now this keyboard is heavy, and it feels solid, but that’s because it’s got a metal body. There’s no flex here at all.
As for typing on it, it just makes me feel productive. I’m not sure if it’s because the keys are higher or the sound the keys make when tapping away, either way it’s really nice to use. Obviously for at home this is fine, but if you had this keyboard in an office, I can imagine the loud keys being an annoyance for others.
It’s also a full RGB keyboard, I only use it with the lights off, but it has loads of options available. If you wanted a full RGB rainbow show, you can.
You can swap the keys out on this, it’s not something I’ll ever do, but you have the option here.
Battery life on this is rated at 4 months if you have the backlights turned off, or just 4-5 days with the lights on. I’d prefer to last longer, so I’ll be keeping the lights off.
So yeh, I think it looks great, adds a nice bit of colour to the desk, feels nice to type for long periods on and the battery lasts ages.
Orbitkey Box
OK, so this little box here is called the Nest, and it’s from Orbitkey. It’s a portable desk organiser that I use to keep random items in, but it’s got some cool features.
What’s really nice about this is, it’s got these little velcro dividers so you can create your own layout inside. I’ve got things like SSDs, airpods and my macbook hub adapter here, but I could add more to it just by moving the dividers around.
It feels nice and it’s got a nice fabric texture to it. Now the fact it’s portable and looks pretty clean is one thing, but it’s also got a wireless charging function built in. If you look on the back there’s a USB C port, and when plugged in it’ll let you charge your wireless device. So here I’ve put an iPhone 11 Pro, and as you can see it’s charging with no issues.
Then when I’m done, I can just pack everything away, unplug it and take it with me.
SSD Drives
I mentioned the SSD drives I’m using, well I actually have 6 of these Sandisk Extreme portable drives now. I use them for backing up my Macbook, storing my video files on and I even use them on my Xbox and PlayStation. So far they’ve never let me down and they are fast, it’s definitely the best choice when it comes to extra storage. I have the 500GB, 1TB and 2TB drives.
On top of that, they are tiny. They are as big as a credit card which means you can easily keep it in your pocket or in your bag.
Floating Bulb
I also just wanted to quickly show this bulb. I did cover this in a dedicated video last month, so if you want to check out the unboxing and review you can, but I still use this every day. It’s an edison bulb that floats above the base and looks really nice.
Desk Matt
The last thing on the list is this desk pad or mouse matt that I’m using. So I did briefly mention this on my Desk Setup video a few months ago, but I get a lot of questions about it, so I thought I’d cover it here.
This is a wool felt pad from Grovemade. It’s available in 4 sizes, so it depends if you want a strip or full desk coverage, but I went for the medium in dark. It definitely compliments the dark wood on my desk.
It feels really soft, and although it looks like it might snag or fray when using a mouse, after 6 months of use I’ve had no issues using it for 5 to 8 hours a day. Plus it looks nice on the desk. I actually removed it to see what it would look like without, and I just don’t like it. So this is definitely staying. They also do leather pads if you’re not sure on the felt.
What’s next
Well everything else in my setup I actually covered in my full desk tour, so if you liked what you saw today go and check that video out next. I show the standing desk, monitor and chair I’m using.
But what’s next for my setup? I’ll probably add some speakers, I’m thinking of going for the A2+ speakers as they look really nice, maybe an ultra wide monitor too. Anything else you think I should add?