I’ve just returned from a trip to California and Mexico. I sought out musical gear shops in various cities, but didn’t completely fulfil my dreams of bringing home heaps of cheap microphones, preamps and other goodies.

What I did bring back was:

1. Tascam US-144 USB audio interface
I bought a netbook (Lenovo IdeaPad) to travel with, and decided that after returning home I would try to use it as the basis for a portable recording setup. The Tascam US-144 was pretty cheap at Guitar Center in San Francisco. I’ve been tweaking the setup, using Wavelab as recording software.

2. Heil PR40 microphone
In LA I went to West LA music on Santa Monica Boulevard with the hope of being able to buy some cheap ribbon mics. They didn’t have any in stock, but they did have some Heil microphones. I’d read good things about these, and the price was good.

3. Audix CabGrabber
I’ve wanted one of these for a while, but the local price is too high. Looked for it in SF and LA, and finally found one (the last one in the shop) at EasyMusic Center in Honolulu.

I’ll let you know how I go with each of these when I get some time to use them.