THE GEAR
The Gear
What is actually in the studio and on the bench, with links.
What is actually in the studio and on the bench — not a sponsored list. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, so using these links helps pay for the next thing that breaks.
In the studio
Not that we always know how to use it, but here is the KGXT gear.
Zoom PodTrak P8
The sound hub the whole studio runs through. Handles phone calls and has programmable sound-effect pads built in. Dad refers to it in almost every show.
View on Amazon →The main monitor
A 2021 27-inch Mac. Four USB 3.0 ports and two USB-C, which is what actually matters when you are running cameras and capture devices.
View on Amazon →Lighting
What finally stopped the livestream auto-adjusting its exposure mid-sentence.
View on Amazon →Microphones
The pair that survived three years of daily use.
View on Amazon →Capture and cameras
What we plug in when a phone camera will not do.
View on Amazon →Stands and arms
Unglamorous, load-bearing, and the first thing to break if you buy cheap.
View on Amazon →From the Garage Show
The tools that keep turning up on Fridays.
Trailer light tester
You carry a jack, jumper cables and a flashlight. You do not carry a fix for trailer lights going down — and that happens. Thirty seconds and you are running. Dad has two sets.
View on Amazon →Power probe
The days of the test light are long gone. This applies voltage to a wire so you can test the circuit from there, and grounds it too, at the push of a button.
View on Amazon →Mechanic’s set
The set that lives on the bench rather than in the drawer.
View on Amazon →Motorcycle tools
For the two-wheeled half of the garage.
View on Amazon →Automotive extras
The odds and ends that turn a two-hour job into a twenty-minute one.
View on Amazon →Garage Show gear
The branded side of it — shirts, coins and the rest — lives in our own store.
Garage Show collectionBriggs’s setup notes
Briggs runs the technical side. These are his notes on how the pieces actually connect — the things you only find out after you have wired it up wrong once.
- The computer. Whatever you stream or record on, make sure it has at least two USB 3.0 inputs — they are what your cameras and devices want. Our Mac has four USB 3.0 ports and two USB-C, which covers display, headphones and the SD card slot, and its CPU is fast enough to stream and render edits.
- The PodTrak P8. Six XLR ports, six headphone jacks and a programmable sound pad, which is what makes group discussions work. The USB-C out into the Mac handles multiple microphones. Best part: it records every microphone as its own track.
- The Stream Deck. Connects over USB. We use it to switch scenes in Streamlabs OBS without touching the keyboard.
- FeelWorld L2 Plus. Connects to the Mac with a USB-A 3.0 to USB-A 3.0 cable — and be warned, the cable in the box is very short. Four HDMI inputs for cameras, plus an HDMI out so a guest can see the current shot on a monitor.
- Elgato Facecam. If you are only going to run one camera, use this one. The Camera Hub software that comes with it is very customisable. USB-C 3.0.
- Microphones. They connect over Micro USB — but if you have the PodTrak, use an XLR cable instead and skip the USB entirely.
- MOKOSE overhead cameras. Great zoom and quality, and they work over either USB or HDMI, which is why we use them for the fixed overhead positions.
- Boom arms. The Gator Frameworks arms are sturdy. If you can, get the screw-in mounts that go through the table — steadier and more comfortable than a clamp.
- Canon G60. Stunning camera. We used to run it through a capture card into the Mac; now it goes straight to the L2+ over Mini-HDMI.
- Portable monitor. The Arzopa connects over a USB-C display cable and saves a lot of desk space.
- Lighting. The Neewer lights have warm and cool adjusters and look properly professional. Wall-mount them if you can.
The software
Streamlabs OBS is what the shows run through — very customisable, a bit of a learning curve, but you will pick it up. Briggs’s advice: learn Streamlabs before you spend money on equipment.
For editing, Adobe Premiere Pro and Rush for video, Audition for audio, plus Photoshop, After Effects and Media Encoder. Rush is very user friendly, and CapCut will get you the same result for free.