Mobile Recording Setup, Version 1.0

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So a problem that I'm sure many of us run into is being somewhere random and finding a cool sound to record, but not having anything but our phones with us to record.

Now, sometimes, a phone isn't the worst thing in the world and is certainly better than nothing.
But, what if I go to my parents' house, like I am this weekend, and find that the front door suddenly makes a cool noise that I want to record? Again, could just use the phone. And ideally, I'd have all of my gear there with me to record it but lugging around a rack mount is hardly practical.
So, I decided that I would have a recording 'go-bag'.

Criteria 1:
Said bag needs to be very small, like a small lunchbox or so in size.

Criteria 2:
I don't want to spend any money on it. At least, not right now.

Criteria 3:
Any gear I put in here is dedicated to this setup and must stay in the bag at all times.

So here's what I came up with:

Scoff all you want, remember Criteria 2. This setup most certainly in NO way competes with my 18i20 and an SM58 to replace this PG48. 

The iRig Pro is a neat little unit. It can plug into your laptop via USB, a modern Apple device with lightning, or even older Apple devices with 30 pin. It can also take midi through the included cable AND has one of those cool XLR/TRS jacks. It's an extremely versatile unit, especially considering the size. 

This was actually the second interface I've bought of the three, and the first that was actually digital. I distinctly remember, back in early high school, trying to record drums by running all the mics through my giant GA32/12 console and mixing them down to a single output into this thing. It sounded dreadful. Oh and did I mention that the drums and the mixer were in the same room with zero isolation? Yeah, good times. 

If I'm being honest, except for Criteria 2, this unit wouldn't be my first choice in the go-bag. Don't get me wrong, the size and versatility is unreal. But I've recorded once with this thing since buying the 18i20 a little over three years ago, and I was extremely disappointed by the sound. I was using a 58 at the time and it just sounded really muddy to me. I'll have to do a comparison soon. And honestly, it could easily be the Focusrite pre's really shining and spoiling me but, I was just not impressed. 

So why then is it in this bag? Well, it's either this or my first interface; the AmpKit Link. I think the choice is obvious here. 


The microphone I chose is the Shure PG48. I could have put an SM58 in here but remember Criteria 3. I love my two 58's and use them as often as I can but my four, yes, FOUR, PG48's just sit in my mic case. They have a switch though so that's nice for this sort of setup.

All of this, plus one of my XLR patch-length cables, will then be in my go-bag. 

For the 'case' I went with this ElectroVox case. I don't own the corresponding microphone so I really have no idea how I came to have this case. But, with very minimal modification, I was able to get everything to fit and close up. 


Not super clean but eh, it works. I like this already for how small it is. It can easily fit into a backpack or suitcase and not take up a ton of room but be ready to go at any moment. 

I'll definitely do a follow-up on sound quality comparisons soon. 



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