Downsizing

Just to let you know : none of the links below are sponsored. That means I sincerly share informations without second thought.

After the post-pandemic re-open, something changed. Or maybe it happened while we were locked down at home. Anyway, I wanted to see the world. I always have been some kind of nomad, I just had to make it on purpose. So I had to do some paperwork, book a flight, a room, and ask for the European Vitale Card, for instance.

Then the first real challenge before going full nomad was to be able to fit all my belongings in a wheeled case, hold luggage and a backpack. That’s called downsizing and it feels like quitting the world of nonsense to go into something so much more real.

Digital nomad making on the go : two screens

My office was a total mess. I started there, wondering how I could reduce everything. For many reasons, it’s really handy to have a second screen. I found three solutions to keep working on the go. This Asus’s two screens computer. It’s the Zen Duo Pro. It looks perfect, it’s designed for creative and gamers but to be honest, it’s pricy.

Next, we could choose “the double benefits case“. It’s the Gaems Guardian Pro Xp. It’s a second screen and a box for the Xbox. There’re more models, some are less expansive. This one is pricy too. But it’s main problem here is that it doesn’t really represent the nomad’s spirit. No worries, I’ve discovered how to be a gamer on the go.

Finally and it’s also what I chose : you can simply use your phone as a second screen. You can actually go deep there, here an article will explain how to dig it further. Personnaly, I bought a phone holder I can clip on the desktop, installed few apps and I use the cloud a lot more now.

Gaming On The Go

If you want to keep gaming on the go, that’s my case actually, you can use a gamer laptop, which I already have. Mine is a bit old and If your laptop is too or just not powerful enough, you could still use a cloud service. I believe the best offer goes with the Xcloud from Microsoft because it works with the Game Pass Ultimate : that gives you a really nice library of games playable right after purchase. To stay on PC, there’s the Nvidia Now and finally Google Stadia. I’m gonna make a post about that because there’re many things to write about it. For now, I can say that a mount clip for the Xbox controller is a real game changer. It cost around 20€ and it transforms your phone into a Nintendo Switch. Pretty cool right ? To be fair, by the way, a Nintendo Switch on the go should works to, even if it’s a bit more heavy than a simple controller. I leave this to you.

Digital nomad music making on the go

Speakers

It’s hard to bring speakers on the go. If you choose the Gaems’s case, problem solve. In the other hand, nowadays, a portable bluetooth speaker can easily makes the job. It’s left to you to choose one according to the weight you’re willing to bring with you. For more creatives ones, there’re also few solutions. The obvious one is to mix with a headphone. There are plenty plugins that will assist you, trying to simulate studio speakers. I found the Waves’s one interesting.

For mastering purpose, you can still use online services, like Landr, Soundbetter or go in a studio once in town. Easy peacy.

Soundcard

There are a lot of nomad-kind soundcards. Personally I choose the RME Babyface, version 1.0, because it still works well, have everything I need and is really small. Smaller than the new one. I bought it second hand because I really trust the hardware and so, it was also cheaper than buying a new one.

Midi Devices

I was used to play on a keyboard and mpc-style pads. I discovered I could easily replace my big MPD 24 with my phone. My keyboard has pads for finger drumming and the mix + launch side is totally effective with an app on my phone. It’s not that easy to set up. I’m going to make a tutorial about that.

Microphone and microphone’s stand

I kept my Aston’s mic. I love it. I exchange my usual mic’s stand with a desktop one. I prefer to sing sitting down anyway. It feels a lot more natural to me. When I have to stand, I put myself in another mindset and that one isn’t really good for music.

In summary

All my technical gear and stuffs fit into a cabin bag. I could even add an emergency laptop and some additional stuff for filming. I put all my clothes in the hold luggage and my daily laptop in my backpack. Now I’m ready to do on the go.