GoKawiilis the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.
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If you’re thinking that sounds like a lot, you’re not wrong. It made us want to know how Mike stays focused with so much on his plate, and what tools are most indispensable to him with his hectic schedule. But, what we got was so much more than that. Mike has a lot to say about the creative process, the value of reliable electricity, and how the loss of the headphone jack is evidence of our societal collapse.
What is your most indispensable tool?
At first, I wanted to say my audio interface. It’s the first piece of equipment I turn on every day and the last I turn off. It’s an RME Fireface UCX II and the second most reliable piece of gear I own. The first is my headphones.
I’ve had the same pair of Sony MDR-7506’s for about 20 years. I use them every day. I trust them more than some people I’ve known for as long. Only recently have they started showing the telltale signs of headphone age, but I think I’ll be able to make a repair and get another few years out of them.
There are some people who say you can’t mix on headphones. These people are cowards. I love mine, and I mix nearly everything on them. On this, Andrew Scheps and I agree (though Andrew says he replaces his pretty regularly; maybe I should, too.)
Which is the most underappreciated?
Let me tell you, it’s reliable power. The landlord of my studio building and I are currently involved in a protracted battle with Con Edison to get them to address the building’s low power service. New York City had a string of brawny snowstorms this winter, and the building lost power for over a week. When it came back, power remained in near-brownout conditions, with really low service voltage.
Normal service is around 122V. I’m looking at my power conditioner right now and it says 114V. It often goes as low as 107V. This causes all kinds of weird problems, many of which I have workarounds for except … the minisplit in my space can’t run on voltage this low. So I haven’t had ductless heat or AC for about a month. I brought in a window unit, but it’s loud and really inefficient and connects to the internet even when I tell it not to and turns on and off randomly for reasons I can’t determine. I’m reminded of the printer tweet; I really don’t want to have to buy a handgun.
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