I’m Jeff Rock, a designer, photographer, and tinkerer in Richmond, Virginia.

After a decade of designing and developing computer-based training, I co-founded Mobelux in 2008, a full-service digital agency. My first product was Tumblr for iPhone. In my free time, you can find me behind a camera somewhere or under the hood restoring one of my antique vehicles.

Gear

I’m always changing my setup, but here’s a list of my current tools.

Desk & Office

• MacBook Pro (2021, 16-inch, M1 Max. A few years in and does a great job with whatever I throw at it.
• Pro Display XDR. While pricey, an excellent option for people that prefer one large display over running dual display set ups. Especially for video and photography work.
• Opal C1. Simple, attractive, and full featured, this webcam does the job, but expect weekly restarts.
• Elgato Key Light Air. If you need a key light for daily video conferencing, get this one.
• CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4. Provides all the connectivity you’re going to need running a MacBook Pro as a desktop machine
• MOTU M4. All around capable portable audio interface for people that need analog instrument input.
• Presonus Eris Monitors. I’ve used many audio monitors over the years, and the quality of this one stands out. If you need a compact desktop monitors this is a great pick.
• Teenage Engineering OD-11. Floor speakers are great for room-filling, warm sound. This classic Scandinavian design has been updated to work with Spotify and Airplay. The bluetooth Ortho Remote is a great little controller if you’re willing to splurge.

Photography

• Leica M-P (Typ 240). If you’re a fan of rangefinders, it doesn’t get better than this. Full-frame and built like a tank. I opted for the Professional model that comes weatherproofed and cuts down on the Leica branding.
• Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Sharp, solid, and dreamy. Great lens for general purpose street photography.
• Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH. The perfect lens for capturing human-eye view photography.
• Adobe Lightroom. After a decade of using library files, I finally took the plunge and went full cloud. It’s good on a Mac, but it sings on an iPad Pro.

Videography

• Sony A7S III. Great option for a grab-and-go 4:2:2 10 bit 4K camera. Bolt a SmallRig cage onto it with an Atomos Ninja and you’re ready to shoot just about anything, anywhere.
• DaVinci Resolve. I used to be a huge fan of Final Cut, but after the infamous rewrite I moved on to Resolve for its power, flexibility, and amazing grading workflow.

Music & Audio

• Sequential Prophet-6. There’s nothing like having an analog synthesizer on-hand. The Prophet-6 is a great option for an all-around workhorse synth that provides just enough polyphony and onboard effects.
• Teenage Engineering OP-Z. Part OP-1, part Pocket Operator, the OP-Z is a fun, fast sequencer that’s surprisingly capable despite its size. I was able to compose, mix, and export the theme for 24pt with it in about 30 minutes.
• Teenage Engineering OP-1. I ordered my OP-1 the first day it was available. It’s serves as my controller for Reason and a sketchpad for song ideas. The UX, UI, and utility are sublime. It’s one of my favorite products ever made.
• Arturia MiniLab 3. For quick control the MiniLab 3 provides a small footprint control surface to operate any mainstream DAW environment.
• Reason Suite 12. I’ve been using Reason since it was announced as the successor to Rebirth in 2000. It’s a powerful DAW with capability and character that nothing else matches.
• Zoom H6. Fail-proof audio recording. If you’re shooting field interviews, this is a must.
• Adobe Audacity. If you’ve ever had to restore audio (or fix audio that was poorly captured) you know how important a good waveform editor is. Very competent editor that comes with Adobe Creative Cloud.

Gaming

• Sony PlayStation 5. While it had a rough start, the PS5 provides excellent performance, and a great catalog of exclusive titles.
• Panic Playdate. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Playdate provides unlimited 1-bit fun in a compact, quirky package. It’s also a perfect platform to experiment with making your own games.

About this site

This site is hosted on Netlify and statically generated via Hugo. All posts are written in Markdown. All typography is integrated via Hoefler & Co Cloud.typography. Everything was developed in Nova, designed for high-definition displays, made responsive for desktop and mobile devices and built to work well in a standards-based browser like Safari or Chrome.

Contact

Email me with thoughts and questions.