Archives For Field Report

How To Master Sound Effects — Before Recording Them

2013/01/23

Via Rail Locomotive

I’ve enjoyed recording freight and passenger train sound effects over the past year. I wrote about my experiences capturing them here, and here.

Early in January I had a chance to record another engine. Last week, I finally cut it. And, while I was editing, I remembered an important trick: mastering your clips before you capture them makes field recording quick and easy, and invokes strong, valuable sound effects.

Wait.

Doesn’t mastering follow field recording, chronologically?

Yes. I’ll explain, using the passenger train recordings as an example. First I’ll share how I cut the sound, and continue next week with ideas to help strengthen field recordings.

In Downloadable Sounds, Field Recording, Field Report, Mastering download, free, train, vehicle

Field Report: Mennonite Auctioneer

2012/06/27

Auctioneer Sound Effects

I’ve written before that my favourite sound effects are field recordings of other cultures and places.

Usually I’ve recorded these in dense, cosmopolitan cities. Why? When you’re on a deadline it’s the most efficient way to capture a diverse selection of rich sound effects.

But of course not all culture is urban.

This was part of the reason that I found myself in New Hamburg, Ontario last month.

New Hamburg is a township of 8,000 people an hour and half west of Toronto. I was comfortable recording people and cultures in cities. I wanted to see if I could capture life via sound effects in a rural community too.

I had been given a tip. Every spring New Hamburg hosts the Mennonite Relief Sale. This weekend-long event raises money for relief and service projects worldwide. Although tucked away in unassuming middle-Ontario, it was known to draw flocks of distributors nationwide for one reason: the quilt auction.

Mennonites are a Protestant community. You’ve likely seen the (largely inaccurate) stereotype: simple dress and horses and buggies. I knew nothing about their religion or practice.

So, I jumped at the opportunity to learn about a different way of life and also to record one of my favourite sound effects: auctioneers.

In Field Recording, Field Report auctioneer, field recording, human, sound effects, voice

Field Report: Museum Gallery Crowd Sound Effects

2012/05/02

Winter Woods by Lawren Harris
Last week I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario for two sound-related reasons.

The AGO, as it is commonly referred to, is Toronto’s largest art museum. It’s known for a large collection paintings created by The Group of Seven, a collective of Canadian artists who worked earlier last century. The painting above, Winter Woods is by Lawren Harris, one of the group.

I needed a creative recharge so I decided to take my own advice and find inspiration from something different than audio.

As readers of the Airborne Sound blog have noticed, I’ve been reviewing the Sony PCM-D50 portable recorder and comparing it with the Zoom H4n.

I’m still getting a feel for the new pocket recorder. So, I also wanted to try the D50 in another situation: recording stealth art gallery crowd sound effects.

In Field Recording, Field Report ambiance, ambience, atmosphere, binaural, crowd

Field report: Hospital Sound Effects with a D50 External Microphone

2012/04/11

So, your wallet is light but you need to record the best sound effects possible. These days there are dozens of portable field recorders priced as low as $200.

But will a pocket audio recorder capture rich, evocative sound effects?

In the last two weeks I’ve been testing a new portable field recorder, the Sony PCM-D50, to answer this question.

I’ve been comparing how the D50′s field recordings respond in various environments: quiet and thick, saturated and sparse. I’ve been recording both atmospheric ambiences and specific sound effects.

Most of those recordings have appeared in my stealth and guerilla field recording review of the Sony D50 on the Airborne Sound blog. I have a microphone shootout planned for next week, so I’ve been contrasting the Sony D50′s built-in microphones with the onboard mics of the Zoom H4n recorder.

In this post I’ll try something a bit different. Instead of using the D50′s built-in microphones, I’ll see how the recorder pairs with an external microphone, Sonic Studio’s DSM binaural mic.

At the end of the post I’ll have some field recordings of hospital ambiences. You can judge if a budget recorder paired with an exterior microphone can capture good sound effects that are worth the cost.

In Downloadable Sounds, Field Recording, Field Report binaural, d50, dsm, field recording, sound effects, stealth recording

Field Report: CF-18 Jet Fighter – Lessons Learned

2012/03/07

Last week I wrote about recording CF-18 fighter jet sound effects for Airborne Sound. Click over to read about the goal and challenges. You can also hear the jet recordings.

Today I’ll describe the tools I used to compensate for the challenges, including a new perspective I’ve been considering: your mindset.

In Field Recording, Field Report field recording, sound effects, vehicle

Field Report: CF-18 Jet Fighter Sound Effects

2012/02/29

CF-18 Flying over Pearl Harbor

Fighter Jet Sound FX

I’ll come right out and say it: this field recording session felt like a disaster.

But let’s stay positive, shall we?

I wasn’t planning to write about my experience recording fighter jet sound effects last August. I started thinking differently though after reading comments and Tweets in response to my Occupy Toronto protest crowds article. At that session what I wanted to record and what ended up on tape were two different things.

Since then, I’ve thought about what exactly constitutes success and failure when field recording. After some reflection I realized that the answer has many shades.

So this will be a three-part post: In the first I’ll explain my goal when recording the jet sound fx, the challenges and the results.

Next week I’ll briefly describe how I overcame the problems. I’ll also have suggestions for managing mental challenges when recording.

In the last post I’ll look at the idea that sound effects success is not simply black or white.
Continue Reading…

In Field Recording, Field Report aviation, field recording, sound effects, vehicle

Field report: IndyCar and Nascar racing sound effects

2012/02/01

courtesy of szeke

Race car sounds

Earlier last year I wrote about my favorite sound effect recordings of 2010. One of them was the Honda Indy race.

Recording 650 horsepower high-performance race car sound fx is thrilling. Being surrounded by the overpowering nasal whine of the IndyCars whipping by creates a powerful yet tense feeling. Just what the type of sounds I want for Airborne Sound: evocative sound effects that transport you to the scene.

But although those race car sound clips were favorites that year, I walked away from the event not fully satisfied.

Compressors, crowd and PA were everywhere on the track. There was no escape from hovering helicopters. It was a challenge to get a minute of clean audio. I didn’t record as much material as I wanted.

I was determined to do better. So in July 2011 I went back.

Today I’ll share background approach, challenges of the shoot and the sound effect results.

In my next post I’ll report how I captured the sounds and analyze why the sounds themselves had potential to be vivid, muscular and evocative sound effects.
Continue Reading…

In Field Recording, Field Report auto racing, sound effects, vehicle

2011 Review: Field Reports Roundup

2011/12/28

This year I decided to write about field recording sound effects for my website Airborne Sound. I call them ‘Field Reports,’ in the spirit of dispatches from the ‘front.’

I originally wrote them to share tips and tricks I learned during the process. I also wanted to offer recordings for your listening pleasure and get feedback in the process.

In each field report I describe the approach and challenges then provide the results.

In later posts I have jotted down thoughts on the process, lessons I learned and reflections on how field recordings affect the recordist and the listener.

Here are the sound effect field reports from 2011.
Continue Reading…

In Field Recording, Field Report, Roundup field recording, links, roundup, sound effects

Field Report: Occupy Protest Crowd Sound Effects

2011/12/07

Protestor Sound Effects

A week last Wednesday the mayor of Toronto’s patience evaporated. He ordered police to evict the Occupy Toronto protestors.

The protestors had been camped in St. James Park, a city-block-sized area next to a church. Tents, tarps and scrap wood structures made a protestor city.

I had no idea this was happening. Luckily, I was in a waiting room that day and the television showed live coverage.

As most of you know, I focus on recording immersive sound effects for Airborne Sound. I like the idea of sound effects transporting the listener to another place. I’m thrilled if I can imprint the experience of an event with someone long after it has happened.

The Occupy Movement had engaged the world. Everyone had an opinion on it one way or another. I thought this would be a great opportunity to document this moment via sound.

Thankfully, I bring my Zoom H4n with me everywhere. I decided to head downtown and record some protest sound effects.

In Field Recording, Field Report ambience, crowd, field recording, guerilla recording, sound effects

Field Report: 1950′s Freight Train Sound Effects

2011/11/17

Courtesy Eja2k

Train sound clips

I’ve been busy mastering field recordings from last summer. As a result I hadn’t recorded sound effects for about three weeks. I sensed I was falling into a rut. I knew I had to force myself out there and record something or the rut would deepen.

I really enjoyed recording freight train sound effects about a month ago. I wrote about the session in an earlier article.

Although waiting for freight trains can be tiring, overall the experience capturing them is a lot of fun. You really get the sense of strength, muscle and power as these trains blitz by.

Each locomotive has a different voice of groans and whines. The speed and type of freight cars can provide a lot of character. Even the quality of the track contributes to the sound: more of a rattle, a grinding aspect or even a singing wail.

So I set out again.

In Field Report guerilla recording, sound effects, train, vehicle

Archives For Field Report

Auctioneer Sound Effects

Fighter Jet Sound FX

Race car sounds

Protestor Sound Effects

Train sound clips

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