An important (if obvious) location recording tip
Always check your recordings...
I'm reviewing some of the location recordings
that I did in Europe right now. Since the recordings were more for documentation
than for release, I brought a very simple and compact setup: A Sony MZ-R55
MiniDisc and a Sony ECM-909A Stereo powered microphone. As we traveled, I would
periodically whip it out and record. In order not to attract attention, I would
usually stick the mic head out a pocket of my bag and have the recorder inside
the bag. This let me be unobtrusive and also let me very simply get the sound as
I travelled. I had done this previously in Italy to great success. I was busy
having a good time, so I wasn't checking my recordings as I went. This was a big
mistake. I would have learned something obvious and important. In Italy I had a
backpack, but in France I had a messenger bag. The differences are subtle but
essential. All my French recordings, where I'm moving, contain the sounds of the
bag shifting as I walk (the bag bouncing off my back) and the metal on metal
sounds of the strap where it connects to the bag. So no matter where I was, it
sounds like I was on a ship! Luckily I realized this halfway through the trip
(when I actually checked my recordings) and made some adjustments, but it was
too late for a lot of the sound. Either I will need to do an insane amount of
editing or just chalk this one up to experience.
Posted: Mon - May 29, 2006 at 12:32 PM