Another month come and gone! Time to move to start shifting to our next subject. If you're anything like me, or that little Lego Man in the image above, the blank canvas can sometimes be a little intimidating. I've found that often the hardest things is simply figuring out where to begin. Maybe that's not the case for you. Maybe you've always got a perfectly clear idea of where … [Read more...]
Considerations for Creative Field Recording
On developing your ear... I purchased my first field recorder in 2010. Ever since it’s become a vital tool in my sound design process. As a result, I now hear the world in a completely different context. I hear a palette of colors, textures, and techniques with which I can capture many weird and wonderful things. Sometimes I record for the sheer joy of it, out of … [Read more...]
Happy Accidents: Embracing the Unexpected
Allow me to share a story with you: It was the weekend before the holiday break. Our horror film shoot had been going on for a few days, and as was typical of December at the base of Cape Cod, the weather was frigid and rapidly getting worse. With reports of an approaching winter storm, we frantically worked in the freezing cold to finish our exterior shots as quickly as … [Read more...]
Field Recording and Music
Guest Contribution by Dan Lyth The story of the 'bedroom producer' recording music at home has been told often and I myself have happily been that character for many years. But recently, a love of field recording (and my day job as a sound designer) tempted me towards doing something a bit different. What would it be like to leave the studio and record an entire album … [Read more...]
Interview with The Sound Tracker
Gordon Hempton is one of the world's foremost nature sound recordists. He's won an Emmy, been the subject of a documentary, is an activist for acoustic ecology, and...in what many may deem a tragic irony...is also losing his hearing. Our focus on field recording this month is the perfect opportunity add his voice to our little community here. DS: How did you get into field … [Read more...]
Tips on Recording and Using Wind from Gordon Hempton
If you haven't heard of Gordon Hempton before...aka The Soundtracker, documentary subject, author of One Square Inch of Silence, field recordist...we'll be remedying that this week. We'll be posting an interview with the man himself later this week. For now, why not check out some of his thoughts on recording wind and decoding its characteristics based on the time of day and … [Read more...]
Small Room Acoustics – Absorption and Diffusion
The recording for today's webinar is now available. A big thanks to Dennis Foley and Acoustic Fields for putting on both this, and our previous acoustics webinar. Keep an eye out for future Designing Sound Discussion Groups for free presentations on topics you might be interested in. Check out some of our previous ones while you're at it...you might just find something … [Read more...]