1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
My experience with building the microphones was great. I was very excited to get to do some hands on work and actually be able to build my own mics. The microphone building seemed to be easier than I thought it would be. This was probably because I took my time and triple checked everything before moving forward. I made sure to be very meticulous because I wanted my mics to perform well on my Drift walks, and they did. I captured a wide variety of sounds ranging in pitch and volume and was able to record ambient sounds just as well as close-up sounds. The only issue I had was that occasionally the wind would interfere with the recording. If I had unlimited time and money I would buy high end microphones with an array of different booms and other stands in order to position them better. I would also spend some time and money experimenting with different materials to use as wind screens.
2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
The MiniDisc recorder functioned great, but I thought it had a terrible user interface. I haven't really used any other audio recording equipment so I can't say it was any better or worse than other recording devices. If I had my way, I would redesign the recorder so that it was much easier to navigate through the menus and adjust things like equalization and mic sensitivity. The recorder would be much easier to use and adjust on the go, unlike the MiniDisc recorder which forced me to stop paying attention to my drift in order to adjust the settings on the recorder.
3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
I used the free audio editing program named Audacity to edit all of my recordings. This wasn't the first time I had used Audacity so I was fairly familiar with it and knew how to do all basic editing with it. I chose this application because it's free and most people I had talked to seemed to like it a lot. Audacity worked great with my recordings and gave me the ability to make very precise edits. I will definitely use Audacity again unless I obtain a higher quality editing program. SonicStage also worked very well, but I was frustrated that the only way to digitally get the recordings off of the MiniDisc recorder was this one PC based program. It would have been nice to have more options to choose from.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ten Questions To Ask Myself While Drifting
1. Are there any areas or objects that could be used to produce an interesting soundscape?
2. Where is the most interesting/beautiful natural landscape?
3. How can I manipulate the microphone placement to better capture the particular sounds of the area?
4. How can more natural and interesting sounds be revealed?
5. How can moving faster affect the sounds I capture?
6. What's the most unusual place in the area?
7. Is there anything that looks boring from far away that is interesting when extremely close?
8. What is the most annoying sound in the area?
9. Is there any moving water in the area?
10. What's the most intriguing man-made sound in the area?
2. Where is the most interesting/beautiful natural landscape?
3. How can I manipulate the microphone placement to better capture the particular sounds of the area?
4. How can more natural and interesting sounds be revealed?
5. How can moving faster affect the sounds I capture?
6. What's the most unusual place in the area?
7. Is there anything that looks boring from far away that is interesting when extremely close?
8. What is the most annoying sound in the area?
9. Is there any moving water in the area?
10. What's the most intriguing man-made sound in the area?
Drift One Assessment
Overall, my first drift was very enjoyable, but there were some frustrating moments due to people, places, and/or other random things. One of the most frustrating situations for me occurred when I was crossing a bridge on Humboldt Ave. I heard a sound far off in the distance that really peaked my interest but I just couldn't pinpoint what it was or where it was coming from. I honestly stood on that bridge for twenty minutes trying to figure it out but ultimately could not. It was one of the more frustrating times of my first drift. The second frustrating situation that comes to mind while thinking about my first drift happened when I was trying to capture the ambient sounds of an intersection/open air bar. It sounded really good and was very interesting except for the fact that I could not find a microphone position that captured everything I wanted without capturing the annoying sound of the wind against the microphone. Ugh! It was so frustrating I don't even like to think about it.
One of the most peaceful situations of my first drift occurred when I was recording the sounds of leaves under my feet. The crunching of leaves was so natural and crisp it seemed out of this world. For those few minutes it felt like the leaves had my full attention and wouldn't let go no matter what. The worry-free feeling that occurred as a result was one that I hadn't felt in a long time. The next time I walk down East Kane Place right off of Humboldt Avenue in the River West area of Milwaukee I will try my best to recreate the situation. The second situation I found extremely peaceful happened when I was trying to record ambient street sounds from inside a newspaper mailbox. The sounds themselves were not necessarily peaceful in any sense but I became extremely focused on where I was placing the microphones within and outside of the mailbox. This put me at peace because once again I was extremely focused on one single task. I also liked the way I could manipulate the sounds with the simple movements of my hands.
I was pleasantly surprised at the beginning of my first drift when I decided to record the sounds of metal being crushed at a construction site for just a little longer than I thought necessary at the time. In the extra forty-five seconds that I recorded an interesting sounding motorcycle drove by and created a pleasant natural fade out that I really enjoyed. From then on I really made a point of being patient with my recordings. Another surprising situation that I really like occurred when I was recording the hum of a large electrical box outside of Pick n' Save. Midway through my recording and much to my delight, a skateboarder came by and began skating underneath a large overhang attached to Pick n' Save. The skateboard hitting the pavement created large thunderous cracks that echoed under the overhang. This made the recording a lot more interesting and stimulating. In a third situation, I was pleasantly surprised while listening to a recording I made of a mailbox. Upon playback I realized that there was an interesting clicking noise far off in the background. I was happy to find this because it gave the recording more depth and filled some empty/boring space in the recording.
My favorite experience from my drift was recording the sounds of a construction site on North Avenue. I didn't even realize there was construction going on until I heard it through my headphones and quickly turned my head in all directions to find where it was coming from. I felt amazingly lucky to come across such an intriguing sound without even trying. Immediately my heart swelled with joy and I hit record. This experience had a huge affect on me because it happened at the beginning of my first drift and thus, gave me a positive and upbeat attitude during the rest of the drift. It's my favorite experience because it caught me off guard and gave me a great recording right off the bat.
One of the most peaceful situations of my first drift occurred when I was recording the sounds of leaves under my feet. The crunching of leaves was so natural and crisp it seemed out of this world. For those few minutes it felt like the leaves had my full attention and wouldn't let go no matter what. The worry-free feeling that occurred as a result was one that I hadn't felt in a long time. The next time I walk down East Kane Place right off of Humboldt Avenue in the River West area of Milwaukee I will try my best to recreate the situation. The second situation I found extremely peaceful happened when I was trying to record ambient street sounds from inside a newspaper mailbox. The sounds themselves were not necessarily peaceful in any sense but I became extremely focused on where I was placing the microphones within and outside of the mailbox. This put me at peace because once again I was extremely focused on one single task. I also liked the way I could manipulate the sounds with the simple movements of my hands.
I was pleasantly surprised at the beginning of my first drift when I decided to record the sounds of metal being crushed at a construction site for just a little longer than I thought necessary at the time. In the extra forty-five seconds that I recorded an interesting sounding motorcycle drove by and created a pleasant natural fade out that I really enjoyed. From then on I really made a point of being patient with my recordings. Another surprising situation that I really like occurred when I was recording the hum of a large electrical box outside of Pick n' Save. Midway through my recording and much to my delight, a skateboarder came by and began skating underneath a large overhang attached to Pick n' Save. The skateboard hitting the pavement created large thunderous cracks that echoed under the overhang. This made the recording a lot more interesting and stimulating. In a third situation, I was pleasantly surprised while listening to a recording I made of a mailbox. Upon playback I realized that there was an interesting clicking noise far off in the background. I was happy to find this because it gave the recording more depth and filled some empty/boring space in the recording.
My favorite experience from my drift was recording the sounds of a construction site on North Avenue. I didn't even realize there was construction going on until I heard it through my headphones and quickly turned my head in all directions to find where it was coming from. I felt amazingly lucky to come across such an intriguing sound without even trying. Immediately my heart swelled with joy and I hit record. This experience had a huge affect on me because it happened at the beginning of my first drift and thus, gave me a positive and upbeat attitude during the rest of the drift. It's my favorite experience because it caught me off guard and gave me a great recording right off the bat.
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