A couple of months ago I gave the blog here a fresh coat of paint. Today I’ve made another change. I’ve renamed the blog. I had wanted to refresh the website name and address for quite some time. Last week I finally got this done.
The blog is now called Creative Field Recording. Why change?
Creativity and Field Recording
The previous name was mean to tie into the aviation theme from the Airborne Sound website, as well as the idea of traveling and recording sound effects. That was the thought when I started the blog, anyway.
Field recording has many facets to it: technical, theoretical, practical, and sharing. They’re all vital to the craft. In the two years since I started writing here, I found that another important theme commonly wandered into the posts: creativity.
Creativity is one of the most difficult aspects to field recording sound effects well. Why? It’s difficult to seize. Inspiration is fickle. Motivation is slippery. Creating meaningful sound clips on demand can be exasperating.
However, you know the feeling of being “in the zone.” Your gear is working flawlessly. Your recorder is primed, and the levels are set. You’ve unlocked dozens of cool sounds from within your prop, and you’re excited. Ideas begin cascading so quickly that you’re scrambling to capture every sound. That’s creativity at work.
Creativity lifts up the entire craft of field recording. It embeds meaning within your sound effects, and coats them with context. It makes your work fulfilling.
So, the idea behind the new Creative Field Recording name isn’t meant to suggest that my clips are particularly creative (though it is something I strive towards). Instead, it’s about exploring a goal of gathering sound fx that aims to mesh meaning, context, and emotional impact with the other facets of field recording: theoretical knowledge, technical skill, thoughtful performance, and an exchange of ideas through audio.
It’s tricky to do. It’s an idea I continue to explore myself. I want to keep sharing these concepts in the posts here, exchange ideas with you, and learn. The new name is meant to reflect that. And, of course I’ll still post other articles about capturing sound effects: field recording missions, how-tos, and tips on selling sound on the Web.
Articles About Creativity and Sound Effects
Here are some past posts that looked at the topic:
- Recording Evocative Sound Effects: Why Pro Gear Doesn’t Matter
- Investing Yourself in Sound Effects
- How To Add Personality to Your Sound Effects
- And here are all posts in the creativity category.
Link Changes
All the links have rippled over from the past site to this one. You’ll need to update your bookmarks to www.creativefieldrecording.com, though. If you are subscribed via RSS, you’ll need to update the feed to this new RSS link.
Twitter, SoundCloud, and the email newsletter remain the same.