Earlier this year I created a series of “best of” posts. The idea was to wrangle the growing amount of posts here on the blog with a snapshot of articles I thought would be the most useful to others.
I released one of these for each year the blog has been live: 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. That managed to catch up on 230 articles and almost 300,000 (!) words.
After all, even though there’s an archive page, the WordPress blog structure makes it cumbersome to sift through endless columns of posts. It’s also helpful for me to plan sound effects recording, writing, and exploring creativity for the year ahead.
I plan to continue with this tradition by recapping a selection of posts on the last Wednesday of every year. So, today I’ll share a selection of articles picked from throughout 2015.
2015 Review
I’ve written often about investing yourself in your field recordings. That’s usually paired with a suggestion to diminish a focus on equipment when capturing sound fx.
Gear is required for field recordists to do their work, of course. I didn’t exactly plan it, but this year highlighted the tools sound pros need, and how they affect their craft. There were articles about metadata apps, iZotope RX, and a month-long series about field recordists and the gear they use.
I also spent more time in the field, recording fighter jets, sporting events, howitzers, and race cars, and shared those experiences with tips for others to record those subjects.
The Best Posts of 2015
I’ve picked 12 articles from 2015:
- Stereoizing sound fx: sound designer and field recordist Shaun Farley shared an inspired technique to stereoize mono sounds, and explained the theory behind the trick as well.
- I shared some thoughts on starting a career in pro sound. The first article included general advice, while the second focused on beginning field recording and sharing sound online.
- I wrote about the role room tone has on sound effects in How Recording Room Tone Improves Your Field Recordings.
- I recorded a number of events at Toronto’s Pan Am Games, and shared some tricks for doing the same in 15 Tips for Field Recording Sporting Events.
- I released a sound library of howitzers on Airborne Sound in August. I wrote about my five-year journey from researching, capturing, mastering, and publishing the clips in Howitzer Sound Effects: Creating A New Sound Library.
- A new ongoing series on the blog asked 26 field recordists about the equipment they use, and why. It was eye-opening hearing from sound pros, each with their own widely diverse gear selections, specialities, and subject sounds they pursue. I concluded that series with a roundup of their widsom, and a shortlist of gear selections based on their chocies.
- One of my first posts on the blog explored four styles of capturing sound effects. Field Recording Style Comparison explored the idea in depth with examples and pros and cons to each method.
- I lucked out and recorded two back-to-back motorsports events during June. I shared 21 tips for recording your own auto races using the stealth field recording style.
Thanks for reading, and for supporting the blog. Have a great holiday, and see you in the new year.
– Paul
To stay in touch, receive free updates by email newsletter or RSS feed. | Follow on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or SoundCloud.