If I hadn’t been watching, I wouldn’t have noticed it. I had been editing jungle field recordings from the northern mountains of Thailand. They sounded fine. I heard nothing unusual about the dense night insect drone I was mastering. But if I hadn’t been keeping an eye on my scopes and meters, this rare field […]
Continue Reading I’ve been using Avid’s Pro Tools to edit and master field recordings and sound effects for over 20 years. Recently, I’ve begun to use Cockos’ Reaper more. As many have come to know, Reaper is a popular editing app that packs in a professional editing workflow, powerful scripts, actions, macros, and extensive customization at a […]
Continue ReadingSound can be corrupted in dozens of ways. Field recordists constantly battle intrusive sounds, noise, buzz, static, hum, and other sonic enemies. It’s not always possible to avoid them. Thankfully, editors have an arsenal of weapons to fix damaged sound. That’s the good news. The problem is that there are so many options for fixing […]
Continue Reading There’s a lot to do to bring a field recording from concept to completion. There’s the extensive research needed to see if a session is possible. Calls made to line up talent. The actual recording follows, then detailed mastering, and meticulous curation. Bewildered by it all? Unsure what each step requires? It’s understandable. I was […]
Continue Reading The last two posts explored overlooked field recording errors. The first shared general field recording concepts that are often ignored or missed. The second dove into deeper detail with more specific recording mistakes and ways to fix them. These are slip-ups that I’ve noticed during my years field recording, mastering sound effects, and curating sound […]
Continue Reading When I first began field recording, I captured any sound I could point my microphone at. It didn’t matter what it was. A shrieking kettle? Sure. Light switches? Done. Traffic from my balcony? I have dozens of tracks. Beginning field recording is an exciting time. It introduces a way of thinking about the world that […]
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