Field Report

Field Report: Race Car Sound FX – Capturing Differences Through Sound

2015/12/02 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

Earlier this year, I discovered an excellent field recording opportunity: the Montréal Grand Prix and the Toronto Honda Indy car races landed on two consecutive weekends. The Formula 1 Grand Prix is one of the most popular sports in the world. With 450 million global viewers, it ranks closely with American football, basketball, and baseball. […]

Field Report: Howitzer Sound Effects – Creating A New Sound Library

2015/09/02 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

I was walking home one day when I heard a tremendous boom shake the high-rises of downtown Toronto. It repeated relentlessly, and seemed to intensify with every blast. I detoured, and found three howitzers firing shells deep within the caverns of the city. What I did not expect was that moment would lead to a […]

Field Report: Recording Sports Sound Effects at the Pan Am Games

2015/08/19 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

I’ve been field recording more this summer than I have in years. Part of the reason is that I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the Sony PCM–100 portable recorder, as well as comparing it with its older brother, the D50. Another reason is that I’ve been able to access interesting events. I recorded the Formula 1 […]

Field Report: Rock Destruction Sound Effects – Recording for Pompeii

2014/04/09 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

Last fall I was fortunate to be asked to record sound effects for the Hollywood feature film Pompeii. At a reported total budget of $100 million dollars, it was one of the most prominent films I have had the pleasure of being involved with. I was quite excited to contribute sound fx to help the […]

Field Report: High Speed Subways – How Environments Affect Field Recordings

2014/02/12 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

I’ve had a particular sound effect on my radar for three years: subway passes. Now, you may think that subway sound effects aren’t rare. You’d be correct. However, there was a unique aspect about these sound effects that I was eager to capture. To get the job done well demanded one requirement: I had to […]

Protest Crowds: How To Adapt While Recording Unpredictable Sound FX

2014/01/22 Filed Under: Field Report, Technique

Toronto mayor Rob Ford has been accused of many things. Being boring isn’t one of them. Bitter controversy has followed Ford ever since he was elected in 2010, more so than any Canadian politician in recent history. Crack cocaine smoking, excessive drinking, and a liberal interpretation of the truth has citizens foaming at the mouth. […]