Anyone record their own samples from the field

[nursers]

Hi all,

 

I'm just writing a piece on field recording and was interested if anyone actually took the time anymore to do any field recording for their music? If you do, what gear do you use? There's some great portable recorders now but interested in real world examples

[Tusker]

I was in Kenya recently. I took a Zoom H2 and got some field recordings of people, bird calls and natural sounds. I plan to use them in an ambient cd.

[nursers]

[nursers]

No-one else - is it just Tusker and I

[Joe Muscara]

I have a Zoom H2, I love it, but I just use it to record my band live. I'd use it for field recording, but I so rarely get out of the house.

[magronbass]

No offense, but it does seem like field recording solely for "samples" is a bit old school. Reminds me of times when avant garde musicians were out with their portable tape recorders. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm sure there's much more to be experimented with in that realm, but in terms of "samples", I do think that people rely more on heavily produced ones like huge piano libraries and additional things like the Ra package, etc. But instrument sampling (as in emulation), versus taking home audio textures is a different story, so perhaps I shouldn't mix the two.

 

Focusing more on recording for sound textures, with highly customizable generative (synthesizing) solutions, there may be a decline of the urge to get the "real" thing. The "real" thing had value when portable recorders were rare and expensive, or when bringing audo from one place to the other was a logistical issue.. It seems now, it doesn't matter where the material is from, because the "substance" has become so detached from its physical location. The sense of value which is derived from the sense of distance, logistical hard work, etc, seems to have faded somewhat.

 

This also seems to relate to a journalistic issue, of the value of recording something it is original environment.. but I would assume that most people would choose the vanilla studio sample over the "real" one, for sake of convenience.

 

As an art form, I think field recording and music concrete related techniques will live on. But as a "get it done and out the door" production tool, maybe not so much. Just my 2 cents. I'd like to hear what field recording art forms have evolved into in recent years though. I really haven't been keeping up that whole scene.

[Tusker]

I agree. Found sound today is more prevalent in dreck than in the art. What to do?

 

You can blame it on the clear-channeling of music, the shrinking of the global village ... and several other reasons. I think the most significant problem is a lack of imagination. So much sound. So little meaning.

 

Jerry

[nursers]

Some great perspectives - thanks!