Q: Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
A: I thought that the overall experience building my microphone was very frustrating. It was difficult to strip the thin wires and then weld them without having them touch each other. The process of building the microphone was more than I though it would be, in that it required more time and effort than I thought it would. My microphone rig worked perfectly on my drift walk. I had no problems with it and it recorded the sounds well. My microphone rig was able to pick up both ambient and specific noises. My ideal microphone and recorder setup would be a high quality digital microphone recorder that was all self-contained.
Q: How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
A: My experience with the MiniDisc recorder was fairly good. In the beginning of my walk I forgot how to start recording and that frustrated me for a while, until I remembered and got it to work. The recorder is a little more confusing than other equipment I’ve used in the past, but the MiniDisc recorder worked fine. In an ideal world my recorder would be extremely simple, doing everything automatically with just a record and stop button.
Q: Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
A: The audio-editing software that I used was audacity. This was the first time I had used it and I found it to be fairly easy. I chose this software because it was straightforward and it was free. It helped me accomplish all of my audio editing techniques and has a lot of different functions. I will definitely use this software again in a future project. It is a simple but very extensive audio-editing software.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ten Important Questions
1)Where can I find more natural landscapes like the last one I went to?
2)Would I get better nature sounds in a less public place?
3)Maybe I should go to an urban environment for a contrast?
4)How do I capture urban sounds without the sound of traffic?
5)Where is the best place in Minneapolis to capture urban sounds?
6)If I record for longer amounts of time, will I come up with better sounds?
7)Which sounds are more exciting: natural or man-made?
8)Should I use different methods for sound recording for urban as opposed to natural areas?
9)Where are the best places around my neighborhood to record nature sounds?
10)Is there an area that mixes an urban environment with a natural environment?
2)Would I get better nature sounds in a less public place?
3)Maybe I should go to an urban environment for a contrast?
4)How do I capture urban sounds without the sound of traffic?
5)Where is the best place in Minneapolis to capture urban sounds?
6)If I record for longer amounts of time, will I come up with better sounds?
7)Which sounds are more exciting: natural or man-made?
8)Should I use different methods for sound recording for urban as opposed to natural areas?
9)Where are the best places around my neighborhood to record nature sounds?
10)Is there an area that mixes an urban environment with a natural environment?
My Drift One Assessment
Q: Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
A: One situation that was very aggravating during my first drift was the amount of wind there was in my drift area. The microphones picked up the wind and it was difficult to edit this out in the editing stages of this project. Another situation that was difficult during drift one was trying to capture a specific sound with not too much background noise. I recorded in a public space and there were always people talking or other things happening during my sound recording. I just had to accept this and record to the best of my ability.
Q: Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
A: One situation where I felt unusually peaceful was when I was recording a cricket sound. I had gone under a large tree to get this sound at its best and felt a sense of calmness. I recorded for a prolonged amount of time and felt that this may have been my best sound recorded. Another peaceful moment was when I was recording the waterfall sound. I think that many people find the sound of water calming and that is what it did for me. I know that waterfalls are somewhat generic sounds, but this one stood out to me and I enjoyed it.
Q: Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
A: One unexpected situation that I had during drift one dealt with a wedding. I had gone to a landscape arboretum expecting to capture only nature sounds, but when I got there I found that there were multiple weddings there that day. I got to record some of the sounds of the weddings being set up. This was unexpected, but it led to some good sounds that I recorded. Another unexpected situation was the recording of the geese sounds. I had almost finished capturing all of my sounds, when I came across a large field full of geese. I had to record these sounds, and they came out okay despite the loud wind sounds in the background. One more unanticipated situation during my drift one was the time and patience it took to accomplish this drift. I really had to spend time not only recording the sounds, but also really looking for good sounds to record. It requires a high level of patience to find the perfect sounds for this project.
Q: Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
A: My favorite experience from drift one was when I recorded the sound of geese in a field. It was a much unexpected moment as I was almost finished recording and came across this large field full of geese. I placed the microphone very close to the geese and just let it record the natural sounds of the birds. My family was with me and we watched the geese as they flew away and made loud noises. Although it was not my best quality recording, the moment was exciting and was a good end to my day of recording.
A: One situation that was very aggravating during my first drift was the amount of wind there was in my drift area. The microphones picked up the wind and it was difficult to edit this out in the editing stages of this project. Another situation that was difficult during drift one was trying to capture a specific sound with not too much background noise. I recorded in a public space and there were always people talking or other things happening during my sound recording. I just had to accept this and record to the best of my ability.
Q: Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
A: One situation where I felt unusually peaceful was when I was recording a cricket sound. I had gone under a large tree to get this sound at its best and felt a sense of calmness. I recorded for a prolonged amount of time and felt that this may have been my best sound recorded. Another peaceful moment was when I was recording the waterfall sound. I think that many people find the sound of water calming and that is what it did for me. I know that waterfalls are somewhat generic sounds, but this one stood out to me and I enjoyed it.
Q: Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
A: One unexpected situation that I had during drift one dealt with a wedding. I had gone to a landscape arboretum expecting to capture only nature sounds, but when I got there I found that there were multiple weddings there that day. I got to record some of the sounds of the weddings being set up. This was unexpected, but it led to some good sounds that I recorded. Another unexpected situation was the recording of the geese sounds. I had almost finished capturing all of my sounds, when I came across a large field full of geese. I had to record these sounds, and they came out okay despite the loud wind sounds in the background. One more unanticipated situation during my drift one was the time and patience it took to accomplish this drift. I really had to spend time not only recording the sounds, but also really looking for good sounds to record. It requires a high level of patience to find the perfect sounds for this project.
Q: Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
A: My favorite experience from drift one was when I recorded the sound of geese in a field. It was a much unexpected moment as I was almost finished recording and came across this large field full of geese. I placed the microphone very close to the geese and just let it record the natural sounds of the birds. My family was with me and we watched the geese as they flew away and made loud noises. Although it was not my best quality recording, the moment was exciting and was a good end to my day of recording.
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