On Organizing Field Recordings

A minimal and expandable method for organizing, cataloging, and archiving Field Recordings Fellow sound artists often ask this question: how should I organize, catalog, and archive my recordings? I’ve worked on this a lot over the years, and have developed a scheme that works for me for everything I do. In a nutshell Stay Chronological. Why chronological? Because time always happens. Store recordings in dated folders, with session description after the date. Use subfolders for “raw” “process” and “output.” Exceptions are for significant projects which get their own sound process flow. Maintain Two Sound Libraries: a clean “finished” library, and …

Contact Mic Resources

Here is some wisdom information I’ve collected on the subject of contact microphones. Anything which appears on this page, I have made a solid attempt to vet as worthy of consideration. I’m no expert, merely a sound designer who has done some exploration. I started this page simply to collect my own research, then thought I might as well share. A contact mic will usually consist of two parts: a transducer (typically a piezo disc or film), and an electronic device performing some combination of impedance matching and amplification. The output of this device will connect to a mic pre, recorder, …

Philosophy

The world is sound; the universe, a rhythmic, vibratory process. Sound is context and signal. We are bathed in it always. Our ears and brains are very good at picking out just the parts we need – but what about the rest? I concern myself with the fabric of this ambient context, the fabric of our acoustic connection to our environment. I also concern myself with the texture and quality of the signal – the underlying communication buried in the obvious. Sound is physical force, and the ear an exquisitely fine pressure sensor. Of all the senses, hearing has the …

PREP SPECS for DELIVERY to MIX

SHORT VERSION Mix takes place in Pro Tools. Video and Audio elements are required as follows: * XML or AAF are used to analyze edit, help with conforms, etc. Please get in touch should any questions arise. LONG VERSION 1) VIDEO REFERENCE 2) AAF SEQUENCE PREP AAF EXPORT SETTINGS OMF is also acceptible, though AAF is usually preferred. For OMF, use same settings as AAF. 3) XML An edit list enables us to analyze changes between versions, and can save time with reconforms and cutdowns. 4) OTHER MATERIALS Every project is unique, but here are some of the things we …