Field Recording

A HUGE part of sound design is the collection of sounds in nature, whether to use them as you record them or to get a little inspiration on a new sound, or even to manipulate them to get them to the idea you have going on in your head.  Either way, you are going to need to get out there in the field to find and record these sounds, and you can’t do that without putting together some sort of field recording kit. 

Whether you’re working with a huge budget, or scraping together what you can just to get out there and record, there are ways to do it.  Starting with a basic kit, such as what I still use while I’m a broke college student, all you really need is a stereo digital recorder and a set of decent headphones (NOT EARBUDS!).  The technology put into the smaller recorders such as the Zoom H2 or Yamaha Pocketrak, has gotten cheap enough to be affordable to us broke college students and part time jobbers with a passion, but trust me, you’re still going to get some decent recordings with a little extra effort.  

The next step up would be something along the lines of an actual field recorder such as a Tascam DR680 8 track professional field recorder.  These require actually plugging microphones in and getting your own setup and microphone formations together.  Windscreens and boom poles are also going to be necessary for the types of microphones and setups being used.

Another step up from the intermediate kit would be essentially preparing for long trips out as if you’re actually getting paid to be out there.  My most quoted author, Ric Viers, recommends things like cans of air for cleaning equipment, walkie-talkies, sound blankets, and sandbags.  The thing about field recording is that there is no closet to store all your accessories in like there is in a studio setting, so you have to be prepared for anything.