Field recording

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M. C. Schmidt of Matmos recording cow audio samples for their 2006 album Matmos - Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast - Martin mics cows.jpg
M. C. Schmidt of Matmos recording cow audio samples for their 2006 album
A recording being made of a colliery whistle A man is recording sound effects, 1930s 2.jpg
A recording being made of a colliery whistle

Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibrations using different microphones like a passive magnetic antenna for electromagnetic recordings or contact microphones. For underwater field recordings, a field recordist uses hydrophones to capture the sounds and/or movements of whales, or other aquatic organisms. These recordings are very useful for sound designers.

Contents

Field recording of natural sounds, also called phonography (a term chosen to illustrate its similarities to photography), was originally developed as a documentary adjunct to research work in the field, and Foley work for film. With the introduction of high-quality, portable recording equipment, it has subsequently become an evocative artform in itself. In the 1970s, both processed and natural phonographic recordings, (pioneered by Irv Teibel's Environments series), became popular.

"Field recordings" may also refer to simple monaural or stereo recordings taken of musicians in familiar and casual surroundings, such as the ethnomusicology recordings pioneered by John Lomax, Nonesuch Records, and Vanguard Records.

Techniques

Two individuals recording ecoacoustics in the field. Ecoacoustics recording in Rural Illinois, USA.jpg
Two individuals recording ecoacoustics in the field.

General

Field recording often involves the capture of ambient noises that are low level and complex, and, in response, the requirements from the field recordist have often pushed the technical limits of recording equipment, that is, demanding low noise and extended frequency response in a portable, battery-powered unit. For this reason, field recordists have favoured high-quality (usually professional) recorders, microphones, and microphone pre-amplifiers. The history of the equipment used in this area closely tracks the development of professional portable audio recording technology. Modern accessories used in the field include, but are not limited to: windscreens (foam, fur, hair, parabolic reflector), shock mounts, microphone cables, digital audio recorders and so on. [1]

Field recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product. In contrast, a multitrack remote recording captures many microphones on multiple channels, later to be creatively modified, augmented, and mixed down to a specific consumer format.

Field recording experienced a rapid increase in popularity during the early 1960s, with the introduction of high-quality, portable recording equipment, (e.g., the Uher, and Nagra portable reel-to-reel decks). The arrival of the DAT (Digital Audio Tape) in the 1980s introduced a new level of audio recording fidelity with extended frequency response and low self-noise. In addition to these technologies, other popular means for field recording have included the analog cassette (CAC), the DCC (Digital Compact Cassette), and the MiniDisc. The latest generation of recorders are completely digital-based (hard disk/Flash). It is also possible to use personal electronic devices, (e.g., a smartphone or tablet), with software, to do field recording and editing.

In addition to recording and editing, the process of field recording also involves these skills. Ability to monitor (observe the relevant signals to ensure recording and settings are correct), control levels (correct decibel range and headroom), create neat documentation (handling, annotating, and tagging the recorded material), clean up (cutting out unwanted noises, processing, etc.), and file management. [2]

Basic Techniques

There are three basic techniques that involve the placement of field recording microphones which result in varying directivity. The three techniques are known as A/B, XY, and M/S.

A/B

In other words, A/B is known as the spaced pair. A/B, or the spaced pair is formed by setting two separate microphones (either cardioid or omnidirectional) in parallel with one another. There is intentional space left between the two microphones in order to capture a wide stereo image of a desired sound. This technique is often utilized in an indoor recording of multi-string instrumental settings, music ensembles, and so on. [2]

XY

XY is the most frequently used stereo recording technique. It typically involves setting a complement pair of microphones in a coincident (XY) pattern. This technique is used to replicate the way in which our ears function (see binaural hearing). XY as a technique is dependent on the delay of sound that arrives at one of the microphones a minuscule fraction of a second sooner than the other. This way, the technique produces a remarkably rich sense of ambiance. However, there is a downside to this technique, as it is fixed in the way that widening or shrinking to control the ambiance is not a possibility. [2]

M/S

Unlike XY, the M/S technique was created to allow for control over the level of ambiance. The logic behind it is that the Mid microphone functions as a center channel, and the Side microphone adds additional ambiance that can either be intensified or subtracted. This can take place either live during the recording or afterwards during editing.

Physically the layout involves a directional microphone as the center, with an omnidirectional microphone placed 90-degrees off-axis from the sound source. This layout captures the central microphone's signals from the side. During the editing phase, the audio track from the Side microphone is required to split into two channels, with left (panning set to 100% L), and right (at 100% R).

One of the two sides (right or left), should be processed by reversing their phase. Visually, it involves flipping the desired wave upside down, which increases the sense of ambiance due to a minute misalignment between the two. [2]

New techniques

Newly developed techniques include the creative placement of microphones, (including contact microphones and hydrophones, for example), the diffusion of captured sounds, and individual approaches.

Career

A field recordist is an individual that works to produce field recordings. Typically the work involves recording sound outside of a controlled environment like a studio (field recording is an analog of studio recording), to be used or repurposed as sound effects that get inserted into all sorts of media, such as plays, video games, films, and television shows. A career as a professional field recordist is a tough, but potentially rewarding one. A field recordist must often face ever-changing weather, be patient, and willing to capture sounds in potentially dangerous locations. A typical day could range from recording ambient noise in a library to recording the thundering sounds of a grand waterfall. Just as the recordings can vary, the amount of work can as well. Most typically work as freelancers with other side jobs to support the slow periods of recording. [3]

Brief early history of field recordings

The earliest known field recording is of a Shama bird. It was recorded in 1889 by Ludwig Koch using a wax cylinder recording. This was the first documented recording of a non-human subject. [4] The distinction between whether field recordings are art or music is still ambiguous, as they still serve both purposes. [5] Some early proponents of this important, yet unknown field consist of examples like Walter Ruttman's Weekend (which was a radio piece put together from recording of daily life in Berlin), and Ludwig Koch's 'sound-books' (which educated listeners in species identification using gramophone records of birdsong). These field recordings and many others ended up being stored in vinyl to be sold to enthusiasts, hobbyists, and tourists alike a few decades later in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

In relation to those vinyl records, the concept of steam train sounds also seemed to be a kind of fetish or obsession for mid-20th century record collectors, as their nostalgia and obsolete transportation mode is reflected in the current feel for vinyl. [6]

Research

Ethnomusicology

Bela Bartok using a phonograph to record Slovak folk songs sung by peasants Bartok recording folk music.jpg
Béla Bartók using a phonograph to record Slovak folk songs sung by peasants

Field recording was originally a way to document oral presentations and ethnomusicology projects (pioneered by Béla Bartók, Charles Seeger, and John Lomax). In the case of Bartók, his own studies helped alter the generally unfavorable view of Eastern European folk music at that time. He grew to admire numerous regional styles from both firsthand experience and recordings, eventually incorporating these styles into his own compositional works. [7]

Bioacoustics

Field recording is an important tool in bioacoustics and biomusicology, most commonly in research on bird song. Animals in the wild can display very different vocalizations from those in captivity. Ambient noise in urban environments have also shown to alter the vocalizations of local bird populations. [8]

In addition to birds, whales have also been frequently observed using field recordings. In recent years, COVID-19 has had largely negative effects on the world as a whole, but through recent field recordings, it has been shown that whales have been less stressed and generally more healthy. This is due to a large decline in international commerce and naval shipping during the pandemic, and by extension much less noise and disturbance in the ocean's soundscape. [9]

Art

Music

The use of field recordings in avant-garde, musique concrète, experimental, and, more recently, ambient music was evident almost from the birth of recording technology. Most noteworthy for pioneering the conceptual and theoretical framework with art music that most openly embraced the use of raw sound material and field recordings was Pierre Schaeffer, who was developing musique concrète as early as 1940. Further impetus was provided by the World Soundscape Project, initiated by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer in the 1970s; this work involved studying the acoustic ecology of a particular location by the use of field recordings.

Field recordings are now a common source material for a range of musical results, from contemporary musique concrète compositions to film soundtracks, video game soundtracks, and effects. Chris Watson, formerly of Cabaret Voltaire, is now perhaps the world's leading exponent of this art, with his recordings used for David Attenborough's series for the BBC, programmes for BBC Radio, and many other outlets. Another notable application of field recordings as of contemporary music is its inclusion in some vaporwave tracks, commonly recordings of public areas such as malls or grocery stores to add atmosphere.[ citation needed ]

Another example of the use of field recordings is by the American musician Stuart Hyatt who combines his field recordings with the experimental music of himself and other musicians. [10]

The sounds recorded by any device, and then transferred to digital format, are used by some musicians through their performance with MIDI-interfaced instruments. A contemporary artist with great success for his compositions is Christian Fennesz.

Earlier innovators who are noted for the importance and boldness of their projects are Luigi Russolo, who, in 1913, with his manifesto, L'arte dei rumori ( The Art of Noises ), gave musical value to environmental noise. He also designed and built the Intonarumori—the first instruments for making noise. Francesco Balilla Pratella utilized the Intonarumori in his opera, L'aviatore Dro, which was written in close collaboration with Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, (the founder of the Futurist movement).

Radio documentary

Radio documentaries often use recordings from the field, e.g., a locomotive engine running, for evocative effect. This type of sound functions as the non-fictional counterpart to the sound effect.

Politics

During the early years of commercial recordings, the speeches of politicians sold well, since few people had radios. The HMV ("His Master's Voice") catalogue for 1914–1918 [11] lists over a dozen such records. Probably the last time such records sold well was in 1965, when the LP, The Voice of Churchill, reached number 7 in the UK album charts. This was immediately after Churchill's death.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound effect</span> Artificially created or enhanced sound

A sound effect is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microphone</span> Device that converts sound into an electrical signal

A microphone, colloquially called a mic, or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public events, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, sound recording, two-way radios, megaphones, and radio and television broadcasting. They are also used in computers and other electronic devices, such as mobile phones, for recording sounds, speech recognition, VoIP, and other purposes, such as ultrasonic sensors or knock sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binaural recording</span> Method of recording sound

Binaural recording is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments. This effect is often created using a technique known as dummy head recording, wherein a mannequin head is fitted with a microphone in each ear. Binaural recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers. This idea of a three-dimensional or "internal" form of sound has also translated into useful advancement of technology in many things such as stethoscopes creating "in-head" acoustics and IMAX movies being able to create a three-dimensional acoustic experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Production sound mixer</span> Member of a film crew or television crew

A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer, or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew or television crew responsible for recording all sound recording on set during the filmmaking or television production using professional audio equipment, for later inclusion in the finished product, or for reference to be used by the sound designer, sound effects editors, or Foley artists. This requires choice and deployment of microphones, choice of recording media, and mixing of audio signals in real time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headphones</span> Device placed near the ears that plays sound

Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an audio source privately, in contrast to a loudspeaker, which emits sound into the open air for anyone nearby to hear. Headphones are also known as earphones or, colloquially, cans. Circumaural and supra-aural headphones use a band over the top of the head to hold the speakers in place. Another type, known as earbuds or earpieces, consists of individual units that plug into the user's ear canal. A third type are bone conduction headphones, which typically wrap around the back of the head and rest in front of the ear canal, leaving the ear canal open. In the context of telecommunication, a headset is a combination of a headphone and microphone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recording studio</span> Facility for sound recording

A recording studio is a specialized facility for recording and mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enough to record a single singer-guitarist, to a large building with space for a full orchestra of 100 or more musicians. Ideally, both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician or audio engineer to achieve optimum acoustic properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surround sound</span> System with loudspeakers that surround the listener

Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener. Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to surround sound, theater sound systems commonly had three screen channels of sound that played from three loudspeakers located in front of the audience. Surround sound adds one or more channels from loudspeakers to the side or behind the listener that are able to create the sensation of sound coming from any horizontal direction around the listener.

A sound editor is a creative professional responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing or mastering of a television program, motion picture, video game, or any production involving recorded or synthetic sound. The sound editor works with the supervising sound editor. The supervising sound editor often assigns scenes and reels the sound editor based on the editor's strengths and area of expertise. Sound editing developed out of the need to fix the incomplete, undramatic, or technically inferior sound recordings of early talkies, and over the decades has become a respected filmmaking craft, with sound editors implementing the aesthetic goals of motion picture sound design.

Sound design is the art and practice of creating soundtracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, video game development, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production, radio, new media and musical instrument development. Sound design commonly involves performing and editing of previously composed or recorded audio, such as sound effects and dialogue for the purposes of the medium, but it can also involve creating sounds from scratch through synthesizers. A sound designer is one who practices sound design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereophonic sound</span> Method of sound reproduction using two audio channels

Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration of two loudspeakers in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound recording and reproduction</span> Recording of sound and playing it back

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blumlein pair</span> Stereo recording technique

Blumlein pair is a stereo recording technique invented by Alan Blumlein for the creation of recordings that, upon replaying through headphones or loudspeakers, recreate the spatial characteristics of the recorded signal.

The history of sound recording - which has progressed in waves, driven by the invention and commercial introduction of new technologies — can be roughly divided into four main periods:

Re-amping is a process often used in multitrack recording in which a recorded signal is routed back out of the editing environment and run through external processing using effects units and then into a guitar amplifier and a guitar speaker cabinet or a reverb chamber. Originally, the technique was used mostly for electric guitars: it facilitates a separation of guitar playing from guitar amplifier processing—a previously recorded audio program is played back and re-recorded at a later time for the purpose of adding effects, ambiance such as reverb or echo, and the tone shaping imbued by certain amps and cabinets. The technique has since evolved over the 2000s to include many other applications. Re-amping can also be applied to other instruments and program, such as recorded drums, synthesizers, and virtual instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microphone practice</span> Microphone techniques used for recording audio

There are a number of well-developed microphone techniques used for recording musical, film, or voice sources or picking up sounds as part of sound reinforcement systems. The choice of technique depends on a number of factors, including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audio mixing (recorded music)</span> Audio mixing to yield recorded sound

In sound recording and reproduction, audio mixing is the process of optimizing and combining multitrack recordings into a final mono, stereo or surround sound product. In the process of combining the separate tracks, their relative levels are adjusted and balanced and various processes such as equalization and compression are commonly applied to individual tracks, groups of tracks, and the overall mix. In stereo and surround sound mixing, the placement of the tracks within the stereo field are adjusted and balanced. Audio mixing techniques and approaches vary widely and have a significant influence on the final product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Dugan (audio engineer)</span> First sound designer; inventor of the automixer

Dan Dugan is an American audio engineer, inventor, and nature sounds recordist. He was the first person in regional theatre to be called a sound designer, and he developed the first effective automatic microphone mixer: the automixer. Dugan's sound design work was acknowledged in 2003 with a Distinguished Career Award by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, and in 2020 with an Emmy Award for technology relevant to remote working. In 2021 he was awarded Fellowship in the Audio Engineering Society.

Ecomusicology is an area of study that explores the relationships between music or sound, and the natural environment. It is a study which encompasses a variety of academic disciplines including musicology, biology, ecology and anthropology. Ecomusicology combines these disciplines to explore how sound is produced by natural environments and, more broadly how cultural values and concerns about nature are expressed through sonic mediums. Ecomusicology explores the ways that music is composed to replicate natural imagery, as well as how sounds produced within the natural environment are used within musical composition. Ecological studies of sounds produced by animals within their habitat are also considered to be part of the field of ecomusicology. In the 21st century, studies within the field the ecomusicology have also become increasingly interested in the sustainability of music production and performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acoustic Atlas</span> Western US natural sounds archive

Acoustic Atlas is a repository of sound recordings from the Western United States, including sounds made by animals, ambient recordings of environments, and interviews related to the topic of natural sounds. The collection is hosted by the Montana State University Library, and it is a collaboration between the library and Yellowstone National Park. The project focuses on the collection and dissemination of natural sounds of Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, along with habitats and species from throughout the contiguous Western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom patent 394325</span> Seminal work on stereophonic sound by Alan Blumlein

The United Kingdom patent 394325 'Improvements in and relating to Sound-transmission, Sound-recording and Sound-reproducing Systems' is a fundamental work on stereophonic sound, written by Alan Blumlein in 1931 and published in 1933. The work exists only in the form of a patent and two accompanying memos addressed to Isaac Shoenberg. The text is exceptionally long for a patent of the period, having 70 numbered claims. It contains a brief summary of sound localization theory, a roadmap for introduction of surround sound in sound film and recording industry, and a description of Blumlein's inventions related to stereophony, notably the matrix processing of stereo signals, the Blumlein stereo microphone and the 45/45 mechanical recording system.

References

  1. ↑ "Accessories" . Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Field Recording". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Music Industry Career Roles - Berklee Online". online.berklee.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  4. ↑ English, Lawrence (8 February 2015). "The sounds around us: an introduction to field recording". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  5. ↑ "Issue Information - TOC". The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 74 (3): 225–226. July 2016. doi: 10.1111/jaac.12302 . ISSN   0021-8529.
  6. ↑ Gallagher, Michael (June 2015). "Field recording and the sounding of spaces". Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. 33 (3): 560–576. Bibcode:2015EnPlD..33..560G. doi:10.1177/0263775815594310. ISSN   0263-7758. S2CID   147378637.
  7. ↑ Cedarville University; Nelson, David (2012). "Béla Bartók: The Father of Ethnomusicology". Musical Offerings. 3 (2): 75–91. doi: 10.15385/jmo.2012.3.2.2 .
  8. ↑ Warren, Paige S.; Katti, Madhusudan; Ermann, Michael; Brazel, Anthony (2006). "Urban bioacoustics: it's not just noise". Animal Behaviour. 71 (3): 491–502. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.07.014. S2CID   53154343.
  9. ↑ "Why whales in Alaska have been so happy". BBC News. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  10. ↑ "Stuart Hyatt Is On A Different Wavelength". Indianapolis Monthly. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  11. ↑ Gramophone records of the First World War : an HMV catalogue, 1914-1918 (Book, 1975) [WorldCat.org]

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