Recording Environmental Sounds.......

  • Thread starter Thread starter Slackmaster2K
  • Start date Start date
Slackmaster2K

Slackmaster2K

Gone
So...a few weekends ago I discover that my old 4 track will run off of one of those car cigarette lighter adapters for portable cd players. It's very interesting to be able to record sounds right out of the car...

However, I can't take my car into a bar. I've been itching for some good crowd rumble but have no way to record it. I tried one of those little handheld recorders for speech, what a joke.

Also, my old 4 track is very noisy...it's hard to say if the sounds I did record will sound good in a mix.

Now I remember ...many many magazines ago... reading about some little digital recorder gizmo that recorded I believe 16/44 audio via a small capacitor (back electret I assume they meant) microphone mounted on the unit. It supposedly offered fairly superior quality for a unit of its size. I think it might have also had a line input and various types of output.

Anyway...I really can't afford anything but I'm just curious as to whether anyone else is doing anything like this around here?

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster, your right up my alley. I got into this area a few years ago when I put together some materials for a theater production that included some enviromental sounds (cars, guns, water, birds...). What I did then was use my 4 track w/ batteries and an old Shure mic. Yes, it was noisy. Then I borrowed a small Sony DAT recorder and a stereo mic. That was a much better quality recording, but still noisy. I even use the handheld vocal recorder now, in a pinch and so people are not aware I'm recording.

There is so much noise that is inherent to recording out of the studio. But I don't expect to get nice, isolated sounds...I think it is only natural to have some backgroung noise...isn't that part of it? I am surprised how much my little handheld picks up and how well it plays through my system. I have, on occasion, tried to box it in with my body or even by cupping my hand around it. That might help in a bar room situation and be less noticable to the patrons.

So, how to improve it?
You can invest in some really professional field equipment. But I can't afford that either.
What I have done is tried to become content with the quality of what I can collect and concentrate on the product. Hopefully, some funding will come along to improve the equipment, but why wait...it could be a long time.

One option, that might be affordable, is a better type mic (shotgun?) for this type of recording. Something very directional.
One can always adjust the quality of the sound afterwards. EQing will elimanate some unwanted "room tone" and isolate/enhabce other sounds/voices.
 
Well it's not so much isolating the sounds that I'm interested in at this point... when I mentioned noise I was talking about basic tape noise. Not to mention that the overall sound of my four track sucks.

Now it might be good enough for what I'm doing but...

What kind of handheld recorder do you use? The one I have...well it's my girlfriend's....is pretty nice, but records on microcassettes... VERY noisy & crackly and the microphone is only suited for close up voice.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Hi Guy's,

... just a thought ...

could ya borrow/hire a digital video cam or something, the kind you can hook up an external mic to.
Compact, reasonable sound and runs for ages off batteries. And it's in stereo!
Collect your sounds, head home, dump the audio into your home set-up and mix away!

... just a thought ...

Macca
 
Hey Slack! What the hell are you doing in this forum?
Go back to the "HomeComp C/D" forum where you belong!!!!!!!
 
www.soundprofessionals.com

Slack, these folks have some pretty inexpensive ways to bootleg (if you don't mind not beating around the bush). They sell package deals of MD recorders/discrete mics that are very affordable (like, $300). Plus, you'll get that raise you've been looking for when you playback your boss' BULLSHIT later on during the board meeting...

:D
 
Slack-I have a Panasonic microcassette recorder model RN-122. Think it was around 90$ 7-8 years ago. Also an old Tascam PortaOne 4 track.

Macca-good point, I didn't menton the camera idea. I've used it for a variety of sounds, mostly rain/thunder. But the uses are endless...and people don't really think about the fact that you have usable audio. I also record off of the TV.

Kelly- thanks for the tip on sound professionals.
 
Slackmaster2K,

i used a Sony M-627V microcassette recorder for interviews before and sometimes the tape transport would be louder than the voices when i listened to the stuff i had recorded. plus people stiring their cofffe, putting down the spoon, cup, whatever, on the table... it sucked. then i got a cheap small crappy mic with a clip on it, 1/8" plug and a 3 foot cord (the sony thing has a 1/8" mic input) and a small bean bag to clip the mic onto and act as a 'shock absorber'. it sounded much better of course, but you still have the tape noise to deal with. and that's where Kelly's MD deal comes in handy. some time ago i got a sony portable MD and recently i upgraded to a MZ-R900 and now all i wanna do is get a portable mic pre and take my condenser for a ride... the MD slips into your shirtpocket, records 300 min on a single disc, just bring a back up 1.5v battery, clip your mic onto your shirt collar and man am i beginning to sound like a commercial.....

micmac
 
Just dandy!
Go to help someone out and I got quality information myself.
I had never considered the MD...really looks like the way to go.

Thank you folks!
 
Yeah minidisc... I'll have to look into that if I start doing more of this kind of thing.

Damn I just wish this 4 track wasn't so noisy...and I HATE noise reduction. Although on "soundeffects" perhaps quality isn't as critical. I can probably butcher them much more than a musical track.

I should experiment more before posting...but what's the fun in that? :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
I have had pretty decent luck just using an old Sony Hi-8 video camera. Especially for stuff like bird sounds, wind, rain, etc.
 
I think it'd be cool to set up some binaural mics on a dog, and strap an MD recorder on it's back... Then play fetch, or just let him run around doing normal stuff... Maybe listen to it while falling asleep, have dog dreams...

hehe. No kidding, that'd be cool...

:D
 
checked my md today, with the new MDLP-thing you get 5h 20min of stereo recording out of an 80min disc. compressed, yes, but that's some serious rec time for something that small.

nice dog idea, there. a guy i know used to put a tape recorder on the table whenever they had a party and then frame like six tapes in a box with glass front marked with date/time/people/occasion etc. it was part of an art exhibition of his.

micmac
 
DAMN! That's some SERIOUS recording time.

Hey, where are you getting the 80-minute thing from? I can only put 74 min on a disc as is... Does it involve the DataMDs or that nifty TOC mod? And how is the sound quality? I'm thinking of getting a "walkman" MD recorder as to "dedicate" the MD-8 for REAL recording... also, it'd be great to start a tape at the beginning of practice/songwriting and not worry about stoppage...

And how long is 5 hours and 20 minutes in dog years?

:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top