Jean Coeurchamp wrote:
>It seems that most of the recordists in this group use pretty
>professional equipment.
Not really. A good mike with a decent recorder is all you need.
>I am merely an amateur with minimal
>funds, 'starting out' as it were. I record with a Sony MD (MZ-N707),
>and until recently made tentative experiments using a cheap, muddy
>Sony mic ill-suited to my purpose. However, I have just invested in
>the Core-Sound binaurals (haven't received them yet), which I have
>seen dismissed by ambience recorders, but even these are pushing my
>budget to the limit (c.$300 including postage).
I wouldn't diss them.
>Also, anything more sophisticated would be pretty pointless anyway,
>as I intend to edit my recordings on a laptop, and the only way
>to 'upload' them is via the analogue line-in.
This can be good if you pay attention to levels in the transfer.
>I do have the program
>WaveLab (a newer version) - can this be used to 'improve' raw
>recordings to any significant degree?
Sure, all you need is the ability to edit and do some filtering.
>Anyway, seeing as I haven't actually started operating yet, I was
>just wondering what the viability of obtaining anything interesting
>will be (in terms of sound quality). Since I'm in a highly urban
>area (London, England), I will probably be recording
>mainly 'urban/industrial ambience' unless I go on trips to more
>rural areas, or maybe attempting to capture interesting
>intersections of natural and mechanical sound. So I do not aim for
>anything highly specific or localised (e.g. individual bird calls),
>more just an omnidirectional sense of 'soaking up sound'. But given
>my comparatively primitive setup, are the results likely to be muddy
>and lacking spatial depth, or distorted by even light wind?
Wind is always a challenge. You might start by borrowing a pair of
fuzzy earmuffs to try over the binaural mikes.
>I know
>these judgements are relative, and my desired standards as an
>amateur are obviously lower than a professional's.
You can get professional results with amateur gear.
-Dan Dugan
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