Hi Klas,
I see nature sound recording as a creative effort similar in some aspects t=
o photography. The "soundscape" recording corresponds to scenic photos and=
the directed or parabolic recordings correspond to telephoto lens shots. =
I have to be as talented in finding and "framing" my subjects with my micro=
phones as a photographer is with her lenses. Whether either I or the photo=
grapher "Photoshops" or alters the sounds afterwards is a matter of artisti=
c license.
Both the photographer and I are capturing a moment of the universe in an ar=
tistic way. Neither of us are creating, ex nihilo, as the musician or pain=
ter does. Nevertheless, I still see both the nature recordist and the phot=
ographer as creative artists.
Always good to hear from you. It must be deep winter up where you are, giv=
ing you time for some deep reflection.
Kevin Colver
On Dec 15, 2012, at 2:05 PM, Klas Strandberg <> wrote:
> Hi Keith and others!
>
> So we did (at least) get some agreeing about the issue that a Telinga
> SSM demo file should be uploaded raw and if it was filtered it should say=
so.
> It pleases me. I agree.
>
> Keith, since you wrote your serious reflections to me, I have been
> trying to look into "ethics" and nature recording / music / media.
> Just to make up my mind.
> It has been like playing chess with oneself. As soon as you find an
> argument for something, you also see the argument against it. So I
> agree with you, it feels like having to write a book, which very few
> are going to read.
>
> When chatting with people about it, it seems to be quite a big
> difference between Americans and Europeans. What is total fraud for a
> European, is not very upsetting to an American.
> Also, what is seen as a fraud to a person over 50, seems to be
> natural to a person under 30.
>
> This is an example of a few questions that I have asked "people": A
> battery manufacturer (A) sells a 3,6v/100 mAh battery, which can be
> measured as the true value. His competitor, though, announces the
> same battery as 3,6v but 150mAh, which is a lie. Question: Does this
> justify that manufacturer (A) also starts lying and announces his
> battery as 3,6v 200 mAh?
> People my age seem at least to be a bit stressed by the question,
> while young people say "yes, what else can he do?"
> Well, those are my "findings" - not science, but enough convincing for me=
.
>
> When it comes to making SoundScapes, I cannot at all identify with a
> photographer or a musician. My only and biggest creative effort, I
> think, is that I have selected the equipment and spent time putting
> it somewhere. I might not even be there, and the time and place is
> mostly chosen more or less by practical reasons like "it=B4s a quiet
> place" or "you can get there by car". Apart from such matters, and
> selecting the track, - I don't see that I have any "creative"
> contribution into the recording.
> (I DO admit that a FEW people are working differently! They are very
> talented. But they are... few.)
>
> Using a parabol is different, as there is a great difference between
> the recordings a "average" client is doing his first birding season
> and his next! I cannot pinpoint what it is, but I am sure that it
> has to do with "not doing the same mistakes" or something. Clients
> who have been working with a Telinga for a long time, absolutely make
> more really "good" recordings than the beginner! So, using a parabol
> is more a "creative" issue than placing a stereo mike somewhere, I would =
say.
>
> But the topic was "manipulation" vs. "purism," which cannot include
> the use of parabols, as there is no "purism" in such recordings
> anyway, even though they might sound "nice".
>
> My question was: Do I want my new born grand child to listen to my
> recordings in twenty years from now, PRESUMING that there is a lot of
> filtering done, even removing a high way?
> No, I don=B4t.
> Do I want him to hear my "best" raven passing by, saying "wow, that
> was a great mixing job!"
>
> No. I Don't. I want him to hear, as real as possible, what I could
> hear with my own ears, trusting his ears and PRESUMING that no
> manipulation was done!
> Will that happen? Probably not...
>
> Klas.
>
> At 01:54 2012-11-08, you wrote:
> >Thanks, Klas.
> >I look forward to reading your thoughts.
> >Keith
> >
> >
> >On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 5:39 PM, Klas Strandberg <> wro=
te:
> >
> > > **
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi Keith,
> > >
> > > Thanks for your warmhearted greetings.
> > >
> > > I have printed out your mail and will read it in bed tonight.
> > > And consider as carefully as I am able to.
> > > And reply.
> > >
> > > Klas.
> > >
> > > (PS: changed the subject line. I mixed it up in the first place.)
> > >
> > > At 23:54 2012-11-07, you wrote:
> > > >Klas, you're ahead by 5 grandchildren. My first arrived in August :D
> > > >
> > > >"Do "we" want that?"
> > > >I'm not sure the choice is "ours".
> > > >
> > > >I've wanted to respond to your recent posts in a fullsome and heartf=
elt
> > > >manner, but have struggled to find a way without writing a book. I d=
o feel
> > > >your angst. While nature recording is new to me (and far more diffic=
ult
> > > >than I'd ever imagined), natural recording is something I've struggl=
ed
> > > with
> > > >much of my life as a freelance musician. As a player, this struggle =
first
> > > >confronted me in dealing with the fundamental dishonesty of the over=
dub.
> > > >It's something that no player wants to do -at least in the sense of =
fixing
> > > >something - but it also has tremendous creative potential.
> > > >
> > > >What to do? Even in the event of fixing a flawed improv idea or a ba=
d
> > > >performance, the end result is still something that I created/perfor=
med
> > > >(and is thus, bona fide?). I might add that the problem is worse whe=
n your
> > > >rotten note is the only wart on a performance that included several =
other
> > > >players who just gave the performance of a lifetime;)
> > > >
> > > >As I've grown older, I've been apt to take a more existential attitu=
de
> > > >toward problems like this:
> > > >Who am I here to serve? Hopefully, in my case it's the Muse. Can I m=
ake a
> > > >musical point clearer with an overdub? Perhaps. Do I need to redo th=
e
> > > whole
> > > >piece from scratch, just to prove that I can? Hmm. Wouldn't that jus=
t be
> > > >serving my ego? Does using the technique lessen the musical value of=
the
> > > >end product? Not if the listener is unaware, but it still offends my=
sense
> > > >of authenticity.
> > > >
> > > >Classical music has taken this to insane extremes. A number of years=
ago
> > > >there was an album of Paganini's 24 Caprices for Violin by a well kn=
own
> > > >guitarist. A friend of mine was working in the same studio a year or=
so
> > > >later and informed me that the whole thing had been expertly pasted =
up
> > > from
> > > >small fragments. I imagine the artist faced the same questions. To c=
learly
> > > >mark the album as Heavily Edited would have been suicide, even in an
> > > >environment where everyone else is doing it too (stories of hundreds=
of
> > > >edits per album are legion). Perhaps he should have scrapped the pro=
ject.
> > > >If he had, he would have denied all of us the chance to experience w=
hat
> > > was
> > > >really a very fine recording.
> > > >What to do?
> > > >
> > > >Using photography as an analogy is limited, but perhaps useful. Even
> > > >snapshooters have to contend with offending poles, wires, reflection=
s and
> > > >what have you. You change viewpoints, 'shop' only the worst of them,=
use
> > > >them creatively or give up the shot. But what if the subject is uniq=
ue or
> > > >rare; well worth putting up with rest of the 'noise'? How far do we =
go
> > > with
> > > >the editing? This may well change the originally held purpose of the=
shot.
> > > >Then, who are we serving? The subject/event, the story, the photo Mu=
se or
> > > >ourselves? I said 'limited' because the instantaneous visual and the
> > > serial
> > > >sound experiences are so fundamentally different. Choosing a viewpoi=
nt to
> > > >avoid a wire seems trivial compared to dealing with an unexpected AT=
V half
> > > >a mile behind you while trying to get 30 minutes of near silence.
> > > >
> > > >Getting back to Nature Recording, doesn't the Purpose and the Fitnes=
s for
> > > >Purpose really tell it all? A relaxation recording might be 30 minut=
es of
> > > >pristinely recorded wilderness bliss or a 20 mintue loop of Alan Gin=
sberg
> > > >going "Ommm" (if that works for anyone --I bet it would sell better)=
.
> > > Using
> > > >Rx might allow an Ornithologist a 'green-screened' version of a bird=
call
> > > >in the very near future, if not today. The 5 minutes of a Pileated
> > > >Woodpecker working a tree stump that I recorded a couple of weeks ag=
o
> > > won't
> > > >be submitted here. It's full of city traffic, airplanes and my creep=
ing
> > > >along a gravel path to get closer, but it's a thrill for me as a per=
sonal
> > > >first. It suits my purpose as a lesson on what not to do, next time.
> > > >
> > > >I'm not trying to make the call, here. It just seems that, the way w=
e're
> > > >going, the future arbiters of what's good, bad, interesting, or bori=
ng
> > > >(both your grandkids and mine) are going to care a lot less about ho=
w
> > > >something was done (except to copy the technique) than they will abo=
ut the
> > > >information on the bottom line.
> > > >
> > > >This leaves us free to serve a scene, a species of wildlife, an ambi=
ence,
> > > >an idea. It doesn't stop us from simply labeling our work as Not Edi=
ted,
> > > >Denoised Only, something to that effect. Perhaps something like a SP=
ARS
> > > >code as used on CDs might be adopted to delineate techniques used or
> > > >avoided?
> > > >
> > > >Just my 2 cents, with all empathy and best wishes,
> > > >k
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 8:20 AM, Klas Strandberg <>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > **
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > My son Jon had a boy a month ago, my sixth grandchild!
> > > > > (Congrats most welcome! Thank you!)
> > > > >
> > > > > Do I want that boy to sit here in 20 years from now, listening to=
my
> > > > > old DAT-tapes saying "Come on, this kind of silence wasn't ever
> > > > > possible around here, grand dad must have photoshopped all noise =
away."
> > > > > Because such a thinking is totally natural to him?
> > > > >
> > > > > Do "we" want that?
> > > > >
> > > > > Klas.
> > > > >
> > > > > Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
> > > > > S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
> > > > > Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
> > > > > email:
> > > > > website: www.telinga.com
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >--
> > > >Keith Smith
> > > >
> > > >Keith Smith Trio, Northern Lights =AD Altai Khangai - www.keithsmith=
.ca
> > > >Photography - www.mymountains.ca
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > >"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> > > >sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Kr=
ause.
> > > >
> > > >Yahoo! Groups Links
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
> > > S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
> > > Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
> > > email:
> > > website: www.telinga.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >------------------------------------
> >
> >"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> >sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause=
.
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
> S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
> Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
> email:
> website: www.telinga.com
>
>
>
>
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