Simon,
Welcome to field sound recording. You've come to a good place for
advice and you will find it sometimes contradictory. :-)
> I started sound recording last year to inspire me to find a way back
> into music making and get back to sound being my main occupation.
> Things are slow, but I have limited kit for the time being.
What sort of sound recording have you done before? Your kit is fine
and I would perhaps stick to mono for the time being if you want to
incorporate it into music. Noise is the main enemy outdoors, so you
first need to get the hang of minimising that by selecting suitable
locations, mic placing and luck.
Startup tips: record with peak level well below max and use a bass
cut. With digital you can reverse both of these without problems but
you can't reverse overloads like wind noise. Never use automatic level
control or compression when recording. Not ever. I've heard several
instances on TV recently with people shouting over distorted plane
noise etc. when they could have been heard clearly if recorded at a
lower level.
Have you got a good sound editor? I use Audacity (free) and have
constructed all sorts of equalisation curves, and sometime also use it
for reducing hiss. Spring is coming and I'll be looking out for more
musical birdsong like this slowed down track:
http://www.stowford.org/recordings.htm#aprildawnslowed
David
David Brinicombe
North Devon, UK
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
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