Equipment for Digital Audio Recording in the Field (Rough Draft)
Posted by enkerli on June 22, 2006
[Been wanting to blog more extensively about this but my new resolution is RERO.]
Links…
Field Recording in the Digital Age :: Vermont Folklife Center Middlebury VT:
http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/res_audioequip.htm
http://editthis.info/fieldworkguide/Audio
http://editthis.info/fieldworkguide/Microphones
http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=5072
http://ipodlinux.org/Main_Page
http://ponderance.blogspot.com/2006/03/5g-video-ipod-microphones-are-almost.html
http://minidisc.org/index.php
http://minidisc.org/uploader_table.html
http://tama.edublogs.org/2006/03/30/the-5g-video-ipod-microphones-are-almost-here-finally/
Wiki Structure
Equipment Selection
Presentation
Considerations
Sound Quality
File Type
Uncompressed
Proprietary
Standard
Compressed
Lossy
Lossless
Sample and Bit Rate
“Voice”
“FM”
“CD”
“DAT”
“Pro”
Analog to Digital Conversion
Pre-Amplifier
Noise
Price
Ranges
Multi-Purpose Equipment
Investment Potential
Practicality
Size
Weight
Recording while moving
Sturdiness
Durability
Power
Transfer
Ease-of-use
Functionality
Monitoring
Effects
Stamping
Editing
Look and Feel
Introduction
While look and feel might seem like matters of personal preference, they could have an impact in fieldwork. In other words, the presence of certain types of equipment might elicit different responses from people in the field situation.
For instance, expensive-looking equipment might intimidate some people and impress others. In both cases, expensive-looking equipment may imply that recording is a serious affair. For one-on-one interviews, expensive-looking equipment might even become part of the focus of the interaction. For very formal occasions, such as a performance set during a wedding ceremony, expensive-looking equipment may look more professional and serious.
In those cases where the financial disparity between the researcher and members of the group is quite large, expensive-looking equipment could eventually elicit envy from people who see it.
Materials
Complexity
What to Do with Equipment
Pre-Field
Testing
Does it work?
Can it work in field-like situations?
Experimentation
What can be done with it?
Practice
Rehearsing the moves
Frequent use
Wear and tear
Customs
Works
Serial numbers
Proof of purchase
Documentation
Proof of purchase
Serial Numbers
Warrantee information
Manuals
Insurance
After the Field
Where to Buy
New
Auction
Used
Storage
Interoperability
Redundancy
Migration
Equipment
Recorders
Near-Obsolete Recorders
Presentation
Comparative
Analog Audio Cassette Recorders
DAT Recorders
Original MiniDisc Recorders
Current Recorders
Presentation
Comparative
Portable Compact Disc Recorders
Direct-to-Laptop Recording
Hi-MD Recorders
Hard Disk Recorders
WAV Recorders
MP3 Recorders
Solid State Memory Card (Flash) Recorders
“Hybrid” Recorders
Expensive Recorders
Microphones
Presentation
Types of Microphones
Microphone Use
Headphones
Cables
Media
Software
How to Use Equipment
Methodological Considerations
The “Tripod” Debate
What to Record?
Audio Only
Visual
Audiovisual
Written
What to Do with Recordings
Transferring
Cataloging
Archiving
Editing
Analyzing
Digital Recording
Presentation
Advantages
Disadvantages
Digital Audio Processing
Presentation
Basic Principles
Sampling
Nyquist
Editing
Analyzing
Rough Notes
MicroMemo, iTalkPro, or TuneTalk
advantages
digital processing
media
hard-disk
flash
laptop
requirements
CD
uncompressed
inexpensive
sturdy
small
light
meters
microphone
battery life
recording length
timestamps
transfer to computer
DRM-free
USB2/FireWire
podcasting
student
lecture
July 9, 2006 at 00:17
[...] Still, my iRiver H120 will work fine as a recorder. Already did a few essays with voice and environmental sounds. The lavaliere microphone was quite convenient to record myself while taking a walk which sounds like an unusual activity but was in fact quite relaxing and rather pleasant. In terms of environmental sounds, the same microphone picked up a number of bird songs (as well as fan noises). Among the things that distinguish the H120 from a professional recorder is the lack of a proper calibration mechanism. It’s not possible to adjust the recording levels of the two channels independently and it’s even not possible to adjust volume during recording. (There’s a guide offering some guidance on how to work within those constraints.) Quite unsurprisingly (for what is mostly an MP3 player) but also making the device less of a professional device, its jacks are 3.5 mm “stereo mini-plugs” (instead of, say, XLR jacks). For that matter, the iRiver H120 compares favourably to several comparably-priced MiniDisc recorders, even Hi-MD models. Did field research with a used ATRAC 4.0 MiniDisc recorder. That setup worked somewhat adequately but this iRiver H120 is much of an improvement for me. [...]
January 24, 2008 at 00:48
[...] made easier if we were able to geotag field material (including fieldnotes, still pictures, and audio recordings). And, of course, colleagues in archeology have been using GPS and GIS for quite a while.Of [...]
June 5, 2008 at 22:21
[...] input on the iPod touch. Eventually, the iPod touch could become a very attractive tool for fieldwork recordings. Or for podcasting. Given my audio orientation, a recording-capable iPod touch could be quite [...]