Field Recording Course Asbjoern Andersen


How do you get started in field recording, from a technical perspective? Ian Smith has put together an excellent course on exactly that, covering everything from microphones, gear and techniques to post production & more - and he has generously allowed us to share it here on the blog.
Written and recorded by Ian Smith
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Ian Smith’s introduction:

Digital technology has been a help for many types of creative work, including field recording — but it also brings new challenges, as the computer technology involved intrudes more and more into your workflow. An audio recorder is a computer, with its own operating system and user interface; and though we might try to ignore that fact, sooner or later we will be faced with menus asking about compression modes, bit depths, and so on.

This series of videos is going to try to de-mystify the technical aspects of field recording, so that non-technical people can get past the nuts and bolts to concentrate on what matters — the art and craft of field recording.

Learn more about Ian Smith here

 

Quick navigation:

– click below to jump straight to your chosen topic:

Quick StartIntroductionTechnologyMicrophonesEquipmentConnectionsTechniqueDigital ObsolescencePost-ProductionMore resources for field recording

 

Quick Start:

To kick the series off, this episode is going to be a very basic, quick-start beginners guide to field recording; just going over all the basic concepts very lightly. Future episodes will go into specific topics in more detail:



Technical Field Recording 1: Quick Start



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Introduction:

In this series of videos, I’m going to try to give you a nuts-and-bolts introduction to field recording. I’m going to start here with an introduction to the concepts of field recording, and the motivation for this course:



Technical Field Recording 2: Introduction



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Technology:

Modern audio recording is all about computer-based technologies; which might a problem for people coming from a creative background. So in this section I’m going to give you a quick overview of these kinds of technologies, specifically the kinds of computer tech that are intruding more and more into field recording.

The WAV file dumping utility referred to in the video can be seen on the Wavdump page. BWF MetaEdit can be downloaded from the MediaArea site:



Technical Field Recording 3: Technology



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Microphones:

Of course the microphone is the business end of your system, so it’s worth understanding how they work. But with audio recording covering an amazing array of different activities, mics have evolved to be pretty diverse. Let’s try and break it down:



Technical Field Recording 4: Microphones



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Equipment:

To get going in field recording, you’re going to need some gear. This doesn’t need to be insanely expensive; the difference in quality between mid-price and top-of-the-line gear is steadily shrinking as technology improvements spread downwards.

The choice of equipment out there is bewildering, but this episode will at least get you off the ground by showing you the types of kit you might consider for field recording. Gourski – Foley Beats, an example of making complex compositions with field recording:



Technical Field Recording 5: Equipment



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Connections:

If you’re setting up a field recording kit, there’s one thing you really need to be aware of, and that’s the different technologies used to connect mics to recorders.

The “consumer” and “pro” systems commonly used unfortunately aren’t compatible; and the choice between them isn’t straightforward. This episode tries to explain the issues:



Technical Field Recording 6: Connections



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Technique:

So I’ve talked a lot about equipment, technology, and all that stuff. Here I’m going to talk about how to actually get out and get Field Recording, with some general tips on preparation and technique:



Technical Field Recording 7: Technique



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Need specific sound effects? Try a search below:


 
Digital Obsolescence:

Media obsolescence is a problem we’ve probably all heard about from time to time, often with scare stories about how all the media we’re creating today are going to become unusable. The good news is that as far as the future is concerned, the problem of data obsolescence is now largely solved — maybe not completely, but the tools are there, and if we know how to use them, we really don’t need to be worried about this:



Technical Field Recording 11: Digital Obsolescence



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Post-Production:

Once you’ve made a recording, and got it on to your PC, you can do some post-production to make it sound better. This isn’t essential, but even for very simple recordings, a little editing can make it work a lot better. So in this episode, I’m going to give you an intro to some basic things you can do, quite easily, to make your recordings more listenable.



Technical Field Recording 10: Post-Production



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A big thanks to Ian Smith for letting us share this course! Read more about his work here

 

 

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  • Introducing MOTION GRAPHICS, a complete Motion Graphics sound effects library from SoundMorph!

    Motion Graphics focuses on all the elements you might need for sound design on a trailer, a cinematic scene or a visual that is heavy with motion graphics, whether it be abstract or straight forward, Motion Graphics has all the elements and textures you could think of. Motion Graphics are something all of us sound designers run into at one point or another, so this library is an excellent addition to your sound effects tool box.

    Motion Graphics was created by and in collaboration with sound designer Rostislav Trifonov (SoundMorph Elemental library contributor).

    Motion Graphics features 650 24bit/96 kHz .wav files, all meticulously embedded with Soundminer & Basehead metadata.

    The library features:

    • 450 + designed sound effects
    • 190 + source audio files
    • Whooshes
    • Impacts
    • Risers
    • Stingers
    • Low end and Sub Bass
    • Impulse Responses
    • Passbys
    • Textures – noise, grit, glitch
    • Ambiences
    • Buttons and Clicks
    • Mechanical Elements
    • Granular effects
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  • Modular UI is an advanced user interface library designed by world-renowned sound designer and musician Richard Devine.

    Designed and sourced entirely from Richard Devine’s personal and exclusive Eurorack modular synths and processors collection, the Modular UI soundpack combines the retro, clean sound of analog with the futuristic tech of the new wave of advanced analog and digital synthesis from modular synths, evoking flashbacks of iconic sound design heard in both classic and modern sci-fi films.

    The Modular UI soundpack gives you access to sounds created by one of the masters of modular synths and sound design, and is sourced from equipment that would take a lifetime to purchase and assemble, giving an incredible value to this soundpack both artistically and financially.

    Utilizing many Eurorack modules that have not yet been released to the public and containing samples equally suited to sound designers and electronic musicians alike, Modular UI is in a class by itself!

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Kawaii UI Bundle is the ultimate bundle for cute user interface sounds.
    In this Bundle you get both volumes of our Kawaii UI libraries.
    Kawaii UI + Kawaii UI 2

    These libraries provide an adorable blend of cute, satisfying interface sounds, crafted to enhance user experience and feedback.
    Bring your games and apps to life with the Kawaii UI Bundle.

    It’s ideal for creating joyful menus, delightful HUDs, playful navigation and notifications, engaging pop-ups, and expressive text.

    Kawaii UI Trailer
    Kawaii UI 2 Trailer

    The source recordings inside are a treasure trove of physical button presses, clicks, pops, taps, mouth sounds, toks, shakers, general synthesised UI sounds, FM bells and telemetry style sounds.. Kawaii UI Bundle provides you with the essential building blocks to craft your own distinctive designs.  Combining these elements gives sound designers a robust sonic palette to create new UI sounds.

    13 %
    OFF
  • Vegetation Footsteps is a detailed collection of footwear and movement variations recorded on dry leaves and forest floor textures. Featuring walk, run, sprint, scuff, pivot, and single step actions, this library captures the nuanced crunch and rustle of layered vegetation underfoot. With performances in sport shoes, sandals, leather shoes, high heels, and barefoot, each sound is designed for realistic character movement across natural environments. Ideal for games, film, and animation, Vegetation Footsteps offers clean, focused assets for building immersive terrain interaction.

  • A collection of 135 potion sound effects.

  • A collection of 140 individual power up ability sound effects.

  • A collection of 103 bowling sound effects.


   

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