Really eye (ear?) opening, and great recs on the artists/tracks. Forgive me if you're already aware of this, but you might be interested to know that there was a big boom for ambient recording in Japan in the Seventies -- popularly known as 生録, "nama-roku." It's what the portable radio-cassette players we know as "boomboxes" were originally developed for. Abroad boomboxes became sonic tools of a different type for early hip-hop artists, but in their home country they were prized for their ability to record ambient sounds. Here's some examples of advertising and even a magazine dedicated to field recording. http://plaza.harmonix.ne.jp/~ita/8882/yuuki.htm
Hi Matt! Thanks for sharing this fascinating link! I have to say, I did not know this and despite having worked in Japan before, I'm still so inspired by their wonderful creativity when it comes to inventions and certainly audio technology! Are you based in Japan yourself?
I am indeed! I'm not an A/V expert but I have written a lot about consumer electronics in my book and on my newsletter. Check them out if you have a chance!
Great article. Now I'm tempted to start another potentially expensive hobby on top of photography. Damn you make it sound (u see what I did there?😂) quite interesting this field recording thing!!
Hi Álvaro! Remember that field recording does not have to be expensive to get started!! Most smartphones are equipped with microphones capable of producing good field recordings. What's important is taking the time to immerse yourself in your environment :)
Thanks for this article Mat. I enjoyed reading it and listening to the audio clip that brought you to field recording and appreciate how you folded other voices into it. I'm primarily a producer/musician but I experiment with infusing field recordings into musical contexts as well. A theme of your post that I also connect with is the idea that field recording itself is a great way to practice presence. Musically, Stephan Kunze's mention about how "any noise... can become music just by the framing" also resonates. And I've had an experience similar to what Sotiris Laskaris wrote about seeking out a sound and failing. I actually had the opposite of seeking out one of the so-called quietest spaces in the US some years ago. As I pushed record and slowed my breath I was so overrun by insects circling around my head-worn microphones that, despite the absence of jet noise, the recordings were quite buzzy (in the most natural but still less than ideal sense). I look forward to reading and hearing more of your work.
Hi Matt! Really appreciate your reflections and taking the time to listen, read and engage with my work. I'd sure love to hear the recording you mentioned - I feel that despite trying as hard as we can to eliminate noise, we must accept that submission to nature is key to understanding her ways. Unfortunately, in my experience, this path leads to many botched recordings too!!
I’ve been producing music and designing sound for ages, not as my day job but a very serious hobby at least. I’ve got into some field recording of late and now trying to figure out how to weave my sounds into musical ideas. It’s a journey and a half that is for sure. Shall document on my newsletter.
Really eye (ear?) opening, and great recs on the artists/tracks. Forgive me if you're already aware of this, but you might be interested to know that there was a big boom for ambient recording in Japan in the Seventies -- popularly known as 生録, "nama-roku." It's what the portable radio-cassette players we know as "boomboxes" were originally developed for. Abroad boomboxes became sonic tools of a different type for early hip-hop artists, but in their home country they were prized for their ability to record ambient sounds. Here's some examples of advertising and even a magazine dedicated to field recording. http://plaza.harmonix.ne.jp/~ita/8882/yuuki.htm
Hi Matt! Thanks for sharing this fascinating link! I have to say, I did not know this and despite having worked in Japan before, I'm still so inspired by their wonderful creativity when it comes to inventions and certainly audio technology! Are you based in Japan yourself?
I am indeed! I'm not an A/V expert but I have written a lot about consumer electronics in my book and on my newsletter. Check them out if you have a chance!
Great article. Now I'm tempted to start another potentially expensive hobby on top of photography. Damn you make it sound (u see what I did there?😂) quite interesting this field recording thing!!
Hi Álvaro! Remember that field recording does not have to be expensive to get started!! Most smartphones are equipped with microphones capable of producing good field recordings. What's important is taking the time to immerse yourself in your environment :)
Thank you the tip Mat!
Thanks for this article Mat. I enjoyed reading it and listening to the audio clip that brought you to field recording and appreciate how you folded other voices into it. I'm primarily a producer/musician but I experiment with infusing field recordings into musical contexts as well. A theme of your post that I also connect with is the idea that field recording itself is a great way to practice presence. Musically, Stephan Kunze's mention about how "any noise... can become music just by the framing" also resonates. And I've had an experience similar to what Sotiris Laskaris wrote about seeking out a sound and failing. I actually had the opposite of seeking out one of the so-called quietest spaces in the US some years ago. As I pushed record and slowed my breath I was so overrun by insects circling around my head-worn microphones that, despite the absence of jet noise, the recordings were quite buzzy (in the most natural but still less than ideal sense). I look forward to reading and hearing more of your work.
Hi Matt! Really appreciate your reflections and taking the time to listen, read and engage with my work. I'd sure love to hear the recording you mentioned - I feel that despite trying as hard as we can to eliminate noise, we must accept that submission to nature is key to understanding her ways. Unfortunately, in my experience, this path leads to many botched recordings too!!
I’ve been producing music and designing sound for ages, not as my day job but a very serious hobby at least. I’ve got into some field recording of late and now trying to figure out how to weave my sounds into musical ideas. It’s a journey and a half that is for sure. Shall document on my newsletter.