Field Recording

Using the Zoom H4n recorder, collect five sources: two ambience beds and three ambience details. Keep your original, unedited takes; you will use them in Assignment 4 .

On October 5, confirm your locations, sources, and equipment-sharing plan in class; check out a recorder before I leave town. There is no class meeting on October 7 or 9. Use those independent field-recording days to capture the two ambience beds (October 7) and three details (October 9). Bring your recordings and recorder on October 16 so we can listen, troubleshoot, and record additional or replacement takes. See the course schedule for the daily plan.

Ambience Beds

Use the onboard X/Y microphone on the Zoom H4n.

1. Record 2-3 minutes of ambience in a LARGE environment like a gymnasium, parking garage, or stadium.
2. Record 2-3 minutes of ambience in a SMALL environment like a closet, bathroom, or office.

Capture a continuous, usable 2–3 minute stretch of background sound in each environment. Listen for the space’s distance, reverberation, and texture. Intermittent sounds are fine if you can later edit around them. You can use your sound-walk observations to choose what belongs in each bed.

Ambience Details

Use the Rode NTG5 external microphone plugged into the Zoom H4n.

3. Record 1–2 minutes total of a LARGE object or device, such as a truck engine, loading-bay door, or large ventilation unit.
4. Record 1–2 minutes total of a MEDIUM object or device such as a door, fan, or keyboard.
5. Record 1–2 minutes total of a SMALL object or device such as keys, pens, or footsteps.

For each detail source, capture at least five distinct, usable takes so you have choices for Assignment 4. The 1–2 minutes may be spread across those takes. Vary at least two aspects that you can control, such as duration, timing, force, speed, or microphone perspective. If a source cannot be performed on cue, capture different occurrences or safe perspectives instead.

At least one detail should come from one of your two bed locations. In your recording log, identify that connection and write one sentence about what the detail tells a listener about the place.

Set proper levels

For beds, listen at the location on headphones. Set REC LEVEL while watching the normal ambience and the loudest likely passing sound. Make a short test recording and listen back before capturing the full bed.

For performed details, ask the performer to make the loudest planned sound, then set REC LEVEL while watching the meter. For naturally occurring details, watch and listen through a test recording of the source instead. Recheck levels whenever you change the microphone position.

In every case, keep peaks below 0 dBFS and leave headroom for an unexpectedly loud sound. If the input clips, lower REC LEVEL and record another take.

Recorder levels do not tell you whether a location is safe for your ears. If you must raise your voice to speak to someone an arm’s length away, treat the sound level as potentially hazardous. Move farther from the source, limit your time there, or wear correctly fitted hearing protection. Near traffic or machinery, use protection that still lets you hear warnings and approaching vehicles. The hearing health slides from DAD 222 cover the exposure limits.

Recording Format

• Record at 96kHz/24bit for the best quality. See this page for instructions on changing the format. If your recorder will not go to 96k, use the highest rate it offers at 24-bit, and note the format in your submission.

Slate Recordings

Before each take, slate the recording by stating:

• Name of object, location or event
• Specific details
• Activity being performed

Example slates:

• “Door knock, hollow wood door using open palm.”
• “Forest ambience, with stream nearby.”
• “Typing on mechanical keyboard, individual key presses.”

Deliverables

Create one REAPER project with five named source tracks, one for each bed and detail category. Place all unedited takes for a source on its track; you may use multiple audio files on the same track. Keep the spoken slates in the recordings so you can identify the takes later.

Name each original WAV file in the UCS pattern from the library organization lesson : CatID_FXName_CreatorID_SourceID. Look up the CatID on the official list , use your initials as CreatorID, and use DAD310 as SourceID. Give separate takes distinct names within FXName (for example, DoorKnockTake01).

Include a short recording log with each source’s location, what you recorded, and the recording format if your recorder could not use 96 kHz / 24-bit. For the detail connected to a bed, add the one-sentence place observation requested above.

Submit a ZIP of the entire REAPER project folder to D2L by October 21. It should contain the .RPP project, all original WAV files used by it, and the recording log. Before submitting, open the project from the folder you plan to zip and check that every file plays.

Grading Rubric (50 points total)

Total: ___ / 50