New Music, New Brand and New Ideas! - Part 1
- Jordan Bayne
- Jun 6, 2019
- 5 min read
After having a couple of weeks to relax and take a break from learning and music (It's good to get away sometimes), it's now time to get back into it. I received a thorough run down of project requirements and interdisciplinary practises that are required to pass trimester 4 of my bachelor. Luckily through a series of questions and many written notes, I also know what I need to do to exceed the expectations of a simple 'pass'. I think it's fair to say that this trimester will endure a lot more working hours and planning to achieve the outcome I aim to receive. I didn't think it was necessary at first, but I'm extremely thankful for the studio signal flow "refresher" run through that I was apart of on Tuesday, turns out i don't know EVERYTHING about signal flow (haha).
For a reason unknown to myself, I have recently constructed an odd obsessed with field recording and Foley sound design, and the potential of able to integrate it within the electronic music I have become accustomed to. There's something beautiful about blending the boundaries of an immersive sonic experience and a Saturday night out in the gloomy post rainfall smokers section in Fortitude Valley. That being said, I began researching for field recording devices that will best suit my needs, all whilst making sure that I won't be at a technological disadvantage in a couple of years after its purchase. A quick Google search and I instantly found a number of strong contenders, although the Zoom H5 and Zoom H6 rapidly became the finalists in the metaphorical game show I am now hosting in my parietal lobe. Due to having minimal hand on experience with these devices, I had to become a mentee and find myself a mentor who is able to pass down the sacred knowledge of the infamous Zoom Handy Recorder. I was lucky to get in contact with 4ZZZ radio host and SAE Alumni, Alex Ross for his personal take on the two devices as I knew he owned some of the equipment himself and his music was greatly influenced by field recording and creating immersive soundscapes. This was the response I received from him.
" In regards to the h5 v h6 debate; it really comes down to your preferences and what you plan on doing with it. They're kinda in different leagues and the prices definitely reflect that. I knew straight away I was going to get the h6 purely for the versatility, having double the mic/line ins is a huge bonus if you ever want to throw together a quick demo or live recording. Also you can put together a minimal drum recording that still holds up. I just knew that if i got the h5, id wish i had two of them.
Theyre both quality devices regardless, preamps and internal circuitry are both equally on point. The chasis and overall build are excellent on both. I dont particularly like the fact that the h5 XY capsule has exposed wiring, whereas the h6's XY wiring is housed internally and feels as solid as a brick. Also the display on the h5 is two tone and lacks colour in the metering whereas the h6 display has a full spectrum of colour which is awesome when you wanna glance over at it to see if its clipping, obviously you'll see red everywhere. The display is also a little more user friendly with a little mix window that somewhat resembles a group of channels and faders as opposed to the h5 which kinda looks like nothing else? "
For not gaining anything from the conversation, Alex was extremely compliant to answer any and all of the questions I had about audio. I also told him I was in Trimester 4 and doing post production which he then proceeded to give me multiple references of high quality sound design examples and works of soundtrack curation. Shout out Alex! Check out the show he produces on 4ZZZ (102.1 FM) every Tuesday from 6pm
The question still remains "What recorder is Jordan going to buy?!"... Well, both you and I are waiting for the answer. I'm certainly leaning towards the H6 for a couple of reasons, the two extra XLR in's and the LED channel strip display. It never occurred to me the practical use of the colouration in the channels, like Alex said, it would be extremely helpful to be able to take a quick glance at the device and be able to tell straight away if a channel is clipping. This is such a small but helpful addition that I have to keep in mind.
Had a field 6 (closer to 5) hour field recording session today, I definitely learnt a lot in terms of microphone placement and really begin to visualise and think about what sounds would best fit visual media. Is there a close up shot in a movie of a woman walking on the beach? Is the shot right at her feet? Does the microphone need to pick up the sounds of water washing ashore closely to the microphone or does it need to be a bit more quiet, in the background and subtle? Do I need to get the recording of foot steps in the sand or is the camera angle far enough away from the woman walking where her footsteps become inaudible? I still haven't completely wrapped my mind around it, but I know that the session I had today (Thursday) just locked in my decision of actually following through and purchasing my very own portable field recording device.
Okay so... Considering that I'm writing at an exponential rate and these blogs are only supposed to be reflections, I'll wrap it up here. I haven't even gotten to the part about my album cover and logo curation that I outsourced this week, and not to mention the opportunity that has risen from my interaction with the designer. I have heaps of new music on the way, my motivation is at an all time high and ironically so is my confidence. I find myself being able to communicate to everybody I meet lately as who I am (this is something I have had personal issues with in the past). Oh! Did I mention that I have been working on a new alias and am currently looking for venues to host a couple of events at in the coming months? Looks like you're just going to have to wait for the next instalment of me excessively talking about what I'm up to and my thoughts on those said things.
Jordan.
References:
ZoomH6 6-Input / 6-Track Portable Handy Recorder with Interchangeable Mic Capsules. (2019). Bhphotovideo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019, from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/967366-REG/zoom_h6_handy_audio_recorder.html
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