recording

Schoenhut Toy Piano

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My grandparents kept just about everything. They kept pictures. They kept trinkets. They kept coffee cups, little figurines, and toys. They kept important things and seemingly meaningless things… They kept memories.

It’s not something I appreciated anytime I went over there in the past. But, for almost the past month I’ve been driving home on the weekends to help my family go through my grandparents house. My grandfather passed away a few weeks ago, leaving the house unoccupied. It’s strange and difficult every time; walking around their house with both of them gone. I do find comfort, however, in discovering the things they kept.

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Flying Solo With Recording Gear – Mistakes and Successes

Pelican full of gear
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I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately for a sound effects library I’m working on. It’s been a nice change of pace; Using my library sales to fund these trips, rather than spending it on gear and props. However, as many know, flying can be a pain in the rear–especially in America. Add on to that carrying a bunch of suspicious-to-TSA looking audio gear, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration. Through my various trips, I’ve found some ways to make things less frustrating, and I’d like to share them with you! Continue reading →

Learning to Record on Two Wheels

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Harley Onboard Recording
AJ can’t ride a bike with sleeves holding him back.

One of the things I’ve had almost no experience in until this year is onboard vehicle recording. To be honest, I probably  subconsciously avoided it for so long because of how difficult/time consuming it can be to get right. There’s a lot of things to factor in: Number of mics, Mic placement, Wind protection, Gear protection, Performances to capture, etc. Continue reading →

Lifting Michigan Avenue

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du sable bridge chicago

One of the things Chicago is known for is it’s some what infamous river. The Chicago river (as beautiful as it is today) was once so sludged full of sewage and other waste that rats could run across the build-up on the surface. Humans, on the other hand, had to build bridges to travel to the other side.  Because many large ships used to travel the river regularly, the bridges had to be capable of lifting out of the way for them to pass.

So how do you lift a bridge? Continue reading →

Trains Through Glass

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I’ve been a little bit obsessed with contact microphones lately. Recently, a personal project (that I hope to share soon!) led me to renting a very nice microphone: the Barcus Berry 4000 Planar Wave System. I mainly wanted to rent to see if it’s worth me buying, so I did a LOT of recording for the week I had it. Continue reading →