The biggest and first issue with recording I had with the project was chatter from passersby near the recording, as well as myself. Not having used contact microphones before, I didn’t realise how much dialogue they would pick up. I assumed they would pick up some when recording, particularly with resonant materials such as metal, where the vibrations from the speech travelled through the material. However, I thought it would be negligible, and unheard on the recording. It was very unfortunate that the first day I went out to record with the contact mic, it was very windy. This was great for some of the sounds, especially rattling metal, but it meant I was unable to hear was being recorded properly in the headphones. Which I suppose is another part of the same problem – presuming the mic wouldn’t pick up a sound, and then not being able to hear when it did.
Due to that problem, a lot of the recordings made on that day were unusable, though some had sections that could be used. There also wasn’t another day as windy as that when I had a recorded to hand, so some of the really great recordings I got from a long section of metal fencing rattling in the wind could not be replicated. It would probably have been the best contact recording I’d capture, were it not for the talking it picked up. I also foolishly didn’t continue recording for long enough; in hindsight, I wish I’d left it recording for a lot longer, but not being able to hear what was being recorded, I didn’t know what it was picking up.
A second point I discovered during that recording session was how difficult it is to record during the day in Lincoln. The locations I chose would have been fantastic if it were not for all the people. Not just because of the chatter, but also because when I was recording, I was in the way a lot of the time. This was especially noticeable on the bridge within the university, and by the train crossing just off campus. Very often while I was recording, I was jostled and barged out of the way, so I was reluctant to stay there for any length of time.
When I returned one evening, while it was quieter in terms of number of people, not only was it too cold to stand there for very long, but the few walking past were generally louder, students heading to a bar for instance. Additionally, the night I chose wasn’t windy, so the recordings I got weren’t good enough to be included.
Lessons I learned:
– Contact microphones pick up more sound than you expect
– Don’t record while there are lots of people around
– Try and plan recordings if they are dependent on weather conditions
– If possible, choose a quieter area/time to record