Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wind On Moytura: Field Recording Praxis

structure
Last week I found myself on the crest of the Moytura ridge, on the east side of Lough Arrow in County Sligo. It had been raining for hours, on and off, sometimes heavier, sometimes only light drizzle blown on steadily by a wind from the west. The ground was almost swampy in parts, so the twenty minute walk up-hill from the roadside had soaked my trousers six inches from the soles of my shoes. My hands were numb from setting up microphone stands, adjusting microphone positions, fiddling with digital recorder levels, and listening, always listening, to the sound of the wind on everything it touched.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Days On End Festival this weekend

TACTIC drone marathon

I'll be in Cork again this weekend for the Days On End Festival, a new venture that brings experimental music, fun social interaction and a rather chaotic aesthetic to the city. I think it's going to be fantastic!
Saturday, February 04, 2012

Can Gear Reviews Preserve A Critical Function?

Every time I post a tech article on this blog I wonder whether this is really the place. But then I get so many positive comments back that I feel justified. The hitch for me is that any article about some new piece of gear is at risk of promoting hardware over wetware.

Consider my popular threads on small digital recorders. I get a lot of hits from these, though I'm not selling anything so these only boost the ego. I am happy to point out to you, my readers, which recorders are better value for the money since I want to reward good design, good engineering, attention to detail, and responsiveness to the needs of picky users -- and not just gadget freaks. I have had manufacturers write me and others post comments, so I know some are reading and, hopefully, taking note. So that's some sort of justification.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Dorothea Tanning: 1910-2012



"A long time ago I said that I want to seduce by means of imperceptible passages from one reality to another. The viewer is caught in a net from which there is no escape save by going through the whole picture until he comes to the exit. My wish: to make a trap (picture) with no exit at all either for you or for me."
–- Between Lives, 2001