Field Recordings From Around the World
In this week's blog post we have something different, and something very special indeed... a 22 stop tour of different places, to experience the sights and sounds, as captured by artists and field recordists in the Inner Echo community.
First off, I should explain what Inner Echo actually is, in case you don't know... it's a private community for artists, fans and friends of the Driftworks, Elm Records, Evergreen Music or Whitelabrecs labels. It may be private, but everyone is invited - you are most welcome to join us if you wish; simply join the newsletter at the bottom of this page! When you sign up, there'll be a link in your welcome email.
Inner Echo works like an old school messaging board, where members can post up about recent musical discoveries, interesting things they've found, questions or appreciation for the artists, help and advice for creatives and also... monthly themes. These might be particular topics of focus, raising money for charity or something more practical. In June, we had a fun interactive theme where members were invited to record themselves capturing a field recording for not much more than a minute.
The results were all stitched together by James Osland of Elm Records, into a beautifully minimal and reflective film; no narration, no musical accompaniment - just the sounds and sights.
Scroll down to check out the film via the embedded YouTube player. You can also get a grasp for the geographical spread of contributors via the interactive map. And if you'd like to learn a little more from some of the artists involved, see below...
The rules for this community field recording challenge were simple.
Members just had to go somewhere close to where they were based, even if it happened to be whilst they were on holiday, and record a minute of sound. They'd also capture the same situation on video too.
Some had video recording equipment that could combine with the field recording device they used, whereas others had to replace the video's audio with the higher quality sounds captured on their device.
For this blog, at rather short notice, all contributors were invited to share a little more detail on their field recording; what the weather was like, what equipment they used and any thoughts they had from their visit. See below for a little more detail...
NAME:
414f4e42
LOCATION:
Quantock Hills, Somerset
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom F3, JRF C-CM+, JRF C-Series+ 'Ecoutic', Tascam DR-05
Video: Samsung S23+
CONDITIONS:
Overcast, dry and warm. Temp 20c, Humidity 68%, Lux 221
QUOTE:
Late July. A week without rain has left the ground dry and compacted throughout the garden. The hawthorn stands at the edge of the south east copse and is carrying a good crop of immature haws, most still green, with a few beginning to show the first signs of reddening. The tree is in full leaf and otherwise appears to be in good health.
NAME:
Abstract
LOCATION:
Brooklyn, New York, USA
EQUIPMENT:
Audio and Video: iPhone
CONDITIONS:
Sunny and warm with a light wind
QUOTE:
Another perfect day for an extended stroll through the lush neighbourhoods of my beloved borough. More than one tree grows in Brooklyn...
NAME:
Adrian Newton (Mosaicist)
LOCATION:
Portland, Dorset
EQUIPMENT:
Sound and video captured to a Sony Alpha 6700 camera
CONDITIONS:
Sunny but windy
QUOTE:
I was walking along the cliffs on the north side of the isle of Portland, which provides stunning views of Chesil beach, the longest tombolo in the UK. I noticed a flock of jackdaws playing around the cliffs, with their characteristic calls echoing off the rocks, so spontaneously decided to capture a short video. Fortunately one of them flew right overhead while I was filming.
NAME:
Akira Film Script
LOCATION:
An old oak grove, Oak Grove Lake Park, Chesapeake, VA, USA
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H5 with L/R input mics + contact mic.
CONDITIONS:
Perfectly calm and quiet day.
QUOTE:
I've known about this site for a number of years through visits my wife and I made before moving here. It's one of the most beautiful lakes in the area, and some of the oak glades go so far back, you feel as though you could get lost within them if you're not careful. While it's not far away from a major road, the dense foliage makes for perfectly isolated, natural field recordings with tons of wildlife.
NAME:
All Arches
LOCATION:
Rotherhithe, London
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H5, Sanyo Microcassette Recorder
Video: Motorola Phone
CONDITIONS:
Very still, clear and a nice temperature. Surprisingly mosquito-y
QUOTE:
My first time watching the sunrise on the summer solstice felt like a great opportunity to get the recorders out too. It was a lovely peaceful morning and didn't feel much like London!
NAME:
Analogue Path
LOCATION:
Ravens Rock Gorge, Scotland
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Tascam x8 with Oaka condenser mics and contact mics
CONDITIONS:
Sunny and mild
QUOTE:
One of my fave places to walk and visit so it was no chore at all to spend an afternoon field recording by the stream there with my dog. I was hoping the insects walking on logs would be picked up better by the contact mic but I’m going to keep working on that idea! Had some lovely drone footage which was lost to a bad SD card. A great day out none the less.
NAME:
Andy Maurer
LOCATION:
Sandy bay, tasmania, australia
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Tascam dr40-x, internal microphones (x/y pattern), dead cat
Video: iPhone
CONDITIONS:
Early morning, cool, with light breeze
QUOTE:
Arrived at dawn in an attempt to beat the noise of the day, but still needed to apply some pretty heavy handed EQ to get rid of some unwanted noise from a nearby road
NAME:
Graham Seaman
LOCATION:
Crosby Beach, Merseyside, England
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H4N Pro field recorder (inbuilt mics with windshield)
Video: OPPO Find X5 Pro camera-phone (on tripod)
CONDITIONS:
Hazy sunshine through passing clouds, intermittent breeze.
QUOTE:
The location looks across the Mersey estuary and out to the Irish Sea. It is also the home of the Antony Gormley art installation 'Another Place', a collection of 100 cast-iron statues - modelled on his own naked body - spread out over 2 miles of the beach, and all looking out to sea.
NAME:
Harry Towell
LOCATION:
Morton, Lincolnshire
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H5 + Shotgun mic
Video: iPhone 14
CONDITIONS:
A little cloudy but humid with a light breeze
QUOTE:
One afternoon I got into the car and drove just outside the village to a layby next to some fields. A little while down the public footpath I set up to record at the edge of the barley field. Sound-wise, there was a nice effect from the crop blowing in the breeze and perhaps the distant sound of traffic on the A15 - interrupted only by a bee buzzing close to the mic. I was in this location for all of 15 minutes before heading back to work. I've always loved the immediacy of capturing short field recordings such as this; it often takes me longer to walk to my destination than it does to capture the sounds.
NAME:
Mark McKay
LOCATION:
Nathan Tufts Park, Somerville MA, USA
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H5 Handy Recorder
Video: iPhone 15 Pro
CONDITIONS:
5:30AM, a beautifully clear July morning
QUOTE:
When posed with this challenge, I knew I would want to record here. The proximity to my apartment, the possibility of capturing the snap of the flag in the breeze, the potential for any manner of birdsong, the inevitability of city sounds to interject themselves as this park rests in one of the busiest roundabouts in the area…
LINKS:
Substack
NAME:
Mist Signals
LOCATION:
Dove Stone, Greenfield, UK
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Zoom H2 recorder
Video: mobile phone
CONDITIONS:
Bright but very windy.
QUOTE:
It looks quite calm but you can see the waves being driven by the wind, so I had to find a sheltered spot to place the recorder. At first I tried in the trees but the wind was still too strong, so I ended up in the shadow of a boulder on the shore.
LINKS:
Bandcamp
NAME:
Pedro Figueiredo
LOCATION:
Boating pool, West Cliff, Ramsgate
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: MixPre-6 II w/ JrF contact microphones
Video: iPhone 16 Pro
CONDITIONS:
Sunny and dry, but windy
QUOTE:
The boating pool atop the West Cliff is one of my favourite places in Ramsgate. It’s usually windy, but the views across Pegwell Bay to Deal and Sandwich, or over the Channel to the French cliffs? Worth it.
NAME:
Percolator
LOCATION:
Ithaca Creek, Bardon, Brisbane
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Sony PCM-M10
Video: iPhone 14
CONDITIONS:
Early/mid morning, sunny but cool winter weather
QUOTE:
Ithaca Creek winds down from Mt Coot-tha through the northern inner suburbs of Brisbane and I cross it in several places on my usual morning run. On this day I stopped just off one of the bike tracks to make the recording. This part of the city is only five minutes drive from the centre, but there is a lot of green space like this.
LINKS:
Bandcamp
NAME:
Tides
LOCATION:
Insch, Scotland
EQUIPMENT:
Audio: Sound captured by Tascam DR40X through internal stereo pair and Oaka Tellus contact microphone, weatherised version.
CONDITIONS:
Overcast, windy
QUOTE:
I walked a few metres up the road to a spot I really love here in Insch. Around me are beautifully long stretching fields and Bennachie (out of shot). Strong winds rustled the grass and shook the barbed wire fence. Lots of birds but also machinery and cars in the background. A stop gap in time here where I reside.
If you'd like to join our community, simply sign-up to the Whitelabrecs email newsletter using the form below. If you're already subscribed to one of these newsletters and have not yet joined Inner Echo, send me a message and I'll share the login link with you.
