From KumquatGoo Sent Tue, Sep 28th 1999, 15:03
From KumquatGoo Sent Tue, Sep 28th 1999, 15:03
<< Actually, lately I have been considering the possibility of making a feeble
attempt at recording some of this type of ambience (I live across the street
from
a train station) and I was wondering if anyone on the list is familiar with
equipment or setup for doing this. Will any 'ol tape recorder with a mic
work or
are there some limitations that I am unaware of? >>
Train sounds are nice....there's nothing quite like the mournful howl of a
train whistle heard many miles distant. Or, in your case, the hissing
screech of brakes as the train stops at a station. Of course, KLF's "Chill
Out" has some fine train sounds.
An ideal setup might be one of those small portable DAT recorders with a
decent mic - I believe some models have the mic built in. If you don't have
the scratch for that, you might consider one of those "personal tape
recorders" with the tiny tapes, originally designed for taking dictation.
They have some reasonably high-quality versions of these now, with the higher
end ones at about $150 U.S. (but you could get one for much cheaper). They
slip right in your pocket.
I've been thinking of buying one of these just for the purpose of making
field recordings for later sampling. I can't continue to break out my tascam
portastudio whenever I want to make a recording - it's too bulky and has to
be plugged in. Can anyone recommend a good brand/model for one of those
little fellows?
I bet if you sped up/slowed down/timestretched/distorted/cut up train
samples, it would sound quite otherworldly. Gives new meaning to the idea of
"trainspotting."
- Fred Church
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