Equipment for Digital Audio Recording in the Field (Rough Draft)

[Been wanting to blog more extensively about this but my new resolution is RERO.]

Links…

Field Recording in the Digital Age :: Vermont Folklife Center Middlebury VT:
http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/res_audioequip.htm
http://editthis.info/fieldworkguide/Audio
http://editthis.info/fieldworkguide/Microphones
http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=5072
http://ipodlinux.org/Main_Page
http://ponderance.blogspot.com/2006/03/5g-video-ipod-microphones-are-almost.html
http://minidisc.org/index.php
http://minidisc.org/uploader_table.html
http://tama.edublogs.org/2006/03/30/the-5g-video-ipod-microphones-are-almost-here-finally/
Wiki Structure 

Equipment Selection

      Presentation

      Considerations

            Sound Quality

                  File Type

                        Uncompressed

                              Proprietary

                              Standard

                        Compressed

                              Lossy

                              Lossless

                  Sample and Bit Rate

                        “Voice”

                        “FM”

                        “CD”

                        “DAT”

                        “Pro”

                  Analog to Digital Conversion

                  Pre-Amplifier

                  Noise

            Price

                  Ranges

                  Multi-Purpose Equipment

                  Investment Potential

            Practicality

                  Size

                  Weight

                  Recording while moving

                  Sturdiness

                  Durability

                  Power

                  Transfer

                  Ease-of-use

            Functionality

                  Monitoring

                  Effects

                  Stamping

                  Editing

            Look and Feel

                  Introduction

                        While look and feel might seem like matters of personal preference, they could have an impact in fieldwork. In other words, the presence of certain types of equipment might elicit different responses from people in the field situation.

                        For instance, expensive-looking equipment might intimidate some people and impress others. In both cases, expensive-looking equipment may imply that recording is a serious affair. For one-on-one interviews, expensive-looking equipment might even become part of the focus of the interaction. For very formal occasions, such as a performance set during a wedding ceremony, expensive-looking equipment may look more professional and serious.

                        In those cases where the financial disparity between the researcher and members of the group is quite large, expensive-looking equipment could eventually elicit envy from people who see it.

                  Materials

                  Complexity

      What to Do with Equipment

            Pre-Field

                  Testing

                        Does it work?

                        Can it work in field-like situations?

                  Experimentation

                        What can be done with it?

                  Practice

                        Rehearsing the moves

                        Frequent use

                        Wear and tear

                  Customs

                        Works

                        Serial numbers

                        Proof of purchase

                  Documentation

                        Proof of purchase

                        Serial Numbers

                        Warrantee information

                        Manuals

                  Insurance

            After the Field

      Where to Buy

            New

            Auction

            Used

      Storage

            Interoperability

            Redundancy

            Migration

      Equipment

            Recorders

                  Near-Obsolete Recorders

                        Presentation

                              Comparative

                        Analog Audio Cassette Recorders

                        DAT Recorders

                        Original MiniDisc Recorders

                  Current Recorders

                        Presentation

                        Comparative

                        Portable Compact Disc Recorders

                        Direct-to-Laptop Recording

                        Hi-MD Recorders

                        Hard Disk Recorders

                              WAV Recorders

                              MP3 Recorders

                        Solid State Memory Card (Flash) Recorders

                        “Hybrid” Recorders

                        Expensive Recorders

            Microphones

                  Presentation

                  Types of Microphones

                  Microphone Use

            Headphones

            Cables

            Media

            Software

How to Use Equipment

Methodological Considerations

      The “Tripod” Debate

What to Record?

      Audio Only

      Visual

      Audiovisual

      Written

What to Do with Recordings

      Transferring

      Cataloging

      Archiving

      Editing

      Analyzing

Digital Recording

      Presentation

      Advantages

      Disadvantages

      Digital Audio Processing

            Presentation

            Basic Principles

                  Sampling

                  Nyquist

            Editing

            Analyzing

Rough Notes
MicroMemo, iTalkPro, or TuneTalk
advantages
digital processing

media
hard-disk
flash
laptop

requirements
CD
uncompressed
inexpensive
sturdy
small
light
meters
microphone
battery life
recording length
timestamps
transfer to computer
DRM-free
USB2/FireWire

podcasting
student
lecture

TBCRSN!

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