Audio Hardware/Software Response

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money. 

I had the most difficulty with the technical knowledge required for building the microphones. Stripping the wires and soldering really caught me off guard in terms of finishing my mics on time.  Overall, though, I think my microphones worked really well on my Drift.  They picked up a lot more than I thought they would, considering the cost and time that went into them.  I picked up a lot of general street noise as well as some really interesting "close up" sounds.  Ideally, I would prefer some kind of discreet, wireless mics.  Something that I could use without people realizing that I was recording. A covert mic rig, as it were. It just seemed like people stopped what they were doing as I passed on Drift 1 because of the outlandish appearance of my rig. Wireless would be optimal because I had a tough time working my way through my headphone cord and mic cords, all the while trying to balance my mini-disc recorder. When you Drift for a few hours, things are bound to get tangled. 

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?

The mini disc recorder actually worked a lot better than I ever expected.  Part of this apprehension came from my brother, a tecno guru, who, in so many words, told me that a mini disc recorder is a dead technology that has no value today.  Considering I have had virtually no experience with real audio equipment, the mini disc was a great first experience. My perfect recorder would be something I could use with any type of computer. My biggest difficulty with the mini disc recorder was when it came time to transfer everything from the recorder to PC to CD to my Mac.  Ideally, in the future, I would have something I could just plug into my laptop and get right to work. 

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

I chose to use Audacity for Drift 1.  I have never worked with this program before, but both my fellow students as well as my brother told me it was a solid editing program that I could easily use.  I have to admit, they were right.  Audacity was very easy to navigate, even with the limited instruction I had on using it.  I did have some trouble editing a few of my pieces, but I think I can safely chalk that up to my inexperience with editing software in general.  I will definitely use this software on future projects.