weird places for "field" recordings

Yeah, I've got an idea of layering numerous field recording for a track. I want it to be sort of fucked up though. Seeing as most posters on here can be fucked up, I thought of asking you guys. I already did one late at night outside of my sister's house (she lives in sort of a "ghetto" area, so yeah) and one in my backyard (yeah, not fucked up, but whatever).

So yeah, ideas?

I was thinking of putting my recorder by the highway (I live right next to it) but idk if that's such a good idea.

If you can get a water-proofed contact mic and a preamp or something, you can stick the mic in the dirt or in a pool or something... maybe a toilet, haha.

You don't NEED a preamp to record sounds like this, but it would be helpful... might add extra noise to the signal, too, though...

as long as there aren't a lot of people walking by your house, and it's not about to rain, putting your recorder by the road (or close to it) should be fine... Especially if you hide it under some leaves or something...

If there are any nests near you that you can reach and set your recorder near without actually disturbing the nests, you can put it there and leave it for a while, then come back and see if there are any bird sounds or something... BEWARE OF POOP.

Might be funny to plant a recorder in a bathroom for a while, too... if you can do it inconspicuously, and hide it so it wont be seen...

you should kill a hooker and leave her body right in the street.

and record the reactions of passing people

XD XD XD @ SS88

or secretly plant a recorder in her vagina and record all the sex sounds for a while

Ray, I could always put the tip of a mic in a plastic bag and dip the tip in the water (making sure not to put it in so deep that it gets wet). I've got an input jack on my recorder, so that would work.

is it just me or did parts of that sound really perverted?

I would be to paranoid leaving the recorder in the bathroom, as the only other people who live here are my parents. I don't want to hear something I wish I didn't

dumpsters.

Do you have any factories near you? Nothing like industrial noises to make for good recordings.

Hmmm, I wonder if recording a truck stop might gain some cool sounds?

I was going to say a cemetary, but I think that their might not be much noise there.

yeah factories. my last two temp jobs were in factories. beautiful noise. i never brought my recorder in becuz i didn't want anyone getting suspicious.

Hmmm, I'll have to look around and see if there are any factories around here.

RevBucky wrote:
Hmmm, I wonder if recording a truck stop might gain some cool sounds?

it might, if you record the girls there applying their trade.

Anything done with a microcassette recorder sounds awesome, but you'd be better off putting a mic to its speaker, as opposed to finding an audio cable/adaptor for it, because I got one from Radioshack and you couldn't hear shit. Plus it just limits the coolness.

I've done field recordings of ceiling fans, radios, rain, early mornings, on a patio, in my pocket just walking around... possibilities are endless, my friend.
On my upcoming split, part of the track is just a glass bottle with a mic in it. The mic is pretty ensitive to outside sounds this ways and increases the hi-range.
Also try putting mics in canisters. completely different effect from said bottle but still has a spacial, almost echoing quality.

Remember to gain the fuck out of any field recordings you do, especially if you want them to be harsh.

yeah, thanks

I just need to find that damn thing now...

I'm doing one in an empty washer now, as it picks up the sounds from an adjacent, active drying machine.

durrhurr, that sounds like it would make an interesting rhythm track, have you tried putting a recorder actually in the running dryer? That would probably be an even better rhythm track, but I'm still trying to figure out how you'd pad it so it doesn't destroy, or shut off the recorder.

RevBucky wrote:durrhurr, that sounds like it would make an interesting rhythm track, have you tried putting a recorder actually in the running dryer? That would probably be an even better rhythm track, but I'm still trying to figure out how you'd pad it so it doesn't destroy, or shut off the recorder.

Exactly. I don't want to cough-up $30-40 for another microcassette player either (can you believe they're that much still?)

Anyways, I got it now and its pretty boring. Might save it for future live performances, because it honestly sounds a lot cooler sped-up in reverse

I got real lucky. On our local Freecycle group, this guy offered up thirty tapes. So I snagged them, and shopped around, and by luck our local Fred Meyer (Krogers elsewhere) had one on special for 14.95. But even though my recorder was cheap, I don't want to have to replace it.

Maybe if you stuck one in a pillow somehow. or wrapped in a few layers of cloth and plastic bags, that might work.

Yeah, you told me about that on the other board.
I looked up Freecycle and I apparently have one in my area, but are they in actual locations or just loose members giving/taking shit in their homes? The website didn't seem very clear on where I should go or what I should do.

Ah, you name changer! I know who ya are!

Basically it's just a loose bunch of people who offer stuff and you drop them an email or a phone call, and ask for it, and then go pick it up, or set up a meeting place.

They say you have to give away something before you make a request for anything, but I haven't tried that yet. I'm too cheap and tight and to much a collecter to give much away. But I have seen people ask for guitars, etc, and who knows, they might actually get them.

I have seen guitars, stereos, Video games and systems, kids toys, and electronic doodads given away. Just sign up for their Email newsletter, it's free.

Shit, I just might. Sounds like craigslist except you don't have to pay for anything and, fuck, it may actually be more reliable. I've got a constantly changing pile of shit I could give away too.
Thanks for the tip

Sure. And if you find it sucks, just cancel the email. Plus it's a way to get rid of crap you don't need that someone else might.

My parents got me my recorder back in high school in hopes that I'd use it for recording teachers for future reference. However, that was also when I was just getting into noise XD

I'm pretty sure they got it from walgreens for just a few bucks.

btw does anyone know if a microcassette recorder can be bent?

yup.

warm it up real good over the fire, then bend it in whatever shape.

10564 wrote:I'm pretty sure they got it from walgreens for just a few bucks.

You can still get minicassettes and regular tapes at Walgreens, but I've been to at least three in WI and none of them have had tape recorders. Lucky dawg.

everything is bendable...... but i wouldnt consider bending a handy little *recorder...


as for objects to record: be drunk, walk real close to people, and act real creepy when they discover you, piss off the elderly, etc.