Robb Montgomery

Sound recording in the field is one of the high demands now for more and more digital journalists. So where are we with the state of the art? How important is great audio and what are people using for their VOX pops and field podcasts?

What makes great audio?
Consider for a moment just how much technology, technique and expertise goes into making sound, uh, sound good. Here’s an INXS track posted by my friend Diana into her Yahoo! feed.

We take it for granted that vocals sound like this - as a society we have been raised on professionally produced audio for the last 40 years since the advent of FM radio.
It takes an incredible amount of technology and talent to make a vocal track sound this “natural.” The sound passes from the lips through an exquisite suite of electronic gear that processes it and compensates for many, many faults along the way.

Continue reading ‘GEAR: Outfitting reporters with audio recorders’