5.7.1 Introduction

5.7.1.1  Many collections are created through programs of field recording rather than, or perhaps in addition to, the acquisition and preservation transfer of historic recordings to stable digital storage formats and systems. These field recordings may be used in the creation of oral history collections, programs of traditional and other cultural performance, environment and wildlife recordings, or as part of the responsibility of broadcast collections. Regardless of the subject matter, where these recordings are destined for long term retention in archival collections it is most effective to make a decision about matters relating to their archival life at the time of planning the recording. In fact, inappropriate formats and technologies can severely limit the life and usability of the resultant audio.

5.7.1.2  Field recording may be undertaken in a variety of locations and situations, and the subject of such recording may be anything that makes a sound; from people, technology, plants or animals, to the environment itself. Recordings may be made to capture the acoustic context, i.e. in which the desired sound is recorded in an acoustic environment, or may be isolated from it, in which the recording technology may be deployed in a way which minimises the environment in which the recording is made. Recordings may be made in lounge chairs in big cities, on the verandas of remote bungalows, or where there is neither technology nor society to support it. The possibilities are virtually limitless and consequently this chapter on field recording technologies does not seek to discuss the specific discipline-related details of field recording techniques. Rather, it answers a simple question: "How do you best create a sound recording in the field in which the content is intended for long term archival storage?"

5.7.1.3  This subject of this section falls somewhat between the previous chapters on signal extraction, and the following chapters on digital storage technologies. It is included here, as it addresses the creation of digital audio content which is ingested into the digital storage systems as per the following chapters.