When you need to capture a diverse range of sounds from classical orchestras to the sounds of wildlife, and the ambient backdrop of urban life to the crumpling of paper you need to be sure youve got a recorder that can do it all, which is why the organisers of a recent arts project chose the award-winning R-09 field recorder from
EDIROL.
The Sonic Walk launched the In Transit festival of artist-led walks,
talks and events across Kensington and Chelsea, setting out to
explore the more hidden and unusual spaces and places in the borough animating streets, parks and urban areas as well as neglected and
forgotten spaces.
The walk was conceived to encourage people to interact with their
surroundings in different ways, exploring Kensington and Chelsea with
their ears and thinking more about our sonic landscape. The aim? To
assemble a sonic picture of the borough and create a unique
soundscape. Organiser Miriam Nelken from the boroughs Arts Service
explains what happened on the day
It was interesting to see where the group of Sonic Walkers chose to
go to record sound. The walk started with a private tour around the
lovely Cadogan Hall where the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra were
rehearsing before everyone went off in different directions.
The aim was to meet up a few hours later on Portobello Road. Some
spent the entire time in Harrods, some went to the Portobello market,
some to Holland Park to record the peacocks and to Kensington Gardens
to record the parakeets cheeping. Others headed to the V&A and
Natural History Museums on Exhibition Road. I allotted three hours
for them to record sounds, thinking that would be more than enough
time wandering around with a recorder, but everybody said they wished
they'd had all day!
One Sonic Walker sat in Hyde Park and recorded the sounds of
crumpling paper for a long time. The sound designer ended up using
this as a recurring theme during the live performance, which made the
recordist very happy and proud!
The walk ended with a performance at the Muse Gallery where singers
and musicians including Martin A Smith (sound designer and curator
for event), Alex May (VJ), Bishwo Shahi (singing bowls & bells), Dawa
Lama (bamboo flute), and Bridge Fazio (vocals) improvised live over
the collected soundscapes.
But why in particular was the EDIROL R-09 pressed into service for
this highly unusual event? I was looking for field recording
equipment that would be easy enough for novices to use but would also
provide sounds of a good enough quality to be able to create a high
quality soundscape, Miriam reveals. The R-09s performed
fantastically everyone found them easy to use, lightweight, and
most of all the resulting sounds were of great quality.
To hear the results of the Sonic Walk and find out more about the In
Transit festival head to:
www.rbkc.gov.uk/intransit
The artists involved:
Martin A Smith (sound designer and curator for event)
www.martinasmith.co.uk, www.myspace.com/martinasmith
Alex May (VJ)
www.bigfug.com
Bishwo Shahi (singing bowls & bells)
www.myspace.com/bishwoshahi
Dawa Lama (bamboo flute)
www.myspace.com/onlydawa
Kailas Elmer (electric guitar and mad noises)
http://www.myspace.com/chakrasamvara
Bridge Fazio (vocals)
http://www.myspace.com/faziospace
PINO (cahon - percussion)
http://www.myspace.com/lofoman
Kumikaze (vocals)
http://www.myspace.com/kumikazemusic
The R-09 has taken the recording world by storm and is ideally suited
to events like this because it is designed to capture high quality
audio recordings easily and instantly, wherever you are. It has
versatile recording features, a sleek and lightweight design and has
already become hugely popular with journalists recording interviews,
students taking lecture notes and musicians wanting to record live
performances or moments of inspiration away from their studios.
About the R-09
The R-09 won the MIA (Music Industry Association) Award For
Innovation last year largely because of its groundbreaking design,
which combines ease of use with advanced recording features. You can
record via the high quality, built-in stereo mic in crystal-clear CD
quality or in space-saving MP3 format. The unit uses SD data cards (a
64MB one is included) to store your sound no tape required. All
recordings can be backed up to your computer via USB and the unit
features an amazingly functional OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
screen for sublime ease of use and data management. It also has an
ultra-long battery life so can be relied upon in any situation.
Key features
High-quality 24-bit/48kHz or MP3 recording and playback
Records to SD card (64MB card included)
High-grade stereo condenser microphone built in
Mic and Line audio inputs, input level controls; USB I/O
Easy operation, including one-touch record, auto gain record, low
frequency switch, A-B repeat feature and reverb effect
Superb, user-friendly graphic display
Ultra portable half the size of the R-1
Long battery life, takes two AA batteries
External PSU supplied
Price and availability
The R-09 is available in three colours: black, red and white and
retails for £299 or 439 inc VAT.
About EDIROL
EDIROL, a member of the Roland Corporation group, is a world leader in the development and manufacturing of products for audio recording
and video making. EDIROL offers solutions for applications such as
Audio Capture and Field Recording, Video Editing and Live Mixing and
Visual Performance.
