I’ve been taking my zoom h6 out into the wild(city) and collecting sounds, I’ve also started recording things around my building.
Are there any good practices or material I could go over to make the most out of these samples?
Thanks! You all are so smart and wonderful <3
If your recordings are not super perfect in terms of mic technique etc, a multiband compressor/expander will prove to be a valuable asset for post-production. You can dig out stuff you barely noticed during recording, and eliminate/attenuate many types of unwanted sounds.
Thanks!
I’m curious if you’ve found it neccessary to use a windscreen.
I always use one.
I’ve been working with the Zoom H6, and was VERY reluctant to drop the 60 bucks to get their accessory pack(which contains their windscreen), after I slapped that baby on I was SO HAPPY I spent the money. Like not just for capturing outside sounds, you don’t get the wind burn when you move the field recorder(like at all, which compares to when you don’t use it). And those Zoom mics make you fall in love with everyday sounds, and using their windscreen makes you feel like you got some crucial video game power up for real life. You can now pretty much capture ANYTHING and it sounds so clear and precise. An entire world of sound has been opened up to explore.
To answer your question: yes, it’s fantastic 
Yeah I guess I need to just go ahead and do so then. I have what is at this point considered an oldskool unit, an Edirol R-09. Regardless, it has a fairly nice stereo image even off the built in mics but wind noise is a drag.
Tsutek’s recommendation on multiband compression is a good one. I’m sure that will pull some interesting details out of ambient recordings.
Looks like I’m actually going to have to finally learn how to use that. (I never said I was good at sound. I just make things)
Interesting sounds could be had with bit reduction too. Some field recordings have a wide spectrum of content and there is something cool about the sound of aliasing.
That said, it might also be fun to create some of your own convolution impulses?
I’m really looking forward to getting all these sounds together. Going to take my OT & MDUW to whole new territories. I’m going to try to use only these field recordings to make some interesting tracks. (I’m more excited about the capabilities of the MDUW. 16 voices of the random clicks and clacks of normal life?! Sign me up! A whole different kinda percussion composition)
Train stations, cafes and parking garages might be cool sources because of the space. Be mindful of local laws on unannounced recording of public dialog though.
It’s quiet a bit of cash, but Izotope RX is an amazing tool for audio repair. It is absolutely indispensable in my work. You can fix practically any problem in a recording. They are also great sound design tools when you really abuse them and push them far beyond the normal range of parameters.
Yeah, I’ve been mindful about grabbing dialogue. A few passerbys I’m walking past. But I REALLY want dialogue, but I’m also afraid of being creepy
Not to hijack the thread, but I just picked up an H5. I am curious as to the importance of headphones while field recording. Do I need to wear studio headphones or will sub $100 earbuds suffice? I don’t want to look like a total knob while walking around. haha
No need to monitor while field recording, just use the display to set levels.
Great that was my plan. I just keep seeing these hipsters out here with big ass AKGs look like total freaks lol
I strongly recommend using headphones for hearing optimal mic placement while recording. Mic placement is the most important aspect of recording with any microphone for best results.
For recording generic ambience with an omni mic etc, maybe headphones aren’t necessary. For anything more specific, headphones should be used when determining mic placement.
fwiw my solution for on-the-go monitoring:
EDIT: Disregard the link description on this board, seems like V-moda webmasters are copypasting their page descs 
As usual YMMV, but for me these strike a very good balance between portability and sound quality/accuracy. You just have to make the buds fit tight in order to hear the full bass. I can’t wear big headphones in public, l get trouble breathing properly, so I use one bud in one ear (no idea why this happens, but 20+ yrs of smoking cigarettes might have something to do with it lol)
I wouldn’t argue against mic placement being important in sound recording but we’re talking about field recording here, which is a bit more rough and ready.
Louder ambient spaces can make judging what you’re hearing through headphones, against the leakage, a real challenge and opportunities can easily be missed if you get bogged down with preparation.
The use of SD cards and the like with their huge capacities and low cost have transformed photography and recording.
You can affiord to just try anything and everything out, on the spot, without worrying about wastage.
Even in field recording, you might want to capture certain sounds more than others. And for those situations IMHO headphones are not a bad idea.
You do not need to stop the recorder while you move the mic around either, no harm in “tweaking” on the fly.