Field recording is an almost meditative activity. It sharpens the senses and trains the perception of what surrounds us.
Controlled breathing for the perfect recording and 360-degree awareness demand something of the body and the often dulled ear of modern man is trained for active listening.
Of course, there are already countless libraries on the market that cover a wide range of sounds. But to underlay your synth ambient track with gentle rain that you have recorded yourself in a warm summer night is a completely different feeling; an emotional connection.
I can only recommend everyone to get into it, because once you realize the versatility of these recordings, it can quickly become a fulfilling passion. Field recording not only encompasses the soundscapes of nature with all its sweet spots, but also offers the opportunity to collect and sample unique sounds.
Sound FX are used in video games, films, radio plays, but also in music.
Creating your own sample libraries (for example via the free Kontakt player from Native Instruments) not only offers a good option for structuring the sounds according to your personal ideas, but also the opportunity to design your own instruments and refine them with effects.
Creating SFX assets for the gaming industry requires more than just creativity. In addition to skills, you also need the right concept and a lot of hard work to meet the requirements of the platforms.
It often takes a bit of luck but as the portfolio grows, so does the chance of a regular source of income.
Your own recordings can also be used as impulse response samples to create reverb tails (for example with the free reverb plugin “Avid Convology XT”). When applied to a synthesizer instrument, the resulting reverb can provide an interesting and natural character.
If you have the opportunity to use a good friend’s industrial warehouse or workshop on a quiet Sunday, let him unlock the door and tell him “You can pick me up in 4 hours” – such a place has great potential for collecting sounds. Chains, neon tubes, the warm-up process of a printer …. you never know what you can make out of it later.
My tip: always carry a mobile recorder with pop protection!
If you want to dive deeper into the subject, you should definitely pay a visit to Marcel from “free to use sounds” on the web.