tangentially related to my main hobby of music production, i'm very interested in audio and sounds in a general sense. one of the ways i interact with sound outside of music is by creating field recordings.

i feel that society in general moves very fast, contextually speaking, and people don't take enough time out of their day to fully take in their environments (to stop and smell the roses, so to speak). i also have always been very interested in the ways environments and experiences can be so different and yet familiar to many across all of existence.

an effective way to capture these experiences we have as individuals is making quality audio recordings of the experience. this is done so the experience can be shared with others, re-experienced by ourselves, or so we can create a sort of audio log of things we enjoy or find interesting.

experiential audio one might feel inclined to record:

• a coffee maker
• a unique door
• a passing train
• an engine
• wildlife in a park
• a thunderstorm
• the vibe in a local café
• a ceremony or concert
• a conversation

usually field recordings are made using at least semi-professional audio equipment. i use the zoom h4n as a microphone and recorder. i chose this model because it was within my budget, is portable, has built-in stereo recording, can have external microphones plugged into it, and is effective for my needs as both a field recorder and a musician. it has also been used to record asmr a time or two without much issue being caused by the high recording level required for quiet sounds.

i implore you to start recording the things around you, you might realize how much you enjoy experiencing the moment.