LOCATION & EVENTS

There is an old saying among sound engineers - “get it right at the source”. Despite all the fantastic modern tools available in post production there is no substitute to getting a good clean recording on location.

Capturing good location sound can be quite difficult. Most locations are chosen for their visual appeal or because they are convenient but often there are problems with big echoey rooms and there is always external noise.

Simon “Woody” Wood has had plenty of experience dealing with exactly these kind of problems. Woody has been working as a sound engineer since 1985 and much of his time has been spent on the road. Woody’s work breaks down into broadly two types.

ENG recording
Usually working as part of a two person camera crew working with rifle and radio microphones, Woody will record sound in many varied locations. Lightweight, battery operated equipment that is highly portable means that the crew can set up and work quickly even in unfavourable conditions. Woody has experience of working with multiple cameras too, using specialist tools to accurately synchronise all of the time-codes to make editing quicker and easier.

Event recording
Event recording tends to involve using more microphones in slightly more controlled conditions. A live mix can be produced but often individual microphones are recorded to a multitrack recorder for complete control of the final mix after the event. Events can vary from large conferences and meetings to classical music concerts and radio programmes such as Gardeners Question Time.