Note: These notes were developed for a Sound Art Project called "Radiant Dissonance" in 1999. Although aimed at beginners who are collecting environmental sounds, many of the suggestions are valid for any recordist.

• Use whatever recording equipment you have on hand. In this day and age, even consumer electronics will give a good result.
• A handheld microphone is ALWAYS better than a microphone built in to the machine.
• Buy a mid-priced, brand name tape to record onto. You don't need to spend $5 on a cassette tape, but don't buy 50 cent bargain bin tapes either. As in the rest of life, middle ground is often the best place to be.
• If you don't have a hand-held mic and have to resort to the built-in one, make sure your tape recorder is as close to the sound you're recording as you can get - six inches to a foot is good. Unless you're recording something loud like a jackhammer, when being too close will cause your tape recording to distort, so stand back a ways.
• Plug in headphones while you're recording so you can hear if you're getting the sound you want. You'll be able to hear if you're too close or too far away. After you've recorded your sounds, listen to the tape to make sure you like it.
• If you don't have a tape recorder, use a camcorder. Leave on the lens cap so you're not distracted by the pictures. Send us the whole videotape - we'll copy the sound to audio tape.
• Think of your microphone like you would a camera. If you want really clear sound, you want, the more sophisticated equipment. If you want the close up sound of a bird, you may have to climb the tree to get real close. If you can't get real close to capture faint, subtle sounds, then get the more prominent ones instead.
• Then again, some audio artists work with Fisher Price tape recorders designed for kids....
• Don't wave your mike cord. Hold your hand still on the microphone. The sound of your hand moving on the mike or moving the cord causes loud clunking sounds which might ruin your recording.
• Record your sounds on a still day. Windy days produce wind noise on the microphone. Even the most expensive mikes don't deal with wind very well.
• Record more sound than you think you'll need. That way you'll have a lot of samples to choose from.
• Experiment until you get the kind of sound you want. If your sound is a little on the raw side, you might be able to fix it. Or you might like it that way. So don't let the quest for perfection slow you down - every sound recordist started right where you are.
  The important thing is to get out there, listen and record. And have fun documenting the sounds of your community. Bus sounds, traffic sounds, bells, people on the street, fountains, waterfalls --- the streets are alive!

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