MCM Voices Newsletter
Volume II No. 6 - June 2008 |
_________________________________________________________________________
|
Zoom H4 Recorder. The acquisition of equipment never seems to end. For ages I've been wanting to be able to record bird song in the field but was put off by the huge expense of professional equipment such as that used at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Samson has come out with very small, high quality digital recorders that not only will let me record bird song, but can be used as a usb audio interface for recording voice-over on the road. The H2 does all this, but the H4 has two XLR jacks so I can use an external mic with it such as my Lawson or Neumann. I bought the H4 and just unpacked it this morning. It's amazing! It has multi-track modes and even has a built-in tuner and metronome.
I can envision many uses for this handy little device - spontaneous interviews with interesting people or people with interesting accents, recording guitar practise sessions - and the fact that it fills two real needs I had (mobile microphone preamp and field recorder) for a reasonable price appeals to my frugal and practical side! |
________________________________________________________________________________
|
MCM News
a few highlights from May...
I've been doing the voice mail prompts for Creative Manager Pro for several years now. When they re-branded as Workamajig, they decided to give their phone system some humor - which I hope all the people who call their New Jersey, Michigan or Arizona offices will appreciate. I was pleased to record all their new telephone prompts for them. |
|
|
If you're traveling through Ohio this summer try to take the opportunity to visit some of the Cleveland Metroparks. And at the Canalway Center, be sure to push all the buttons on the kiosks, where you will hear my voice telling you about the natural history and human ecology of the region. Operand hired me nearly 3 years ago to record a prototype for the Canalway Center's interactive system, and last month they were ready for the final version. |
Travels ahead for MCM Voices. I mentioned in my April newsletter that I had worked with a pair of Dutch filmmakers on an art documentary for which they needed an East Texas accent. The film, entitled I Love Alaska, is now complete. I have been invited to narrate it live at a screening in Amsterdam later this month. I'll give you the details in the next newsletter!
|
________________________________________________________________________
Avian Bloopers.
MCM Voices' never-ending quest to
get the right bird sounds into the
soundtracks of the world
The birds in western Massachusetts have settled down to the summertime business of raising their families. During my walks with my German Shepherd in Look Park, I've been hearing some of the loveliest bird songs of all the 9,000 plus avian species in the world: the thrushes. These include the Veery and the Wood Thrush. Look Park doesn't have the deep woods in which the Hermit Thrush thrives, but theirs is a song often heard in commercial sound tracks, usually in inappropriate habitats! By the way, the American Robin is also a thrush, with a rather pleasant song - as are the bluebirds (Eastern, Western and Mountain bluebirds). Please take a moment to listen to these recordings of Wood Thrush, Veery and Hermit Thrush songs.
For suggestions about appropriate summertime sounds for other parts of the U.S. or the world for your production sound tracks, just ask!
|
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina |
__________________________________________________________________________________ |
That's all for this month.
Keep moving forward -
Mary C. McKitrick
Drop me a line if you need voiceover for your next project!
413-320-1181
© Mary C. McKitrick, 2008. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
