Audio Hardware/Software Response

1. I did think that the initial process of building my microphone would be somewhat difficult, and I was a little behind to begin with but once I finished building my microphones they worked very well. My mic rig worked pretty well on my first Drift. I put my recorder in my pocket and either held the mic's in my hands or clipped them on either side of my backpack. My mic's worked superbly when it came to the capturing ambient noises as well as extreme closeups. I was honestly a little surprised at how well the mic's picked up sound when I began my first Drift and it really made the experience more enjoyable. My ideal microphone and recorder setup would take place with my mic's and recorder attached to a subway train in New York City for three or four days. This would be an amazing chance to capture a very rough and urban sound that is authentic. Also, I would probably be able to pick up some interesting conversations when the train stopped and people got on and off of it.

2. I had no problems with the MiniDisc recorder from the start. Once I learned all of the controls for recording and saving, it worked fine. I haven't really used any other audio equipment like this before, so I can't really compare it to anything other than a video camera. In an ideal world, my recorder would have no settings or "groups" of sounds like ours did. It would simply have a record button, a pause button, a stop button and a play button. It would be so well made that it could adjust to any environment you were in to capture a great sound, thus, it would have no adjustable settings.

3. I chose to use the application Audacity, as recommended by Mr.Bach. It worked quite well from the start, and I found that the controls and editing options were straightforward, hands on and easy to use. I have never used this software before, and I chose to use it because it was recommended by Mr.Bach and it was free to download. Audacity definitely had the editing options that I needed in order for me to creatively edit my sounds in my own way. For instance some of my sounds naturally had too much bass, and using the EQ edit option on Audacity, I was able to equalize the bass to match the treble. I will most likely use this software again in the future, because it was easy to use as well as effective.