Audio Log: Gap Mountain

This is my first ever field recording. It was recorded at Gap Mountain in southern New Hampshire in mid February of 2007. This was before I possessed or had access to real recording equipment, so I wound up using a miniDV camcorder with the stock external mic. I hadn't really thought through the use of this recorder or I would have taped down the record button. As it was, I had to hold the button down firmly with my thumb through the entire recording - not an easy thing to do when the temperature is in the teens. The fact that the button was on the mic was also problematic as I had to hold my gloved hand completely still so as not to disrupt the recording session. All in all this isn't the best recording, but it shows that you don't necessarily need a high-end recording device to record some interesting material. The sounds in this piece were recorded on a small stream that had frozen over, and the microphone was placed directly on the ice. You can also hear wind in trees, a nearby creaking tree, fluttering leaves, and a few jets passing nearby. The original recording was in mono, and I've "improved" it a bit to make it more dynamic.