Course materials for/by Peter L. Patrick. May contain copyright material used for
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A Practical Exercise: "The Taping Game"
Assignment for LG554 Sociolinguistic Methods
Peter L. Patrick
See course schedule for dates by which to perform this task,
and then report orally in
class on it (bring your recording).
This work is not assessed – do not hand in to
the main office
This is
an exercise-there is nothing to hand in, it's just to get you familiar with
your (some) recording equipment and its limitations. However, I encourage you
to bring a recorder (yours, or the one
you have borrowed or checked out) to class next week, along with any
other relevant equipment you may have questions about - a microphone, etc.
Relevant reading
on
the subject of recording sound includes
·
Bruce
·
Another fine text is Edward D. Ives, The Tape-Recorded
Interview (1980, U. Tennessee Press) - the Library has it. It's also
folklore-oriented and very practical. In fact this assignment comes from there.
·
Many PhD or even MA dissertations which involved
fieldwork give some discussion of the equipment used and the circumstances.
They should, and so should yours.
·
There are general sources on sound on the course
references webpage
Most
technical discussions are geared toward recording music. It's assumed by nearly
everyone - including the makers and sellers of sound equipment, audio engineers
etc. - except sociolinguists and radio journalists, that to record speech,
mediocre quality will do. This is wrong - they don't know what they are talking
about, quite simply. We do. So do not be fooled or persuaded. High quality is always
desirable for linguistic study, for reasons we'll explain.
Okay,
what to do:
·
Get a recorder and preferably a mic (hand-held or
lavaliere/tie-tac), and a tape/disc if needed. (Remember that lavaliere is the
best mic for us.) Make sure you know how to start recording.
·
If you are buying a recording device, see my current
recommendations in class. Be sure it has a separate mic input!
·
Find the recording meter ('VU meter': sometimes a
small window with a needle that waves over a red-and-green area; sometimes a
series of tiny lights that flash red in sequence; sometimes there is none). Put
the recorder so you can see it at a distance.
·
Determine whether you have a built-in mic, as well as
an external one; you will try both. (Some recorders only have external mics –
some cannot accept them.) Also determine whether you have a recording-level
control (many recorders use the volume control for this when in recording
mode).
·
The point is to change the settings and modes and then
listen back later to see what works and how it sounds. As you talk, describe
your position relative to the mic and any changes you make to settings.
"Now I'm talking in my normal voice from 1 meter away... The rec. level is
set to 5 [or "to
·
Try the same things with and without the external mic
(if you have a built-in one! Otherwise you'll get nothing...); with a limiter
switched on and off, if you have one; with manual and automatic rec. level
controls, if any; with tone controls; in short, whatever switches you can push,
try them out and compare.
·
Always tell yourself 3 three things as you go: what
the rec. level is set at; what the meter/needle/lights are doing; and where you
are. Especially try being behind the mic, as many mics are directional (i.e.
they have blind spots). Try it near "ambient noise hazards", e.g. a
fan, fridge, running water, or TV - it's very useful to know what happens if
these things are going when you record an interview!
·
You'll want to know how low you can record and still
get a good sound, and how high you can record without distorting. Go step by
step moving the rec. level, with enough time at each level to hear it. Make
sure you over-record (needle in the red/ all lights flashing) and under-record
(no evidence from meter that signal is being received) now so you know
what not to do later (and so you learn what it sounds like).
·
If you have a hand-held mic, be sure to try moving it
back and forth as TV news people do. Turn on the radio or TV and use them as
the "other person". Try setting your mic on a hard surface; a soft
one; hanging it from a chair or lampshade, below and above you; laying it on a
tabletop, etc.
·
Fancy recorders may have a Dolby (noise-reduction)
on/off switch; or something called a "mic attenuator" which changes
the level of signal into the mic; try it.
OK, now
we've introduced lots of terms and functions you may not understand. If they
are options on your recorder, it probably means you've got a better recorder;
bring it to class, or to office hours, and we'll figure out how to use it. If
you don't have them, it's not a problem for you (unless you want to buy one,
and then you'll need to know - read
Meanwhile, if you have a question, please ask me, in class or
by email. Please don't feel embarrassed - technical questions are never
dumb. Even if it's "Why won't it record?",
it's worth finding out the answer.
(There
are, however, 3 basic answers to the last question before you come to me: (1)
try the plug in another outlet and check that the other end is fully inserted
into the recorder, (2) check the batteries -- move them around or change them
if necessary, (3) check the pause button!).
This
"game" should do three things:
You
don't need to hand in this recording or turn in any sort of report to me, but I
may ask you in class to describe your experience. Please bring your questions
and your recording to class, even if they've been answered - someone else may
still need to hear the answer you found.
[Based in part on material in Ed. Ives, 1980,
"The Tape-Recorded Interview" (U.
Assessment Coursepage for LG 554
LG554 Sociolinguistic Methods page
Last updated 11 October 2009