Tonebenders episode about my trip to Africa

September 8, 2017

I recently wrote a fairly lengthy blog post about my trip to South Africa last year. Earlier this year I also recorded a podcast episode about this (together with Daan Hendriks) for the Tonebenders. If you haven't heard about them go and check out their podcast archive. I've been listening to them ever since the first episode and prior to that I used to read Rene and Tim's blogs. If you have any interest in field recording, sound design or audio post I'm sure you'll love their work.

Coincidentally they just released the episode we recorded, which you can hear on their website. Enjoy: http://tonebenderspodcast.com/06-field-recording-in-south-africa/

Field recording trip to South Africa - 2016

September 4, 2017

Last year I had the pleasure of attending Sonic Mmabolela, an annual workshop/residency for sound recordists, sound artists, composers and other audio professionals that takes place in a remote place on the border between South Africa and Botswana.

Field recording trip to Romania - April 2017

August 18, 2017

I spent the entire month of April this year field recording around Romania. At the moment I'm planning another trip there so I have to go through all my recordings to clear my backlog before leaving again. Easier said than done, that's for sure.

Recording aircraft

August 8, 2017

Living around London means being subjected to an almost endless barrage of aircraft noise every day. A wise man once told me that if something is ruining my recordings, I should try and record it instead. As a consequence a few months ago I started scouting airfields for recording opportunities.

Sound Devices Mixpre 6 review for The Audio Spotlight

May 31, 2017

I recently reviewed the Sound Devices Mixpre 6 recorder for the Audio Spotlight:

Hi there. I’m George Vlad, sound designer and recordist based in the UK. I work in game audio and I release sound effects libraries through Mindful Audio. I’m going to review the recently-released Sound Devices Mixpre 6 recorder from the perspective of a sound guy with an interest in subtle sounds (ambience, Foley), loud sources (vehicles, firearms) and everything in between. I don’t do a lot location or voice recording so I won’t insist on these aspects.

In my day to day work I use a Sound Devices 633 and a Sony PCM D100, but lately I’ve been meaning to add a few more channels to my main rig. I’ve been looking at the Sound Devices Mixpre-D, 302 or the 442 for this purpose. The Mixpre-D and the 302 can only output 2 channels which don’t quite fit my needs, while the 442 has the right number of outputs but boy is it heavy.

[Head over to the TAS website to read the rest of the review.]

Field recording trip to the Black River in Sweden

May 26, 2017

A few days ago I returned from a very productive trip to a place called the Black River in central Sweden. The trip was organized by Stefan Taylor and Kari Knight with the help of fellow sound recordist Richard Youell. We were also joined by Stijn Demeuleneare, sound artist based in Belgium and Tony Fulford, Ornithologist from the UK. Pete Smith had been to the place in April and only had good things to say about it, so I didn't think twice before booking my place.

Wildlife Sound Recording Society 2017 Spring meeting

May 15, 2017

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the WSRS Spring meeting in the Somerset Levels. It was a last minute decision since I had recently returned from my trip to Romania and I'm flying to Sweden for another field recording trip in two days. It's been exhausting but I'm really happy I decided to go even though the weather wasn't 100% cooperative.

I have to mention this is a new venue for the WSRS Spring meeting so I knew nothing about the place. The trip booking form mentioned Bitterns, Nightingales, Reed Warblers and other wetland species so it all sounded quite promising. Lodging was at Middlewick Cottages, a clean and cozy place just outside Glastonbury.

ASFX blog post on preparing for field recording trips

May 11, 2017

I recently wrote a blog post for A Sound Effect detailing how I prepare for field recording trips. I touched on most aspects involved, from transportation to gear and beyond. Hope you'll find it useful.

Hi, I’m George Vlad and I like to point mics at things. I record all sorts of sounds, from ambiences and wildlife to machinery and aircraft and everything in between. I’ve released a few libraries through Mindful Audio and I often share free recordings on the MA blog.

I’m currently planning a month-long field recording trip to the Carpathian Mountains and the Danube Delta in Romania. As is always the case, I have to go through extensive preparations so that once I get there I can forget everything else and focus on getting the best recordings. Having done this many times in the past, I’m going to go into some detail about how I prepare for a recording trip, from a short hike to flying halfway around the world.

[Head over to the A Sound Effect blog to read the rest of the article.]