Mastering Recording/Take Metadata: A Guide to UCS Tags, Free Tags, and Notes in Field Recording

Field recording is as much about capturing the context as it is about capturing the sound. When you’re deep in a session—whether you’re documenting urban soundscapes, recording foley in the wild, or capturing that perfect bird call at dawn—the metadata you log can make the difference between a usable library and a digital graveyard of unnamed files.

Field Log offers three powerful ways to annotate your recordings: UCS tags, free tags, and notes. Each serves a different purpose, and understanding when and how to use them will transform how you organize, search, and recall your field recordings.

The Universal Category System: Your Sound Library’s Foundation

The Universal Category System (UCS) represents one of the most important developments in audio metadata standardization. Born from the collective wisdom of sound designers, field recordists, and audio professionals worldwide, UCS provides a structured vocabulary for describing sound effects and field recordings.

Why UCS Matters for Field Recordists

Think of UCS as the Dewey Decimal System for sound. Just as libraries use standardized classification systems to organize books, UCS gives the audio community a shared language for describing recordings. When you tag a recording with #AMBForestNight, any sound professional will immediately understand what they’re getting: an ambient forest recording captured during nighttime hours.

This standardization becomes invaluable when:

• Collaborating with teams: Everyone speaks the same metadata language
• Building commercial libraries: Industry-standard tagging increases discoverability
• Future-proofing your work: Your tags remain meaningful years later
• Cross-platform compatibility: UCS works across different software and systems

How UCS Tags Work in Field Log

UCS tags in Field Log are fixed and follow the hierarchical structure defined by UCS with three main components:

1. Category: The broad sound family (e.g., AMBIENCE, ANIMALS, MECHANICAL)
2. Subcategory: A more specific classification (e.g., FOREST, BIRD, LOCK)
3. Code: The complete UCS identifier (e.g., AMBForest, ANMLBird, MECHLock)

The app includes a comprehensive database of all version 8.2.1 UCS codes, so will tags conform to community standards. When you save a take with UCS tags, they appear with a distinctive # prefix, making them instantly recognizable in your library.

Example UCS workflow:

• Recording sparrows in a city park: #ANMLBirdPassBy
• Capturing morning forest ambience: #AMBForestMorn
• Documenting a creaky wooden door: #FXDoorCreak

The Power of UCS Consistency

The real magic of UCS becomes apparent when you’re searching through hundreds or thousands of recordings. Since UCS tags are standardized, you can find related sounds quickly:

• All bird recordings: search for tags starting with #ANML
• Any forest ambience: look for #AMBForest variations
• Mechanical sounds: filter by the #MECH category

This consistency also enables powerful bulk operations. Need to update metadata for all your electrical recordings? Filter by #ELEC tags and process them as a group.

Free Tags: Capturing the Moment’s Essence

While UCS provides structure, free tags capture the unmeasurable—the mood, the unique circumstances, the creative context that makes each recording special.

When Free Tags Shine

Free tags excel at describing:

• Atmospheric qualities: “moody,” “ethereal,” “gritty,” “pristine”
• Emotional descriptors: “haunting,” “peaceful,” “tense,” “playful”
• Unique circumstances: “golden hour,” “post-storm,” “equipment failure,” “happy accident”
• Creative intentions: “trailer music,” “horror underscore,” “meditation app”
• Location specifics: “Central Park,” “alley behind studio,” “grandmother’s attic”

Free Tag Strategy

The key to effective free tagging is thinking like your future self. Ask yourself:

• What would I type in a search box to find this recording?
• What makes this take unique or special?
• What was my creative intention?
• What were the memorable circumstances?

Example free tag combinations:

• Forest recording: “morning mist,” “sparrows,” “distant traffic”
• Urban capture: “neon buzz,” “wet pavement,” “late night”
• Studio foley: “soft footsteps,” “hardwood floor,” “sneakers”

Notes: The Detailed Story Behind Each Take

While tags provide searchable metadata, notes offer space for the full story. This is where you document the technical details, creative decisions, and contextual information that tags can’t capture.

What Goes in Notes

Technical details:

• Microphone placement and height
• Distance from source
• Wind conditions and protection used
• Equipment settings not captured elsewhere
• Recording challenges or limitations

Creative context:

• The story behind the recording
• Intended use or project connection
• Creative decisions made during capture
• Performance or environmental notes

Logistical information:

• Permission or release status
• Contact information for locations
• Follow-up actions needed
• Equipment issues discovered

Notes Best Practices

Keep notes concise but descriptive. Use a consistent format so you can quickly scan and understand your recordings later. Consider this template:

Setup: [Mic type] at [height] / [distance] from source
Conditions: [Weather/environment notes]
Notes: [Key observations or creative notes]
Technical: [Any equipment or setting notes]

Example note:

Setup: Shotgun mic at 3m height / 15m from bird activity
Conditions: Light morning breeze, no wind protection needed
Notes: Remarkable variety of species, peak activity 7:30-8:15am
Technical: Perfect levels, some distant car doors around 8:00

Search Strategy: Combining All Three Metadata Types

The real power emerges when you combine UCS tags, free tags, and notes in your search strategy.

When to Use Each for Searching

UCS tags for category searches:

• “Find all my bird recordings” → Filter by UCS tags starting with #ANML
• “Show me mechanical sounds” → Search #MECH tags
• “All forest ambiences” → Look for #AMBForest variations

Free tags for vibe and context:

• “Atmospheric night recordings” → Search free tags: “night,” “atmospheric”
• “Rainy day captures” → Free tags: “rain,” “wet,” “storm”
• “Vintage or retro sounds” → Free tags: “vintage,” “retro,” “old”

Notes for specific details:

• “Recordings with wind protection issues” → Search notes for “wind”
• “Sessions at Central Park” → Search notes for location details
• “Recordings needing follow-up” → Search notes for “follow-up” or “TODO”

Advanced Search Combinations

The most powerful searches combine multiple metadata types:

Complex search example:

• UCS tag: #AMB (any ambience)
• Free tag: “urban”
• Notes containing: “evening”
• Result: Urban ambient recordings captured during evening hours

Project-specific search:

• Free tags: “horror,” “tense”
• Notes containing: “trailer” or “underscore”
• UCS categories: #FX, #MECH, #ELEC
• Result: Sound effects suitable for horror trailer music

Practical Workflow: Tagging in the Field

Here’s what I’ve been using for my workflow for efficient metadata capture during active recording sessions:

The Three-Pass Approach

Pass 1 – Immediate capture (during or start of recording):

• Add one primary UCS tag that captures the main sound category
• Add 1-2 essential free tags for unique circumstances
• Write minimal notes about setup and conditions
• Add the gear kit to the take

Pass 2 – Post-session review (same day):

• Listen back and add secondary UCS tags for elements you missed
• Expand free tags based on listening impressions
• Complete technical notes while details are fresh

Pass 3 – Library integration (within a week):

• Add project-specific or creative intention tags
• Update notes with any follow-up information
• Ensure consistency with your broader library standards
• Chop up, or add markers of important events

Mobile Workflow Considerations

When using FieldLog’s mobile app, consider these efficiency tips:

Pre-configure for speed:

• Use pre-defined gear and kits where you can
• Stick to one UCS tag as the overall highlight
• Use shorthand in the notes section

Common Pitfalls and Solutions

Over-tagging vs. Under-tagging

The problem: Either drowning recordings in tags or providing too little context.

The solution: Aim for 1-2 UCS tags, 2-4 free tags, and focused notes. Quality over quantity.

Inconsistent free tag vocabulary

The problem: Using “windy,” “breezy,” and “wind” for similar conditions.

The solution: Develop personal standards for common descriptors. Consider creating a personal style guide.

Notes that become novels

The problem: Writing extensive notes that you’ll never read again.

The solution: Focus on information you’ll actually need later. If it won’t help you find or use the recording, skip it.

Neglecting future context

The problem: Tags and notes that make sense now but won’t in six months.

The solution: Write for your future self who may not remember the session context.

Building Your Personal System

While UCS provides standardization, your free tags and notes should reflect your personal workflow and creative process.

Developing Tag Vocabularies

Location tags: Develop consistent naming for frequently visited locations.
Mood tags: Build a personal vocabulary for emotional descriptors.
Technical tags: Standardize your terms for equipment and setup descriptions.
Project tags: Create systematic tags for different types of work.

Documentation Standards

Equipment notes: Standardize how you describe mic placement and settings.
Condition notes: Develop shorthand for weather and environmental factors.
Creative notes: Establish formats for capturing artistic intentions.

Integration with Professional Workflows

Library Management

When building professional sound libraries, your FieldLog metadata becomes the foundation for metadata later in post-processing:

• UCS tags translate directly to industry-standard keywords
• Free tags provide additional searchable metadata
• Notes contain copyright, release, and technical information

Client Deliverables

Your Field Log metadata can enhance client deliverables:

• Export UCS tags for industry-standard metadata
• Include free tags as additional keywords
• Use notes for delivery documentation and usage rights

The Long-Term Payoff

Investing time in thoughtful tagging and note-taking pays exponential dividends over time. It’s the basis of why I started writing this app in the first place. A well-tagged library becomes a creative asset that grows more valuable with each addition. Years later, you’ll rediscover recordings that perfectly match new projects, find technical solutions in old notes, and appreciate the full context of your creative journey.

The combination of UCS structure, free tag flexibility, and detailed notes creates a comprehensive metadata system that serves both immediate needs and long-term library building. Master this system, and you’ll transform field recording from a collection of files into a searchable, usable, and professionally valuable audio library.

Your future self—and your collaborators—will thank you for the care you put into capturing not just the sound, but the complete story of each recording session.