This one isn’t really technical, and probably better described as rambling, so buyer be warned…
In 2016, as part of a work project, I traveled to China to demonstrate some technology I had developed. The project was a lot of fun for a younger engineer in his 20s, it allowed me to see a lot of different places while following the trade show booth. The China trip though, was my first visit to Asia, and became the first real trip I took a nice camera along on. It was a Sony A6300. I was just getting back into photography at the time, and for the first time videography, but I excited to capture everything I saw. I got some good photos, but still wound up taking more on my smartphone.
A lot of things caught my minds eye and made an instant impact, but looking back on these photos, something felt missing. I could look at them, on my computer screen, or even printed, but they just seemed to be a single view. They weren’t really the memory or the vibe (to use a modern term…)
The photos showed what I saw, but they didn’t quite bring me back. What stuck in my memory most vividly weren’t always the visuals. It was the clamor of a hutong, the whizz of the new high speed rail, the din of an 8 story shopping mall, or voices bouncing down an alleyway. These were the things that lived in the back of my mind long after the trip. The photos alone couldn’t carry them.
Realizing What Photos Missed
That trip was the moment I realized that images don’t tell the whole story. They freeze a frame, and they give a nice prop for a story too, but, there was more.
It was the sounds. The little movements juxtaposed with the big ones. Even when I didn’t have a recorder running, I found myself recalling places through their soundscapes. That was when it clicked for me: sound is memory in a way that images sometimes aren’t.
Extending Into Sound
When I bought that A6300 I bought a Zoom H1N. Like I said I was trying to take a stab at videos, but I was never one to vlog, and I was even less likely to try and make something with narrative.
The H1N wasn’t great. Well, isn’t, I still have it, but the outer plastic is sticky, the self-noise made it impossible for really anything quieter than a construction site, and well, I had no idea about wind protection.
Still, It was magic. My first field recording ambiance that paired with video was at Niagara Falls. Right at the edge of the horseshoe falls. The roar of the water, the surprise as others walk up to the edge, the horn ships below. I loved it.
I think I wound up taking 3 real ambiances there. It was scattered with some other recordings (more effects styles) but listening back later it really stuck.
It was great, and looking back, those moments fed directly into where we are today. I didn’t take /any/ notes. None. Nothing in a notebook, nothing on the pre-roll or post-roll for recording.
Memory as Metadata
That’s when I started to understand that metadata isn’t just bureaucracy or work. It’s memory.
- Where it happened — GPS or a simple place name.
- When it happened — time of day, weather, season.
- How it was captured — mic choice, rig, gain settings.
- Why I hit record — ambience, foley, or just because.
In the field, you remember all of this right off the bat, but that’s not what it’s for. It’s 2025, and those recordings are getting to be almost a decade old. If I’m losing track now, I can’t imagine in another decade or three.
Bringing It Home
Field recording is more than pressing record. It’s about capturing a moment in time — not just the sound pressure over time, but the story around it. The sense of place and time. Without memory, recordings risk becoming disconnected artifacts. With memory, they become transportive. Professional needs be damned, I’d love to build a sound library of my own (and I should probably set it as a goal, since I’ve been investing more time in audio) I just want to stay connected with my own work.
Looking back at that trip to China, I wish I’d had invested more in what I collected. I like tools, high speed, low drag options. The easier I make things on myself is great, but creating is the real name of the game.
Because field recording isn’t only about listening carefully. It’s also about remembering.