Dan’s Portable Audio Recording Setup

Show Me Your Setup

Why might someone want a portable audio recording setup? Their location may be too noisy for recording. Perhaps their home is under construction. Or they may live in a tropical location where many homes do not have glass windows. That type of open-air environment introduces all the sounds from the outdoors, including animals.

They could be traveling where they don’t have the ability to record from their home studio

Also, people might go on location to intentionally record ambient sound. Audio recording in nature, in public spaces, at business locations, and conducting in-person interviews are all scenarios where a portable audio recording setup is a must.

0:08 Introduction 1:21 Episode 1 Feedback2:37 Dan’s Portable Audio Recording Setup3:16 Outdoor Audio 3:56 Audio from Inside the Vehicle4:43 Microphone 4:52 USB Audio Interface 4:57 Headphones 5:52 More Audio from Inside the Vehicle 6:54 Computer 7:50 Microphone Stand 9:40 Share Us Your Setup

For this episode, Dan packed up his portable audio recording setup, enlisted his wife to record additional footage, and jumped in their family minivan. They ended up by the Cape Porpoise commercial fishing pier in Kennebunkport, Maine. On this January day, it was blustery, windy and cold.

You’ll hear, and if you’re watching the video version, see, three different clips.

The first audio/video clip was taken from outside the vehicle. You can see Dan, inside a vehicle, talking into a microphone. Then the camera pans to the coastal view of sea birds flying around water being rippled by the wind. You can hear the wind rustle through the microphone pickups of the cell phone that was doing the recording.

Simultaneously, Dan recorded from inside the vehicle, both video from his phone and audio through his portable audio rig. The result is a professional-sounding audio recording.

The third clip was recorded from inside the minivan. You can hear Dan’s professional audio as well as his wife’s video commentary. This footage shows how well the vehicle isolated the outside noise from the inside, allowing for a good recording. The video finds a flapping fabric awning, the shadow of a flapping flag, and water crests being manipulated by driving wind. But none of that wind or ocean noise is heard on the recording. Instead, the result is a nice, quiet recording, on location, remotely.

Microphone – Electro-Voice MC200Dynamic microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern

Headphones – Audio Technica ATH-M50x Our favorite headphones One of the features that makes them really good for what we do - critical listening - is they are closed back so they reject some of the noise outside. When you're recording at a remote location, this can be helpful because you're trying to figure out what the microphone is picking up and what it's not.

USB Audio Interface – Focusrite Scarlett Solo Connects microphone, headphones, and computer

PC – Gateway 11.6” 2-in-1 Convertible Notebook This tiny Windows PC has enough oomph under the hood to record using Adobe Audition for hours on end. You can record a lot before needing a recharge, even while powering the Scarlett Solo.

Voice recording is mono, not stereo, so a small PC can do quite a lot. Dan wouldn’t use it for multitrack audio recording, nor for recording video. But for voiceover, this little unit is just the right fit. It’s super light, super quiet, and it gets the job done every time.

Mic Boom Stand – Proline MS112 Desktop Boom Mic Stand Holding a microphone in your hand gets tedious. It also allows unwanted noises (thumps, bumps, etc.) To avoid concerns, Dan uses a desktop boom mic stand. It has a weighty base that holds his microphone solidly in place. There are several adjustment points which allow for good, close mic placement.

Feedback: Our first episode of Show Me Your Setup was released before the holidays. Dan’s oldest daughter was home from college, and he was able to show the video version to both daughters. They loved it! The eldest, a freshman at Emerson College in Boston, has a setup at school. But she brought her equipment home for break and she's going to show us her setup before she goes back to school. As a bonus, when she gets back to school, she's going to do a follow up.

Josh’s 11 year old son really liked it and he surprised Josh with photos of his gaming setup, implying, “Hey, you can feature my setup next.”

If you have any feedback on Dan’s setup, or you'd like to show us your set up, please get in touch with us via our Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, or contact us via our web site. Our goal is to not only showcase our own setups but to also talk to you about yours!

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