[RNLD] basic audio recording gear

[Mat Bettinson]

Margaret,

"Providing new phones is also tricky because, they are phones, and get used
as such, and this would cycle back into the private domain. So I'm looking
to introduce devices that only record audio, because these are quarantined
in a sense, less likely to be used for other things."

This is a valuable insight, thanks for that. We have been looking at
providing new phones. Without SIM cards, so they don't really do anything
else *. That said, the general point about dedicated recorders being
"quarantined",
virtually symbolic of the programme they are used for, is certainly well
taken. Food for thought.

* There is some interest from researchers in using connected phones (Eg.
with SIM cards) to record dialogue between people located remotely. Seems
questionable ethics wise to me but I may be missing a trick.


On 28 March 2013 12:53, Margaret Carew <margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au>wrote:

> Hi
>
> This is really interesting –  the BOLD website that I am familiar with is
> a bit old now, so I wasn't up to date with these developments.
>
> I know people who use their own phones to record for their own purposes,
> especially at ceremonies . What we are trying to do is extend this
> practice, and to introduce the notion of 'best practice'. This means
> recording the best quality, recording basic metadata and contributing
> recordings so that they can be curated and archived (also potentially used
> for other things such as linguistic analysis and resource development).
>
> Extending the current use of phones by promoting physical add ons such as
> microphones seems at first glance, a bit tricky. There are a few reasons
> for this, most related to the complex role that phones play in
> interpersonal communication (worth its own study).  To curate the material
> means accessing people's private phones which is fraught. Providing new
> phones is also tricky because, they are phones, and get used as such, and
> this would cycle back into the private domain. So I'm looking to introduce
> devices that only record audio, because these are quarantined in a sense,
> less likely to be used for other things. Part of what we are trying to do
> is raise the profile of language documentation in North-Central Arnhem
> Land, a place where there is a lot of local concern about language change,
> but no language centre and few structured efforts at community based
> documentation work in  recent years. Providing kits identified for language
> and cultural documentation is one strategy towards this.
>
> Regards
>
> Margaret Carew
> Project Linguist
> Desert Peoples Centre, Alice Springs
> Research, Teaching and Learning Division
> Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
>
> tel: 08 8951 8344 | fax: 08 8951 8311
> email: margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au<mailto:
> margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au>  | www.batchelor.edu.au<
> http://www.batchelor.edu.au/>
>
> [cid:62C7A520-1D46-4659-809F-6392A5D1A8A5]
>
> This email and any files transmitted with it are solely intended for the
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>
> From: Mat Bettinson <mat at plothatching.com<mailto:mat at plothatching.com>>
> Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:27:35 +1100
> To: staff BIITE <margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au<mailto:
> margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au>>
> Cc: "r-n-l-d at lists.unimelb.edu.au<mailto:r-n-l-d at lists.unimelb.edu.au>" <
> r-n-l-d at lists.unimelb.edu.au<mailto:r-n-l-d at lists.unimelb.edu.au>>
> Subject: Re: [RNLD] basic audio recording gear
>
> Margaret,
>
> I can't recommend a cheap digital recorder of the type you mention, other
> than suggesting a different class of device, particularly since you
> mentioned BOLD:PNG.
>
> As you may or may not know, BOLD:PNG moved on to using inexpensive mobile
> phones and a custom Android application. 'Moved on' perhaps unfairly
> suggests an upgrade with no drawbacks but that's probably not the case.
> Steven Bird and Florian Hanke are on the pointy end of the project and may
> correct this categorisation.
>
> Using mobiles seems to be an excellent way to record certain genres such
> as narratives but clearly aren't as suitable for having a third person
> record dialogue between other interlocutors. Well, one can do that with a
> phone too but it requires using an external microphone and interfacing
> decent microphones to mobile phones is not exactly common.
>
> I've been trying out add-on microphones to mixed success. There's no
> technical impediment. Last year I rigged up a Sure SM57 microphone to an
> Android smartphone with excellent results. I've yet to try it on a
> directional boom-style condenser microphone. I did get poor results with
> one or two models of super cheap Android phones but great results with a
> Huawei U8150, about $70 delivered on ebay.
>
> I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Do you think,
> assuming the quality is up to scratch, that using phones with and without
> add-on microphones would be suitable for your work?
>
> Having some visibility on concerns and requirements in this regard would
> be quite helpful in my research. I'd also like to make some recordings
> available to back up claims about recording quality.
>
> Additionally, mobile phones running interactive applications obviously
> provide considerable other benefits. Not the least automatic recording of
> meta data, synching of recordings wirelessly and of course the whole
> re-speaking aspect of BOLD as implemented in Bird&Hanke's Aikuma
> application (which is on Google Play right now).
>
> I hope I haven't overstepped with this. I'm sure someone else will come up
> with a more practical here and now suggestion.
>
>
> On 28 March 2013 11:22, Margaret Carew <margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au
> <mailto:margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au>> wrote:
> Hi
>
> I'm looking to buy a number of audio recorders for a project, working to a
> similar concept to BOLD:PNG
> http://www.boldpng.info/
>
> The idea being that the recorders are provided to a few key people who
> then record independently, and recordings are fed back into the central
> project for curation (by me working with the team).
>
> Budget is limited, and the cheaper the unit, the more we can buy. so I'm
> looking at either Olympus WS-812 or the Zoom H-1, both priced under AUD$150.
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm concerned the zoom unit might be flimsy.
>
> Thanks
>
> Margaret Carew
> Project Linguist
> Desert Peoples Centre, Alice Springs
> Research, Teaching and Learning Division
> Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
>
> tel: 08 8951 8344 | fax: 08 8951 8311
> email: margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au<mailto:
> margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au><mailto:margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au
> <mailto:margaret.carew at batchelor.edu.au>>  | www.batchelor.edu.au<
> http://www.batchelor.edu.au><http://www.batchelor.edu.au/>
>
> [cid:62C7A520-1D46-4659-809F-6392A5D1A8A5]
>
> This email and any files transmitted with it are solely intended for the
> use of the addressee(s) and may contain information that is confidential
> and privileged. If you receive this email in error, please advise us by
> return email immediately. Please also disregard the contents of the email,
> delete it and destroy any copies immediately.
>
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Mat Bettinson
>
>


-- 
Regards,

Mat Bettinson
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