Baltic Sea
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As I met more business owners and other people working in or around the fishing industry while field recording in Ostend, I noticed that even though m
Altro...As I met more business owners and other people working in or around the fishing industry while field recording in Ostend, I noticed that even though my equipment was already top-level for capturing sounds all over the city, some elements were missing for interviews, and above all, for recording vessels passing by but out of reach.
So it was time to grab a few pieces that, while they don’t fully revolutionize my kit list, add exactly what I need to enhance what’s coming next for Wildtek @ Sea…
Rode AI-Micro
Might be the smallest sound card in the world! But it’s a genuinely great little unit for anyone shooting on one or two iPhones like me. It lets you connect two microphones straight to the iPhone, so you can record video with top-quality sound on the go. Simple, lightweight, straightforward. On another level, you can connect the output of, say, your DJ mixer, use your iPhone camera, and stream a DJ set without any hassle.
XLR to mini-jack cables
To connect XLR microphones like my two Clippy EM172s, or the output of my XONE:4D DJ mixer, these cables are a necessity. They carry pro audio-level output straight to the Rode AI-Micro sound card, basic, but essential.
Handle with hanging rope
Like a gun ;-) I do love guns… Another subject entirely. This element is essential too, since it lets me move around with an iPhone and a recorder connected together for filming and recording, lightweight, solid, easy to set up, and if needed, I can mount the whole rig on a tripod for extra stability or longer takes. Extremely efficient.
Tascam DR-05XP
The hype these last two years has been all about 32-bit. Everyone talks about the benefits. I love my 24-bit Zoom H5, and keeping my levels tight and working them is my job! But I wanted to try 32-bit and see for myself if the hype was real. So I bought the smallest model from Tascam to test it out. Since I got it, it never leaves my pocket, it’s with me at all times, ready to catch anything my ears pick up on my travels. I’m in love with it. Naturally, I now plan to get the Tascam Portacapture X8, which would become the master brain of my whole setup.
Zoom SSH-6
Even if I invest in a Tascam Portacapture X8, I’ll keep my partner of years, the Zoom H5. To record top-level interviews or distant vessels, I needed a shotgun microphone. Those tend to be pretty expensive, so the Zoom SSH-6 came as a nice alternative. Despite some harsh reviews floating around online, I’m genuinely impressed by this microphone and its plugin for managing Mid/Side recordings. Never forget: it’s not the gear that’s creative or great, it’s how you use it. You can own a €1,500 microphone and still record garbage or make magic with one that costs €130–150. Be creative ;) The only real letdown is the included dead cat, which just isn’t up to par, I need to find an alternative.
The magic: mounts and adapters
With iPhone holders, recorders, sometimes my camera, tripods, etc.. Everything needs to be tightly secured. I found a box full of all-in-one thread adapters, and it genuinely saved my life. It’s an essential part of my setup, since depending on the kind of recording I’m making, my gear needs to be attached one way or another. They come in handy :-)
The little things…
No need for a picture, but I bought a total of 16 rechargeable IKEA LADDA 2450 batteries, since they’re rock solid for my recorders. Why so many? Because my professional approach can’t allow running out of batteries mid-recording or mid-interview. Simple as that. I also picked up a second power bank so my iPhones are always ready to film too.
Next step?
The Tascam Portacapture X8 for sure, plus a refresh of my Sennheiser HD 25 Aluminium headphones. My DJ/studio/recording headphone for years, and for many more to come.
Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)
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A couple of days before my birthday, I randomly found in the street this model fishing vessel, looking remarkably close to the many real-size fishing
Altro...A couple of days before my birthday, I randomly found in the street this model fishing vessel, looking remarkably close to the many real-size fishing vessels of Ostend!
The detailing is quite faithful compared to the various vessels I capture in Ostend or Zeebrugge but, let’s be honest, the paintwork was likely done by a 5- or 6-year-old, and it’s not amazing at all…
Anyway, that’s where things get interesting… We all know those long winter evenings when it’s cold outside, rainy or snowy, right?
My idea is to completely rework the paint job in the Wildtek style… trying to imagine this fishing vessel as a personal boat of sorts.
So stay tuned, as I’ll be documenting the process on the blog.
The model is a classic 1:142 scale Revell North Sea Fishing Trawler plastic model kit (Kit No. 05204), originally introduced by Revell in 1970.
Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)
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On 2 August, I celebrated my birthday in Ostend, because there was no question of being anywhere else, it’s the city I love most in Belgium!
I arrive
Altro...On 2 August, I celebrated my birthday in Ostend, because there was no question of being anywhere else, it’s the city I love most in Belgium!
I arrived early Saturday morning, 1 August, dropped my things at the Airbnb (keeping only my recording and photography gear with me), and walked straight to the beach. The sea, my feet in the water, just walking along…
What a pleasure it is to feel that particular contact with nature, the water, the movement. It’s like taking back pure energy.
Then I walked toward the Vistrap to buy some shrimps! You wouldn’t believe how much you get for just 4 euros. I even tossed a few to two or three seagulls watching me with what looked like envy.
From there I headed straight to what I like to call MY area, Ostend’s east side, Oosteroever, taking the Overzetboot under a beautiful sun, already crowded, but heading in the direction I love.
Once there, I was a little surprised to find almost no fishing vessels at the port, everything more or less closed. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying my time alone. I thought: “Okay, the sun’s shining, I’ve got biscuits, sweets, and a bottle of vodka (don’t judge me, it was my birthday weekend) let’s head to my favourite beach, Oysters Bay, and make the most of this time with myself.”
This beach is rarely crowded, much to my satisfaction, so I set up my tripod and recorder, took off my shoes, rolled up my jeans, and alternated between walking in the water and sunbathing from 11 AM to around 2 PM.
On the way there by Overzetboot, I noticed a huge vessel in the restricted zone of the harbour and decided to head over, hoping I might catch the machinery running or even better, catch the vessel departing.
That’s where the magic happened. I got almost no usable sound, but a few recordings worth keeping so I’ll be adding seven of them as a bonus to my “Vessels” field recording pack, since there are some interesting textures and ambiences in there. But the real magic wasn’t the audio.
I was standing in front of Deschildre Streekproducten, a bar and restaurant that also hosts rare and collectible car meetups on Sunday mornings. A guy walked up and asked if I was some kind of professional measuring decibel levels from the industrial vessels. I explained that I wasn’t, that I record sounds all over the city for techno tracks, with an album coming, and that I sell field recording packs. He was stunned, and we ended up having a great conversation. Turns out he’s the owner of the place, nice guy.
As for the big vessel, it’s called the Moritz Schulte. I couldn’t get close, and even photographing it was tricky because of the fencing, but I got what I could.
Then the second bit of magic happened. I’d been in touch with a venue close to my heart about DJing for Oostende Voor Anker, but the owner and I had missed each other’s messages, and I started thinking maybe I’d done something wrong. Feeling a bit rejected and out of the loop, I told myself it probably wasn’t the place for me and that I should let it go. Then, guess what, the owner cycled past and called out, “Dimi? You there?”
So I grabbed a fresh beer at Deschildre Streekproducten first, chatted a bit more with the owner there, and then headed straight over to sort out the misunderstanding. And this is something I want to say clearly: don’t assume people are against you until you actually talk to them. A real, in-person conversation can dissolve almost any misunderstanding, it’s important to communicate, to say what’s on your heart.
The result? I’ve got my own party on 4 September, underground techno! I’m thrilled, and now I’m working hard to bring in as many people as possible to enjoy great music and grow my artistic connection with them.
I had another beer there, met a lovely girl with an adorable dog, played with the dog, talked with her for close to an hour, and then headed back out to record more sounds around the harbour before returning to the city center where even more surprises were waiting for me.
Part of another post to come ;-)
Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)
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