Recording sessions

I ran the first of the many, many required recording sessions today for the listening website. I'm glad there is such a good vibe in my department. We're the most understaffed and over-student-populated department, but there's never any shortage of volunteers for projects like this. Today, I particularly noticed an awe (read 'fear') some of my colleagues have of the machinery in the recording studio. In reality, the equipment is so good it's almost plug-and-play. It's a question of putting the green jack in the green jack point, the red jack in the red jack point, plug in your mikes etc. Although I think I might have lost some kudos when someone said "What are those leads" and my reply was "They're officially known as 'the dangly bits and you have to make sure they're not dangling before you get started!"

We use the Coomber here at college. It's quite funny because the recording studio has two rooms, one of them filled with mixing desks and the like. It's never used! As soon as people realised they could get the quality they need from the little black box, they abandoned the mixing desk. Although I must admit, I'd love to be shown how to use it. Just so I can tell the grandkids "In my day we used to have these great big desks for recording...."!!!!

Unfortunately, I've shot myself in the foot with my knowledge of Audacity! I told people as they were recording, if they fluffed, just take a short pause and carry on because I could do all the editing afterwards at my desk. I waxed lyrical about how easy and user-friendly the program was and now I have to give PD sessions on it. I couldn't say no because these people had given up their break to help me with recording, but I am so stressed at work already trying to do 2 jobs! AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!!