Return to "Workshops and Classes"
Note: This section was last updated in June of 2006. I plan to update this section in late March 2007 to include comments endorsing the use of PDA's equipped with appropriate software
The first few days of the first class I attended I only turned on my recorder when directed to do so. But class questions and comments stimulated many things that I wished I'd recorded, such as when Noel Hill launched into a series of examples contrasting the styles of various popular concertina players. Of course by the time I knew I wanted to record something, I'd already missed much of it.
In the second class series with Noel I recorded large blocks of each class session, but still managed to miss a few things so in the third class series I recorded every moment of class, including all the 'dull' parts. I simply started the recorder when class began and let it run, only shutting it off when the class ended. I've since used the same approach in workshops and classes with John Williams and Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin.
The change in my approach was in part related to the technology I was using. For the first class series I used a standard minidisc recorder with no compression options so it captured a little over an hour of content per disk and a box of five disks was good for about six hours of recorded content. We were spending close to three hours in class each day and I didn't want to run out of disks, so recording selectively seemed the way to go.
In late 2003 I picked up a newer Sony minidisc recorder that permitted over four-hours recording time per disk through the selection of compression options. A box of five disks used with this recorder allowed me to capture well over 20 hours worth of material and disk changes were infrequent. A single box of disks now exceeded the needs of a five-day class, so this worked out well.
Perhaps some people have the audio sensitivity to find fault with minidisc compressed sound files, but I'm not one of them. After all, classes typically aren't held in a concert hall setting and in most class situations the placement of the microphone isn't optimal to start with. Even at maximum compression the recordings sound good to me and no one else that's heard them has had any complaint either. I don't doubt that with a quality sound system and good speakers (or good headphones for that matter) you'd note something lacking in a compressed recording, but I'm typically using cheap (under $10) headphones and my primary goal is to make reference recordings rather than studio-quality ones.
The Benefits of Complete Recordings
While clearly some of the content from classes isn't of interest for retention, once the recording is made I'm free to chose what I want to listen to and can skip or delete the parts that aren't of interest. Along with the standard classroom material, my recordings of classes and workshops also contain renditions of concert quality tunes played by the instructors, often with special adaptations to tie into class topics. The performance of these tunes in class was for the most part unplanned and incidental, most typically the result of questions about the application of techniques. Regardless of their inspiration, it'd be a shame to allow such performances to be heard only once and they deserve to be captured in a format where they can be easily listened to on demand.
I go through all my class and workshop recordings, index and edited them and then put the results on CDs and usually an iPod as well. I delete a lot of content, but also I find and save many gems mixed in with the dull bits. It's a bit tedious to work through, but worth it in the end I think. I now have rapid access to all the class demonstrations of tunes as well as to related segments of discussion and other content I found to be of value.
I've commented elsewhere on having "missed" some things while in class. Regardless of why I failed to note and grasp the information when it was first presented, it's all in the recordings and I find that when I go back and listen to material from old classes I catch things I didn't grasp or relate to the first time. Elements of technique, fingering approaches that were too complicated for me in the early classes, chording and ornamentation are examples.
Recommendations on Making Recordings
I recommend the following approach to recording instrument workshops and classes.
Take a conveniently sized recorder capable of making good quality recordings and equipped with a microphone sensitive enough to pick up words spoken at normal volume from across a fair sized room. An automatic volume control feature is handy for a class setting because it'll pump up the sensitivity when it's needed in quiet moments and reduce it as needed during moments of loud group playing.
Insure you have an adequate supply of batteries (or a charger and access to an outlet) and sufficient recording media to cover all the hours of the class. I like a disk based recorder rather than cassette or other media, but any will work and I think your choice should be guided by what will work best for you and be the easiest for you to work with. If you don't like the newer high-tech stuff, don't feel compelled to acquire and use it. An inexpensive cassette machine has less versatility but it will certainly work and some people like the smaller and inexpensive 'micro-cassette' versions still on the market.
Give some thought as to placement of the recording equipment so that it can pick up room sounds well but won't need to be moved around frequently during class (with the result of recording distracting scratches and bumps).
Turn your recorder on at the start of class and off only at the end. If using a cassette tape system, use the LP or slow speed setting to maximize tape content (at some expense to quality). To aid in initial indexing, use a pen and paper during class to note the time/footage indicators in relation to class events. It doesn't have to be detailed, and simplest thing to note while in class is just the time/counter reading at the start of each point of interest.
If you didn't note them during class, I find the best time to flag tune demonstrations is immediately after the class session in which they occurred. Using the fast-forward function it only take a few minutes to rapidly scan through an hour or two of material. Concertina music stands out over conversation during the fast-forward so it's easy to find such segments without having to listen to the entire content in "real time." Once their location is flagged or otherwise noted, the demos can be easily found for use while practicing.
Take the time to completely index your recordings after
the class series or workshop is over, noting the start of every major topical area. Aside from actual tune
demonstrations it may be difficult to categorize much of the content but try
to gather things under meaningful labels, if only in a very general
sense. Here's an indexing example for illustration, showing the time
marker (in minutes and seconds) from my recorder and my final labels for the
content segments:
14:23 Introduction to Bohola Jig
14:57 Bohola demonstration at normal speed
17:48 Class comments on tune
18:31 Bohola slow speed demonstration
26:02 Advice on fingering
34.48 Class plays Bohola
41:19 Class discussion of workshop progress
If you don't intend to process your recordings beyond basic indexing, be sure to preserve a copy of the content index along with the recordings. If you have doubts about being able to keep the two closely associated with each other into the future, record yourself reading the complete index onto one of the disks or tapes so that you will always have it available for reference. If you using a minidisc recorder, you can use the index as a guide to go through and divide content into individual tracks for final storage format, even adding titles if your recorder permits it. If you have the means to transfer the content to a computer, you can edit, name, burn to CD or whatever within the framework of the software you own.
Look for opportunities to edit out the content that adds no value. In the above example, having listened to it once to know what it held, I deleted the class comments, group performance and discussion at 17:48, 34:48 and 41.19. If you are not going to delete content, I suggest highlighting the segments of special interest on the index so that it stands out from the less pertinent material.
If you use a minidisc recorder, you can do considerable on-disk editing, but take your time. If you accidentally delete something you had intended to keep, it's likely not recoverable on your disk. It pays to make friends in class and find out how to keep in touch so that if you later fumble-finger your way into losing something, you'll have a hope of getting someone else from the class to make a copy of their recording for you.
If you transfer recordings to a PC for editing, look for opportunities to improve on the recordings by taking advantage of sound adjustment capabilities too. Long sequences of quiet discussion can be boosted in volume to make them easier to listen to. Much of what you can do depends on the equipment you have and the capability of the software installed on it, not to mention the time you have available to devote to the project.
Store the final version in a manner that will make it easy to access. Putting minidisc or cassette tape content onto CDs with tracks divided into named segments will permit you to use portable CD and mp3 players as well as car CD players to listen to them. In the latter case you can then make use of your work-commute time to build familiarity with the sounds and conceptual aspects of playing and techniques.
An important final comment on this subtopic. Class recordings are essentially snapshots of the creative efforts of an instructor. Under no condition should you consider making copies of your recordings for others or loaning your personal copies out. The class instructor contracted to teach you alone when you purchased admittance to the class and you were charged accordingly. As part of your attendance you were granted the privilege to make recordings for your personal use, but not a license to distribute them.
Recording Equipment and Editing Process
With regard to equipment, I use a Sony minidisc recorder with extended time record/play features to capture original content. The latest minidisc recorders from Sony (in conjunction with the companion program SonicStage 3.4 [or higher]) permit moving files to a PC via USB without going through an analog conversion step and knowledgeable users of those models can skip the next paragraph. Some models limit which formats (compressed forms) can be moved digitally so you need to be aware of the restrictions when making recordings. Other recent digital recorders also offer digital transfer options, and their associated user guides will detail the methodology.
To move the recorded content from a recorder that doesn't permit digital transfer to a computer it is necessary to hook a conventional wire (analog) cable between the headphone "out" jack of the recorder and the sound "input" jack of the computer and then essentially "play" the disk from the recorder while using recording software on the computer to capture the output. Note that this doesn't require the use of any recorder-specific software and while I use a PC, I think this simple method of transfer should work on a Mac as well. Files from cassette recorders and other sources can also be moved in similar manner.
For files transferred via analog cable, track indicators/separations will not be carried over to the computer so they will need to be reestablished on the resulting computer media files. I load the sound files into my audio editing software and break it into segments based on my original indexing, then save each segment under a name appropriate to its content. Then I reload each segment, review it for final editing and adjust the sound levels if necessary before doing the final save in mp3 format. There are a lot of audio editing programs on the market that permit one to burn CDs, create mp3 files and make jewel box labels with content indexes and cover photos and most will work for this purpose.
After the final versions of segments are complete, I look for ways to reorder their sequence to better organize content. Often topics are revisited in subsequent classes, as are variations on tunes from early classes. Gathering these into ordered groups will allow you to better focus on each concept when listening to the recordings on a CD. Depending on the software you use, you should be able to establish this new order of play through either adding a track number at the start of each segment name or through the use of 'play lists.'
Back to the topic of recorders, in early 2004 I purchased an iRiver hard-disk (20 Gig) based mp3 player. In addition to storing and playing music, one of my motivations in selecting it was its ability to record from either its built in or remote mike (supplied) and it will store recorded material on its internal disk in either wave or mp3 form. The unit is very sensitive and responsive and because it connects via USB (1.1 or 2.0) to a computer one can easily move recordings on or off the player in digital format in a matter of moments. It also offers A/B looping, permitting one to select any start and stop point within a file and loop that segment repeatedly.
It has other features, but it's not my purpose to list them all. The down side of the iRiver in comparison to a minidisc recorder for use in a class is that it does not accommodate any sort of sound file editing or track/position flagging within the file, and the A/B looping function only permits establishing temporary repeat points within a single recording. I really liked the notion of being able to move files off the recorder in digital format so I looked forward to trying it out at my next class and and contrasting it with my minidisc recorder. Follow this link to read about that test.
Why I like Minidisc Recorders Over Other formats
By 2005 I'd quit using the iRiver and was back to minidisc recorders exclusively. Although there are some very high quality digital recorders in various formats on the market as of this writing (2006), minidisc offers something that no other format does, and that's its ability to edit recordings without the need to have a PC at hand.
I have a notebook PC that I could take along when I attend events away from home but between the computer, it's A/C power supply and the travel bag it all fits in, I'm essentially adding another piece of luggage to my travel kit, and something else I have to protect from theft. Minidisc recorders are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket or purse, they offer good quality recordings and good battery life too. Most models will accept AA batteries if you can't get to a wall outlet to recharge the internal battery, so you can run one for days if you're at an outdoor festival or traveling in foreign countries.
A minidisc recorder permits one to insert track marks into existing recordings on a whim and if desired, each defined track can easily be deleted or relocated to allow re-sequencing of tracks. Track marks can also be removed easily and tracks quickly recombined and re-sequenced as desired. I think this is the huge advantage that the minidisc format offers over other media recorders (iPod, hard-drive and chip-based recorders in various formats). As with some other formats one can also loop selected content (A/B looping), and certain models of minidisc recorders also permit playback speed reduction/speed-up without altering pitch.
As of mid-2006 I'm using a Sony MZ-100 (similar to a MZ-RH10) and a MZ-RH1 and I like both units. To be clear, either one alone would be a great choice for class/workshop/session recording. Being in my middle 50's now I find I really appreciate that the information displays on both units lights up in bright blue letters making them very easy to read. It may sound like a small thing, but their displays are far easier to read than the standard LCD readouts. Both recorders are excellent and the MZ-RH1 (Sony's latest and best so far) also permits digital speed changes from half speed to double without pitch alterations. As I've stated above, I'm easy to please from a sound quality standpoint, but I'll mention that Sony claims that the Linear PCM recording mode on these units offers CD quality sound.
So How Much Recorded Material Will You End Up With?
I imagine that if you've read to this point you're wondering just how much sound content I actually retained out of my several hours of class. The 2004 workshop with John Williams ran five days at two hours per day. Out of ten hours of material I ended up with about 90 minutes of edited demonstrations and selected comments that I consider to be high quality content. Out of about 15 hours from my 2004 Ireland class with Noel Hill, I ended up with over four hours of material from the classes. One shouldn't attempt to extrapolate a quality assessment of the two instructors from this since the two events had a different structure and focus.
Also one shouldn't take the volume of retained material to suggest that the the bulk of the time in the classes wasn't of value, rather just that these recordings are a highly selective distillation of premium material that I judged to be of special interest to me. There wasn't a moment of either class that I would have skipped or cut short as it happened.
I have to acknowledge that it takes a fair amount of time to go through all the steps I've outlined in handling the recordings, but in partial justification of the time invested, I find that while listening and editing I'm picking up details and perspective along the way. I think the long term benefit and enhanced usability of the recordings makes the time and effort worthwhile.
One could skip much of what I do with the recordings and still end up with great material, the important thing is to capture the material and be able to quickly find it again without great difficulty. If it isn't quick and easy to get to, it likely won't be used.