Over the Transom | 12.06.24
A new look
Hi, Transom community!
Welcome to the new Transom newsletter. You’ll continue to get weekly updates about the latest and greatest from the website, but every other week, we’re going to send a longer newsletter with tools, tips, and inspiration.
We want this to be a resource for everyone who makes stories with sound, so if you have ideas for things you’d like to see here, leave a comment or reply to this email!
Ok, let’s get to the first edition of our new project:
Announcements:
We are thrilled to announce that Transom is partnering with Blue Mountain Center to invite audio storytellers and documentarians to apply for a residency in the Adirondacks this summer. Blue Mountain Center is a beautiful place and has a long history of creating a wonderful space for artists. This is a first step for us towards a long-term goal of opening a residency program specifically for audio makers, and we’re excited for some of you to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. Applications are open now! Reach out with any questions.
Ask an expert!
Each week, two of Transom’s experts: Tools Editor Jeff Towne and Sound School Host Rob Rosenthal will answer YOUR questions. Got a lingering question about gear? Or a piece of a story you’re working on that you just can’t crack?
Submit a question for Jeff or Rob and look for a response here in this section in a few weeks!
Here’s a question Jeff got a few weeks ago, along with his answer, to give you a little taste of what to expect in this section.
Q: Hi, Jeff--I hope I am not imposing to ask for your reflections on a recorder purchase! I'm buying a recorder (based on your recs!) for audio work, & I was all set to get a Tascam X8... I read a (very) few reviews that mentioned cons of firmware bugs, error msgs, & long boot up times. But your recommendations don't mention these. Have you had any experience with these issues? If so, are there work arounds, or are these minor in your view?
Thank you for your time and work!
Roxanne
A: Hi Roxanne,
Overall, I have had a very good experience with the Tascam Portacapture X8. I haven't encountered any major firmware problems or errors. I DO try to update the firmware on any devices I buy, in case it's out of date when I get it, and keep an eye out for updates. There have been a couple for the X8 that offered major improvements: a recent update fixed a quirk that caused the recorder to always record a “mix” track along with the individual inputs. An earlier one let the recorder remember your recording configuration, and save three presets.
Its boot-up times are a little longer than some other similar recorders, but in manual mode, it's up and running in under 10 seconds.
The one major complaint I have is the construction of the built-in microphones. They sound pretty good, and I've used them for recording music, and quick clips of various activities and ambiences. But, the mics feel very flimsy: the housing is all plastic, and they're not protected at all. I highly recommend getting a case for the recorder, so that the mics have some hope of surviving. The way that the mics attach is really lame: a basic mono mini-jack on the bottom of each mic capsule inserts into a socket on the top edge of the recorder, and then is secured by screwing-down a plastic ring. That threaded ring feels very cheap, and I don't feel very confident in how durable it will be. AND if those connections become loose, the recorder WILL NOT FUNCTION!!!
I have a bunch of different field recorders, and often, the Tascam X8 is most appropriate for the task at hand. I can’t say that I've been disappointed with any of the recordings I've made on the X8.
So, overall, I like it: actually more and more as I use it! I was a little annoyed with it at first, because it IS a bit over-complicated, but I got used to it.
Hope that helps!
What’s new on Transom…
The Unlocked Door by Sophie Crane
2024 has been an exciting year for us here at Transom! Sophie Crane joined us as Executive Director and will be leading the next iteration of our organization: the Transom Story Lab. We're thrilled. Sophie comes to us after many jobs in podcasting, public radio, teaching, and more. Sophie has written a lovely, inspiring manifesto about what she intends to build here with us. It represents some hope and purpose in a difficult time ...and we can all use that.
More to explore on Transom.org:
Read Jeff Towne’s 2024 Gear Guide. From the tried-and-true old standbys to the latest and greatest gadgets, here's the best of what we've used, liked, or wished for during 2024. Get out your holiday lists!
Read the latest All Hear from Talia Augustidis. November’s edition provides an in-depth Spotlight on AIRmedia's AMPLIFY marketing accelerator program (deadline Dec 13th) and lists more than 100 other grants, festivals, awards, and pitch calls for audio makers around the world.
Read the Sound Fields Manifesto by Sandhya Dirks and Kalli Anderson. Big podcasting didn’t invent audio documentary, and it can’t kill it either.
Listen to the latest Sound School episode from Rob Rosenthal. It’s all about how to experiment and try new things in audio that don’t sound the same as every other podcast.
Coming up…
Evan Ratliff, producer of Shell Game, on the (dark) arts of AI.
From the archives…
My Voice. My World. by Veralyn Williams
In this piece from 2011, Veralyn Williams, currently the Executive Producer of Programming at NPR, shares her story of how she honed her voice. Since Williams was a girl, she’d always loved writing – cataloguing her world as it changed and grew. But she wasn’t sure where her voice would land until she found the Radio Rookies program and began learning how audio journalism could transform this passion she had and expand her world at the same time.
“Radio Rookies asked me to report on something I had a unique perspective on and access to, so in my first story I reported on my legal status. At the time I was not a permanent resident here in the United States, even though I’ve lived here since I was a baby. And I never thought to really question my parents on why that was. Well, maybe I thought about it, but never had the courage to ask until I had a microphone. Till this day I am surprised by how having a mic gives me the power to ask questions I would never otherwise ask.”
Tip of the week: What’s a ‘tape sync’?
Get Good Tape (Sync) by Katie Mingle
A few weeks ago, we noticed a discussion brewing on one of the audio listservs: what’s the difference between a tape sync and a field recording?
Even for the most seasoned producers, it’s always good to get a refresher on best practices. After all, lots of interviews are done remotely nowadays, and opportunities constantly pop up on the listservs from podcast companies and independent shows asking for tape syncs.
But if you’re newer here and wondering, ‘what’s a tape sync?’ – we’ve got you!
A tape sync is a recording in which one person, usually the interviewer, is not in the same room as the person (or people) they’re talking to. Your job is to be there with the subject and capture the best audio possible. If you’re a newer producer, this is a good way to build confidence and get comfortable with your gear by practicing in the real world, and the hourly rates are usually pretty good.
Read more from Katie Mingle, a former 99% Invisible producer and current Serial Productions team member, who wrote an article for Transom about all things tape syncs:
(NOTE: there are a bunch of great radio listservs out there where tape syncs are frequently posted. Here’s a list from AIR with groups you can join all over the world. And another one from Talia Augustidis’ All Hear Google Doc)
Community corner…
We want to make the comments section of this newsletter one of the many gathering spaces for the Transom community. Each edition, we’ll have a question for people to discuss in the comments.
This week’s question: We recently announced plans for the Transom Story Lab — what do you want to see out of this project?
We’ll see you back here in two weeks for the next edition.
So exciting to see on Substack!
Thrilled to see you here on Substack!