Local Audio - Field Recordings Competition

[CDR Projects]

Hi All,

This is my first time posting, however I thought this could be of interest to some of you.

If you've got any questions just let me know in the comments or via email - cdrw (at) cdr-projects (dot) com

See below


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CDR x Dimensions 2014

Building upon the first ‘Dimension Sounds’, CDR and Dimensions Festival have reteamed for an exciting project to engage producers, artists and festival heads. Up a notch, 2014’s project is a three phase affair, commencing with: #LocalAudio. After the June deadline, one selected submission will be awarded 2 x VIP tickets for Dimensions Festival 2014 (including camping) PLUS a vinyl bundle.

Phase I - #LocalAudio: Represent your area in sound - Start Date: 25th April 2014 -- Deadline: 1st June 2014

Calling all Producers! Using your smartphone or suitable portable recording device, capture a series of audio recordings that uniquely illustrates your local area. A longlist of representations will be chosen to define and form Phase II and Phase III.

Sounds can range from standard field style recordings (eg. "Overground train arriving, Dalston Kingsland"), recordings of specific created tones (e.g scaffolding strike with padded glove); musical, abstract, or conceptual. All recordings must have been from within a five mile radius from where you call home.

You can submit up to 10 sounds across the following categories:

Drum style ‘hits’ - Short percussive recordings designed for beat making and rhythmic composition. Duration up to 1 second.
Sound FX - (up to 5 seconds)
Atmospheres - (up to 10 seconds)
Speech and Vocals - (up to 20 seconds) events or personal recordings incorporating words that describe your area.

The process for Phase II and Phase III to come once #LocalAudio entries all selected and entrants notified.

Capturing Your Sounds

We recommend you record 16bit Stereo 44.1khz WAV or AIFF. 320kps mp3 or AAC formats are also acceptable.

Smartphone users can grab these free apps to get the job done:

Soundcloud App (iOS) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundcloud/id336353151

Soundcloud App (Android) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundcloud.android

PCM Recorder (iOS) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pcmrecorder/id481055155?mt=8

For optimal sound quality we also recommend using an external microphone.

Editing Your Sounds

Once you have recorded your sounds you will need to ‘top and tail’ each sound ensuring the start and end points are well defined. They should be delivered ‘as is’ without the use of effects (reverb, delay etc). Use of soft limiting / compression is fine if required.

Naming and uploading Your Sounds

All your sounds should be named with the following naming convention:

Producer/Artist Name – city - category – soundname

eg: yourproducername - london - atmosphere - seagulls in london fields

From here you should upload your sounds to the project’s Soundcloud Group : bit.ly/localaudio-upload

Before you ‘Choose file to Upload’ check that the ‘Make a playlist when multiple files are selected’ is selected to ensure all your sounds are in a specific playlist. All submissions need to include production notes, what tools you have used and a little about your approach each recording. Keyword Tags are also very useful.

Also note:

Please ensure you have permission to use the sounds before you upload

Sound that include the use of bad language, profanities etc will not be considered

By submitting sounds you are contributing to a Public Domain Sound Library. You give users permission to copy, modify, distribute and perform with the sound, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

For specific questions? email us at cdrw (at) cdr-projects (dot) com with ‘Phase I Question’ in the subject line.

For submission highlights head over to www.dimensionsfestival.com