Why 90% of a Field Recording Gets Cut | Sound First

Jason Strawley and Andrew Garraway of Blackguard sit down for the first episode of Sound First, PSE's new interview series with the sound artists behind our library. They cover what actually drives a field recording trip (holes in their own library, plus tips from PSE on what people are searching for), the 50/50 balance between gear and skill, why the Sennheiser Ambeo Ambisonics mic has survived years in the field, and the research ritual that goes into every trip, including a night with whiskey and Flight Radar before they even leave the house. They also get into the editing side: why an hour of raw ambient audio might yield just four or five usable minutes, how they built authenticity into their anime sound libraries down to the tape stock, and a PVC pipe demonstration that explains why sound carries so much of what we believe about the physical world. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:10 What's worth recording? 4:08 Gear vs. skill: the 50/50 balance 6:04 Field recording challenges 8:18 How to achieve authenticity 9:52 Why does authenticity matter? 13:06 How to scout a location 15:33 Gear packing list 20:17 Recorders and mics: the current kit 22:49 Editing: why 90% ends up on the cutting room floor Pro Sound Effects has been building the world's largest library of professionally recorded sound for over 20 years, in exclusive collaboration with leading sound artists and field recordists like Blackguard. 🔗 Explore sounds from Blackguard: https://www.prosoundeffects.com/searc... 📷 Follow PSE:   / prosoundeffects   #FieldRecording #SoundDesign #ProSoundEffects #SoundFirst