Antarctica – 00 – Introduction

Introduction
Hello – My name is Steve and I am a musician and producer based in London. For many years I have been writing and creating music and I enjoy using everyday natural and man-made sounds and rhythms to create compositions. London offers many noises but the lifestyle can sometimes feel a bit hectic so I decided choose somewhere a little more remote that could offer some unique sounds to inspire new songs. The remotest place I could think of was Antarctica so I shut up shop and moved out of my flat in London to go on a 6 month trip to the driest (even though it holds 90% of the worlds ice, and 70% of all the fresh water), windiest and the coldest place on earth!
Lets see what happens!
Antarctica can be an unforgiving place so I will need some serious professional equipment to ensure that I can record pristine audio. I have invested in a new laptop, and will be using a portable handheld recorder. This will give me the option to either use the portable recorder by itself, or power a shotgun microphone to record seals, penguins, ambiences, and anything else that I can’t get too close to without the fear of being eaten or freezing to death!
The most important thing for me is to have a clear recording that is free from any wind noise and handling rumbles. Rycote windshields and shock mounts should provide the perfect solution for both the portable recorder and shotgun microphone to eliminate these issues. Even when there is no wind the windshield will provide great protection from snow, spindrift, falling icicles and wind chill that could cause damage to the microphones. Avoiding damage to the microphones is very important because my good friend Steve Williams from Sound Moves has been kind enough to lend me a selection so I want to return them in good condition. Also, I could not manage to find a pro audio shop anywhere in Antarctica so it might be difficult to buy a replacement, and the post usually takes around three months to arrive!