Technical terminology

[esther]

Hello, I'm writing a paper on sound recording for a sociolgy research project and I'd like your help with a terminology issue. I would like to know the English term you use to describe the different takes of the same sound made from different points in space. For example, a person is sitting in a room in which I've placed several recorders, operating simultaneously, at different distances from the person (some further away, others closer). What do you call these different recordings in English? Sound takes? Sound captures? Thank you!

[paulears]

'Takes' sort of works, but we'd also use clips - but using your example, if I'd recorded them I'd probably describe them as Capture 1 close, capture 1 medium or capture 1 distant, or capture 1 position A etc. Describing them I would be happy with "listening to clip 3, distant perspective" or Clip 14, position 6 ..." Personally, I'd probably use clip or capture almost interchangeably

In my head, I'd use 'take' for clips that are re-recorded over and over again - so take 3 would be the third attempt. I have 'capture' more as a good word for a process, so the microphone in the recorder would capture the sound in the room, and stick into a number of audio clips that can be collated and used later? So for me 'capture' would be really a verb?

Does that help? Other may well have other terms they'd use. As it's all digital nowadays a file could be a good description, but I don't think I'd use in in your context?

'Takes' sort of works, but we'd also use clips - but using your example, if I'd recorded them I'd probably describe them as Capture 1 close, capture 1 medium or capture 1 distant, or capture 1 position A etc. Describing them I would be happy with "listening to clip 3, distant perspective" or Clip 14, position 6 ..." Personally, I'd probably use clip or capture almost interchangeably

In my head, I'd use 'take' for clips that are re-recorded over and over again - so take 3 would be the third attempt. I have 'capture' more as a good word for a process, so the microphone in the recorder would capture the sound in the room, and stick into a number of audio clips that can be collated and used later? So for me 'capture' would be really a verb?

Does that help? Other may well have other terms they'd use. As it's all digital nowadays a file could be a good description, but I don't think I'd use in in your context?

[sandall]

(Seems to be a slight echo here Paul🙂). Following on from Paul, I think I would specify the individual recorders as Mic 1, Mic 2, Mic 3, etc., so "Take 2, Mic 1" would be the 2nd attempt, as recorded from Mic 1 (I'm assuming all the individual recordings will be sent to a multitrack recorder, so Mic 1 would be recorded on Track 1, & so on).

Wildlife sound-recordists talk of "capturing" sounds, but I think the word Capture is more usually associated with video (Edit: also Clips).

Edited February 13 by sandall

[Dave m]

I am more video than audio, and imagine each mic as a camera.

Or think of it as recording an orchestra /band multi mic/track.

As said, you could simply way Mic 1 / 2 /3.  Recording 1/ 2/3 and Take 1/2/3.

Mic being the placement, Recording being the sound (music or speech) and Take being the first, second or third attempt.

[TomHoward]

As per everyone else I’d use “take” to mean a different point in time, not in space. I’d probably use Position (as in Mic Position) to refer to the different locations - take 1 position 1 etc - as inferred by Paul also but that’d be my first choice.

 

Position refers to a location in physical space, and “take” refers to a point in time captured at that position. (Or all positions) 

 

You could also use “location” but that sounds like they are far apart from each other, in different places not multiple positions in the same room.

Edited February 14 by TomHoward

[sunray]

Position is often used for a point in time within a take, ie 30 second position

I'd tend to use location to refer to a physical position during rigging etc.

[J Pearce]

I’d use Track I.e “Track 12 DBass Spot”