NSS Home Page -> Nature Sounds Newsletter -> Spring 1997 -> Letter From the Chair


Image of the Howlin Wolf


Letter From the Chair
by Jason Reinier



Spring is definitely here, and with it comes the fragrance of green grass, the scintillating clarity of morning air, and the glory of the dawn chorus. Sounds like it's time to pack your bags and head to the hills with your recording gear, doesn't it? Well, that's what we're planning, and hope you will join us. We're in the midst of organizing this year's spring workshop, and many exciting new ideas and opportunities have arisen that we're exploring for next year.

We'll hold his year's Annual Field Recording Workshop at Yuba pass on June 27-29. We've used the San Francisco State Field Campus for 12 years, now, and have enjoyed our experiences there tremendously. At our Workshop, we'll feature a presentation on the birds of Yuba Pass, and will invite you to "Walk in the Woods with the Nature Sounds Society," a retrospective look at our Yuba Pass experiences. Finally, the NSS Quietude Committee will present a special program to inaugurate the Society's Quiet Places Campaign.

In the years to come, we hope to find new Field Workshop sites, with good presentation and lodging facilities, and good recording opportunities. We've already found one such location in nearby Sonoma county, the Westerbeke Ranch. This beautiful facility is close to Bernie Krause's studio, Wild Sanctuary. Bernie and Doug Quin have offered to take us to nearby recording locations, and to coordinate hands-on workshops in their lab to mix the sounds we record. We'll offer next year's workshop at Westerbeke in early May. But we also want to find new locations for future workshops. If you have suggestions, please let us know.

Don't miss our upcoming may 10th event. In the morning, you can get a jump start on learning field recording techniques at "Tech Talk 97 with Dan Dugan." Dan is an inventor of the Automatic Microphone Mixer, a sound designer, and the Northern California Nagra Service Specialist. We will hold the workshop at Dan's studio in San Francisco. That afternoon we will gather at the Dolby Labs, where Doug Quin will present a program featuring amazing sounds he recently recorded in Antarctica. Doug will present his recordings in Dolby Surround Sound. Please look for details in this newsletter.

This Spring, I am happy to introduce three new members of our Board of Directors, Paul Feyling, Nancy Rieser, and Sharon Perry. Many of you probably remember Paul's outstanding film presentation last spring, "A Naturalist in the Rainforest." Paul also spoke on "Recording Nature Sounds for Film" at last year's workshop. He brings a wide network of contacts and recording expertise to our board, and is currently working with the newsletter committee to solicit feature articles. Nancy Rieser is an ex-filmmaker from Oakland, who has a yen for Quietude advocacy in both wilderness and urban spaces. She is helping develop our Quiet Places Campaign, and takes on many responsibilities with the membership committee. Sharon Perry, our most recent recruit, now serves as Recording Secretary.

Last, but certainly not least, graphics expert Mark Goddard has created a resource-filled web site for the NSS. We encourage you to look over our web site, and give us feedback. You can find us at:

http://www.hermeticsphere.com/naturesounds/

Our web site will allow us to maintain contact with the world of sound recordists, giving them up-to-date info on recording locations, gear, Quite Places issues, membership, and upcoming NSS events.

Enjoy the Spring!!!

Articles from Spring 1997

  SongsFlycatcher.html"> Dawn Songs of the Flycatcher

Poetic Expression

Letter From the Chair 5/97

Editor's Note: The NSS Website

The Gathering Place

Why Do We Sound Record? - A View From Kathy Turco


Nature Sounds Newsletter

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