{"id":20,"date":"2022-02-27T08:58:54","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T08:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prudencekatze.net\/unalineafilm\/?p=20"},"modified":"2022-05-04T19:44:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:44:16","slug":"feb-25-2022-san-rafael-valley-shoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prudencekatze.net\/unalineafilm\/2022\/02\/27\/feb-25-2022-san-rafael-valley-shoot\/","title":{"rendered":"Feb 25, 2022 – San Rafael Valley – audio snippets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Thursday night I camped in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley during a sub-freezing night. Well, I stayed in a friend’s cute cabin sans electricity and running water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was my fifth San Rafael Valley visit. My first solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a
The San Rafael Valley is slung between the Huachuca Mountains to the east and the Patagonia to the west. Map from Open Street Maps.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"long
Department of Homeland Security Integrated Fixed tower on hill to the left. Omni pair of mics to the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This grassland fascinates me. It\u2019s not just that it\u2019s a deliciously golden bowl slung between gorgeous mountain ranges. It\u2019s the lack of wall, the lack of destruction. I hope to document the liberating feeling of calmly and easily gazing past a low vehicle barrier to Sonora, MX. It\u2019s the visual confirmation that the land is the same and that the border is inconsequentially human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
Border Monument 111 from the International Boundary Commission. It’s at about 31.33295, -110.59919<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There was a gale wind just a day prior in Douglas. It was insanely raging above 40 miles per hour. You had to shout your way through it and swallow a lungful of grit in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quiet on Thursday night was deafening. My ears were grasping for static. It was so still. I pulled into my San Rafael Valley overnight spot around 8PM and nary a strand of grass was swaying. It was astounding to not have wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figuring out the “drop rig” process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up Friday morning, powered up on some instant coffee and started setting up a recording session outside my sleeping spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m am a very<\/em> amateur field recordist and was excited to try out a cute matched stereo pair of Primo EM272 omni mics \u2013 “The Clippy” from UK-based micbooster.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"two
Hastily applied orange masking tape in full glory.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I hadn\u2019t tried out a test setup at all and this would be their maiden voyage. A niave move. But, I felt prepared with my borrowed mic stand and a passed-down Zoom F4. Additionally, I haven\u2019t really used the Zoom much at all and at the moment it feels like a toy… but, I think I just need to put in some more patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did less than a amateur job smearing some masking tape on the mics. There was a bare whisper of wind and I didn\u2019t even think about the aural danger of letting the wires sprout free to get potentially buffeted by breeze. That proved to be a stupid move when the wind picked up later in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"t-shaped
Maiden voyage setup.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I left the setup recording for over about two hours while I went filming a few miles away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t listened to the whole take, but I\u2019m psyched by what I\u2019ve already scrubbed through to. All the birds came out to play and sing! Mourning doves, some trilling warbler-sound critters\u2026 and ravens! A raven flew right over-head! The mics are incredibly sensitive and I think I should have played around a bit more with setting the levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n