Village Squire, 1977-11, Page 47Bring the sounds
of your vacation home
with the sights
Every year a million Canadians happily
go on vacations. toting a million cameras -
and. why not? Ever since the advent of
Kodak's Browne, holiday snaps are taken
for fond remembrances of summer fun.
Not too many of us are yet taking
advantage of that relatively new item - the
portable cassette recorder. Actually,
although the cassette recorder was brand
new in 1963, there's now almost as many in
Canadian homes. as there are cameras. So
why not, the next time you go on vacation,
take along an economical portable cassette,
and get the sounds. as well as the pictures
of your vacation. They carry like a camera.
weigh no more than a 35 millimeter S.L.R.
with gadget bag and easily fit into your
baggage even if you're flying. Actually
most makes will fit hand baggage
comfortably. though you're probably not
masochistic enough to record the convivia-
lity of your Company's group summer
charter flight to Acapulco. Or are you?
There's many a laugh possible at an office
Christmas party playback!
Don't discount the pleasure of being able
to playback the sound of your son's or
daughter's negotiations with that Gaspe
fisherman at the same time as your slides
show the mouth watering five pound
fresh -caught lobsters.
Just to hear again the calling of the
sea gulls in enough to send the landlubbers
off fbr drawn butter.
How many of you Britishers can recall
the sound of Big Ben, striking nine chimes
and the B.B.C's "Good Evening. here is
the nine o'clock news". You can bring it
back with you -on a cassette. this fall.
The sounds of market places. near or far.
make for so much more remembered
enjoyment than just slides or even movies
of just so many silent, foreign faces.
The clip -clop of the horse and caleche in
Quebec City can really bring to life that
silent equine that's merely visible on the
screen.
Accents in languages both understood
and not understood, the Cockney pedlar in
Petticoat Lane or the complaints of an
allegedly under -tipped Mexican cab -dri-
ver. All are bound to bring back gales of
laughter when played back months or years
later.
Certainly you can recapture many
emotional or humourous situations with
little conscious planning or effort. Over a
period of time you can build-up a library of
sound; become an expert in the surf sounds
of Nova Scotia, the Brittany coast or
Barbados.
And when you're living a thousand miles
from your parents, the recorded vacation
sounds of a chit-chat about you or your
brother's rebellious youth can bring back a
whimsical smile. Although it's fairly
common to use cassettes as "record -let-
ters" between widely separated family
members, many of the old folks will not
themselves operate the new fangled
machines!
Portable cassette players are largely
foolproof; but there's some practical tips
on what to look for and how to record. First
there's no real need for stereophonic sound
or for an expensive professional quality
component, unless you're after a truly hi-fi
recording of the alleged nightingales in
Berkeley Square. You should have a
recorder with an automatic record level:
this is a common feature, which assists
greatly in avoiding both weak recordings
and loud, distorted overloaded recordings,
choose a recorder with a separate
microphone. not one with the microphone
built-in; This lets you zero -in or "aim" the
microphone whilst the recorder proper is
over your shoulder, or on the ground. Most
portables are battery or line operated, and
will operate on either power anywhere in
North America. In England and much of
Europe, you won't be able to operate the
recorder on line voltage. Anyway batteries
are essential for truly mobile recording.
Batteries are obtainable internationally in
standard sizes, so there's no worry on that
score.
. The cassettes themselves are also
available everywhere, use C30 (15 minutes
a side) or C60 sizes, the C120 can more
easily give problems. If you're travelling
by car, keep the recorder and casset4es
well away from direct sun. Don't try to
record outside when wind is gusting
around the mike - the noise will drown your
recording. And finally when you get home,
you can play your portable recorder back
through your home stereo with the addition
of a cable. You'll get much better quality
and sound richness. And you can replay
your vacation in your car, if it's cassette
equipped.
The cost of a reasonable quality cassette
recorder? Expect to pay $60.00 to $100.00
Don't get a unit with built-in radio, if you
wish to record on an air -craft, as most
airlines will not allow radios.
Housewives and commuters, let your
recording of Hawaiian surf liven up your
chores and driving!
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CLINTON, ONT. 482-7036
VILLAGE SQUIRE/NOVEMBER 1977, 45.