The year was 2021. It had been a particularly poignant and chaotic year for me personally that included (but was not limited to), resigning from my job, selling my house, car and most worldly possessions, moving continents, moving half a zoo across continents and starting a Msc degree in a foreign country… all during a global pandemic.
Trying to maintain a focus on audio work while adjusting to new cultures, a new house, new neighbors, and new routines was a challenge to say the least. That said, there are a two uber cool pieces of gear that I acquired last year that made my audio workload more engaging and my workflow much more efficient. In no particular order they are:
Noise be gone! I am not a newcomer when it comes to using iZotope’s products during sound edits and have been the proud owner of their Element’s and Standard bundles for a few years now. I kept telling myself I couldn’t justify the upgrade to RX 9 Advanced. Nothing like a life-shake up to justify an upgrade. The Dialogue isolate and Ambience Match tools really make laborious dialogue editing breezy. Check it out in detail here.
iZotope RX 9 Advanced. Image courtesy of iZotope.com
Why I did not invest in this little beast sooner, I have no idea. This little pocket-rocket of an ambisonic recorder is the only portable recorder you’ll ever need to capture and produce spatial audio content on the fly. And the sound quality is not rubbish either. Zoom tend to get a bad rap for producing noisy recorders but I really think they have improved upon this greatly over the years. Check out the video below to catch a glimpse of this tiny pocket recorder that is packed full of features, or learn more about the nitty gritty here.
Video courtesy of Zoom Corp
Both tools are a now a staple in my sound editing set-up and make working through some of those tedious or bland pieces of work fast and more importantly, FUN. As we move into 2022, I look forward to having more fun, many more adventures in the field, and expanding my knowledge within the audio realm. Happy New Year soundies!