Machine Shop Action

This recording dates back to 2003 and was one of my first paying gigs.  I was making radio for a little while and after I bought my first pair of Schoeps I got the occasional odd call.  This gig got me hooked on recording unusual sounds and exploring the sonic universe.  Another radio pal hired me and we set off to record a bunch of big metal machines built in the 1940s and 1950s that were used to repair turn of the century steam engines.

The following recording is of a metal grinder with a several different surfaces.  It is not an amazing recording, but it holds fond memories for me.

The guys who worked in the shop were damn funny and they had a blast making noise for us all day.  I tacked on a little interaction with the guys at the end of the file.  They were actually quite musical.  I got “lucky” when a chuck flew off a vertical lathe and hit me on the foot.  Ouch!  We still had more than half the day to record and I was afraid to take off my shoe with the fear I wouldn’t be able to put it back on. Thankfully, none of the little piggies were broken and we had a blast the rest of the day.

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Michael Raphael January 22, 2009
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