Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Hey Steve S., what are you recording all these Busk Break sound clips with just out of curiousity? I can actually make out what’s being played and the welcome lack of crowd/traffic noise makes it easy to hear.
I’m using a Zoom H4n stereo recorder, which is a neat little “studio-in-a-box” you can pick up online for around $300. I originally bought it for podcasting, but it’s turned out to be a fantastic field recorder.
Also, I’m just using the free and open-source audio editor Audacity to clean these up, rather than anything fancy.
And you get paid to wander around Wall Street recording buskers like a latter day Alam Lomax? Congrats then. I can think of a lot worse jobs at The Xpress.
Thanks for the shop talk info. It sounds a helluva lot better than recordings I’ve brought back from string band music festivals recorded at 4am. Alcohol was involved too in my defense.
To be fair, it’s a relatively small part of a much larger job, but it’s still pretty rad. I spend about two or three hours a week recording, editing and posting these recordings.
“It sounds a helluva lot better than recordings I’ve brought back from string band music festivals recorded at 4am.”
I wish I could take credit for it, but the H4n does most of the work. I’m really just pointing the mic and pressing record.