This article examines the journey of developing an aesthetic practice in the craft of sound recording. For the past half century, Jim Metzner has recorded soundscapes and music all over the world, interviewing hundreds of noteworthy scientists and Indigenous spokespersons, distilling sounds and interviews into thousands of radio programs and podcasts such as the Pulse of the Planet series, creating new contexts along the way. His work has focused on the use of on-location sound to help convey meaning and emotional depth to stories, in the process enabling audiences to rediscover the profound impacts of listening. Calling upon a mix of autobiography, history, and tactile analysis of audio culture, this piece contributes an examination of how technical and sound aesthetic practices help to shape the ethnographic contours of radio and field recording.
Jim Metzner (Wed,) studied this question.