I love technology – that’s why I work at Dell. I like hearing about NEW ways to use technology and then sharing that knowledge – that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy my position in product communications. I often hear about new, cool things to try from co-workers, friends, media contacts, you name it, and then evangelizing it.
I’m also the mom of a beginning driver –so it’s with slightly mixed feelings that I bring you this post – which does advocate multi-taking while operating a moving vehicle. But after some robust discussions with my co-workers and family members, I am resolute that an activity like this is simplifying multi-taking, therefore contributing to better driving. And frankly I’m ready to try it myself – I often have some of my better ideas (we all know where the BEST ideas happen –the shower –but that’s a different story) when driving to-and-from the office, but they soon get lost in the tyranny of the moment- answering emails, helping with homework, doing laundry etc. So let’s start capturing those Wayne’s World moments for posterity together!
Your Car = Your Mobile Recording Studio
If spend a fair amount of time in your car, listening to your mp3 player—or, *GASP*, the radio—may work just fine for you. But if you love to write and record music, there’s got to be a better option. So…why not set up your laptop to record while you drive?
What would you need to do this?
- a laptop (complete with recording software - Sony ACID Music Studio works well)
- a microphone (preferably a little computer mic, but the one built in to your computer could work, too)
- your voice
Simply set your laptop to begin recording, put the mic in your cup holder, start the car, and drive along recording your thoughts, ideas and music.
Warning: other drivers might laugh at you for singing along to the music. Little do they know – you are the music.
If your trip home is longer than a couple of hours, you might want to consider buying a power adapter that plugs in the 12v power outlet (aka the cigarette lighter). They’re not too expensive, and what could be worse than losing power in the middle of a great idea. When you get home, just splice your songs, record over tracks and make things sounds the way you want.
So how did I come up with this? Someone pointed me toward Jenny Westbury, an art student at the University of Houston, who found that her two-hour commute to class every day is much more bearable now that she feels like she’s accomplishing something. She said, “It’s like a really long voicemail to yourself.” She finds that the things she records in her car are often better quality than when she uses true recording equipment. Check out Jenny’s MySpace page to hear some of her car creations.