Sennheiser proves essential component for extreme location recording

Sound recordist George Vlad travels to some of the most remote places on earth to record the unobstructed sound of nature. From recording winds in the freezing Romanian Carpathian Mountains to capturing the sounds of the Ethiopian desert in searing heat, his Sennheiser microphones and headphones are essential tools of his trade that accompany him everywhere.

After studying at Edinburgh University to gain a degree in sound design, Vlad returned to his native Romania, hired a car and disappeared into the mountains. “I did sound recording and photography.

I didn’t know what I was doing, I was just trying things and getting away from notifications, from having to reply to clients all the time and all the stuff in my mind. After a month of doing that, my creativity had returned, and I swore to myself that I would never forget about mental wellbeing and my own time.”

From there things developed organically, with Vlad starting to explore new places like Sweden and Norway. Then, in 2016, he was offered an artist’s residency South Africa. “I did a lot of sound recording there,” he recalls. “Then I started to organise my own expeditions to Africa, South America, Asia. It never felt like I had to do any of this; I was always excited about it and started to build on that.”

The result is that the Surrey- based 36-year-old now specialises in exploring and recording the beauty of our planet’s most remote places, and clients globally utilise Vlad’s self-funded services and sounds.

Vlad’s forthcoming plans include a major expedition to Antarctica in 2022, which he has been planning since 2019, plus trips to Madagascar, Sumatra or Papua New Guinea. “It is rather difficult to find fixers locally, but I will try my best and will probably visit the country that eases its Covid restrictions first.” Wherever that may turn out to be, his Sennheiser microphones will go with him.

Photos © George Vlad

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