Anyone have experience recording nature sounds? I would like to record ambient sounds while I camp. Basically going for a soundscape to sleep to at night.
Anyone have experience recording nature sounds? I would like to record ambient sounds while I camp.
No, but I've wondered about this. We're such visual creatures and there's a huge market for prosumer cameras. But what about the world of sound? What kind of mic is the audio equivalent of a mid range DSLR?
Or maybe the better question is, what kind of mic is the audio equivalent of a big f/4 or f/2.8 telephoto lens? A shotgun mic? Parabolic?
I dunno why you would use a focused pattern for nature recording.
If you were trying to record an animal or something it would have to sit very still to stay on axis for very directional microphones
A blumlein pair and some mid/side processing in post would probably net you a better sound
Sound and photography are not easily comparable
Yeah I record naitcher sounds. I haven't been terribly active lately because work and life and city living etc., but I do live right on the edge of a national park now and have been meaning to record a cool secret spot I found. Just haven't gotten around to it.
Like all technical hobbies there's a long trajectory of possible gear and know-how that you could follow over time. If you're starting out I would recommend something like picrel. The results are good, it doesn't break the bank, and it keeps the whole activity of collecting sounds fun and easy. You can slap it on a tripod or rest it on a stump and leave it for 2 hours recording if you want, or you can just keep it in your pocket and point and shoot to collect individual sounds while you move. It's a fun hobby. Having a scrapbook of places and memories in sound form is underrated af.
>scrapbook of places and memories in sound form
Damn. You're really selling me on doing this.
Yeah man it's great. I listen to recordings I made 10 years ago and it brings me right back. It's very rewarding.
Is this Omni directional? I was thinking that's what I needed for good ambient sound pick up but maybe cardiod so I don't pick up sounds from my tent.
They all seem so... Sterile.
it's stereo cardioid, so you'll get about 180º from higher frequencies, but lower frequencies (think rumbles, wind, atmosphere type stuff) will be pretty much omni
Apparently there are ambisonic mics that pick up in 360° and you can edit the direction sound comes from but sounds expensive and more complicated
Well, anon, please post link so I can listen
I'm not sure if I know what you mean by bright sound.
How is the battery life in these things? I was hoping to record all night while I slept. I guess I could just edit out any sounds I make as well. I've found a few free programs but don't have experience.
>ambisonic mics
yes they are expensive and do wonderful things, but when you're recording ambience for the purpose of an impactful and aesthetically pleasing experience they actually aren't that great. they're good, but not THAT great, and I could go way into the theory bollocks but in short, coincident microphones just don't translate properly in stereo for the average listener, and nobody does ambisonic or spherical harmonic decoding well for stereo. I still think for nature ambience stereo recording techniques are still king.
>Well, anon, please post link so I can listen
okay then
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That's very nice and relaxing. I'm definitely going for something that lasts 8 hours.
And by sterile I mean I never hear birds squawking randomly and alligators splashing and other random strange sounds on these long videos that I sleep to at night. I guess other people find it to not be relaxing?
How far away are you thinking this recording was pick up sounds? Which recording device were you using?
I use a dr40 the built in mics are fine.
It doesn't matter how far away a sound is, it only matters how loud it is at the microphone
I just listened again and I gotta say this does give good quality sound. I probably would honestly choose to edit out things like gunshots and I have a feeling airplanes will be a problem in many locations. How hard would that be to do?
Easy, just slice before and the sound, delete and move the pieces back together. Most daws will but a crossfade whentwo samples are touching automatically. Probably won't be able to hear the cut
>They all seem so... Sterile.
not mine
I used the H4N for that, it also works as an external sound card and extra mic plugins.
yeah the Zoom stuff is quality, even the old models.
With the right equipment you can hear crazy shit from far away. You should be able to hear big foot farting but sadly nobody has because big foot doesn't eggzits
OP here. Seriously considering going with something more mature friendly like
I'm starting to think that it will be harder to avoid noise interference with Omni directional, so if I go with the cardiowhatsit I can point it away from sounds I don't want to pick up.
Alternatively
This is a set up I'm Interested in but also considering something more mature friendly like h3 vr 360° recorder, although I have read mixed reviews. Is there any reason not to get this for Omni directional sound?
I really like the idea of getting something like this but seems pricier.
You guys think I'll find any discounts for Black Friday?
my honest advice is to get a Zoom F3 and then shop around for the best XLR mics you can currently afford. the F3 has exactly 2 inputs with really clean preamps, perfect for a stealthy drop rig innawoods. for the mics look at affordable omnis like Pluggys from Micboosters, Ucho LOM or Audio-Technica. Then if a rich uncle dies pick up a pair of Sennheiser mkh series, I got a F3 last year and am totally amazed at the quality of its audio. it will bring out the best in whichever mic you choose.
I'm already nostalgic for my Summer recording season, with 6 full hours of daylight after work. Many times I stopped at my favorite resting spot (picrel) and chilled for a while.
It's nice to have a favourite resting spot. For me it's a little weird having grown up in dark New English woods, and now living in Australian temperate rainforest. It's not the same nostalgia, although I do love it.
You've absolutely inspired me to not waste this summer and get off my duff and do some recordings and get active with it again.
Just for nostalgia sake, pic is one of my favourite resting spots back home*
it's already on youtube oppo
Heard about biologists doing this with earphones on and the volume turned up. You can hear kinds of things going on.
I do it and it's fun, I have a tascam dr40
It picks up almost every little sound, including your clothes moving from a few metres away, so you have to set it up and leave the area or sit perfectly still.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing
You should learn some basic sound processing such as eq, compression and the like as the recorders tend to make a very brights sound which can be unnatural to listen to
>dr40
love my DR40. I used it for years before I upgraded to a DR70D. got so many good recordings with it.
I've been recording a lot this season but haven't uploaded very much.
2023 has been a good year for owls 2 of my latest finds are:
https://soundcloud.com/digrpat/20230911-owls
https://archive.org/details/230924-gho
hey MJC! digrpat here.
aayyyy yeah I haven't checked your channel in awhile! glad you've been having some good luck recording, Later this month I've got some time set aside to do some more recording in some neat spots, it's been a long time and it's shameful.
kek
If you still live "down under" then your season is just heating up. I got 2½ TB of audio this year but as Summer drew to a close a feeling like terminal lucidity drove me on. Now with daylight saving time ending and firearm hunting starting up it's mostly over. And the resolution of the automotive strike means I'll be working 7 days a week.
Yeah I'm still living in Aus. Looking forward to lots of audio and photo adventures. First outing with friends is booked in late Nov
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dont, there are already 10's of 1000s of low effort youtube channels already like the one you're trying to make
OP never said he was doing that
guarantee its exactly what he's doing
even music on youtube is being shitted up with AI generated slop streams 13 hours long with 3 views
trash content no-one watches is exactly why YT is doing their purge of inactive channels at the end of the year
weird thing to have an opinion about
https://letterboxd.com/film/silence-2012/
I used to do this but I got freaked out by how much banjo music I was picking up
SQUEAL LIKE A PIG