Nature Recordists,
Thank you for your responses, I look forward to hearing more. I am trying =
to better understand the cost/equipment commitment that will be needed to s=
tart recording animals (emphasis on bird chorus) for scientific research an=
d educational purposes. As some of you probably know, birds are often stud=
ied in their habitats using a 10 minute point count where a researcher reco=
rds all species heard or seen from a central point. A listening radius can=
cover 300 meters in good conditions. My primary goal is to make a fairly =
accurate audio document of these point counts, another goal is to record in=
dividual species song dialects within the region.
So what have I learned and what new questions have come up?
The Recorder
1) MiniDisc recorders, mostly commercial products ranging from 150 to $800.=
Record in ATRAC format which is designed around how humans percieve sound=
. Sound quality that is not detected by us may be lost. While this format=
is ok for learning and study it may not work so well for scientific callba=
ck surveys since the species may hear the difference.
2) Marantz PMD690 Stereo PC Card recorder a professional model recommended =
to me by Stith Recording (they provide some of Cornell Unv equipment). Pr=
iced around $1300. Records onto PC cards in a variety of formats including=
cd quality .wav.=20
I still have to investigate this area, especially along the lines of media =
space/cost/reuse, connectors, battery usage.=20
The Mic
Here is where it gets fun. The mic you use depends on what you want to do.
1) to record a single species a directional mic is used. This may be a sho=
rt or long range "shotgun mic" for closer distances (??? meters) or a mic w=
ith a parabolic reflector for those long distance recordings ( ??? meters)
2) to record a chorus an omnidirectional mic is used. This collects sound =
from almost all directions in a fairly consistant fashion. I was reccommen=
ded that a Sennheiser MKH20 would be ideal.
I have the impression that stereo mics are better for both situations. Is =
there a stereo omnidirectional mic?
How sensitive are omnidirectional mics, will they pick up most sounds withi=
n a 50m radius, how about 100m? Can an omnidirectional mic be used with a =
parabolic reflector to record single species?
Some Other Stuff
1) wind shields to prevent the noise a breeze makes as it blows over your m=
ircophone
2) good connector cables ensure that sound quality is maintained from the m=
ic to the recorder
3) headphones to monitor the recording (ie see what you are recording). Re=
corder needs to support this feature
4) shock guards to minimize handling noise, less important for ambient reco=
rding if a tripod is used.
Thanks again for your help and tolerance, it is greatly appreciated!
Jon Reisenbuechler
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