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Re: How to make a nice parabolic recording.

Subject: Re: How to make a nice parabolic recording.
From: Klas Strandberg <>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 23:33:50 +0200
Hi Evert.

Telinga customers usually don't do very good recordings the first season.
But during the next, they seem to understand something.
On the 3:d season, they do excellent recordings, not all of course, but man=
y.

What is it they learn?? I don't know, but I think it has to do with limits,
what can be done and what cannot. It has to do with expectations.

But most of all it has to do with activity and traffic noise. The more you
record, the more probable that you get good recordings. And the more quiet.=
..

There is no way to get rid of traffic noise. It is all over the place. The
whole sky is full of it. If traffic noise is 40 db below signal, it is
clearly audible.

Important! 90% of all people listen to their recordings at too high volume!
If you do that, all recordings you do will make you disappointed. Make a
test: While recording, take your headphones on and off and set the playback
level at a similar level as reality.

You should not always aim exactly at the bird. This is also something peopl=
e
learn. You must monitor the sound with good headphones, and aim at the spot
where the sound is "best". Some birds sound crazy if you aim at them, like =
a
Grasshopper singer. All you get it a knifesharp mechanical sound, not at al=
l
the "ringing" sound that it has when you hear it live.

Sometimes you get the best recordings when you aim exactly at the bird, but
put the microphone out a bit, away from focus.

Using headphones has a disadvantage. You loose contact with the environment=
.
All of a sudden you hear something, but you can't judge from where.
Therefore, headphones should be big but lightweight, and very easy to put o=
n
and take off with one hand.

Be patient!

Klas.











>At 18:49 2003-06-12 -0000, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I must say that I very much enjoyed listening to all the recent
>recordings. Thanks for sharing!
>
>Perhaps it is a bit strange from me to ask, but can some-one give me
>more advice on how to achieve good recordings with a Telinga DAT?
>
>I have some experience with other mics, but this being a parabolic is
>like always using glasses and all of sudden you use binoculars.
>It takes a whole new approach to handle it.
>I was curious what approach I should take :)
>
>Last week I practised by going to a remote area in the woods, I
>always go the same spot, and try to record the birds.
>My problem is that I absolutely have no idea where the birds are, and
>what birds it are ; I have no experience or knowledge of birds.
>So I just aim my parabolic untill I hear a loud sound, and than try
>to focus it; still I always seem to pick up faint traffic noises.
>
>Have the recent available recordings been filtered?
>And if so, what kind of filter; EQ (highpass, lowpass, bandpass,
>bandreject) or 'learn'-filters?
>I try to take a position in the field where the loudest unwanted
>noise is at my back, so the 'far distant reach' of the mic is not
>reaching for that unwanted noise. Sounds logical, right?
>But is it right?
>
>Please share your approaches :)
>
>Regards, Evert - who will be out there tonight practising!
>
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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>
>
>
Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
email: 
       



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