To Jaideep Asokan
How to Get Started in NATURE RECORDING
by John Neville
I recorded a pair of Northern Cardinals near Long Point in May 2000. Arrivi=
ng before dawn , I positionned myself close to their nest site and waited q=
uietly for the cardinals to begin singing.The branches of a maple cammoufla=
ged me .The shotgun microphone was aimed. I was ready to release the pause =
button on the minidisc. There was no wind, in fact, it was a perfectly stil=
l morning. A nearby creek gurgled softly . Then, the birds began to sing th=
eir rich whistled melody and they were only five metres away. It was a mome=
nt shared with the birds and never to be forgotten.
If you like the outdoors, enjoy the sounds of birds and frogs, don't mind w=
orking alone, you should try nature recording. Like nature photography, you=
need the right conditions and good equipment. The more time you can give t=
o the hobby the more opportunities or luck you will have making good record=
ings. It might take weeks or even years to obtain one special nature record=
ing but the result can be magical and the memories last a lifetime.
Recording tips
Typically, dawn, when the birds are proclaiming their territories, is the b=
est time to be out recording. This is also the time of least human activity=
. A good nature recording must be free of background noise, e.g. cars, trai=
ns, machinery or voices. Nature itself can also provide unacceptable backgr=
ound noise, e.g. rain, wind or loud waves. Be conscious of background sound=
s when you are out recording.
The closer you can get to the birds the better the recording opportunity: h=
alf the distance and double the signal. The closer you become to your subje=
ct the stronger the signal to your microphone.You can move closer to your r=
ecording subjects by blending into your environment. Wear dark, dull clothe=
s as the birds can easily see bright colours.Where possible, avoid shiny cl=
othes that rustle and keep your feet still while recording. Bird song and h=
uman vocal sounds use similar frequencies, therefore, talk should be kept t=
o a minimum. Move slowly and quietly. Sudden movements may spook your recor=
ding subject. Sometimes a gradual approach to a singing bird can be made ob=
liquely so that you appear non-confrontational. Another technique is to obs=
erve a bird's favourite song perch, then sit down and wait quietly for its =
return. If you are still and quiet you may eventually be accepted as part o=
f the landscape. I have had a woodchuck walk within two feet of me before e=
ven noticing my presence and still not move away. Having moved obliquely to=
wards a white-crowned sparrow it also moved to meet me, out of curiosity!
When your recorder is in record mode, use earphones to check the gain or re=
cord level. Your ambition will be to achieve a strong, clear signal without=
over-recording the subject. Over-recording distorts the normal sound and s=
hould disappear as the gain is turned down. If the subject is a sound-scape=
, such as a chorus of frogs, make sure through the earphones and the record=
meter that none of the sounds are over-recording. Once in the field, alway=
s have your equipment ready to make a recording. Opportunities sometimes ha=
ppen suddenly, so be prepared! If the animal only calls intermittantly: suc=
h as a Pied-billed Grebe or an American Bittern in a marsh; make a long rec=
ording to include the bird. With a MiniDisc you can edit out unnecessary so=
unds later.
Be prepared
Being prepared seems obvious until you are out in the field. Very often I g=
et up before dawn when my mental faculties are not very sharp. It is necess=
ary to have all equipment packed and ready to go! That means all power pack=
s charged and in the carrying case. When I leave the house or car there sho=
uld be spare power-packs and recording disks in my pocket. A garbage bag is=
very useful in case of rain. Recorders and microphones can be totally ruin=
ed if they get wet. A polyethalene bag can and does completely relieve one'=
s anxiety!
Label everything
It is really important to document your disks as you go along. For example,=
if you were regularly recording in the backyard you might label a disk BY =
01 02. This would tell you instantly that this disk was the first "backyard=
" disc made in 2002. Further, at the beginning of each disk, you should tap=
e yourself announcing the number, date and time of the recording. It is als=
o helpful to describe the conditions including temperature and the state of=
the weather. From then on announce each new recording with "take ... " and=
the condition at that moment. This extra effort makes documenting your pri=
zed recordings easier. In my case, I make a computer file for the disks and=
list each good recording. The second file is a species list where I list a=
bird and follow it with each good recording, which disk, which take, the d=
ate and where the recording was made. I am surprised and sometimes depresse=
d how quickly the details of a disk fades in my memory! To have a quick ref=
erence is essential for compiling material. I have ten years of cassettes, =
digital tapes, minidiscs and compact discs to keep track of.
Be careful with your toys
If you start the day before dawn and keep walking and recording in the wood=
s, you will be very tired by lunchtime. It is rather like having an acciden=
t during the last run of the day at the ski hill. You must be careful and m=
ethodical putting your precious toys away. I once left a microphone on the =
car roof; when the car speed reached 60 kph the microphone became airborn!
Where to obtain advice
After obtaining the best support you can from your local dealer, you will o=
ften want to ask more questions. The Macaulay Laboratory of Natural Sound, =
Cornell University, has a very useful web page evaluating various pieces of=
equipment. The lab has an annual workshop for recordists, which I can high=
ly recommend. Check out this page: http://birds.cornell.edu/LNS/happenings/=
happenings_index.html/.
Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists to connect with nature=
recordists from all over the world. The moderator is Doug Von Gausig. He h=
as a web page http://www.naturesongs.com where archived material is stored.
If you would like to join a society with a newsletter and have an opportuni=
ty to hear other members recordings: contact The Wildlife Sound Recording S=
ociety, Hon Membership Secretary, Mike Iannantuoni, 36 Wenton Close, Cottes=
more, Oakham, Leicestershire LE15 7DR UK. Living in Canada you may not be a=
ble to participate in their regular meetings but the compact disk (CD) made=
up by and circulated to the membership is truly inspiring.
Code of conduct
Most nature recordists are naturally sensitive to the needs of wildlife. Ho=
wever, the WSR Society has documented our code of conduct as follows:
"Members will at all times conduct their wildlife sound recordings activiti=
es so as to: do nothing to the detriment of wildlife or its environment, ob=
ey current legislation on such matters, respect the lawful rights of others=
and observe the Countryside Code."
Equipment
At its simplest, we need a recorder , a good microphone and a rechargeable =
power pack or lots of AA batteries! Having said that, there are many kinds =
of recording machines and microphones. Traditionally, reel to reel, cassett=
e and R DAT tape recorders have been used. All of these are still available=
and can produce excellent results. In 1993, Sony released the first MiniDi=
sc recorders. It is this technology that I am going to recommend to the beg=
inner who is currently looking to buy their first recorder.
MiniDisc recorders
Walkman - sized recorders can fit easily into a pocket! Their portability i=
s one of the great benefits to the nature recordist. They use an audio comp=
ression algorithm based on psychoacoustic principals, known as ATRAC. This =
system emphasizes the signals which best match the human auditory system (f=
rom the ear to the brain). The overall signal is compressed to 1/5 th of th=
e original input with very little loss of quality to the human ear. MiniDis=
cs record in digital format on a disk 7 by 7 cm, giving 64 minutes plus of =
record time. The transfer of sound to the MiniDisc occurs via a laser beam.=
Because there are no moving parts involved, this technology is not only re=
liable but very tolerant of movement,extreme temperatures and humidity.
You can transfer Minidisc recordings directly to your computer providing yo=
u have a line out socket, suitable software package such as : CoolEdit 2000=
for Windows or Amadeus 11 for Macintosh systems . This allows you to edit =
or transmit your recordings just like print or digital photography files. T=
o learn all you ever need to know about MiniDiscs including prices check ou=
t http://www.minidisc.org/
.
To commence nature recording you could purchase a compact Sony MZ-R 705 for=
about $400 from the Sony Store. Audio Technica produce two microphones whi=
ch are both priced under $400 . The AT835B and the AT822 are both battery p=
owered, shotgun, condenser microphones which can be purchased with mounts (=
holders). One of the stores in Ontario where these mics are available is St=
eve's Music Store 415 Queen St West Toronto Tel 416 593 8888. This would al=
low a person to start nature recording at a cost of approximately $800.I bu=
y five packs of Mini Discs made by Sony but check with your local store for=
the best deals.
Microphones
Some recordists will argue that microphones are the most important componen=
t part of their kit. The microphone or sound receiver comes in two basic ty=
pes. The omni-directional accepts sound from all points of the compass. The=
uni-directional microphone receives signals in one direction only. The omn=
i-directional receiver is good for sound-scapes, where all the birds in the=
marsh, or backyard are desired. With the aid of a long cable an omni-direc=
tional mic can be placed near a song perch to make specific recordings of o=
ne animal. Uni-directional equipment, known as a shotgun microphone, has a =
long barrel. It is the barrel that makes them receive in one direction rath=
er like the beam of a light. These are great microphones to experiment with=
! Because the equipment is very sensitive to touching, a hand held mount or=
tripod and windscreen are necessary. These shotguns are very portable and =
easy to focus on individual birds. The Sennheiser ME67,see http://www.sennh=
eiserusa.com/ is a good choice. This unit will work well with the MiniDisc =
recorder and get you into the field . You will need to buy or make a specia=
l 1/8 inch adaptor cable to connect between the shotgun and the recorder.
The dish-like object we call a parabola is also uni-directional. With a mic=
rophone fitted at its focal point, facing in, the dish can be aimed at a de=
sirable sound 33 or more metres away. Avoid the small 33 cm (13 inch) refle=
ctors available on the market as they tend to be unsatisfactory. The better=
ones are 45 cm (20 inches) or more. Parabolas are very useful pieces of eq=
uipment to bring in specific animal sound from a relatively long distance. =
One good example for the beginner is made by Mineroff Electronics, see http=
://www.mineroff.com/. The quality of a recording made with a parabola can b=
e amazing and very selective. Unfortunately, most dishes are rigid and ther=
efore clumsy to handle in the field.
More expensive equipment
Top of the line MiniDisc recorders are 1) the Marantz PMD 650 and 2) the HH=
B PortaDisc. Both can be purchased for under $2000. Sennheiser produces the=
best and the most expensive MKH series shotgun microphones. These mics hav=
e an excellent signal to noise ratio (the microphone records clearly and cr=
eates minimal electronic noise on the recording) and are very effective fro=
m 6 to 20 metres distance. However, Sony and several other companies produc=
e very acceptable products at a more modest cost.
Telinga, http://www.telinga.com/-, produces excellent parabolas for field u=
se. The polycarbonate 55 cm. dish is very durable, light and can be rolled =
up for field use. This company also produce their own microphones and you c=
an buy them as part of a complete package. This format will allow you to ma=
ke quality recordings 33 or more metres away and the cost is about $1,200US=
D from www.Naturesongs.com. Whenever possible, have your dealer test the eq=
uipment before you take delivery. It is very annoying to get into the field=
and find out that your equipment is not working properly . If you are unab=
le to find a specialized dealer in your area, I use Commercial Electronics,=
1335 Burrard St, Vancouver BC V6Z 1Z7, Phone: (604) 669 5525
Author's Bio:
John Neville is a nature recordist from Salt Spring Island BC. He has produ=
ced six bird song CD's the most recent being Bird Songs of the Great Lakes.=
All are available from Neville Recording 138 Castle Cross Rd SSI BC V8K 2G=
2 for $23 or check www.nevillerecording.com
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