mr Lemur wrote:
> I seem to have a constant battle (as I am sure all of us do) with the win=
d. Although I have been very fortunate in accumilating disks and disks ful=
l of field recordings, I have also lost many really great sounds due to the=
wind. I will give a more extreme example I have dealt with over and over =
again.
>
> Although this is very accessible for me, the ocean is one thing I would r=
eally like to capture. The problem is that wind inevitably partakes in eve=
ry ocean surrounding... there never seems to be a clear day where you can g=
et away with throwing your portadisc down and catch a huge segment with no =
interferance. Wind usually winds up inviting bad distortions etc. I have =
tried a couple of techniques which work, but they always severely tamper wi=
th the integrity of the recording.
>
> 1) prop something, or perch up behind a rock to block the wind and knock =
the mic down to 90 degree angle. The problem I find is that the sound usua=
lly comes out lopsided where one side sounds decent and the other is strang=
e almost tube like sounding.
>
> 2) find a cave and wait for the tide to drop and track in there. Althoug=
h it sounds cool and I can use it for something else, it still doesn't real=
ly represent the ocean and proposes a huge tube effect.
>
> I am aware that the ocean carries the lagest frequency range on this plan=
et spanning out of human hearing both high and low! With a minidisc and it=
's limitations (including frequency range cuts on both high and low end whe=
re a lot of the power and umph is) I am not expecting it to sound as majest=
ic as it really is in real life, but at least a decent representation would=
be great!
>
> I have had issues in many other places as well including hill sides, vall=
eys, canyons, storms... you name it.=20
>
> Is there a way to capture the wind so it compliments the tracking and not=
destroy it?
>
There is a reason for the fur covered zepplins that TV and movie folks
use. Outdoor wind can be tamed, but not by simple foam windscreens or
anything like that. The trick is layers of dead air space between
material that will cut the wind speed way down without making sound
while doing so. Or coloring the sound too much.
Look closely at the full up design of a rycote suspension and windscreen
system. That's some of the best there is for this. Even if you build
something to avoid the extreme cost you will need to duplicate the concept.
Getting in behind something just produces all kinds of eddys and strange
acoustics. Not too bad if going mono, but really tough to find a good
spot if stereo.
And, always remember, all that the windscreening does is keep the mic
from being hit by the wind so it reacts. All the wind noises in the
environment are not changed. They are a natural part of the environment.
Positioning can make a difference in what you pick up of this, so try
lots of different locations when setting up.
I don't think minidisc is any of your limitations. It's a handy
scapegoat, but not much else. A portadisc is fully capable of recording
the entire range of sound frequencies you can hear. And doing it very
well. Most of the time you find your listening experience lacks power
it's your sound reproduction system. Speakers and such like just don't
have the same sound producing capability as the large surface area of
the waves in surf. Nor does any room have the same acoustics as the huge
space you have outdoors.
Walt
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