From: Geoff Sample <>
> I too welcome any new kit that'll help me get my recordings, but with a m=
ore
> compact and LIGHTER load. I've just started having remedial massage on my
> neck and shoulders and I'm sure one of the contributory factors was the
> weight of kit-bag1 hanging round my neck (with DAP1, battery pack -6 D
> cells, MP2, tapes, torch, tools etc). That's as well as optional back-pac=
k
> with stereo rig (MKH30&50), tripod, prob. MKH70 on serious outing and eit=
her
> 25m or 100m (the real killer) of stereo cable. And I do do this for fun!
> it's just the years are catching up.
I know what you mean. It is getting a lot tougher. Why I try to keep it
simple. Rarely use the MP2, just the Portadisc. And keep everything
running from the lighter AA batteries.
> Anyway, though I'm interested in the new Sennheiser 418s, I'm disappointe=
d
> that they've gone for the supercardioid mid. The idea of highly direction=
al
> and ambient combined has always seemed a bit of a conceptual oxymoron in =
my
> mind, though I know many of you get great results from this kind of
> approach. I can see how the 418 will be ideal for a lot of TV and media w=
ork
> - a tight pick-up on the subject, with some optional ambience for
> post-production. I'll be interested in hearing it, but expect I'll be
> sticking with the 30/50 & 40 combinations.
Well, having used both, I find that each has a place.
But to start, think about how you listen, say, to a bird calling a
little ways away. What you hear in your mind is the result of your
brain's processing. It's very much that bird emphasized, but located in
the local ambiance. That's what something like my M/S MKH 60/30 combo
sounds like. The same sound cannot be reproduced with any of my wider
M/S or SASS setups very well. So, I consider the M/S MKH 60/30 to be a
intermediate between the close mics and the Telinga DATStereo, which
takes this approach to it's limits.
For closer in I have several choices for that more even or wider
soundfield. The Two SASS, M/S MKH 40/30, M/S MKH 80/80. I've been
working the SASS more recently, but use them all. I'd hardly expect even
a excellent MKH-418S to replace those. Entirely different uses.
It's good to see Sennheiser looking at all at producing a all in one
stereo mic. I'm hoping they will do more. I'm sure this was not put out
for nature recordists but for the niche you describe. That does not mean
we cannot try it out.
> All you guys over the pond esp. Walt waxing lyrical about your frogs make=
us
> feel a little inadequate here in UK with only one native species.
Note not all the folks over here are as blessed. Georgia, at 31 species,
has more frog species than any other state except Texas. (and I'm trying
to find another species)
> However our common frog (Rana temporaria) can deliver a rich, if rather
> quiet, chorus. Which you can hear on the monthly feature page of my websi=
te
> (getting a little more care and attention now).
> http://www.wildsong.co.uk/monthly_feature.html
> The main chorus clip was recorded with MS set up in the marsh on a small
> tripod, so I guess the nearest frogs would be about 6-12 inches away from
> the actual mics. I was 25m away.
This has a voice a lot like our Gopher Frog (Rana capito). Not a big
chorus and you have to tolerate the spring peepers, ornate chorus frog etc:
http://naturerecordist.home.mindspring.com/gopher.mp3
SASS/MKH-20, hand held and I'm up close and personal at maybe 15-20'.
And at the top of my hip boots as far out as I could get. The Gopher
frogs call from nearly submerged to fully submerged.
> Hope you enjoy it, Geoff.
Lovely
Walt
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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>From Tue Mar 8 18:26:44 2005
Message: 19
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 21:18:31 -0700
From: Doug Von Gausig <>
Subject: RE: Sound files may now be posted in messages!
At 07:25 PM 3/17/2004, you wrote:
>I dont mind Doug people posting sound bytes, the group does not post many=
>to worry about, Mystery sound, Ill take a stab at it, I recon you have
>slowed down the sound of something, I believe this is not the original
>speed of the bird call, maybe some kind of hummingbird? Have you changed
>the sample rate?
Alright, enough silliness. The sound is a 1/3 speed resampled Little Hermit=
(Phaethornis longuemareus), a hummingbird from Costa Rica that sings for
hours on end in a lek. I posted it to demonstrate that hummers can be
complex singers with melodic songs...if you hear them in the right time fra=
me.
I see that several folks fear their mailboxes filling with extraneous sound=
files, and if that happens, I'll reset the privilege, but I'd like to try
it this way for a while.
In the meantime, if you are afraid of an overstuffed mailbox when you're
away, I suggest you reset your mail options too "digest" or "no mail" until=
you're back home.
Another possibility, at least with my e-mail program, Eudora, is to set
your options to leave all attachments over a certain threshold size on the=
server until you ask for them. If you set that threshold at 50 K or so, you=
shouldn't be troubled with too many attachments.
I'd also suggest that we all be aware of this problem and keep attachments=
down to the minimum possible size to make your point - that means mono, not=
stereo, and high-compression MP3.
Doug
***************************************
Doug Von Gausig
Digitally Recorded Birds Sounds at:
http://naturesongs.com/birds.html
Clarkdale, Central Arizona, USA
34=B046.34N 112=B003.25W
e-mail:
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