Welcome to the exciting world of nature recording Graham. You have
joined the right group - there is a lot to be learned from following
the discussions of this group.
Acceptable recordings can be made with basic equipment. It is an
excellent idea to start with birds in your garden. Record them often.
Get to know your subjects and get your recorder close to your subjects.
Listen critically to your results. Compare your recordings with those
of others. When you become aware the limitations in your recordings and
want to escape them, get better equipment. A major task for me, over
the four years I have been recording, has been to train my ear to hear
what I have recorded.
Be aware, from the outset, that all recording equiment has its
limitations. Know there is a law of diminishing returns in audio
recording: the cost of equipment rises exponentially, the closer you
wish to approach the best possible results.
I began recording with a DV Camera. I added external microphones to
eliminate the camera's self noise and obtain a louder signal. I
purchased a Sony MZR900 minidisc recorder and a Sony ECM MS957
microphone. That gave me a louder signal, less self noise, manual
control over recording levels and the convenience of recording directly
to inexpensive, archive qualility minidisc media. to be able to set
recording volume manually.
I have used a borrowed SoundDevices Mix Pre field mixer and a
Sennheiser 416 mic with my minidisk recorder. The results were the best
I have yet accomplished, but that equipment would have cost more than a
month's wages. I plan to eventually upgrade to high spec equipment.
I sometimes use my digital still camera to record birds. I like the
convenience of a recorder with an inbuilt mic hanging from my neck. I
like the rapidity with which I can start recording. It gives me a
recording I can use for establishing caller IDs. However, the sound
quality is low compared with those I get from the MZR900/957 combo. I
only use the camera as a recorder when my recording equipment is not at
hand.
Best of luck with your recording, Graham.
Regards
Michael Gallagher
Amateur Nature Recordist
Bendigo, Australia
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