From: Wild Sanctuary <>
>
> There is lots of detailed advise about recording ocean waves in my
> recent book, WILD SOUNDSCAPES, P. 135+, (Wilderness Press), Cheryl.
>
> Basically, in order for any mic to pick up the essential components
> of ocean wave sound, one must record examples from several different
> persepctives - near-field (what's occurring at the water's edge or at
> the water-line at your feet), mid-field (where the breakers crash),
> and far-field (the entire perspective far from the water-line high up
> on the beach near the secondary dunes). Once recorded properly, then
> you mix all the elements together in one composite program.
>
> Wave sound at an ocean beach is one of the most difficult geophonies
> to record convincingly (effects of wind being a close second). That
> is because we're a visual culture and we tend to hear what we're
> looking at. (It took me ten years to finally figure it out.) Mics,
> depending on their pattern, tend to pick up everything in the field
> their designed patterns allow. So you are not likely to get a viably
> recorded illusion of ocean waves on one pass. Definition comes from
> the detail you get as you record from varied distances and then mix
> them together.
Other than mixing, I think part of the problem may be not enough low
frequency content from the mics used. My memory of good surf always
includes a lot of low frequency. I should try the SASS/MKH-110 on this
when I'm out there. Calling east coast waves surf is kind of a joke.
Walt
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