Cheryl Leonard wrote:
> I need to record some very large ocean waves breaking.....
I have had some success recording ocean waves but not yet with large
waves. When you say "very large ocean waves" I'm assuming you are
not a big wave surfer. For breaking waves, the larger the wave the
deeper the water thus usually the further offshore it will begin to
break, and the more difficult it will be to get close enough to
isolate characteristics on an individual breaking wave.
> end up lacking definition and sounding too much like white
> noise. I would like to capture the different parts of
> the wave crashes more distinctly.
>
Finding a good location might be the key =96 a spot with a clean shot
without much surf noise between you and the subject waves. A fairly
abrupt slope or shelf into deeper water might help. Shorter sections
of surf, like in a cove, will have fewer waves breaking
simultaneously thus less ambient noise. A point break where the
swell wraps around and approach the shore at a steep angle might be
worth considering. Check the ocean conditions report for swell
height, period, and direction and for wind and wind wave
information.=20
> I haven't tried using shotgun mics or parabolics yet
> (I don't have any experience with either of these thus
> far in my recording life, though I suspect they are
> probably what this project calls for). I do have some
> resources for borrowing or possibly buying another mic
> (would like to keep this under $500).
If you can borrow a shotgun mic or a parabolic, definitely give it a
try.
- John Hartog
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