The low freq is captured by moving way back from the waves up the
rake of the beach. You want to get those longer acoustic wave lengths
that come with distance from the sources. With the "low freq cut"
filters on the MKH mics in the "off" position, you'll get plenty of
low freq material from that far-field recording (around 30Hz if
memory serves me). More can always be added to taste later during the
mix.
Every beach has it's own unique range of signatures depending on
complex combinations of the rake (beach angle), weather, wind and
wind direction, off-shore bottom contours, and whether it's salt or
fresh water.
Bernie
>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
>
>
>
>
>
>"Microphones are not ears,
>Loudspeakers are not birds,
>A listening room is not nature."
>Klas Strandberg
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
--
Wild Sanctuary
P. O. Box 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
t. 707-996-6677
f. 707-996-0280
http://www.wildsanctuary.com
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