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Re: Request for info: primate vocalization recording equipment

Subject: Re: Request for info: primate vocalization recording equipment
From: "keithruck" keithruck
Date: Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:57 pm (PDT)
Marc- thank you for the input. I'll look for a 24/96 and see if I can
get one for her. She won't be back until next calendar year, so I
won't know until then if she is successful at getting any good recordings.

Noting that the 24/96 uses CF cards or microdrives, I think I'd prefer
to buy her CF cards to avoid moving parts (it is very humid and dirty
at the research site); can anyone tell me the maximum size CF card
that will work in the 24/96, and/or the minimum acceptable CF card
speed to avoid recording problems?

Many thanks,
Keith


--- In  Marc Myers <> wrote:
>
> For what you want in the less expensive range the M-Audio 24/96 is
> probably the best bet. Its battery is internal however, so you have to
> record for long periods of time you will have to buy a USB adapter and
> an external battery supply. Incidently, with very few exceptions, these
> new recorders are not really quiet enough to take advantage of 24 bit
> recording even when it it available as a choice. Stay with 16 bit and
> save space. Make sure that the flash memory you buy is compatible. Not
> everything that's presently made can keep up.
>
> If your wife has some good recordings, I'd love to hear them. I'm
> presently working on a project that, in part, includes cataloging
> primate calls. I haven't gotten to that part yet, so I'm not yet giving
> it my full attention but I will be actively soliciting, probably in the
> new year.
>
> Good luck
>
> Marc
>
> keithruck wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > My wife is in Ecuador, and she decided to collect some vocalization
> > data to go with the other data she is already collecting on cebus
> > albafrons (white-faced capuchin monkeys). She is new to this type of
> > analysis, but knows she wants to do a "bioacoustic spectrogram"
> > spectral analysis to compare different vocalizations at different
> > times by different monkeys in the group. She plans on using Raven Pro
> > for analysis.
> >
> > She has tasked me with buying her a portable recorder that will
> > collect sufficient sound samples for this analysis, while trying not
> > to break the bank (we are paying for all the equipment out of our own
> > pocket, so far she hasn't been awarded any grants).
> >
> > I'd prefer something solid-state and preferably something that could
> > record to flash memory (like an SD or CF card) but am open to options.
> > She does have an external mic, but I don't have the brand/model/specs
> > for it because it is already with her in Ecuador- I just know that it
> > has a battery in it (gun-type mic) and has an external switch for
> > "regular" vs "unidirectional" recording. It has a standard 1/4" plug,
> > so if she can use that, great (if not, I'll need microphone
> > recommendations as well).
> >
> > Parabolic mics are unnecessary because she can get within a few meters
> > of the animals, and bad because the monkeys are habituated and
> > curious- anything they can grab, pull, etc. is less desirable than a
> > small mic that can be jammed in a jacket pocket if the monkeys attack.
> > They do "attack" regularly if there is anything they are curious
> > about, so smaller equipment is better.
> >
> > The professional equipment I see on ebay and other sites include
> > M-Audio devices, the Edirol R09, and the Marantz 660. I also saw some
> > personal dictation type devices that claimed to record uncompressed,
> > but I don't know what the sampling rate was so I didn't bookmark any
> > of those.
> >
> > So bottom line, I'm looking for any suggestions on equipment,
> > preferably on the less expensive end, that will still be sufficient
> > for spectral analysis. The animals are close, and I believe that most
> > of their vocalizations will be in the human range, since they are
> > fairly related (vocal and eardrum apparatus).
> >
> > Thank you for any advice,
> > Keith
> >
> >
>








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