I am a newbie - period.
About 7 years ago I got the bug to record bird song. I bought a used Sony=
EV5000 off eBay. Had to have it repaired and eventually upgraded by
Mineroff. Bought a Radio Shack Optimus unidirectional microphone and cable=
from a pawn shop, and finally fabricated a 24 inch parabolic reflector from=
a plastic Hyde squirrel baffle for a bird feeder. With guidance from Bob
Grotke at Cornell I found the focal point and added the mic. I was never
particularly enamored of its performance, lost interest and I eventually
dropped the whole thing.
This past spring I stepped out onto the balcony of our hotel room at Arenal=
in Costa Rica. It was just dawn at 5:30 in the morning. The sounds were
incredible. Howler monkeys were in the distance on the right, and exotic
bird song on the left. In the center stood this massive and stunning
volcano with the rumble of eruptions rolling down its flanks. And no damn
cars or yapping people. My voice recorder, used to keep track of my bird
list, was simply pathetic. I decided then and there that next year I would=
capture the sounds of this beautiful country to add to the photographs I
have posted on my website.
I did a little homework, and once again following the guidance of Cornell I=
bought a Marantz PMD670 and I am currently at the bottom of the learning
curve with that machine. I have yet to upgrade the microphone, but I am
considering the Sennheiser ME62/K6 package for the reflector and the ME67
long shotgun to take where the bulky dish is not practical.
When I bought the recorder I ordered an A-T 10ft XLR cable. All works well=
with that. But, one of the first lessons I learned was that I have to ge=
t
close to the subject - no different than photography. I cobbled together
the 10 ft cable, a 25 ft auxiliary cable with =BC inch M/F plugs I had layi=
ng
around, a =BC inch to XLR connector from Radio Shack and the original 15 ft=
XLR to =BC inch cable that came with the microphone. So now I have 50 ft to=
set my microphone remotely, but the volume in the recordings is
significantly reduced.
Should I expect this or am I missing something?
I have also found that when I use this connected cable business and A/C
power to the recorder, I get a loud buzz that makes recording impossible.
With AA battery power the buzzing noise does not occur.
Help.
Russ Wigh
www.skidaway.net
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