Howdy Good Folks,
One of my favorite recording subjects is the local Coyote pack.
To hear my latest Coyote recordings:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/G5hD0gQS/Coyotes_and_other_mamals.html
Listen to the files with "25 Oct. 2010" in the title to hear the latest wor=
k. Note that the file 4110NR is a single howl pulled from the noise level a=
nd has been amplified and heavily noise reduced using Audacity Noise Reduct=
ion. 4110NR is primarily an experiment using Audacity NR.
Its been a while since I posted, I've been busy with a few related projects=
, mostly trouble shooting a Tascam DR-680 firmware problem of the DR-680 cr=
ashing and loosing files when using "autorecord" function. If you have a DR=
-680, be advised that Firmware upgrade 1.12 should be available as I write =
this but I've not checked the Tascam web site to see if it is there.
My latest project is the 6 microphone array I've been playing with and rece=
ntly have switched from the DR-680 to a linked pair of Sound Devices 302 pr=
eamps feeding a Marantz PMD661. (This is an elegant combination! I'm very p=
leased with it even if it is only two track).
This 6 mic array is of my own concept designed for a specific wildlife reco=
rding application, the concept being recording of distant wildlife. The co=
ncept is based on difficulties of wanting to record waterfowl that is mainl=
y on the other side of a bay from an accessible location. This is a common =
condition of life on Cape Cod and combine that with my underwater acoustic =
hydrophone experience and seems to me logic is to increase the capture area=
as part of the solution.
Why Coyotes? Well, as I live on the edge of a tree farm and town watershed =
including a large private academy grounds, the local Coyote population make=
s for ideal and interesting test subjects late at night after the infernal =
Cape traffic noise dies down and I can sit at my computer processing files =
and tweaking gains as the recorder makes the recordings. Point of interest,=
the best recordings are made between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM here and "Autorec=
ord", "Autotrack" and "Pause on Quiet" are essential controls in a recorder=
to me.
The technical aspect of the 6 mic array concept uses 4 super cardioid shotg=
un microphones as the primaries spaced about 7" apart, and pointed at an an=
gle of about 30 degrees between each of them, two forward pointing either s=
ide of the line of array heading. Sort of an expanded NOS array of sorts, w=
ith two smaller shotgun cardioid microphones pointing rearward at an angle =
45 degrees relative to the center line of primary heading. These two smalle=
r microphones fill in side and rear ambient sounds.
I've not measured the pattern but estimate that it is egg shaped if my conc=
ept is correct with max gain pointed forward. What is important is that it =
seems to work very much as I'd hoped. I'm guestimating (based on my knowled=
ge of the topography of this area) that the Coyotes are anywhere from 1/4 m=
ile to 3/4 miles distant when I am recording them, possibly further at time=
s.
For those of you technically curious, the center pair of primary microphone=
s are Sennheiser ME66/K6, the secondary pair are R0DE NTG-3, and the two sm=
aller broader pattern side/rear pointing mics are ME64/K6. (E-bay is a gre=
at source for microphones!)
And then, afternoons, my K9 companion Shadow and I go out and explore looki=
ng for Coyote tracks...
Hope you all are having as much fun as we are...
--
Thanks,
Mitch & Shadow...
http://www.4shared.com/dir/UTASxktL/wildlife.html
Shadow's area: http://www.4shared.com/dir/ecfWjyZb/Shadow.html
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