Hi Daan,
I have not recorded in humid and wet rainforests such as you are planning, but
here in the Pacific Northwest my gear gets rained on fairly often.
I find that fake fur or polar fleece type windscreen fabric
over the windscreen cage is enough to keep rain from direct contact with the
microphones. Maybe a fur cover for your zeplin is all you need - and perhaps
bring an extra change to use while the other is drying.
I would think a zeplin would also be adequate protection against most things
likely fall from the canopy. If you would feel safe standing there without a
hardhat on, then your mics will probably be fine too. Just set up somewhere
safe.
Watch the weather forecasts and plan accordingly. Plan your most critical
recording sessions for when the conditions are most favorable.
Tropical places I have visited seem to have a daily rhythm for rainfall. Wait
for the bulk of the daily rain to pass, then put out your gear.
A misty fog will impact on the vegetation and drip, creating a rain beneath the
canopy, so for such conditions you might want to place your gear out in a
clearing, not under the canopy. Otherwise try scouting while it is raining to
find relatively sheltered spots.
I do not have advice for making a roof over the mics. I attempted that once
with a wool blanket, but I gave up pretty quickly - dusk was approaching and it
was taking to much time to figure out how to string it up high enough.
Usually my biggest concern when leaving gear unattended is theft from another
human. Place it either where you can guard it, or where it will not likely be
noticed by anyone.
Have a fun trip.
John Hartog
rockscallop.org
--- In Daan Hendriks <> wrote:
>
> Hello group!
>
> I'm going to Bolivia very soon for holidays, during which time I'll also
> spend a few days in Madidi National Park (which is in the Bolivian Amazon).
> I'm bringing my recording rig (a Tascam DR680, MKH8040/MKH30 and Sony
> D-50). It will be rainy season, so I'm expecting it to be very hot, very
> humid, and with millions of biting insects fighting for a piece of my flesh.
>
> I've never gone to a place like this, let alone record in one. My plan is
> to set up the MKH & Tascam rig for overnight recording (dusk to dawn),
> hopefully within a nice spot of the rainforest itself, or otherwise near
> the lodge where I'll be staying (which is also in the middle of the
> rainforest). The D50 I'll use during daytime hikes into the jungle.
>
> Using the D50 will be easy, but I have some concerns about my plans for the
> MKH rig, and wanted to see what people have done in similar situations.
> Currently my preparations consist of the following:
> - mics and recorder will be kept in ziploc bags with silica gel packs
> during transport, so i can let them 'air' / warm up in the humid
> environment before using them
> - the recorder will be kept in a waterproof bag during recording overnight
> (and obviously has the battery power needed for 12 hours of recording)
> - i have a good backpack with foam padding to store all equipment during
> transport and hikes
>
> The main issue I face is keeping the microphones safe for a recording
> sessions that lasts 12 hours without me being present. To protect them
> against rain, and things that fall from the trees. The easiest solution
> would be of course to put the rig (mics + zeppelin) underneath a roof, for
> instance on the patio of a lodge. But if at all possible, i'd prefer to set
> up everything at a spot in the forest, press record, and leave, only to
> come back the next morning.
>
> I've seen pictures of people who constructed a kind of roof made out of
> towels and tied to branches of surrounding trees to protect their
> microphones. This at least will be effective in light rain, but any heavy
> rain would obviously soak the towel(s) and potentially the microphones.
>
> One solution I thought of would be to use an umbrella, attach it to the
> zeppelin, and put either foliage or towels on top of the umbrella in order
> to mask the sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella. This is currently
> the 'best' idea I have, but I wonder if it will be sufficient to take the
> risk of leaving my rig out on its own. An alternative would be to build
> some kind of roof using foliage, but to be honest I am not sure how
> feasible this will be, as that will take quite some time and effort and
> most likely you don't want to stay in one spot for too long because of heat
> and insects.
>
>
> Apologies for this long post... basically what I want to ask is: what have
> other people done in similar(ish) situations?
>
>
> Thanks for reading!
> Daan
>
>
>
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
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