David, you wrote,
> I plead guilty to tech talk,
Nothing to apologize for, technical mentoring is an invaluable service.
> but personally what I'd like is more info
> on fieldcraft and how to get close to the wildlife. Do folks use
> hides? Pishing? Playback?
>
> My main technique is to set a rig and wait for the wildlife to come
> close enough, but I get a lot of garbage that way. Photographers call
> it the "polyphoto method". More about getting the mic in the right
> place at the right time? :-)
I think it depends on whether you're species hunting or soundscape collecti=
ng. I'm a soundscaper.
I was inspired by a Gordon Hempton lecture at an NSS workshop many years ag=
o. Gordon explained how he will scout out a location without equipment, loo=
king for a "sound stage" that has possibilities for sound in a wide panoram=
a and near and far. Then he'll come back the next day and set up for a dawn=
chorus or whatever.
I have never summoned the discipline to scout first, but I do look for a so=
undstage. If there's continuous sound like a stream it's best to center it.=
When I find a good spot I may return to it season after season.
My usual procedure is to arrive at the location in the late afternoon, set =
up my 4-channel array and then set up camp. I have an 80-foot snake to back=
myself off from my mics so minor motion at night doesn't get recorded. Whe=
n I'm using a research permit in a national park I try to save my sleeping =
bag and/or tent till the last minute so as not to scandalize the last hiker=
s on the trail, though when they question me I'm happy to let them listen o=
n the headphones. It's consciousness-raising.
I start recording 90 minutes before nautical twilight and record the evenin=
g for 90 minutes. I stand by through the night (big battery system) to catc=
h coyotes or owls. With my "heavy system" (Sound Devices recorder) I have t=
he luxury of a 10-second pre-record buffer, very helpful for things in the =
night. I start again at nautical twilight in the morning. If I have the hea=
vy system I can set a timer to start if I'm not awake. With my light system=
I set an alarm to wake me.
This is soundscape recording. The photography analogy is good. I take 100 s=
hots and throw 75 away. With soundscape recording one occasionally gets a s=
pecies that steps onto the stage and performs. At McGurk Meadow in Yosemite=
, bats with an audible call circled around my four-channel array. The speci=
es solo moments are precious because the species is completely in context, =
unlike the spotlight effect desired for species hunting.
It's art and science together, what could be better? I can edit out the goo=
d parts for publication, and turn in the raw footage (with documentation) t=
o the park.
-Dan
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