Martyn:
Perhaps what Jez is alluding to is the fact that many of us are phonographe=
rs
trying to capture particular aspects of spaces or environments outside the =
realm
of just nature recording. Recording the ambient sounds of a deserted museum=
gallery, for instance; there is a wealth of tiny sounds that one doesn't
normally hear until you really crank up the mic gain in that space. That sa=
id,
the aspect of 'tranquility' may or may not be a valid signifier for the spa=
ce to
be captured. Again, beauty is in the mind of the beholder.
It is indeed the case that after a certain point, the amount of amplificati=
on
needed will start to make the mic's self-noise apparent and so one reaches =
the
point of diminishing returns. But that should be left to the recordist to d=
eal
with either in situ or in post. I must say, however, that there was a time =
two
years ago when I was recording nature sounds at Crex Meadows that made me w=
ish I
had another 6 - 10 dB of gain on my FR2-LE.
Martyn, you are a superb recordist with the ability to set up and
capture phenomenal nature sounds. Not all of us have your type of gear, nor=
have
the time and experience to set up the "shoot" properly. So sometimes we "ch=
eat"
a bit, sometimes it's just what we need to do to make things happen.
In any case, I am very grateful for the information you have shared with us=
regarding your specific techniques and experiences. With all of this inform=
ation
in the hopper, we should all get better at what we do. And any way you slic=
e it,
beauty wins!
Much thanks and good luck to all of you!
- Greg O.
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