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8. Re: SD 7 series recorders with / without an additional pre-amp

Subject: 8. Re: SD 7 series recorders with / without an additional pre-amp
From: "Jez" tempjez
Date: Thu Apr 19, 2012 2:30 pm ((PDT))
Hi Peter,

yes - using contact mics & small mics to get very, very close to certain so=
unds is just another part of field recording. I don't see a divide & I don'=
t see one as reality & the other as not. Its all real.

mics in big ears: ha ! indeed, but then you'd have the effect imposed by th=
e shape of the ears (just as with our own actual ears). What you'd get is t=
he sound of the sound as it reverberates around the big ears !



--- In  Peter Shute <> wrote:
>
> Isn't amplifying the sound of a very quiet environment similar to devisin=
g methods of recording things like the sound of a snail moving, etc? Its ne=
ver going to sound like anything you could hear with just your ears, but it=
 might still be very interesting, pleasing, artistic, etc.
>
> Getting back to the topic of increasing gain without increasing mic noise=
, could anything be achieved by putting the mics in a set of oversized ears=
? Or would this do undesirable things to the sound?
>
> Peter Shute
>
>
> From:  =
ps.com] On Behalf Of hartogj
> Sent: Friday, 20 April 2012 6:45 AM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] SD 7 series recorders with / without an =
additional pre-amp
>
>
>
> Yeah Martin, I partly agree with what you are saying. To me it seems that=
 when a soundscape recording is amplified, the perceived relative distances=
 between sounds become compressed. Following the rule of sound attenuation =
over distance, could it also be true that for each 6dB amplification over n=
atural, the perceived distances are halved?
>
> Where I disagree is the assertion that amplification creates that false l=
istening environment. It was already false. Even with a tight method of cal=
ibration such as yours, the microphones only capture a limited perspective =
of the soundscape. It is still impossible to capture the true listening per=
spective. I have never heard a perspective though headphones that matches t=
hat of the unaided ear. As you say, "microphones are not ears."
>
> John Hartog
> rockscallop.org
>
> --- In <naturerecordists%40yahoogr=
oups.com>, Martyn Stewart <mstew@> wrote:
> >
> > What I basically mean is that if the sound source is in the very far di=
stance, I prefer to record the ambient sound that I actually hear around me=
 including distant sounds naturally, I think to try and amplify something i=
n the distance makes the listening environment false. By jacking up the gai=
n you bring a whole host of noises that are not natural to the actual sound=
scape. My headphones should reflect what I'm listening too without them and=
 so should the actual recording. I hear only too often noisy soundscapes be=
cause the gain was increased too much. Microphones are not ears and they do=
 not discriminate so trying to capture what is real is my objective always.
> >
> > Martyn
> >
> > Martyn Stewart
> > .........................................
> > www.naturesound.org
> > www.soundofcritters.com
> > .........................................
> > 425-898-0462
> >
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> >
> > On Apr 19, 2012, at 11:24 AM, "hartogj" <hartogj_1999@> wrote:
> >
> > > >In 40 plus years of working in sound,
> > > >I have never really understood the need
> > > >to amplify the sound of tranquility
> > > >to what it actually sounds like in reality.
> > >
> > > Hi Martyn,
> > > Is this because your main objective is species recordings more so tha=
n the ambient backgrounds of the soundscapes?
> > >
> > > John Hartog
> > > rockscallop.org
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>








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