Peter:
Using a shotgun mic will not necessarily give one a 'purer' sample of the
offending plane/vehicle. The spectrum and fine temporal detail will be diff=
erent
from mic to mic, hence using a different mic to get the 'fingerprint' for n=
oise
reduction may give you results that are less than ideal. There could also b=
e
issues with the reference sample due to the shift in time when the sample w=
as
taken resulting in further spectral and temporal differences. Not everyone =
can
record in more than 2 channels in perfect phasing to have a 'reference' cha=
nnel
available for noise matching.
Best thing to do is ignore the noise or do something different if you can't=
get
rid of it via conventional EQ, Izotope, or whatever.
Perhaps we should have a "National No Machines Day" or better yet, a week! =
But
expect to get some flack from hard core urban noise addicts about that one.=
I
find that most motorcycles, especially Harleys, are the worst offenders. Ev=
en if
fuel was $20.00 a gallon, you'd have plenty of motorcycles out & about. Too=
bad.
Oh, and don't forget about the insane people that 'boom the hood' with thei=
r
multi-kilowatt bass amps and twenty subwoofers in their vehicle. I had one =
of
those sadists pull up behind me yesterday at a traffic light and it was
intensely painful. Bass of that level can travel for miles.
What we really need to do is to cultivate a true appreciation for silence a=
nd
become less complacent if we are to reverse this onslaught of machine
harassment. Gordon Hempton's idea of 'One Square Inch' is a good start, but=
that's just the tip of the iceberg. We need quiet (or no) machines, and the=
y
need to be kept within certain boundaries.
We also need to educate people to listen to the natural environment. I have=
been
involved in several nature soundwalks in the woods and have presented conce=
rts
of nature sound recordings. This was done here at the Dunes National Lakesh=
ore
in conjunction with Chicago Phonography and the The World Forum for Acousti=
c
Ecology midwest chapter. We are making some inroads, but progress is slow. =
The
people who have participated have really enjoyed these activities and their=
consciousness has been heightened as a result.
So perhaps your comment about leaving the noise in the recordings to educat=
e
people about the noise has great merit. In fact, we should have a moratoriu=
m on
the sale and distribution of pristine nature recordings and only sell or
propagate 'flawed' recordings with the info attached describing the offende=
rs.
That way people will be forced to take care of the problem since, until the=
y do
rectify the noise situation, they will not get any more pristine recordings=
to
reflect their efforts.
Expect to get a great deal of opposition to this idea, however, from the fo=
lks
on this list that profit from the sale of such pristine recordings. There w=
ill
be many arguments and counter-arguments about this philosphcal position and=
I
may be burned at the stake for being a heretic. But life is short. Let's ge=
t on
with it.
Best regards,
Greg
|