> if you have a recording that you really want to share with people,
> as a good example of what you think is "a good nature sound
> recording "
- what would you do?
1/ Add it on SoundCloud as it is, - as you hear it -or
2/ postproduce it, so that it fits better to PC loudspeakers and
kitchen radios?
Klas,
Taking 2/ first, no - I would not pre-distort it. I assume that anyone
interested enough would be listening on a reasonalble stereo setup or
good headphones.
1/ If it is too long, and often has blasts of wind or boring sections,
I edit it to present a good sound excerpt. That's simple
post-production. I use a bass roll-off as standard, and often adjust
this in post production so that the piece sounds as I would have heard
it. If I do an edit within a recording I usually note this in the
description.
However there are two processes I do not usually declare: De-hissing,
and an occasional whine from a grainmill about a mile away. The hiss
is usually from a stream in the woods and contribtes nothing to the
widlife sounds, so I use my judgement to reduce this using Audacity
and always doing a before/after comparison to see if it affects the
wanted sounds. If it does, the hiss stays in. The whine is at a
precise frequency and I've got a fine notch filter which reduces its
effect, again making an "artistic" before/after judgement on the
wildlife sounds.
If all the above sounds like "manipulation", that started with the
choice, placement and aiming of mics, recording level, and decinding
when to push the record button.
I've got weeks of rubbish recordings, but the ones that go out are
those which, to my mind, represent the wildlife in this area. It is
the end result which matters.
BTW I've just put a stereo file on Soundcloud asking what is wrong
with it:
http://soundcloud.com/stowford/wren-and-stream-stereo-check
David
David Brinicombe
North Devon, UK
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
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