Hi Niki,
Sorry for the delay in replying to you. I love the sound of your home, and
particularly the parrots!
I think probably several of us use photography as an adjunct to our recording,
but likely not in the manner that you intend to use it.
A major thing you mention in your 'requirements' is to be able to record at a
distance. I don't know if you've considered how you intend to do this. There
are basically two methods; either you place mics close to your subjects, and
trail a lead to your recorder, or you use a parabolic reflecter. If the latter,
then there's really only one recommendation that any of us would make I feel,
and is to obtain one of the superb Telinga units. The maker of these, Klas, is
a member of this group, and would of course be happy to answer any questions.
Of the recorders that you've listed, my personal opinion is that you discard
Roland from the equation; they don't as far as I'm aware make a recorder that's
adequately quiet for nature recording. Both Fostex and Tascam do; I use a
Tascam HD-P2 myself. I would recommend the latter, and probably even more
members would recommend the Fostex FR2-LE; I have owned one of these myself,
and can testify to the quality of their pre-amps.
If you decide to use mics close to subject, the answer becomes much more
complicated! To some degree it depends on how much money you're prepared to
spend. The advice here is always the same; spend as much as you can afford. A
top quality mic will last you a lifetime; it will stay with you no matter how
many times you change your recorder. This of course brings us to whether or not
you intend to record in mono or stereo. If you intend to your recordings to
have ambience, and as a backdrop to your photographs, then the recommendation
has got to be stereo. This of course means you have to buy any mic you choose
in pairs (no, matching isn't essential). And here we come to choice of type,
meaning generally the area from which the mic pics up it's sound. An omni
pattern will pick up sound from all around; a standard cardioid will reduce
pickup from behind (see Wiki for both types) there are others, but it becomes
unnecessarily complicated. It's at this point that things can vary also. The
manner in which your pair, assuming you're using stereo, are arranged together
can make a difference to the sound produced, particularly the stereo separation
of the stereo image. You are perhaps by now realising that this isn't a
straightforward science!! I won't go into any more detail here, but wait for
you to ask further questions. One major thing I realise I haven't mentioned, is
wind-proofing your mics. Unless you are in unusually still surroundings this is
essential. Any good quality mic will pick up wind noises via one of it's
orifices, even if they're not much more than a breath. In fact breathing near a
mic is something to avoid!
Contact us with ANY questions, and hopefully you'll get a more prompt reply
next time.
Cheers
Max
--- In "nikifaller" wrote:
>
> Greetings all,
>
> I'm new to this field and have been reading your threads and sifting through
> information online about field recording and equipment. I am planning a trip
> to Puerto Rico in February that will include three days of solo recording in
> El Yunque - I'm anxious to make my purchases so I have a little time to
> practice.
>
> A bit of background. Eleven months ago my husband and I got married in Peru
> and spent our honeymoon at a National Reserve where I remembered how much I
> love the tropics. This year we've adopted several parrots who live with us
> now in our tiny North Dakota town. I work from home, and they share my
> workspace with me. When I can find suitable vocalizations of parrots online
> they love it - but it's hard to find good recordings of any duration. Part of
> my intention for my recordings is to create a collection of parrot sounds in
> their native habitats - another is to record ambient sound in the wild - and
> a third is to maybe, one day, make music with portions of it. When I was in
> college I picked up a CD by Manuel Obregon at Monteverde cloud forest in
> Costa Rica. It was a "conversation" between his piano and the forest. I'm not
> a piano player but that particular recording has haunted me, in a good way,
> for a long time and been part of what led me to try this now. I've been an
> avid photographer for a long time, and can't wait to get out there and see
> what develops with sound.
>
> It's important to me to be able to record specific sounds, probably at quite
> a distance, as well as wider soundscapes. I'd also like my gear to be as
> compact as possible. Brands I've looked at include Roland, Fostex and Tascam.
> Does anyone have any specific advice or comparisons between brands?
>
> Also wondering, I'll have a laptop on the trip, but don't want to haul it
> around during the day. Should I be prepared with additional memory? Are there
> small devices you can keep in the field to transfer or back up files?
>
> All the best,
> Niki
>
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