> Here is what I got from a Great Spotted Woodpecker:
>
> http://www.avisoft.com/sounds/bsp4.mp3
Raimund,
That's a great recording, You can hear the whole tree resonating.
(Now with technical hat on)
I looked for Sennheiser HF noise on a power spectrum. This is a
characteristic tip-up above 10KHz due to thermal noise which is as low
as you can get. The mic hiss just below this frequency is about 55dB
below the unfiltered background noise and about 80dB below the
woodpecker. That is some going by a large margin.
With a cheaper mic and 10dB more noise, that mic noise would be still
below audible limits. This suggests that for much of our time, good
technique beats mic specs by a large margin and we can get too hung up
on manufacturer's figures instead of just getting out recording. I
will have to be content with my MKH-416's 13dB(A) noise figure. :-)
Thanks again for the recording. I haven't heard s convincing
explanation for how a woodpecker avoids brain damage and that was some
thumping.
David
David Brinicombe
North Devon, UK
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
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