Re: last minute advice on recording Church bells

["Robin" robin_parmar_sound]

How close you get depends on the type of recording you want. Do you want th=
e bells situated in their environment or excluded from it?

The one time I was near a church bell the sounds were loud enough to deafen=
. So you might need a pad on your mic.

The main issue is transients. These can be a lot louder than the rest of th=
e sound envelope. Depending on your recorder the peak metering might not ca=
tch them. In fact, I almost guarantee this will be an issue with hand recor=
ders.

And even then the mic itself might overload before the sound gets to the re=
corder. I had this issue once though I cannot remember if it was bells I wa=
s recording.

So, yes, you need a trial run to set levels. Listen back to the recording c=
arefully to be sure no clipping exists.

-- Robin Parmar