Dear All,Hello !
This is my first pposting to you forum/user group.
Now that I have mastered my account hiccups (Yahoo coupling and what not), =
I would like to first thank the moderator for allowing me access to the gro=
up earlier this week (THNX Martyn!) and express a Thank You to you all for=
providing such a great opportunity to be in toch with, -and learn and get =
support from you, fellow nature recording affecionados ! Upond being grante=
d access to the usergroup, I was asked to tell a bit more about myself... S=
o here he goes, with a few immediate questions added:Since my fifth birthda=
y (now 45yrs ago) I have been wandering around, exploring, admiring, enjoyi=
ng and learning from the great outdoors.
At highschool-age,my nature photography and birdwatching were supplemented =
with nature study including bird migration, bat identification (QMC mini) a=
nd distribution patterns of hunting game (predominantly Wild Boar, Deer an=
d Red Deer), Badgers (rather threatened those days in my country The Nethe=
rlands) and foxes. So studying Biology was inevitable I guess. At Universi=
ty and during my PhD and Down Under (4 year) post-doc years I developed my =
videgraphic- & 3D phtotgraphy- and -most relevant for this forum- my sound=
recording skills. Sound recording in those days was about augmenting and e=
nhancing my AV productions/travel documentaries. Deer rutting seasons, spri=
ng (bird) choir- as well as frog mating seasons were busy times. Typically,=
and continuously, I experimented with parabola's and directional mics (sh=
ot guns) to enhance the S/N of my recordings of the many distant/low level=
sources. Simultaneously seeking meeans to combat unwanted human society ba=
sed noises. Even built myself a foldable horn with 2 lavalier mics in the =
end, separated to obtain stereo ... It may still lay around somewhere in th=
e attic.
To build and "stage"my sounscapes, I developed a deep interest in proper st=
ereo recording and -reproduction. A quest I still pursue (see later) !My ul=
timate rig was the Sony DAT TCD 7 with 2 Sennheiser K6's units and 2 ME =
66s, and 2 ME62's for ORTF/AB and jecklin stereo recording set-ups respecti=
vely. Venturing into remote area's of our planet and into it's great outdo=
ors was most rewarding and brought me great recordings, experiences, learn=
ing and enjoyment. Then -now 15 yrs ago- this continuous stereo rig- and AV=
production and nature discovery/enjoyment was replaced by family building =
activities (and enjoyment ...!). Migrating back to my home country the Neth=
erlands, this family-life kept me almost completely from getting to the gr=
eat outdoors. Till recently.Now I am back into my old hobby, finding myself=
in a new universe of equipmentt of compact lightweight, robust, low power =
solid state sound recorders, ambiosonic stereo sound reproduction technolog=
ies and vastly enhancd (though not cheaper) microphones.I couldn't be happi=
er! Also I couldnt be more confused though ..What equipment do I select ? W=
ith few if any "friends /relations active in this field to share experience=
s with/learn from?So I decided to pick up where I left, buildig up my equip=
ment and experience level gradually, only replacing the DAT with an Olympu=
s LS11 and employing the 2 ME66s or the ME 62's in ORTF and Jecdklin mode r=
espectively. However, the perspective of better performing (S/N ratio wise)=
mics for both the environmetal sounds as well as more reach for details re=
mote sources steered me to ("stereo" capable) parabola's the like's of Teli=
nga and Wildtronics. And Jon from Telinga was so kind re refer this user g=
roup to me. So much for my (short ???) introduction.And then, for those of=
you still with me, here is my first question:1: Does anyone have experienc=
e with both the parabolic set-ups of Telinga and Wildtronic, so as to let m=
e know how they compare practically in the field and/or acoustically? I am=
particularly keen to learn how the supposed high signal levels of the Wild=
tronic disc (line-level) translate into sound quality and field use. It se=
ems ideal to be able to bypass the preamps ! On the other hand, the Teling=
a's appear well respected and user-proven and are almost unambiguously favo=
urably reported upon, which to me says a lot being around as long as they a=
re. Both Bruce from Wildtronics and Klas and Jon from Telinga have been mos=
t instrumental thus far in supporting my buying decision. Neither of them n=
egatively referring to the obvious competition. Impressive and highly appre=
ciated !If, oto the above, anyone could report on the portabillity aspects =
of either set that would be a great help too! Even without having expereicn=
e with both , comments and sharing with me your field experience with eithe=
r one is most appreciated.2: Has anyone in this forum have insight/experien=
ce with ambiosonic recording (B-fromat mic set-up) that he /she is willing =
to share? If so, would you advice me to go that route for nature sound rec=
ording and does it, to your experience/ears, offer meaningful improvement(s=
) over "classical" or "surround" stereo reproduction? I am talking reprodu=
ction in a large living room/chamber. I am not seeking binaural headphone r=
eproduction.Recently, I listened to an Auro set-up with "3-D sound staging"=
. Quite impressive. I wouldn't mind one of those !3: How do the stereo mic=
s of the Telinga's and Wildtronic parabola's compare to say an ME62 or MKH =
8020 stereo Jecklin configs?4: Would anyone recommend the new Zoom H6 reco=
rder for my use, it is fairly new? Preamp-wise it has some odds against it=
if I am well informed? Its H4 predecessor is ctritically viewed upon in th=
at regard. But as I have no peresonal experience with any of the Zooms, any=
suggestions/first hand experiences are welcome. The anticipated ambiosonic=
rout requires a multtrack (min 4) recorder.Which alterniatives would you r=
ecommend based on personal experience? Please note: All audio recording-eq=
uipments need be carried oto camping gear and a 5-9 kg heavy load of photog=
raphic eqquipment, food clothing and then some....I typically seek remote l=
ocations. So powerefficiency is also highly regarded as solar panels and sp=
are batteries also weigh in rapidly.Questions questions ...As I am in a rat=
her urgent buying decision situation regarding the parabola setups, quick =
advice as to Q 1 and 2 would be most needed/anticipated ! My apologies for =
this rather long winding first posting. I couldn't find time to write a sho=
rter one. Looking forward to reading from many of you in due course, and wi=
shing you all good recording conditions and opportunities! G'Day Gerrit
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