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Re: First Time Recorder Equipment Suggestions

Subject: Re: First Time Recorder Equipment Suggestions
From: inetd_conf
Date: Wed Dec 21, 2016 1:00 pm ((PST))
I wrote a long-winded reply to this, but then managed to close the tab acci=
dentally before posting. I apologize if some of this re-write seems a littl=
e rushed.

 I'm also relatively new to nature recording, so I expect wiser heads will =
be able to give you better answers to your questions. That being said, here=
 are some observations from the steep end of the learning curve:


 Not so much on the gear side, but on the technique side, unless you're rea=
lly really good at standing stock still and not making a sound, you might c=
onsider setting your gear and walking away while it records.


 Admittedly, for medical reasons I'm quite bad at sitting stock still and n=
ot making a sound, so almost everything I record is made using the drop-and=
-recover technique. It takes between fifteen and thirty minutes for the ani=
mals to return to normal behavior after I've been in a location, so this ha=
s some other advantages as well. If I record for several hours and pull out=
 the hour from the middle, I get a recording of mostly undisturbed wildlife=
.


 At the extreme end of this, some of my favorite recordings have been made =
by setting my gear in the evening and leaving it overnight. Of course this =
opens it up to the risk of rain. I've protected gear by wrapping it in tras=
h bags and burlap (to muffle the raindrops and to camouflage the gear), but=
 there are cleaner solutions. Tupperware works well. More recently my wife =
bought me a pair of ammo boxes from Costco. They're waterproof, they latch,=
 and they're semi-camouflaged. Feral pigs are a problem here, so putting de=
licate gear inside steel boxes has other advantages as well.


 Slightly more on the gear side, you can buy or make some nice microphones =
for not a lot of money. A number of microphones based off of the Primo EM-1=
72 capsule can be had for less than $100 a pair. You can also build your ow=
n. I built my first pair using the tutorials on Zach Poff's and Chris Hass'=
s web sites:


 http://www.zachpoff.com/diy-resources/low-noise-binaural-mics-primo-em172/=
 http://www.zachpoff.com/diy-resources/low-noise-binaural-mics-primo-em172/


 http://www.wildmountainechoes.com/equipment/diy-stereo-electret-mics-primo=
-em-172-capsules/ http://www.wildmountainechoes.com/equipment/diy-stereo-el=
ectret-mics-primo-em-172-capsules/


 I used to get my EM-172 capsules from Gene at Frogloggers, but I haven't h=
eard from him in a while. More recently I've been getting them from FEL Com=
munications:


 http://micbooster.com/ http://micbooster.com/


 EM-172 based mics sound good, they can be used in a wide variety of ways, =
and when you set a pair out in the woods and a rain storm comes along, you'=
re only out about $20 in parts. (The cables and plugs can be re-used, and j=
ust soldered onto a new pair of capsules.)


 That being said, there are some good ideas out there for protecting microp=
hones from rain. Gordon Hempton has a good section on recording rain on his=
 web site and in his new book:


 http://blog.quietplanet.com/how-to-record-thunder-and-rain/ http://blog.qu=
ietplanet.com/how-to-record-thunder-and-rain/ 
 David Kuhn, who I think is also on this forum, has pictures of his rain pr=
otection on his site as well:


 http://www.soundshawaiian.com/listeninggear.html http://www.soundshawaiian=
.com/listeninggear.html


 Even if you're not going out to record rain, having rain protection means =
you don't have to replace your mics if rain comes along in the night or sho=
ws up while you're on the opposite side of the ridge from your gear.


 Take a look through the Photos section of this forum to get some ideas of =
how you can set up your mics. A lot of the variations you'll see have to do=
 with arranging the mics to get a good stereo recording. Depending on what =
your goals are with your recordings, this may or may not be of much interes=
t. I like stereo recordings, so this is like going through other people's t=
oy boxes. So many ideas to draw from, so many ways to play in the field.


 I don't have a lot of experience with recorders, so I hope others chime in=
 here. Here's my take on recorders, though:


 It's better to record with what you have than not to record at all.


 When I started out I got a Tascam DR-05. It's not the noisiest recorder ou=
t there, but it's not particularly quiet, either. Eventually I bought a bet=
ter recorder, but I held onto the DR-05. If I'm recording a relatively loud=
 source, it's still a perfectly good recorder. If it's a windy day, the sou=
nd of the wind in the trees will swamp the self-noise of the recorder, so I=
 might not even notice its shortcomings. And having it in my bag means I ca=
n set it while I go record other things.


 A while back I hiked out to record the inside of a cave. Along the way I r=
an across a forested area with honeycreepers in it, so I shoved my DR-05 bu=
tt-down at the base of a tree and walked away.


 https://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/upper-waiakea-kipuka-honeycreepers https=
://soundcloud.com/tnbenedict/upper-waiakea-kipuka-honeycreepers



 The recording I got from my DR-05 turned out better than the recordings I =
made inside the cave. Sure, I would've had a better recording if I'd used m=
y "nice" gear on the honeycreepers, but that gear was underground with me a=
t the time. If I didn't have the DR-05 in my bag, I never would've recorded=
 those birds at all.


 Mind you, I'm not advocating getting a DR-05. There are better handhelds o=
ut there for the same or not too much more money. Be sure to keep your eye =
on the used market as well. There are some excellent handheld recorders tha=
t have been discontinued that can still be found used. The Sony PCM-M10 and=
 the Olympus LS-11 are both better than the DR-05, and show up used from ti=
me to time. There are certainly others that fit the bill as well.


 What I am advocating is getting something and getting out. It is worth put=
ting some time and effort into selecting your first recorder, but it's not =
worth waiting forever. Whatever you get will give you good service even aft=
er you've moved on to bigger, better things.


 Cheers!


 Tom







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