I am trying to get up earlier to capture first light every week, but due to a number of factors I can only get so close.
This week we have a technical comparison between two sets of microphones. The first set is my standard Schoeps ORTF configuration, a set of MK21 capsules directly into the Sound Devices 744t mic preamplifier. The second set, a demo set of the Sennheiser MKH 8040 configured in ORTF. Keep in mind that the pattern of the two sets is slightly different: the Schoeps is a wide cardioid, the Sennheiser is a classic cardioid. I have done my best to match levels on these two samples.
The same part of the sound file was used for each sample. in about the middle of the recording you will hear me swatting a spider, I was recovering from a few spider bites from the previous week at the time.
This seems to be the quietest recording (in terms of wildlife) I’ve done here yet. The forecast was calling for a morning thunderstorms but it didn’t start to rain until we were leaving. The wind however was pretty constant. The trees haven’t started to fill in yet, they are only now starting to bud. Jecklin, DPA 4006, 744t
A foggy, warm morning, after a thunderstorm, the first I’ve seen this spring, temp was about 60 degrees fahrenheit. It was dark when I arrived, but the Northern Cardinal just started to call. I was hoping to get there early enough to catch the owls, but all I got was a few eastern grey squirrels waking up (at about 15:50). I left most of the slate on this track. The transient pops you hear is water rolling off the trees close to the microphones. USE CAUTION, SOME OF THESE POPS MAY BE LOUD!
As this recording begins you will hear my wife and I heading out for a hike, it was about 34 degrees Fahrenheit so we wanted to keep moving. We returned about 45 minutes later as the morning chorus was drawing to an end. During the slate, which I chose not to include on the recording a great horned owl called once to another in the distance. You’ll hear the usual calls that I have outlined before.
This was done as part of a Maryland Nature Recordists outing, Danny Meltzer attended. Northern Cardinal, Sapsuckers, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Crow.
In 2008 I created a recording series called the Prettyboy Project. Over a series of several months I recorded near the Prettyboy Reservoir in Baltimore County, US. I posted recordings “as is”, with little or no editing to explore the progress of the spring soundscape in one location. Planes, cars, and other “noise” will all be in there along with the seasonally evolving natural soundscape of the location. The Prettyboy Project has been completed as I no longer live near the recording site but please visit and enjoy the progression of the spring.
February 2008, late morning at the end of the wildlife drive I found a small field of mostly snow geese and a few Canada geese. I pulled to the side of the road and setup the mics using a car door as a wind break, it was very windy. Several high altitude jets and the usual traffic din can be heard throughout, but it’s not bad for a side of the road recording. ORTF MK21, SD 744t
This is a combination of two recordings a night and day (some may consider it a nature recording sin). What I believe are deer snorts ring through the young deciduous forest. The Oblong-winged katydid sounds like a ratcheting mechanic with periodic common true katydids (chee, chee, chee). Recorded with the Maryland Nature Recordists on a fine weekend in September 2007. Jecklin, DPA 4006, SD 744t
This recording was made in September of 2007 with Danny Meltzer. It is a mixed soundscape, combining the early morning chirps of Gordon Pond with two perspectives of the Atlantic ocean recorded in sync, one close and one far. Jecklin, DPA 4006, MKH30/40, SD 744t
These are evidently wood boring beetles of some type recorded 12:30 am at Misty Lake. Faint Bullfrogs can hear in the distance, there were active mice or shews in the immediate area as well.Jecklin, DPA 4006,SD 744t
Neil and Pattie fishing on Misty Lake in the early evening. A group of boisterous campers can be heard across the lake on the left side. Our camp is behind the mics. No fish were harmed or even caught.
This call was heard prominently throughout our journey. On our journey the bird was dubbed “poor Ethel” due to it’s melancholy call. It is, from what I’m told, a very common call in Canada, and that is my experience on this trip. Swainson’s Thrush and other birds I don’t know are also prominent in the background.
A Maryland Nature Recordists road trip led to south Carolina for a weekend of recording workshops and exchange of ideas. Recorded at the SONG Conference in June, 2007. In the Carolina Sandhill National Wildlife Refuge, “Pool E”. Carpenter Frogs, Eastern Wood Peewee, Red Cockaded Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, are among the many species heard in this recording. Special thanks goes out to Robin Carter for putting this event together. ORTF, Schoeps MK21,SD 744t
The Tubman Road Trail is a remote trail that doesn’t pull many visitors away from the main part of the refuge (not at 7pm Saturday evening anyway). The day I was there there was a lot of wildlife, snakes frogs, etc. Northern Bobwhite, Northern Cricket Frogs, and Laughing Gulls can be heard. The front was recorded with my standard ORTF Schoeps array, the rear is a set of omni mics about 1 meter apart on either side of the ORTF. This is a four channel recording.
May 5th, 2007 6:40am The Maryland Nature Recordists captured this dawn chorus on Saturday morning. The spring woodland features, warblers, vireos, blue jays, red-bellied woodpecker and a brown-headed cowbird. Originally part of a surround recording, these are spaced DPA 4006 omni mics apx. 1m apart.
Maryland Nature Recordists outing with Danny Meltzer, his recording can be found here. This is based on a double MS recording, featuring Schoeps MK21 sub -cardioid capsules. Download the wma file to listen.
In late March 2007 I headed up the Yearling Trail in Ocala National Forest on a windy spring day, I found a spur trail just into the longleaf pine edge of Pat’s Island. There isn’t much to hear here besides the wind in the tall trees, but the quietude was exceptional that day.
Cliff Swallows & Yellow Headed-blackbirds, CA Jun 2005 Another Nature Sound society workshop, this was recorded at the truss bridge. There were Black Ibis and American Coot in the area as well. ORTF, Schoeps MK21, Grace V3, HHB MDP500
