FIELD RECORDING
My general preference for all wildlife recording is to use an MS stereo set-up on a tripod, cabled back to the recorder. Normally this is a combination of Sennheiser MKH40 for mid and MKH30 for side: this gives a wide stereo field with a slight dead area to the rear. In calm conditions I use no wind-sock, but often this isn't possible. The cable length varies from 10m to about 150m; sometimes I use a hide, even with 150m of cable. The advantage of this approach is that the recordist does not influence the behaviour of the subjects (in theory!) and, with well-placed mics, individuals may come very close. The disadvantage is that it is a more time-consuming and studied approach; and 150m of stereo cabling makes for a heavy backpack.

For more opportunistic recording I use a Sennheiser MKH50 in a 20" parabolic reflector or a Sennheiser MKH70 long gun mic; sometimes these may be mounted on a tripod or hand-held, more often now I tend to use a hand-held monopod, as a compromise.

The advantage of the parabolic system is that it is highly directional, 'zooming in' on individuals from a distance, like a telephoto lens, and it acts as an acoustic amplifier to the sound along the direction of the axis of the parabola (i.e. it boosts the sound coming from the direction in which it is pointed). This also can help in separating an individual from surrounding sound sources. The disadvantage is that it produces a very biased frequency response, boosting the upper mid-range, and does not function for low frequency at all - the cut-off point being a function of the width of the parabola. It's also a very cumbersome system to carry around.

The gun mic also is designed to be directional, but this works by rejecting sound coming from the sides and does not give any acoustical boost to the signal. On the other hand it does have a reasonably flat frequency response that extends down to the low end, though there is less side rejection on the low frequencies. The advantage of this system is that it's fairly convenient to carry on a walk, the disadvantage being that you need to get quite close to the subject to get a decent recording.

So the parabolic system works well as a quick way of picking up higher-pitched sounds, such as the songs and calls of songbirds, but the gun mic is better for the lower-pitched stuff like owls. Sounds that have broad-band content (high and low frequencies, such as geese or raven calls) can be recorded with a parabolic mic, but they tend to sound a bit 'thin' and lack impact.

Until a few years ago all my recording was to DAT tape at 48k sample-rate, 16 bit; the first portable DAT recorders only recorded to 48k, so having started with that sample-rate I decided to stick with it even when I later used recorders that offered a 44.1k option. At some pointed I added a Sound Devices MP2 microphone pre-amp to the system; this gave improved clarity over the pre-amps built into the DAT recorders. Now I use a Sound Devices 722 recorder at 24 bit, which offers sample-rates up to 192k. This machine records to a built-in 40GB hard disk or compact flash card.

In the last few years quite a few card recorders have come on the market at a lower price range, some very cheap. There's no doubt that these can provide a reasonable recording device for those wanting to do some nature recording on a tight budget, though they all differ slightly in the facilities they offer. But none of the lower-priced and few of the medium-priced units have really quiet mic pre-amps, which become more important if one is interested in recording ambiences, when normally the level of the sound one is aiming to capture is very low.

When using the hand-held systems I make spoken notes of any relevant details at the end of the recording; this isn't possible when using longer cables and I jot down basic notes in a small notebook. Back in the studio, in the DAT days, I used to make written notes on first going through the recordings, then transfer summary details to a database. In the last eight years I've spent a vast amount of time developing a more comprehensive database in FilemakerPro and I now enter details directly into this. I now set up a full audition of each recording session in Logic and mark out passages of specific interest by creating a region on a muted track with the original time location.

As it's maturing, this system is working very well for me. The weakness is that one is completely at the mercy of the software developers and commercial developments in the IT industry. Future versions of the software may not have the same facilities and previous work may not transfer smoothly; and who knows if the software will even be around in 20 years time.

More info on wildlife sound recording ...
More info on budget recorders ...

STUDIO EDITING
One of the advantages of the new generation of recorders that capture directly to hard disk or memory card is the speed with which you can transfer the sound files to computer. With tape, transfers had to be done in real time; now with firewire and USB2 this is much quicker. The disadvantage is that you no longer have the tape as the first level of archiving the original recording. I transfer the original recording to a hard disk, which is then backed up to a second hard disk and important recordings written to DVD. These files are all documentary - as recorded, with no editing.

As a general practise I try to keep all editing to a minimum in productions, some more than others depending on the purpose of the production. Usually this will involve a light EQ: a slight shelving of the low end frequencies for most recordings and some contouring to counter the exaggerated upper mid of parabola recordings. Some wildlife recordists use heavy EQ settings, especially where cutting out all the low end on birdsong. In some ways this produces a cleaner sound, but to me it sounds less natural and I prefer to keep it as real as possible.

There may be some time compression in a sequence as well as cutting out any unwanted noise events (such as flies landing on the mic or a car passing), though this depends on the final purpose of the production. Time compression, where one cuts out uneventful passages, essentially resulting in a sequence of highlights, is a thorny issue. For strictly documentary sequences one should keep the timing of the actual events; on the other hand, if one is producing an identity guide of bird sounds, it's rather wasteful to have long gaps between successive vocalisations, as well as making the listener wait unnecessarily for the next point of interest. It's essentially a producer's choice: the important thing, where the production is intended to reflect nature, is that the end result should not be misleading. Otherwise it's a case of what is aesthetically satisfying; though of course if one is using these sounds in free composition, such considerations become less relevant.

When producing the Wildsong soundscape CDs, I try to balance periods of activity with emptier passages, as well as close-up sequences with more ambient passages, so as to create a natural feel. I suppose my aim is to create an album that would make a very satisfying or idealised sound walk in the particular habitat or location being covered.

I use a variety of software for editing and compositing work on the Mac platform: Logic is my main programme for selection of parts, compositing and arranging, otherwise Bias Peak and lately Fission for editing files, Barbabatch for file conversion, Waveburner for CD mastering, and lately I've started using AudioFinder to help organise the labyrinth of folders and files on hard disk. I used to use Canary for generating sonograms, back in the days of OS9. It's still my preferred software, but I've had to jump ship from OS9 to keep abreast of other software and hardware upgrades and haven't really settled on sonogram software in OSX.

More info on Mac audio software ...

SOUNDS
Original field recordings have all been made direct to digital at 16 or 24 bit, 48k or 96k sampling-rate. Sounds on the site have been converted to 16bit (if 24bit original) and 44.1k sampling rate, before conversion to mp3 format. Previously some audio was converted to 22k and various bit-rates were used in producing mp3s; now most of the mp3s are 192 kbits per second.

 

COPYRIGHT
All sounds, images and text on the site are copyright Geoff Sample and Wildsong, except where otherwise stated. Sounds are provided for personal use only and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission. The contents of our CDs are also for personal use and all other rights are reserved. Use of Wildsong CDs or any audio on our website without our permission is a breach of copyright. This includes playing in public spaces and commercial premises, use as sound effects in theatre, lectures, installations, musical performance and composition, synchronisation with moving or still images and incorporation with any software or electronic delivery systems. If you would like to use any of our sounds, images or text, please get in touch - we will be pleased to help.