Sounds from summer

I took a short midweek camping trip in the eastern area of the Brecon Beacons in summer during a spell of good weather.

I have only just got the photos developed from that trip which I wanted to pair with the recordings, it was a very beautiful area.

Children Playing

A recording I made this afternoon out my window...


  Children Playing by miles out in the field

Back with something old

So I haven't posted on this here blog for awhile but things have been busy as I've relocated from Falmouth to the dizzying heights of Bristol. Anyway I should be getting more active with my sound experiments now I'm a bit more settled. I have a lot of recordings I need to listen through and tag and I've got a few ideas going on, but today I put something together I had been meaning to do for ages but kept forgetting.

   Talkingmakesnosense - Volumes In G (Sicily mix) by miles out in the field

This is the result of a recording I made whilst stopping at an organic farm in Sicily in the summer of 2009, the track is playing out of a small stereo in the kitchen whilst I sat outside. I think my original intention was to use it as an opening for a mix series I was occasionally doing at the time (look at the exploration of ambience stuff on my soundcloud) but I never got round to it I suppose. Anyway it brings back great summer memories for me of the intense midday sun, dusty grounds, hammocks, weather vanes, vineyards, old tool sheds, sleeping out in the open air, and so on and so on. The artist Talkingmakesnosense is also terrific, so do check him out.

Cheers, more stuff soon.

Goonhilly Winds

   Goonhilly winds by miles out in the field

Whilst trekking about on Goonhilly Downs I encountered some rough weather as a low mist descended all around. Sat beside the large fencing that encloses the satellite station I began to record the sounds of the howling wind, whispering grass, and pattering rain.

Tanker prepares to leave port

   Tanker prepares to leave port by miles out in the field

Hydrophone extended ten metres whilst floating opposite Maenporth beach.

Dawn Chorus

The Wildlife Recording Society was asking for dawn chorus recordings a few months ago and they are now all available online. A recording I contributed is entitled 'From the bedroom window in Falmouth' on page two.

Follow this link... http://www.wildlife-sound.org/dawn-chorus.html 

For whatever reason I'm having problems streaming the files on my macbook, but I found by clicking on the dropdown box and selecting save as source I can play the file as an m3u through itunes no trouble.

Lavalier windshield solution

A while ago I purchased a pair of handmade lavalier type microphones from Ian Brady, a member of the Wildlife Recording Society. They are a terrific pair of mics but it's taken me some time to work out a way to effectively shield them from the wind, due to being busy finishing off my degree and finding a solution that was compatible with my student finances!

I instinctively turned to Rycote and found their lavalier furries however these didn't do the trick. I determined what I needed was something like the Baby Ball Gag to create 'dead air' around the microphones, and finally a fur covering to enclose the gag or caging. I firstly found my enclosure for the mics in the form of a tea infuser, I bought mine from eBay, searching for the largest ones I could find. I cut a small hole to pass the cable through and then slotted the mic housing into the space. A coating of duct tape around the mic housing protects it from scratching from the infuser, I'm not totally satisfied with this solution however I imagine I could smooth the edges somehow...

Infuser with mic inside

Infusers with holes cut

 My inspiration for the fur covering came from the Rycote Zoom H2 windjammer I own. I noticed how it fit quite comfortably around the tea infuser, yet did not create a satisfactory seal around the bottom. The next step was to get hold of some fake fur, I aimed to find the longest pile and thinnest backing. So with the help of my mother and her sewing machine, we copied the pattern of the H2 windjammer! However we added an elastic drawstring around the bottom to gather the fabric and create a wind proof seal, also in addition to the thin backing of the fake fur a piece of silk was sewn. This not only provides a further layer of protection but also prevents the infuser from catching on the fur. 

Here are a few more pictures...

Fake fur covering

Inside of fake fur covering with silk lining and elastic drawstring

My fur cover on left, Rycote cover of right.

Stereo pair with mics inside

Hopefully this post might give someone a few ideas, I think the trick is to find what suits your own needs and be creative! Finally here is a recent recording I made using this set up.

  The Lake District, Styhead Tarn by miles out in the field

Recording at Styhead Tarn