A New Start

Yes, yes. Frequent updates and all that.

As alluded to previously, I have had a bit of an obsession vis a vis field recordings. The kit list has now expanded to include:

  • Zoom F6
  • Zoom H5
  • 1 pair Clippy omni-lavs + stereo bar
  • 1 pair Line Audio CM4 Cardio + (really heavy) stereo bar (with handy markings!)
  • 1 JRF C-Series contact mic

I do need to sort out the mic stand situation, alongside the general lack of cases, but I think we’re there or thereabouts. The next trick, of course, will be to get out and do actual recordings.

Some sample audio I quite like - Squabbling rooks from a nearby rookery, recorded with the CM4s using ORTF spacing. The dripping onto the decking is annoying, but that’s the rain for you. The target audio was about 80m (as the rook flies) from the mics, and were off axis by about 90 degrees, so the quality is excellent. I do like the open sound you get from the ORTF layout, I’m starting to become a big fan.

I have had the OS maps out looking for some suitably distant spaces, but of course anthropogenic noise is always going to be an issue in the UK - you’re never more than a few miles from a road and a big trunk like the A1 (other big trunks are available) is going to dominate the soundscape for miles around. One of the big reasons for putting my hands in my pockets for the LM6s is for the off-axis rejection. The rooks, for example, would have had some real background noise if it were the clippys. I am going to do a side by side comparison at some point just to see how bad it is (or not bad - I remain open!)


Date
May 26, 2024