Advice re recording ambient outdoor sounds

[ADB]

I'm wondering if any Forum members could offer me some advice.

I am looking to record outside ambient sounds and atmospheres to add my PTE shows and 360 degree Panoramas.

Has any body had any experience in this area?

If so I would love to hear your recommendations as to what type of Microphone and Recording Device I would need.

I'm not looking at spending a huge amount of money but do want reasonable quality. I also want to keep the equipment compact.

Any advice greatly appreciated

[Ken Cox]

Andrew

i used to work with a couple birders that have travelled the world getting bird sounds and have written them a letter asking for advice

one of the collections at

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/shop/agNepal.html

in the interim see

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=mike+f...le+Search&meta=

http://dwickstrom.com/or_bird.htm

and

http://www.naturesounds.org/questionbird.html

and

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/MacaulayLibra...ntOverview.html

ken

[Alan Lyons]

Hi Andrew,

If you contact Ron Davies who I believe is a forum member, but you can get him at www.avworld.org. Ron has a vast experience with sound and has many books, tapes, and tutorials on all aspects of sound recording.

I dont think you will be able to do what you want without some expense on equiptment as outdoor/ ambient sound opens up all sorts of problems of it's own. Its like a portrait worker going from the studio to the street. Difficult but worth the effort.

Regards,

Alan

[ContaxMan]

I found this link provided some good general advice on recording sound:

http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp

[ADB]

Thank you all for the info, I am quite amazed at how something seemingly so simple is actually fairly involved.

Off now to wade through all the info, I'll report back on my final findings.

[denwell]

This subject, I'm sure is at the back of many people's mind - not just outdoor recording but 'simple' production of a voice-over.

Is anyone prepared to give us all a blow-by-blow run down of their workflow to produce a commentary/ narration for a show (including relative sound levels for music/effects and voice)??

DEN (NE UK)

[Conflow]

Hi Den,

My Training in 'Audio & Acoustics' started with the Sony Corporation.Shannon Ireland in the

late 60's - then through the whole Industrial gambit both in the U.K and here with various Studios,

Radio stations etc: right up to the present day and I shall say this:-

Audio & Acoustics is as varied as the types of 'Photography' on the Market - everyone has their own

take on the subject, their own interests. their own pet applications, and of course everyone is perfectly

right as to how it should be done. Consider Musicians in an Orchestra and you get the picture ?

The one certainty or 'Standard' that can't be compromised is setting up the PC correctly in terms

of 'Standard Audio Level @ 0db' and the 'Sound Bandwidth' you want to work at and the Sound Format

you want to work in. After that everything is purely subjective right down to personal taste and lots of

Hands-On Experience and I might add that this is an artistic expression that no amount of Text Books

can explain for they also, are subjective !

To get going with this may I suggest a visit to your Local Library and take out a simple book titled:-

Audio & Acoustics by G.A Briggs and co-edited by James Moir. A very simple book that explains Sound-

Hearing, Acoustics, Reverberation & Noise, Loudspeakers, and the everyday common thing a person

needs to know about this "Black Art" - it's the short way home.

These 'guys' Briggs & Moir wrote the origional Book on the subject and even trained the BBC people

as 'How to do it' - enough said !

If you want to follow down this thread I can give you some simple "Tips" as to how you setup the PC

and Sound Equipment and what you will need in terms of Software - others may disagree, thats their

preogative, my interest is in the Electronic set-up's - not how you use it.

Brian.Conflow.

[Ken Cox]

From one of my birder friends

quote

Hi Ken,

I wrote an article years ago for Birders Journal on sound recording for

birds. Ambient is a bit different in that one is using a stereo setup

where background noise is a key factor. If you wish, I can send you an

attachment of the article but the section on equipment is a bit dated.

Now mini disc recorders and solid state recorders with flash cards are

preferred to analog. The MacAuley Library of Natural sounds has a

website section on sound recording and there is a very good forum on

Yahoo called naturerecordists which covers virtually everything you

could want to know on the subject. One can peruse their archived

messages with a primitive search.

Cheers,

Scott

ken

[Esc]

Hi friends!

I have had a good laugh at The Grand Tour and the familiar sound of the picture changing.

This made me wonder of there is a sound library for downloading?

Regards/Lennart

[Ken Cox]

Lennart

see

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=free+w...d+library&meta=

loooks like lots to pick from

ken