Field Recording - Techniques/Gear/personal experiences

[Polytrix]

Hi Everyone,

 

I couldn't see a dedicated thread for this here so I thought I'd start one. Perhaps it can become a good go-to place for advice on field recording.

 

My personal experience is limited but with some good results using a Zoom H4N and a windscreen. The on-board condenser mics can be set to 90 degree/120 degree XY to improve stereo width but I don't think you can technically call it a true stereo mic recorder. 

 

I really enjoy catching moments of ambience rather than specific sounds unless I'm sampling percussive sounds to make drum racks. That's worked very well in the past. What I'd like to achieve is a more directed sound recording where I can set up mics and record from a distance without having to be near to a power supply etc.

 

I've really enjoyed recording different weather conditions especially just as a rainstorm is about to break and animal noises go a long way. I made bass tones from the sound of a bee as it flew to honey in a flower and I've managed to record the flapping of bird's wings as they fly above me.

 

What I would like to do personally is improve the field recording gear I have but I'm not sure where to start. I see images like this and wonder what exactly they are using. Would any of you know?

 

Be good to hear from others!

[TubularCorporation]

Zoom H5 here, although I don't use i for field recording as much as I'd like (mostly for recording practices, occasionally recording shows or events for people, and sometimes for recording acoustic instruments if the fan in my computer is too loud) since it's a bit too big to stick in a pocket.  Another thing I do sometimes if I'm living in a noisy neighborhood (which I usually am) is just stick a mic out the window and record 10 or 15 minutes of street sounds, and then use that as the basis to make a track.

 

I'm actually really glad you posted this, because I'm visiting my folks right now and brought the H5 along specifically to record some nature sounds when we go on walks, but I forgot to take it yesterday.  Today's my last day here and it's pretty windy, so a good time to record some trees if I can manage without the windscreen I just realized I forgot at home.

[Squee]

I use the good old Sony PCM D-90 for ambiences whereas I use a Beyerdynamic shotgun mic for foley. I also use a pair of Lom Instruments "Usi" mics for ultra close-up recordings. These are also good for ambiences or for semi-binaural recordings.

[Polytrix]

Thanks people!

 

Yes, I also take recordings of trees, the creak/bow of a tree in windy conditions is very musical. I like going to forests/woodlands with my Zoom.

 

Squee - Do you mind explaining what a shotgun mic is? Is that a monodirectional mic for close up sounds? Foley basically means found sounds right?

 

What is a binaural recording? 

 

Also does anyone use a Zoom Mic as the recording device and use seperate mics going into it for different reasons? 

 

I really like the idea of focussed/directed/close-up recordings. I don't think I can really achieve that with the H4N. Like for instance recording the sound of a hollow object for instance

[Squee]

Squee - Do you mind explaining what a shotgun mic is? Is that a monodirectional mic for close up sounds? Foley basically means found sounds right?

 

What is a binaural recording? 

 

Also does anyone use a Zoom Mic as the recording device and use seperate mics going into it for different reasons? 

 

I really like the idea of focussed/directed/close-up recordings. I don't think I can really achieve that with the H4N. Like for instance recording the sound of a hollow object for instance

 

Sure! A shotgun mic is a highly directional microphone. So whenever I have to do foley recordings (for instance footsteps - see how I answered both questions there? Boom!) I use my shotgun mic so I only capture whatever I point the mic at - more or less at least. For instance, if I have to record some footsteps in a forest, I don't want the sound of the wind blowing through the trees in my recordings, and therefore I use a shotgun mic. Also, shotgun mics (more specifically the Sennheiser MKH416) is the standard movie set/Hollywood microphone. So its sound qualities are very recognizable.

 

Binaural recordings are... well, kinda "3D" recordings made with only two mics. It gives you the illusion of the recording being all around you even though you're only listening to a stereo file. So don't confuse it with surround microphones. You've probably already listened to the classic match stick recording on YouTube. If not, then put on a good pair of headphones and give it a listen. This binaural recording was made with the Usi mics

 

A friend of mine has the Zoom H5... or H6? I can't remember. Anyway, it's the one with the XLR inputs and as far as I know he's super happy with how it sounds.

[Polytrix]

Thank you! 

 

I think I need to invest in some kind of a shotgun mic/mic for close up specific application then! 

 

Yes, this binaural recordings sound brilliant. Real sense of depth.

[TubularCorporation]

Aargh, I forgot to bring my windscreen, but I at least managed to get some closeup recordings o streams running over rocks this afternoon.

 

I snagged a bunch of those old Panasonic hearing aid electrets that everyone loves for cheap on eBay a while back, eventually going to make some kind of binaural microphone and maybe some boundary mics.  They haven't made those capsules (I forget the exact model but it's easy enough to find out, they were really popular with DIY mic builders and there's a lot of info online) in years but last I checked they were still easy enough to get NOS for a dollar or so each on eBay.

[Guest]

Caught the fieldrecording virus in school and have used plenty of different mics over time, atm I like using the okm soundman II binaural plugin mic;

make sure your fieldrecorder has a mic in slot for perfect stealth recording. For an outsider it'll look like you're wearing headphone earplugs while in reality you're stealing their souls ;) . Beats the self-conscious awkwardness of waling around with a dildo in crowd settings + very nice recording quality imo (if not being blasted by wind).

[TubularCorporation]

It's not quite field recording, but it's always interesting to slap some piezo transducers up on a wall and record the sounds your apartment/house makes, especially in a storm or when the temperature is changing fast (so just after sunset or sunrise).

[Polytrix]

What would people recommend gear wise for someone like me with only a zoom h4n for close-up hq recordings on a small-sensible budget for mobile application? How much does a decent mobile shotgun mic and recorder cost?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Squee]

What would people recommend gear wise for someone like me with only a zoom h4n for close-up hq recordings on a small-sensible budget for mobile application? How much does a decent mobile shotgun mic and recorder cost?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Røde has a pretty good Sennheiser MKH416 equivalent. It's the Røde NTG-2 and it's fairly priced

https://www.thomann.de/gb/rode_ntg_2.htm

[Polytrix]

Cheers! Most of the reviews seem to be saying it's good as a video production mic with very few people referencing its use for sound recording exclusively. 

I assume it's all part of the same ballpark though.

 

Would I be right in thinking I'd need to plug this into my Zoom H4N when out which will serve as the preamp?

 

Interesting stuff!

[xox]

olympus ls-11 here. for my work it's enough. i had no need for external mics so far

 

i've recorded sounds/ambients for this collage:

 

https://soundcloud.com/notein/nooffone-1

[TubularCorporation]

olympus ls-11 here. for my work it's enough. i had no need for external mics so far

 

i've recorded sounds/ambients for this collage:

 

https://soundcloud.com/notein/nooffone-1

 

5 or 6 years ago the drummer in the band I was in at a the time who also co-ran a small local studio (and apparently went on to cofound a much bigger studio out in a smaller town where they could afford to get a space for it) and had really good ears compared all of the major field recorders in his price range and decided the Olympus was easily the best sounding.  This is when there were still kind of two tiers of these things, the $150-ish ones and the $400+ ones; he was looking at the cheaper range since it was mostly for recording shows for reference.  Since then the $400+ range has come down in price and kind of replaced the $150 range.  The equivalent of a Zoom H4n or H5 back then was squarely in the higher range.

 

Point is, I've never had one but based on that one guy (whose opinions on fidelity I trust even if we had differences over other stuff) I'm inclined to say the Olympus is probably a very god choice.

[Polytrix]

Yeah, to be fair, I think a lot of getting a good field recording is mic placement, knowing you are in a unique moment of sound and actually just bloody pressing record at that moment. I highly doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between the same audio recording made on different machines but I appreciate that certain mics are better for certain situations.

 

Anyone have any interesting stories about field recordings you've made and actually used in tracks?

 

Personally speaking I've made a drum rack of audio recorded in the basement of a house I used to live in which I used to refer to as the 'catacombs' as it had a whole series of rooms down there and long corridors so the reverb and just general ambiance was insane. I've got kick drums from me smacking a turned over paint pot with metal rods and claps/snares etc. Shaker from a box of nails etc etc. 

 

A moment I wish I'd recorded is when I was on holiday in Morroco. I was staying  in a hostel on the roof of a hotel outside and was awoken at 4am by the call to prayer and was absolutely terrified as it was just one of those moments where you've lost track of where you are and there's a foreign language singing a beautifully haunting prayer out across the city. I listen to Muslimgauze recordings and hear found sound all over it. Love it.

[joshuatxuk]

deion sanders aka Tauhid would of been a good person to ask, he uses field recording in his work

[Polytrix]

Thanks man.

[Silent Member]

I use a zoom h2 and a woolen sock. It doesn't sound great but I like it anyway. I'd definitely recommending picking up a woolen sock while they're still cheap.

 

I made this thing out of stuff I recorded on a train ride if you want to waste ten minutes.

 

[xox]

 

olympus ls-11 here. for my work it's enough. i had no need for external mics so far

 

i've recorded sounds/ambients for this collage:

 

https://soundcloud.com/notein/nooffone-1

 

5 or 6 years ago the drummer in the band I was in at a the time who also co-ran a small local studio (and apparently went on to cofound a much bigger studio out in a smaller town where they could afford to get a space for it) and had really good ears compared all of the major field recorders in his price range and decided the Olympus was easily the best sounding.  This is when there were still kind of two tiers of these things, the $150-ish ones and the $400+ ones; he was looking at the cheaper range since it was mostly for recording shows for reference.  Since then the $400+ range has come down in price and kind of replaced the $150 range.  The equivalent of a Zoom H4n or H5 back then was squarely in the higher range.

 

Point is, I've never had one but based on that one guy (whose opinions on fidelity I trust even if we had differences over other stuff) I'm inclined to say the Olympus is probably a very god choice.

 

 

i've tried a zoom h4n from my friend and i liked the olympus a lot more. the olympus is really small, fits perfectly in the hand, it has great mics, dynamic range is superb for such a small recorder, volume and recording level controls are scroll wheels not buttons, battery life is great, ...everything about it is just great imo. it's really a shame they are not in production anymore. olympus tried to replace them with the ls-12 and ls-14 but i never liked those. new ones, ls-p1 and especially ls-p2 are looking interesting; they're even smaller then ls-11, and if i'd need to buy a new handheld recorder the ls-p2 would be first on my list (or a second-hand ls-11)

 

regarding my track from my earlier post... every sound in it was made from field recordings, no synths. even those 'melodic' parts which were made either with ultrashort delay times or with (other) granular techniques 

[Auditor]

I've got a rudimentary old H1 with a windscreen, and his hasn't steered me wrong yet

[TubularCorporation]

I'd definitely recommending picking up a woolen sock while they're still cheap.

 

They're multifunctional, too - you can put them on your cymbal stands.

 

The woolen socks market is definitely due to blow up any day now.

[Polytrix]

Sorry to rehash this but I'm deffo considering a shotgun mic for more targeted up-close recordings over my H4N but have no idea what I should be looking at.

 

No idea if the preamps in my H4N would be sufficient either?!

[xox]

Just try a handheld recorder and its misc. Then, after a month of using it youll see in what direction you need to go next. Maybe the recorder will be enough for your needs, as it was for me.

[Leon Sumbitches]

Nice thread. I use a Zoom H2N; not the greatest in the world but I was able to blag it on PhD funding saying I 'needed it for recording conferences' (it has yet to see a conference and probably never shall).

 

Mainly use it for recording nature sounds when I'm out for walks in the woods and such, also use it as a mic in its own right sometimes.

 

Got some great recordings during the summer cutting around this old army base in Donegal. Lots of creaky pump handles, footsteps and ambience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Polytrix]

Wicked! I'll check out your stuff. 

 

I find recording airplanes as they fly over you to be very effective. You get crazy engine noise sounds. Loved it. I was amazed by all these videos (I assume it's all bs I know) but it still intrigues me: