Freesound Forums

Here is the scenario:

I live in the wilderness near a waterfall that is named Singing Falls. It really does sing due to special rock formations and acoustical conditions.

I am interested in recording these sounds but I do not have any equipment to do it. I did a DVD recording of the falls but the singing was drowned out by other sounds. The sound of the singing is that of Native American music.

I am a linux OS user and I have an audigy 2 zs card on board.

Please tell me of a reasonably priced recording instrument that could do the job I am seeking to do and where to get it. Nothing professional since that would probably be out of my price range I am assuming???

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

i've used everything from cheap $30 recorders to numerous high-fidelity audio recorders. In general, if I can hear it, any of these will record it. A common problem is that even with expensive, professional equipment, wind, blowing across a mike, often masks other sounds. That's why the pros use wind shields.

Also consider that the possibility that the perception is a psychoacoustic effect and, thus, not currently transferable to an electronic audio recording. In photography, for example, there is often a subjective mood, feeling, or interpretation of an actual scene that is, after the fact, lost in the print. Reality and it's very best documentation are often miles apart because of differences in context, listening environments, personal interest, etc.

However, I'm sure we would all enjoy listening to a good recording of Singing Falls. SO study up, as we all do, and, if this challenge eats away at you long enough, you too will buy what you have to buy to scratch the itch!

Thanks for the reply Steve.

In particular Singing Falls makes a distinct Native American drumming sound. I have been able to lower the high pitch tones from a dvd audio file and catch the drumming but I'd like to be able to get it straight out of the gate.

I have been doing some reading on equipment but it obviously going to take some time to do my "homework".

~ox{
Here is the scenario:

I live in the wilderness near a waterfall that is named Singing Falls. It really does sing due to special rock formations and acoustical conditions.

I am interested in recording these sounds but I do not have any equipment to do it. I did a DVD recording of the falls but the singing was drowned out by other sounds. The sound of the singing is that of Native American music.

I am a linux OS user and I have an audigy 2 zs card on board.

Please tell me of a reasonably priced recording instrument that could do the job I am seeking to do and where to get it. Nothing professional since that would probably be out of my price range I am assuming???

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If I were you, I think I would go with a Zoom H2 or something similar to that. A little more than $ 200, it is a very cheap and relatively good recording equiment. If it was me recording those, I would go with... a TetraMic and a good 4 track recorder... a little bit more expensive...

Keep me posted!

I agree (without owning one): Luftrum's forest recording with the H2 sounded very good.

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=47989

~ox{,

Alternatively you could post here trying to figure out of anyone in your neighborhood has some of this material.
Although I admit, freesound is a very global - an very little "local" - so your chances are small, but still worth a shot.
That way you could try with various types of recording material?

- bram

I just wrote about using my camera (Canon Powershot S2is) as a field recorder:
someaudioguy.blogspot.com/2007/12/makeshift-field-recorder-your-digital.html

If you have a camera that does stereo sound when in camcorder mode, chances are it'll have an audio only mode. I wouldn't recommend buying a camera just for this though .

And samples here:
someaudioguy.blogspot.com/2007/12/in-response-to-using-your-camera-as.html

don't rule out a video camera either. my little canon digital 8 has great audio too.

BTW - things sound more "real" (when recording or, later when listening) with good headphones.

in noise measurement, there is often a case of standing waves where, if you stand in one place, you hear things one way and move your head a bit and the sound changes substantially. likewise with mike positions which may differ from your head/ears position. its sometimes possible that the mike doesn't hear what your ears hear. it's good to monitor, through the recorder, what is being recorded. then, if you hear it, it should be recorded.