Remembering PRESTAGS

Sound Recording 4 - Sausages Sizzling

I wanted to try out my new Rode microphone pistol grip, so I whacked in an Audio Technica mono shotgun mic, the AT 897, and wandered around the house annoying the wife.

No particularly interesting sounds, and as usual Sir Lancelot refused to talk.

The most excitement I had was the sound of sizzling sausages, preparation for a katsu beef sausage and sweet potato curry. Pity I can't capture the smell.

It's a soft recording, the sizzle getting a bit louder as I moved closer. In the second recording you can just make out small pops from the hot oil.

Sausages Sizzling 1

Sausages Sizzling 2

Very quiet sound wave.

I got some practice with the Sound Devices MixPre -6 in a sound bag over my left shoulder, and the pistol grip in my right hand. Nice sound in the headphones. Ready for some outdoor field recording when I can get somewhere interesting.

 

Sound Recording 3 - Padua, Italy

Our trip to England and Italy in May was far more of a photography trip than a sound recording trip. I took three cameras, plus photos on the mobile phones of the boss and I. The folder of photographs after the trip is over 45 GB and has over 6,000 photos!

In Padua we stayed in the Hotel Casa del Pellegrino with a wonderful view of the Basilica of St Anthony across the street. In the photo below, our room was the two windows to the right of the circular ornament with cherubs.

Looking out of our balcony window, here is a view of the street and the Basilica using a fish eye lens.

We spent a lot of time in the Basilica and exploring Padua, and I didn't do much recording. One early morning I put the Tascam DR 100 and Sony stereo mic in the flower pot on the balcony. While the view was spectacular, the recording was only of light birdsong and traffic driving up and down the street.

Here is a tiny sample, slightly interesting because it captured two camera clicks, probably taking the photo above. Remember the volume may need to be turned up. With the car driving past, the stereo should come out clearly on stereo headphones or two spaced speakers.

Padua Birds Camera Car

A WavePad view of this sound snippet.

When I analysed the whole recording afterwards I found the best bit. The bells of the Basilica!

Basilica St Anthony Padua Church Bells

A very distinctive pattern in WavePad.

The Basilica bell tower.

We treated Padua as a pilgrimage, and it was just as uplifting as our previous visit long ago in 2007. Lots of wonderful memories and photographs of Padua, and nice to have a few sounds as well.

 

Sound Recording 2 - Some Sounds of Malaysia

I took three of my recorders to Malaysia in January. At the small end, a Zoom H2n (very small with alternate patterns, can place anywhere) and a Zoom F1 field recorder (my favourite little recorder for lavalier mics pinned to clothing, but can also use interchangeable microphone capsules with different patterns). At the medium end, a Tascam DR-100 Mk III, my favourite travel recorder which has two XLR slots and phantom power for external recorders. I took a small external Sony ECM-MS2 Stereo Electret Condenser Microphone with a windjammer.

Now that I'm more confident with the durability of my top end recorders and mics, I will take fancier gear overseas on my next trip (hoping for a next trip!).

A few different sounds.

We spent some pleasant mornings on the Indian Ocean at a resort on Batu Ferringhi beach (West side of Penang Island). Some people make sand castles but I make microphone castles. Here is a view of the beach, and a castle with the Zoom H2n.

My better equipment, the Tascam and Sony external mic, also came out. I used this on a beach chair facing the ocean, and I took long soundscapes of over an hour.

Here is a snippet of Indian Ocean Waves:

Batu Ferringhi Beach Malaysia Waves

One evening the Boss and I had a very pleasant pre-dinner drink at the resort, at a nice outdoor bar near a fountain. I placed the F1 with a stereo capsule on a rock next to the fountain.

Resort Fountain:

Malaysia Resort Fountain

I find the sound relaxing. The sound wave is distinctly water - loud and regular.

Back at the In-Laws family home in George Town I recorded early morning soundscapes through the back window. Lots of birds (different sounds to Australia), traffic (many motor bikes, being South East Asia) and dogs barking. The Tascam and Sony mic fitted nicely in the window. The view out the window was not spectacular, but the sounds were nice and will remind me of Penang.

Early Morning Birds:

Malaysian Early Morning Birds

Dogs Barking:

Malaysia Dogs Barking

 It's nice having these living memories of Malaysia. Sounds are evocative in a very different way to photographs.

 

New Sound Toy - Tascam DR-70D

Bad Paul had another GAS attack and acquired the Tascam DR-70D 6 input / 4 track / multi-track field recorder.

It is now a great price, less than $400 and less than half what it was when it first came out 5 years ago.

Super capabilities for a ridiculous low price.

The main features that attracted me were the quality pre-amps plus 4 XLR ports each with phantom power. For me this means I can use two high quality stereo microphones, each using its own left and right XLR port. I can record two separate stereo tracks, or mix both microphones into one stereo track.

The XLR ports are compatible with all the nice microphones I have invested in.

This thing is power hungry, especially pumping out phantom power to the mics, and the 4 AA batteries don't have a long life. I acquired a Powertech 15600 mAh usb portable power pack from Jaycar near my office (only $70) because the DR-70D can use usb bus power with the batteries as a back up. This gives the field recorder plenty of life.

Here is the new toy with some kit.

The DR-70D with the power pack, along with two stereo microphones. The smaller Sony ECM-MS2 (brilliant small travel mic) and the larger Audio-Technica AT 8022.

The AT 8022 with the two wind jammers.

I have set up the recorder on the filing cabinet near Sir Lancelot's cage, with the two mics in different positions ready to record his next bout of talking.

But Sir Lance is gaming with me. He starts a really nice burst of talking, then as soon as I turn the recorder on he stops. Next he gives me a cheeky look.

But I will leave everything set up, and get him in the end.

The DR-70D can be mounted on a tripod (either above or below the camera) and used with a DLSR for video recording. Something else I need to try. Here is a picture of what this set up would look like.

I have better quality field recorders (the Sound Devices PreMix-6, but it's 4 times the price of the DR-70D) and more compact ones for travel (the Tascam DR100 Mark III - my favourite field recorder). However I reckon I'll have a lot of fun with this one and I won't have to worry about it too much.