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Advice on recording birdsong (1 Viewer)

alanhill

Well-known member
Can anyone out there help me with advice on equipment for recording birdsong? Is there a lightweight, cheapish, tape or other audio recorder, that is good for basic birdsong recording? I thought the answer might be the microcassette-type recorder; they are small, light, easy to use, and cheap, but the recording quality is poor - understandably they are designed for human speech and don't touch the higher frequencies you get with birds. I don't want anything 'professional' and expensive, and it must be easy to carry in a rucksack or (hopefully) pocket.
Is there any such thing?

Alan Hill
 
My nephew, for xmas, was given a toy that is a listening device, its not expensive and might attatch to a recording device, I know it has earphones. While this is not the best thing in the world, it might be a very cheap way to get some sound.

Alternativly, MP3 players are sometimes equipt for basic recording?
 
Whatever you get, you may need to knock together an external directional microphone. Experiment with an external microphone and a cardboard cone or some such!.
 
How much do you mean by 'expensive' ? Mini-Disc recorders can be obtained for about £100 - £150, microphone extra, and should give acceptable results. Sharp and Sony seem to be the most reliable makes.

Tony
 
There, I knew there'd be some good folks out there with some bright ideas. Many thanks Ashley, Alan and Tony. Even though I like to think I'm fairly technologically literate I'm not up to speed on Mini-Discs, etc, which I will look into (certainly seems to solve the portability problem). And if you can plug in an external mike I'll see if a directional one is a better option.
I'm not out to build a library or anything (there is plenty of good stuff around already). I just wanted the ability to record a song I perhaps couldn't identify in the field, and then play it back at home to help put a name to it.

Alan Hill
 
My suggestion is that you post your question to the following group (you may have to join Yahoo groups)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/

Recording bird songs, even to the level you desire can be frustrating. A key problem is obtaining a strong signal. A directional (shotgun) mike helps eliminate non directional noise, however does not increase your signal. A parabolic mike will increase your signal before it reaches your recorder.

I've dabbled very little in recording birdsongs using a minidisc recorder and a non-parabolic and non-directional mike. Even with the minidisc. with a built in pre-amp, set on maximum recording level it is difficult to get a well amplified signal. As you increase recording strength you increase other noise.

It is probably possible via software programs to eliminate the noise, however, that is a whole another issue.

If you do choose to go the minidisc route, make sure the model you purchase enables mike recording without the use of a pre-amp--unless you want to purchase an out-board pre-amp..

You can get into a lot of money quickly and a lot of learning time in order to get a decent recording. My experience is that it is a longer learning curve than digiscoping.

But, the caveat is--I've done very little recording and so my comments come with a big grain of salt.

Bob D
 
There is a device called the Orbiter here in the US that has a small parabolic dish and an 8 power monocular for aiming. It can record up to 12 seconds, or, some folks take the headphone output directly to a tape recorder microphone input and record that way. The price should be around $90 US funds. I am going to bring one home from our store and give it a good workout, I will let you know how it works if you are interested..

Phil
 
Again thanks for the helpful replies, this time Bob and Phil. Certainly Phil if you do get round to trying out the Orbiter I'll be interested to know how you find it. And the technical points you made Bob, have got me thinking. I suppose I'm a bit surprised that there isn't an off-the-shelf system available in the UK.

Alan Hill
 
Alan, I finally had time to bring on of the Orbiters home from the shop for a day. I connected the headphone out to a microphone input on my Marantz field recorder. For a small dish it does a very good job. The parabolic dish is only 8 inches so it is not as selective as the larger dishes. It does work and I was able to capture some House Finches and Purple Finches on it today. I have been trying to get some of our Anna and Rufous Hummingbirds recorded but no luck yet. If you can find a source for these in the UK they would make a great addition to your birding tools. In the US they are distributed by "Ramphastos".

Best of Luck

Phil
 
I have to look into that "Orbiter". I've been video taping birds and songs for a year now and has already been mentioned, the audio recording part is tricky. Sound levels are usually quite low and ambient noise from running water or wind can often swamp it. I do have an external mike which helps, but getting even recognizable calls can be trying. I have come to dislike aircraft very much. I don't understand why they can't have mufflers like everyone else. :C
 
Phil, thanks a lot. So far the Orbiter seems the only practicable system available, and I will now start looking to see if there is any way to get one in the UK.
I can also see that something like it should greatly enhance the sound quality of video recordings, where the general ambient noise will almost certainly drown out the bird you are videoing.
It's just a bit of a surpirse to me that directional sound systems aren't in more evidence, as they would be useful in a variety of circumstances. Maybe I've watched too many spy/agent films (eg Gene Hackman in 'The Conversation') where the guy doing the taping can pick up the talk between, in this case, two people in a crowded square!
Many thanks

Alan Hill
 
Chuck, it is called the Orbiter 3.0 from Ramphastos. I will check and see if they have a web site when I go to the shop in the morning.

Phil
 
Thanks Chuck, Phil and others. I've looked at the website and the Orbitor system is there for 89.95 (dollars). It certainly looks the sort of thing I was after. Now, as a real ignoramus and knowing nothing of the compatability of electronics, I have to determine whether it will work as well in the UK as the US. Will the recording facility be in the same tape format as I already use?

Alan Hill
 
Alan, there is no tape involved in the Orbitor. The internal 12 second recorder is all digital. It runs on a 9 volt battery so there should be no problems crossing the pond with the device. I used a high end field recorder (cassette type) recorded directly from the output of the Orbitor to the mike input on the recorder and it worked great. Let me knwo if you have any further questions..

Phil

PS - The American Goldfinches are finally coming to the feeders once again here in Washington!!
 
Thank you much Phil. I'd seen similar devices years ago but was unable to locate them now, and this has several improvements over them.

I take it that it has a standard mini plug for the headphones. What I intend to do is plug that, via a male to male cord, into my Mini-DV camcorder.

My only concern is how much noise you pick up handholding the thing. This was a problem I had with an external shotgun mike I was using. I eventually found a clamp that I could attach it to a tree or something then back away with a 20 foot/6 meter cord.

This actually worked but was cumbersome and still not as directional as I would like. I could barely make out lower freq. sounds like woodpecker tapping.

This should work very well. Thanks

Alan, I agree with Phil. This is an analog out. If you can plug a pair of headphones into it, it should be universal so far as I know.

I got caught in a blizzard in the mountains Good Friday morning looking for Pinyon Jays. I retreated back into the desert to get more wildflower shots. You can guess my feeling as a flock of Pinyon Jays flew over head while I was laying prone in full macro mode. Several made a point of landing in nearby Yucca. They have to know what they are doing.
 
Chuck, the output is a 1/8 inch stereo jack and is analog for sure. I didn't notice too much noise while hand holding the device while I ahd one here at home for a day. I do not recall any provisions for mounting. I used a male to male adaptor to feed my Marantz cassette recorder and it worked fine. With such a small dish I would not get overly excited about directionality, however, there is a control for limiting the frequency passband.

Great weather here but the store is keeping me too busy for any serious bird watching. House Finches, Purple Finches, Anna and Rufous Hummingbirds in abundance but nothing spectacular like blizzards and Pinyon Jays!!

Phil
 
Well the dish has to far more directional then my built in mikes and the shotgun was disappointing. I have to agree with Bob D. Sound recording in the field can be very frustrating.

I should have known better about the storm. They were predicting precip and in the mountains that can mean anything.

I'd set up earlier this morning behind the larger white nob to the right of center. I wasn't prepared for a total white out.
 

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