iPod for song playback? (1 Viewer)

RSL · Nov 10, 2004

I'm wondering if anyone has attempted to use an Apple iPod or similar digital device hooked up to an external speaker for playback of bird song recordings in the field.
I THINK it should work, but don't own an iPod and haven't found any information that confirms my theory. Can anyone comment? I see that there are some battery-powered external speakers available, and the instant access to "songs" should be a convenience. Of course, one would lose the ability to record and playback, but I think I could live with that.
Any information or links would be appreciated.

Rasmus Boegh · Nov 10, 2004

Although I don't own an iPOD I see absolutely no reason why it shouldn't work. A friend of mine has one and he regularly uses it with small speakers, though we're talkin' ordinary music. Personally, I have had a preference for MP3 players, earlier Minidiscs, both of which have done the job in birding. - Although I am currently wondering what new device to buy, as my last MP3-player died a few months ago while trembling down Mt. Kinabalu! Admittedly, I would be very hesitant to buy a player where I couldn't make my own recordings, but that is obviously a personal preference.

redshift · Nov 10, 2004

RSL said:
I'm wondering if anyone has attempted to use an Apple iPod or similar digital device hooked up to an external speaker for playback of bird song recordings in the field.
I THINK it should work, but don't own an iPod and haven't found any information that confirms my theory. Can anyone comment? I see that there are some battery-powered external speakers available, and the instant access to "songs" should be a convenience. Of course, one would lose the ability to record and playback, but I think I could live with that.
Any information or links would be appreciated.

I do have an iPod with battery powered speakers - yes, I am sure this would work. There are also add-on attachments that you can buy for iPods which give them a recording capability. E.g. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/italk/ - I don't have one of these so have no idea how capable the mic is for birdsong.

Edward woodwood · Nov 10, 2004

It works fine as long as your mp3 player can record

I use an Archos Gmini 120 mainly for music (holds thousands of tracks) and it can be used to record/playback in the field. It will also hold photos etc so you could take a collection of field guide plates to help in the field to or use it as a store of images off a flashcard.

memory is 20GB which seems enough for any conceivabe birding purpose

GeoffWood · Nov 10, 2004

I have an iPod and have used it with birdsong on it but through the in-ear speakers (to confirm identity of birds that are difficult to get good views of)
I can also confirm that the birdsong plays fine through external speakers (on domestic HiFi) All the birds of Britain & Europe will fit onto a fraction of the iPOd's storage capacity.
The problem with battery powered speakers could be battery life & possibly volume.
It would be very interesting to hear of anyones experience in using an iPod to decoy birds for a closer view, or photography.

Bob D · Nov 10, 2004

I don't use an iPod, but a PDA. Radio Shack makes a speaker about 2"x2"x1" in size. It is powered by a 9 volt battery When I bought mine several years ago it cost about $12.

I use a 6" mini to mini cord (made mine but short ones are available) to attach to the earphone out of the PDA to the speaker. For most purposes it has sufficient volume. Under calm conditions it can be heard 100 yds away depending on the birds song.

The speaker is attached to the back of the PDA by velcro

A question I have is how iPods arrange songs. In a PDA I've folders set up by genus and each bird song is identified by the birds name full name. This makes it easy to find the bird I want.

I would be interested in knowing the options available in an iPod to arrange songs.

By the way, I use Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs. Rip them using Microsofts's Media Player, which links me to the internet and applies the name to each song. So there is no need to manually name the song.

Using bird songs to call in birds is controversial and some are very critical of doing it especially in breeding season. I've used my PDA very successfully several times and consider it a valuable tool. My partner and I had seen a possible King Rail near sundown, it was in an area essentialy not accessable (mud) over a 100 yds away and was hidden in the vegetation.

Played the song and the rail flew straight towards us and landed about 20' away and returned the call. It was the first King Rail seen in Iowa in 5 years. Also recently it was used to help document a Grooved-billed Ani, the third confirmed sighting in Iowa.

RSL · Nov 11, 2004

Thank you, all for the fast and thoughtful replies. I'll have to explore this further. My goal is to have some very portable arrangement suitable for tropical birding, where tapes can mean the difference between catching a glimpse of something or not even having a clue that it's in the vicinity.
The idea of using such a device for backup storage of digital photos is intriguing, also...

Rasmus Boegh · Nov 11, 2004

RSL said:
Thank you, all for the fast and thoughtful replies. I'll have to explore this further. My goal is to have some very portable arrangement suitable for tropical birding, where tapes can mean the difference between catching a glimpse of something or not even having a clue that it's in the vicinity.
The idea of using such a device for backup storage of digital photos is intriguing, also...

Well, I have used MP3 players (though as said, not iPod) in Kenya, Peninsula Malaysia, Borneo, and throughout most of South America. So, it certainly works and is in many ways superior to the old tapes. It depends more on you being able to locate a speaker that is suitable, not only in volume (which is relatively easy to find), but also in durability, which can be somewhat harder (I have "killed" several "supposedly waterproof" devices in the in wet Choco region & the Amazon). Having said this, if you really plan on using it in tropical regions, I must emphasize how important it is to be able to make your own recordings...

dacol · Nov 12, 2004

Rasmus Boegh said:
... if you really plan on using it in tropical regions, I must emphasize how important it is to be able to make your own recordings...

This is good advice. Note that for play-backs (ie, you record some bird that is singing nearby and play its song in the hopes of inducing it to show itself) high quality recordings are usually not needed, a fair recording usually works.

Like Tim I have a Archos Gmini 120 which I used in a trip to Manaus (Brazil) and nearby areas recently and its buitl-in microphone and a mini-loudspeaker from Radio Shack were very useful for play-backs. If you do a Web search for Archos or Gmini you should get to their web site. The RadioShack speaker is their "Mini Audio Amplifier", US catalog #: 277-1008 (cost US$12.99, yep, about thirteen dollars), uses a regular 9 volt battery,
about the size of a cigarette pack (same size of the Gmini). The Gmini also accepts an external mic but you will need a pre-amplifier to boost the signal being recorded. I would carry the Gmini and the speaker on shirt pockets using a short cable for connecting the two and would take out the Gmini in order to operate it.

Dalcio

BIRDseeN · Nov 12, 2004

We have used an MP3 player hooked up to speakers successfully in the States and Caribbean - Ferruginous Pygmy Owl goes down a treat! An iPOD is in effect just a large capacity MP3 player, and should work just as well.

scfurino · Nov 20, 2004

iPod in Costa Rica

I have used an iPod to record bird song in Costa Rica quite successfully using Belkin's Voice Recorder. The recording is not high quality but is frequently good enough for ID purposes. I'd like to know if anyone has come across a high quality recording device for the iPod.

Note that as a previous poster mentioned, wet climates are very high risk places for electronic equipment.

My son has an iPod and portable battery powered speakers. Given the frequency of my requests to "turn it down" I suspect volume will not be a problem.

RSL · Nov 24, 2004

scfurino,

Very interesting...are you referring to the $49 Belkin device that attaches to (I think) the top of an iPod and allows recording? I believe the one I've read about even has a small speaker built in.

Thanks for the info.

scfurino · Dec 4, 2004

Belkin recorder for iPod

I do, indeed, use the Belkin recorder but there are others out there.

Steven

samuel walker · Dec 5, 2004

Yes I was out with a pro wildlife photog who had an MP3 player and a small practice amp with speaker.That was on a warbler safari.He picked through the list of likelys and called. they answered and dropped in atan astounding rate.
Sam

Steve Babbs · Dec 5, 2004

samuel walker said:
Yes I was out with a pro wildlife photog who had an MP3 player and a small practice amp with speaker.That was on a warbler safari.He picked through the list of likelys and called. they answered and dropped in atan astounding rate.
Sam

Hi

does anyone know if the radio shack speaker refered to by Bob D and dacol is available in the UK? It sounds ideal but I have failed to find it on line. I don't think most US shops will ship electronic equipment here and although radio shack shops used to be quite common in the Uk I haven't seen one for years so they may have no longer have shops here.

I use a Rio MP3 player which has no where near the the capacity of i-pods but is tiny, rugged and shower proof (it's designed for runners mainly) and it works pretty well for calling out birds.

Steve

Cheers

Steve

IanHWright · Dec 9, 2004

Just come to this thread. An iPod will be ideal particularly having been set up with iTunes, the Mac music organising program. With itunes you can easily label individual calls, group them together into 'playlists' or what ever and quickly access them on the iPod. Just recently I comfortably communicated with a Scops Owl using battery driven, Creative 'TravelSound' speakers driven by my laptop. My iPod would have done the job equally well.

Ian

dhandler · Mar 2, 2005

I've found using an iPod to be extremely convenient and fast. Using iTunes (free download for PC or Mac from Apple's website) you can download birdsong recordings and transfer them to your iPod. There you can arrange songs in playlists in alphabetical or taxonomic order - create a playlist for birdsongs you might wish to access during your next birding trip.

I've connected iPod to a travel speaker (Sony SRS-T77) which is compact and foldable and which runs on 4xAA batteries or included power supply. The dynamic range is extremely well suited for bird calls and the 4W output is more than enough power. Volume is controlled using the iPod.

Wearing a vest I can slip the Sony into a pocket, the iPod into another pocket and the built-in cable from the Sony (mini stereo) connects easily to the iPod's earphone jack.

I've also used the Sony for music playback (I have over 6,000 songs on my iPod) as well as all the bird calls of North America as well as several calls from Central and South America. I also use the Sony attached to my Powerbook for classroom work - it carries well in a lecture hall.

If you have never used an iPod before you are missing out out on an incredible tool. No more searching through cassette tapes or lugging heavy recorders! Scrolling for birdsong files is fast and precise plus you have a read-out on the screen of what you're listening to.

bwarner · Apr 9, 2008

my "birdPod" works great. I have a 30gig (you only need about 1 or 2 gigs) iPod and I use the LG MSP-200 speakers which are awesome for portability and loudness, they are pretty durable but not waterproof. For recording I use one of the external recording units available to attach directly to your iPod and even has a directional microphone jack. Works great, except when I am using my waterproof case for the iPod, then it doesn't fit on. but for birds I already have recordings of (using the BirdJam software to edit out the narrations and Stoke's field guides US birdsong CDs) so I can discreetly tape in birds. Of course don't over do things and use common courtesy when playing recordings in the field, and never in heavily birded areas. For Photography this can work like magic, getting a bird to come right in for the close-up is too easy for some. Its controversial but, used wisely and responsibly can be a handy tool. here is a brief review of speakers I like a lot:
Hands down the best Speakers I've seen and used for this exact purpose are some speakers manufactured by LG. They are the MSP-101, MSP-200, or "portable stereo speakers" they fold up and connect to an iPod or cell phone with a 3' long cable. They are Very Loud if need be, the volume can be controlled via the iPod or on the new model (MSP-200) also on the speakers. They have an internal re-chargable battery with on off switch, LED charge indicators etc. The great part about them is they are so small, in a folding design they are about the same size as a small flip cellular phone. Really really awesome speakers, not great for bass response obviously, but perfect for bird song/calls.

Search for them at Cellular phone stores such as Verizon Wireless. I got mine on sale for 20 dollars but they retail for about 50 u.s. dollars. Worth the price tho, perfect field speakers.

almar · Apr 9, 2008

You alll may be interested in the following sit;
http://www.birdjam.com/google01.php
with tmany of the answers to bird song questions already answered.

I have been gifted an I pod and the Stokes and downloading software and they all work very well. There is also recording attachmentsa and a loud speaker?case combo which I have used very infrequently and cannot compare to any of the speaker kits mentioned elsewher in this thred.

They are nice people and respond to queries and try generally to be of help.

Harold Stiver · Apr 10, 2008

We recently had a guide in Panama who used Ipod. It was excellent. In fact it was so quick and simple to use that I'm going to switch from my Sony HI-MD MP3 player.

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