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Setup for newbie (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter kral0001
- Start date
You need a recorder, a microphone and a headphone for monitoring. The microphone should have windscreen to cut out wind noise. There are various brands for all these equipment and depending on the quality of recording that you want to achieve you should set up a budget and then go forward. Otherwise you will be totally lost. It is a good idea to check out forums like Xeno-Canto that are exclusively dedicated to bird sound recording and sharing or forums like Freesound that have many members posting their recordings. Members here share their equipment details from where you get an idea about what is good or bad. Generally speaking the popular recorder brands are Marantz, Fostex, Tascam, Olympus, Edirol, Nagra, Sound Devices (very expensive these last two). Sorry if I have missed any particular brand. The most popular microphone brand is the Sennheiser K6/ME66 combination. A good windscreen brand is Rycote. I suggest do some online research with these names and then choose carefully. Another rule of thumb to remember - cheaper recorders produce hiss and are poorly made that don't last for a long time. Wish you all the best.
I don't have much input, but I found with a shotgun mic, headphones weren't necessary to monitor (I used a Sennheiser ME67 + Marantz PMD661). My recorder displays recording levels, so I knew by looking if I was "frying" the recording.
However, with a parabola, I find headphones absolutely necessary to monitor. If you are not pointing directly at the source, there's an audible difference.
However, with a parabola, I find headphones absolutely necessary to monitor. If you are not pointing directly at the source, there's an audible difference.
fmhill
Shadow's Chaser
I have two field portable recording setups, first and most portable is a Olympus LS11 with a Sennheiser ME-66/K6 (or ME-67/K6 depending on how much "reach" and selectivity I want). The ME-66/K6 is my favorite microphone.
My second recording system is a Marantz PMD661 used more in fixed portable operation with a pair of Sound Devices "302" field mixers and a MixPre for a total of 8 microphone inputs. I have a assortment of Sennheiser ME series microphones, ME-64, ME-66, ME-67 as well as a pair of R0DE NTG-3. As I live on Coastal Cape Cod, I have many bays with wildlife and often use a 6 microphone array for both reach and spread depending on how I configure the microphones...
And I use both Sony and Sennheiser headphones for monitoring...
My second recording system is a Marantz PMD661 used more in fixed portable operation with a pair of Sound Devices "302" field mixers and a MixPre for a total of 8 microphone inputs. I have a assortment of Sennheiser ME series microphones, ME-64, ME-66, ME-67 as well as a pair of R0DE NTG-3. As I live on Coastal Cape Cod, I have many bays with wildlife and often use a 6 microphone array for both reach and spread depending on how I configure the microphones...
And I use both Sony and Sennheiser headphones for monitoring...
Peter Ericsson
Well-known member
fmhill
Shadow's Chaser
I know nothing about the Olympus LS-12 however if it has an external microphone jack and the option to turn off the PIP (plug in power) as does the LS-11, any of the Sennheiser ME/K6 series microphones should work with the LS-12...
The advantage of the ME/K6 series microphones is they have a internal AA battery to power the internal preamp/line driver, external power is not required. And interestingly, I find they will run a full season on a single Duracell AA alkaline battery... And, if you have a recorder or preamp with Phantom power, simply leave the battery switch on the K6 in the off position, the ME/K6 will run on Phantom power as well... This is a nice feature shouldd you decide at some point to upgrade to equipment with Phantom power...
steinn
Well-known member
http://tromsofoto.blogspot.no/2011/03/make-your-own-stereo-microphone.html
http://tromsofoto.blogspot.no/2012/03/recording-birdsounds-with-telinga.html
Hi,
heres a suggestion for a newbie, I bought these cheap Behringer mics and mounted them in a parabola, worked really fine but a bit heavy.. I used it with H4n. I now own a Telinga stereo PIP and using Zoom H6.
Enjoy recording, great fun!!
Stein, Norway
http://tromsofoto.blogspot.no/2012/03/recording-birdsounds-with-telinga.html
Hi,
heres a suggestion for a newbie, I bought these cheap Behringer mics and mounted them in a parabola, worked really fine but a bit heavy.. I used it with H4n. I now own a Telinga stereo PIP and using Zoom H6.
Enjoy recording, great fun!!
Stein, Norway
DocSarvis
Well-known member
You should read the article in the July/August 2013 issue of Birding Magazine; "Pocket Bird Recording: Smartphone to Spectrogram". Basically, if you have an iPhone or an iPod touch of recent vintage and $50 for a modest microphone, you are in the bird recording business. I have had success with an iPod touch 4th generation and an Audio-technica ATR6550 shotgun microphone that sells for slightly over $50. See reviews on you tube. Not anywhere near the quality as the above mentioned setups but it gets you started for a bare minimum investment with something you may already own.
Last edited:
iveljay
Well-known member
Its not the frying of the recording so much round here as watching out for extraneous noises, the mic tends to pick up far more than you can hear, in one case a married couple having a furious argument, that was completely inaudible without the mic and somewhat distracted you from the bird!
Jon.Bryant
Well-known member
All the Gear - No Idea
As a would be recordest, with some nice gear, but little time. I think it can be important to think about what, how and why you want to record sounds, prior buying equipment.
Shotgun microphones (and parabolas) are good at 'drawing in' sounds, but will also pick up extraneous noise - I know this only too well living close to Heathrow. For a clean recording there is nothing quite like getting up close and personal, then setting lower recording levels to cut out background sound. In this case you do not need a particularly sensitive mic, but good field craft/plenty of hours in the field. On a BBC programme, Chris Watson achieved an amazing recording of Dipper sub-song on a river, by setting a small mic up close to where the bird was standing - a great example of attenuating out background noise (in this case a river)
If you want to make casual recordings, without a great investment of time then having a sensitive microphone helps.
Some recorders such at the Sony PCM-M10 and some of the Olympus models have quite sensitive in-built microphones and are Ok, particularly for 'snap shot' recordings. The on board microphones, are not particularly directional, so you will pick up all sounds in the general area. Interestingly the Sony PCM-M10 microphones are about the same sensitivity as when a ME66/67 shotgun is plugged in to the device. I can't remember the technical reason, but I remember that there is some legitimate reason for a drop in sensitivity of the external mic. Be careful on the recorder input and powering, if you want the mic to perform at full sensitivity! although of course the external mic will be more directional. I have also tried getting these handheld recorders up close and personal, but as you can't monitor and adjust the levels, you then need practice, patience and luck to get it right.
As a passing comment, in the thread above, it is mentioned that the ME67 draws in the sound more than the ME66. I fell for the longer the more powerful argument, but if you check the tech specs, both microphones have the same sensitivity. The long gun, is just better at attenuating unwanted noise, from sides and back. If you want something that draws in the sound, and gets you close, you need to consider and research the mic sensitivity, or get a cumbersome parabola set up. The relatively cheap Olympus short shotgun mentioned in the tread, is far less sensitive than the ME66 or 67.
If you go beyond a recorder with in-built mics, I would always favour a recorder with proper XLR connections. I think Marantz do a relatively cheap model. Minijacks are not locked in position, and I have resorted to taping them up to stop them twisting and creating some really horrid noise. XLR's are a more positive connection in the field.
Finally if you are ultimately looking to create beautiful recordings of soundscapes, then you need to be looking at a stereo setup. I am more interested in scientific recordings, so not my bag. You would need a recorder capable of receiving stereo mic inputs, and either a pair of mics, or a two suitable mics set up in XY configuration (if your recorder will accept this set up). This would be both expensive and cumbersome, so I would not suggest jumping straight to stereo, unless in a modest way, using in-built mics on the Olympus or Sony.
As a would be recordest, with some nice gear, but little time. I think it can be important to think about what, how and why you want to record sounds, prior buying equipment.
Shotgun microphones (and parabolas) are good at 'drawing in' sounds, but will also pick up extraneous noise - I know this only too well living close to Heathrow. For a clean recording there is nothing quite like getting up close and personal, then setting lower recording levels to cut out background sound. In this case you do not need a particularly sensitive mic, but good field craft/plenty of hours in the field. On a BBC programme, Chris Watson achieved an amazing recording of Dipper sub-song on a river, by setting a small mic up close to where the bird was standing - a great example of attenuating out background noise (in this case a river)
If you want to make casual recordings, without a great investment of time then having a sensitive microphone helps.
Some recorders such at the Sony PCM-M10 and some of the Olympus models have quite sensitive in-built microphones and are Ok, particularly for 'snap shot' recordings. The on board microphones, are not particularly directional, so you will pick up all sounds in the general area. Interestingly the Sony PCM-M10 microphones are about the same sensitivity as when a ME66/67 shotgun is plugged in to the device. I can't remember the technical reason, but I remember that there is some legitimate reason for a drop in sensitivity of the external mic. Be careful on the recorder input and powering, if you want the mic to perform at full sensitivity! although of course the external mic will be more directional. I have also tried getting these handheld recorders up close and personal, but as you can't monitor and adjust the levels, you then need practice, patience and luck to get it right.
As a passing comment, in the thread above, it is mentioned that the ME67 draws in the sound more than the ME66. I fell for the longer the more powerful argument, but if you check the tech specs, both microphones have the same sensitivity. The long gun, is just better at attenuating unwanted noise, from sides and back. If you want something that draws in the sound, and gets you close, you need to consider and research the mic sensitivity, or get a cumbersome parabola set up. The relatively cheap Olympus short shotgun mentioned in the tread, is far less sensitive than the ME66 or 67.
If you go beyond a recorder with in-built mics, I would always favour a recorder with proper XLR connections. I think Marantz do a relatively cheap model. Minijacks are not locked in position, and I have resorted to taping them up to stop them twisting and creating some really horrid noise. XLR's are a more positive connection in the field.
Finally if you are ultimately looking to create beautiful recordings of soundscapes, then you need to be looking at a stereo setup. I am more interested in scientific recordings, so not my bag. You would need a recorder capable of receiving stereo mic inputs, and either a pair of mics, or a two suitable mics set up in XY configuration (if your recorder will accept this set up). This would be both expensive and cumbersome, so I would not suggest jumping straight to stereo, unless in a modest way, using in-built mics on the Olympus or Sony.
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