I really like how you are just talking like a regular person. And not doing the thing many people do on youtube accentuanting to make a point, people start sounding the same.. Also, I appreciate the information!
Thanks for your effort! My heart has always been beating for (good) sound. I've been doing a lot of filming and also photographing over the years but nowadays I think the magic of the image gets more and more lost. At least for me that's why I'm meanwhile getting more joy out of field recording. For me one of the most challenging things is to find good sounding soundscapes with my ears and not my eyes. I still catch myself "looking" for good places to record. The ugliest or most boring looking places can be the best sounding ones. You really have to totally change your focus on how you realize the world around you. I'm looking forward more videos from you. Greetings!
Great video bro and I like the vibes you sending out. It's nice and peaceful and you give out great info. Just got a zoom h1n for 48 euro so that I can record some sounds to load up my Roland sp 404 MK2 🎉🎉
Hey, I really enjoyed your video. I'm just getting into field recording (got my Tascam DR-7X ready to go) and have been browsing around for inspiration. Mostly I have been bombarded with one particular field recording channel (you probably know the one) but I'm glad I found yours. I hope you keep it up! I would love to hear about what you like to record, how you process/organize it after, and what you do with it. I think you're on the right track, so I look forward to more. Thank you!
Hey Jason thanks for the comment. I’ve been doing a lot of research and been rebuilding the field recording approach, adding video in as well. The field recording vibes playlist is that pursuit. I definitely plan on sharing what I’ve been learning and learning back from the community. Recording the recording, now that’s a neat idea!
Thank you for sharing your experties. I got really inspired about high quality fieldrecording from your demonstration. I will absolute some day get an Zoom recorder for the two stereo channel capturing. I am more of an photo/film camera guy, I have an Röde shootgun external mic for my dslr camera, but I have noticed lately that sound-design is great impact and have heavy importans for the whole experience despite in production of videogame, movies or listening to an audio ebook. Thank you!❤🙏😁 Keep up the great work. You are so talented and genuine.
Dope video, love the sounds of the insects. I do a little field recording here in Los Angeles, but it's always SO NOISEY. I've almost resorted to just capturing the sounds of cars and traffic and cityscapes. I want to do more nature, but that requires a good drive to get out of the city.
Great video! Nicely done explaining basics. Question though, can you recommend some alternatives to Clippy mics? Can't find them in Canada for some reason. Maybe something like Comica XLR CVM-V02O or Movo LV-6? Any guess?
Thank you! I definitely would recommend checking out earsight microphones at immersivesoundscapes.com/ Haven’t heard them personally but I’ve heard good things, plus they have many different formats available to fit specific setups. If I did it again, I would probably try these.
Well done mate. I enjoyed the video and subed to your channel. Keep up the good job! I was #463 subscriber just to refer to it in a year when you have 100K subscribers ;) .
minimal settings. I just set the gain so there's maybe 12 dB of headroom or more for very dynamic sounds such as a thunderstorm. I do EQ and stuff in post. Usually, I'll flip the mics out to the AB configuration to capture a wider soundstage.
Thank you. First key to recording rain is obviously protecting the gear from the water, but if you don’t want to hear the water hitting what’s protecting the mics (umbrella, tarp, roof, etc.), you need to diffuse the water droplets. I’ve seen people online using blown filter material known as “hogs hair” to layer on top of the rain protection layer. I haven’t used hogs hair but I have used a layer of foam batting on top of plastic wrap on a frame of garden mesh to make a silent umbrella, it worked pretty well.
Hi! Thanks for the video! I have a question I like to go hiking and I'd like to recording it. No talk, just the steps and the nature sounds. What type of microphone could you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Keep doing like these nice videos. you have such nice audio equipment. I kile this kind of videos from you. keep recording and sharing the nature and fields
Haven't personally used the dr100mkiii or the x6. The x6 has 32 bit float recording and more bells and whistles. Check out some reviews and follow your intuition!
DR100 mk III is not in production anymore and expensive, if you can find one at all, although it was pretty good. The Zoom F3 is probably the best price/low noise recorder available now, but it doesn’t have built in microphones.
Thanks for making this video. As someone who is considering this as a hobby, I really appreciate you taking the time to show the differences in how different mics sound as well as demonstrating just how important wind protection is.
Alex, I’m a Vermont-based sound recordist; I write books about field recording and teach workshops, and I want to complement you on your program. Very well done, nice delivery, and let me also say that the last thing you said in this first video is important and compelling: that field recording is a great way to get out and experience the world around us. Nice work, sir. Keep them coming.
@@JayGillUK Thank you! For budget friendly rain recording, an inexpensive recorder under a tarp or umbrella covered with foam batting or “hogs hair” filter material to dampen the rain drops hitting the tarp.
Really interesting, thanks for sharing!! I'm studying at university and I used both ZoomF6 and H4nPro, and I love them both. But to start with the experience of field recording myself I've just bought the h4, as you said, the experience of going out and listen to the world is a very important part of the process :) Keep it up!!
I m into music , talking , nature recordings and i just ordered tascam x8 Which mic is best for talking and music smooth , please mention mid range one , tascam x8 and shipping already bankrupted me 😂, Looking for reply
I appreciate the sound recording and your advice on starting simply! I'd like to know how far away sounds could be recorded with the omnidirectional mics with low latency mics and what mics are good for quiet night atmospheric ambient sounds how costly they are? What device you used in this demo to control sounds? Is it possible to capture enhanced transportation sounds sitting on the same place with nearby sounds immersing in louder sounds like while the transports are going away from near to far?
so grateful for this kind of videos, where you explain it in simple terms and show real life examples. gear always will be something that we are all enthusiasts are passionate about 🙏🏼 keep doing such quality content and explore your limits. that truly inspires 🙌🏼
How do you do rainy weather? And curious to know if you ended up keeping it simple yourself when starting out this journey, and the investment in mics, etc.
when recording rain, obv you want to protect the mics and gear, but if you just put them under a tarp or umbrella, you will hear the rain hitting that barrier. To diffuse the sound, you'll need a layer of foam or fibrous filter media such as "hog's hair" to diffuse the impact of the raindrops hitting the waterproof barrier. And I started off doing more studio recording and have transitioned into more production/field recording, but when I started the field stuff, I indeed did start simple with just the DR40x handheld recorder and old earbuds to monitor the sounds.
@@atmospherism Thanks for your response. :) Regarding the hogs hair shield that will help diffuse the impact of the rain drops, do you have any examples of such gear protection anywhere? I tried for a search on amazon to find something like this but I'm unsure what I should be looking for, do you any links to gear like this for sale?
I too am a gear head. Funny you mention blowing 10 grand. Bruh that's the Sound-Devices scorpio alone. It's 11 grand now. But me wants it. Lol. But to be honest the Zoom F8N Pro will more than do. Right now I have a Zoom H6 original and the H8. But as i'm blind I'm considering the new esssential version of the H6. The hard 1 to let go of is the 8 as to me it's 3 times more studio sounding then the 6.
The F8N Pro has been excellent so far. Diminishing returns set in quite quickly, though the sound devices is 10x more expensive, I would probably find it hard to discern between the two in a blind test! The real value of the expensive gear is the presentation on set, lol. People take you more seriously when you have more expensive stuff, especially at the Hollywood level where much is image-driven. For now and for years to come, I am sure the Zoom will serve me excellently.
@@atmospherism Agreed well I think so. i've not heard a Rode NT1-A into the F8. But I do recall when Zoom came out with them originally I was like bruh this thing sounds like at the time the 4000$ Sound-Devices 744-T recorder. As for meh little hand held I have an Olympus LS-14. It's convenient but I'd rather the whole rig for surround sound and trooth.
I don't like the boominess of voice through a shotgun mic. I much prefer the voice as it was picked up by the omnis and cardiods. The tradeoff is, of course, those mics don't reject background sound. But the boominess seems to be a property of the phase cancelling properties of shotguns. I guess there's no getting around a silent studio room.
The MKE 600 shotgun I used here is in the mid range as far as microphones go, I definitely have to EQ the sound coming from it, and it's not my first choice for recording voice. Do you still find this boomineess in the top level pro shotguns too like Schoeps? I agree a treated studio offers the best opportunity to use a wide range of mics but that's not really applicable in field recording or location sound
As a hobby folly-ist, this is really interesting (and possibly the next step); my question to you is: what do you do with these recordings? Just enjoy them yourself?
Hi, I am new to recording and have a Tascam X8 and Sennheiser MKE 600. Love them both but am I being overly sensitive to "hiss" or just misguided on what is "hiss"? Example listening to your field mics at 6 mins 50 seconds of this video the field sounds are superb but the hiss seemed massively intrusive to my ear. What are your thoughts? I just want clean sound of the thing I am recording and want to hear it loud in my speakers on playback but hiss does my head in. Thank you in advance for any thoughts.
Ah yes noise and distortion have been the battle of sound recording technology since its inception. Essentially they are the same thing but dealing on opposite ends of a scale. It comes down to dynamic range, which is essentially the difference between the loudest sound before clipping, and the quietest discernible sound before it’s lost in the noise floor. Noise in recording technology usually is most prominent in the high frequencies, hence the hiss. Think of old tape recordings, tape hiss is a classic artifact. At 6:50 this was listening to the built in mics of the Tascam DR-40x which I have noticed the noise floor is not excellent. You get a good bit of digital hiss from this recorder and it’s known for its so-so preamps. If you skip over to 12:25, that is an example where the noise floor is substantially lower. This is because I’m running the clippy omnidirectional mics (which are very sensitive) into the Zoom F8N Pro, which has higher quality mic preamps than that of the Tascam DR-40x. On top of cheap preamps, cheap mics will often land you with lots of hiss too. Finding the balance of quality and affordability is an interesting one, because as you go up in quality, the prices will start to increase exponentially. Essentially, make sure both your microphone and the preamp are sufficient quality to avoid too much unwanted noise (for quiet sounds) and distortion (for loud sounds). When researching, the “signal to noise” ratio is a measure of how noisy that piece of gear is based on testing.
@@atmospherism Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a detailed a detailed helpful reply. Agree price to quality is an interesting exercise and this is what landed me on the X8 (32 bit) and the MKE 600 at their price points I felt these might work well for me and not have me wanting to spend a again to early! What is you view of the Tascam X8 Portacapture Pre Amp? I am assuming I will get better sound connecting my MKE 600 to the Tascam Portacapture than straight into camera?(although that does sound good). But does it make a difference if I connect the MKE to the Tascam’s 3.5mm jack or its XLR ports? Again many thanks for your reply. Your videos they are very engaging and helpful hope you keep them coming. Regards Mark
I haven’t heard the Tascam x8 personally so I can’t comment on its preamp quality, however if you want optimal sound for video, the best way would be to connect the mic directly to the recorder via XLR and record onto the audio recorder. Then, sync that sound in post with the camera sound. The issue with running the recorder or mic into the camera is that since the primary function of a camera is picture, the audio preamps are lesser quality than that of a dedicated recorder.
I am just astarting in field recording but for enhancement of spacial sound i use mid/side as a main and up to additional, 4 omnidirectional lavs or mini shotguns placed at "points of interest" like just beside stream, nest e.t.c. Have you used such additional tracks? To mix in? I actually plan to start mixing audio as 5.1
I haven't brought that many mics into field recording yet, but that is an interesting idea. I've stuck with stereo so far bc if I'm out in nature or the city, I want to keep the recording setup as easy as possible because I like walking light. Maybe I'll try this out and make a video about it
Thank you, Alex, for simplifying the process of recording nature sounds. I'd like to inquire about capturing rain sounds outdoors. I've experimented with using a plastic cover and recording under a cabin, but unfortunately, the rain hitting the plastic and the sounds of the cabin's roof are prominently captured. I apologize if my question seems trivial, as I'm new to outdoor sound recording. However, I thoroughly enjoy recording the ambient sounds and videos of forests and streams. Could you please provide me with some advice?
Sure thing. The key to avoiding the sound of the rain hitting your rain protection layer is to diffuse the incoming water droplets. I’ve seen people online using blown filter material known as “hogs hair” to layer on top of the rain protection layer. I haven’t used hogs hair but I have used a layer of foam batting (comes in a roll from the craft store) on top of plastic wrap on a frame of garden mesh to make a silent umbrella, it worked pretty well.
@@atmospherism Thank you, for the fantastic idea! Using foam batting on top of plastic wrap sounds like a great solution to diffuse the rain sounds. I'll give it a try and see how it improves my recordings. I really appreciate your advice! 😀
Hi Alex, great demo. I am guessing those Behringer mics are the C-2. I have the B-5 which are much quieter and also come with two capsules one Cardioid and one Omni. I've put these into my Rode blimp with great success. Many thanks for the video. By the way my recorder is the Zoom H8. Very good unit.(Check out Curtis Judd review)
My first field recording setup used to be a cheapo Stereo Cassette recorder with Microphone Input. Then i jumped to a portable reel to reel for better audioquality due to the faster tape speed. Then i switched to a better cassette recorder that was higher quality and that was pretty good. Then i obtained a second hand MiniDisc walkman from 1999 and a little stereo mic (a Thomann t.Bone ST40) and i made the best freaking field redordings with that simple rig. it was small, lightweight and i had a sound that was insanely good. Even if it wasn't lossless, the DAC of the little Sony Minidisc walkman sounded incredible.And the whole rig didn't cost me more than 50 maybe 60 bucks (including the blank MDs). The only downside was i had to record all my recordings to my PC again through the Soundcard, because i had no way to dump the ATRAC audio digitally from my MD. But i was still very happy with the results i got from it. After that i went with a Zoom H2 (the original silver "electric shaver" model) but hated its super noisy Mic Input. So i only used the internal mics which i still loved because it let me chose the Stereo width and of course i did a few 4.0 Recordings as well. Something you cannot do with the majority of digital compact audio recorders, except the Zoom H2n.
Sure it’s an Apache 3800 case from harbor freight and then the trekpack divider kit is for the pelican iM2200 and the lid organizer is Harrison brand for pelican 1450
Thank you for putting this together! I'm trying to find just the right mic's for whale recording for an Alaska trip and thunderstorm/weather/nature recording for home (Phoenix). This was super helpful and put together in such a human relatable/personable format! Appreciate your efforts!
Thanks for sharing!! I find out field recording and ambient noise interesting and great for my art installation project. The tascam and zoom recorder isn't a cheap one in my country, but for start i would use sony or even my phone to record, maybe i will buy an omnidirectional mic for better result. Thanks
Good video. Good information. I love to go out back and record our woods. I too started with a small recorder and built-in mics. Since I already do music recording I upgraded to a 4 input interface plugged into my tablet and using mics from the studio. A friend of mine even recommended making a CD with the intro to each song being nature (mostly birds) for each. So it gave it a fun twist
That's really cool. I'm not into this sort of audio, I like music recording and bird recording, but the way you explain the different kinds of mics with the examples is great! Also that is the perfect asmr rig tbh
i was looking for reviews on the Zoom H1n/H4n for my vlogs and drumming, and now i'm in the field recording rabbit hole lol. i also have those Behringer C2s but it's connected to my UMC204HD interface thats collecting dust atm. my dilemma is either go for the H1n thats super cheap atm (~$70), or spend almost 3x and get the solid H4n instead. though it looks like you already answered my question about the H1n and i think i'm just gonna start with that first, and since it's cheaper i wont lose much if i decided to sell/upgrade. thanks for the insightful video on field recordings too, the sounds are super peaceful. subbed.
Benefit to the h4n is that you can run 2 mics/instruments into it and record simultaneously with the built in mics. For drumming for example, you could run a kick and snare mic into the xlr inputs on the bottom, and use the zoom mics as overheads. For vlogging alone, the h1n will be a more compact solution, but in that case you could even rock a mic or the h1n on the camera to have a 1 piece grab and go kit.
Alex, I just found your channel and I subscribed. Awesome overview of the basics of field recording. Looking forward to more from you. BTW, I loved the closing 15 seconds of ambiance with the drone of lawnmowers in the background. Gotta love modern society ;^) I'm in New Jersey and silence doesn't exist here.
Thanks for the video. I just started a TH-cam channel doing outdoor nature videos. I probably don't have the right Mic since I'm using a shotgun ntg Mic although it does sound pretty good I could probably do better. That's just what rode recommended when I ask them what I needed. Where is a good place to buy mics? For field recording? Oh and what audio editor do you use. I just bought RX10 standard from iZotope. Sure is confusing But I'm sure it'll get easier
Depends on what you want from the sound. Shotgun mics are good for isolating sounds like speaking or bird calls. For wide nature soundscapes, you will want at least two mics to capture the stereo soundstage. You can use shotguns for stereo but they’re long and you’ll primarily only hear the sounds where the mics are pointing at. The three stereo techniques I described here are a good starting point (recorder w built in mics, stereo Omni mics, stereo cardioids). For buying, B&H is a good research reference and they have a large catalogue, I’ve bought a lot of gear from them. Although, for sound specific stuff, I do like to order from production sound websites like gothamsound.com or trewaudio.com they should have the same prices and they have good support. Also check out www.thomannmusic.com they have the best deals I’ve found online for gear. As far as editing, I really like the Pro Tools workflow for speed, but I hate the subscription model. Thus, I’ve been using Logic Pro X for audio post. It has a much better creative workflow for say music production or sound design, just a little less speedy than pro tools. For detailed editing like noise reduction I have isotope rx too.
@@atmospherism wow thanks for the detailed response. I'll definitely check out those websites and b&h. Right now I have the zoom f3 recorder. I might try some omni directional mics though. I just need to practice it cleaning up the audio in Rx. Looks very complicated at first but I'm sure it'll get easier. Again thanks for the reply
Not sure how hard you’re going in the audio clean up but me personally I almost never use it. I’ll only really do it when I’m cleaning up dialog for a film production. I tend to do more simple post production, cutting out segments, cross fading, EQ. Not saying you shouldn’t do it but you also don’t “need” to per se. There’s a million different approaches so have fun and see what works for you! When we’re always learning, there’s no one way we do it anyways
Thanks for this video. Well done Alex. I bought a week ago a zoom H6 + the accessory h6 set + audio technica m30. This is my setup to start field recording. Maybe I’ll switch to the f3, for the 32bit, but for now, the h6 is good enough for learning how is going on. The sound from the Omnis are incredible 😮 ❤ P.s. hope you understand what I’m writing. My English is not the best. Cheers from Germany
Thanx for great and informative stuff. The question i have for you is maybe weird but still expiring to know. How do u capture wind itself?? I really like the soundscapes the wind does. But find it tricky to capture. Only got zoom h1n to play with right now. // Kim
In order to hear the air moving it needs to have turbulence. You could record it passing through a physical medium such as leaves on trees, a screen, grassland, etc. With proper wind protection, you can record how the moving air interacts with the environment around you.
Great video, thank you! I am wondering if I could just get a usb-c microphone like rode videomic go II and connect to my iphone. What is the difference between that and a zoom h1n or other basic recorder?
I don't see why you couldn't. The downside to phone audio recording is that the phone is like a "jack of all trades, master of few" kind of situation. The audio quality will not be as high quality as a dedicated audio recorder, also keep in mind the rode videomic go ii is a mono microphone, and you will not get the wide stereo effect that brings field recording ambiances to life. That being said, the phone is a great tool to have because it is something we always have on us, and often the coolest sounds are the ones you aren't looking for. I use the the "voice record pro" app on iphone as it allows you better customization of recording settings and file formats than the default voice memos app. Even though I have it set to stereo recording, the sounds still end up coming out as pretty mono sounding, which is a lot less grand than dedicated stereo recordings.
@@mygg15 sure thing. There are stereo microphones to attach to an iPhone such as the zoom iQ7, however they use a lightning connector. I know you mentioned usb-c, not sure if there’s any external stereo mics out yet for the iPhone 15 with usb-c.
@@atmospherism thinking a matched pair of omni mics with 3,5mm headphone jack connected with a usb-c adapter into the phone should work, but maybe not if there is TRS and not TRRS on the mic jack? Can still get a recorder if it doesn‘t work.
@@mygg15 good idea. If I'm not mistaken, you'll probably want to use an external interface, because I doubt the iphone would have stereo preamps onboard, and if they did, they probably would not be all that great. On aa quick search, I found this ikancorp.com/shop/audio/wired-lavalier/dual-head-muti-functional-lavalier-microphone-for-smartphone-w-usb-c-and-3-5mm-output-comica/?device=c&keyword=&campaign=316212193&adgroup=pla-4587918425753848&identifiers=pla-4587918425753848&Campaign=**LP%20Shop%20-%20Catch%20All&CampaignId=316212193&AdGroup=Catch%20All&AdGroupId=1349100995616257&AdId=84318966034265&Network=s&msclkid=fb2664ad9fb91aa569f602aa9a6fcd6f&**LP%20Shop%20-%20Catch%20All&Catch%20All which might actually be perfect. I'm gonna keep this in mind bc truthfully, on most days, my audio gear stays at home and I only bring out my keys, wallet, and phone.
I really like how you are just talking like a regular person. And not doing the thing many people do on youtube accentuanting to make a point, people start sounding the same.. Also, I appreciate the information!
Found this by accident and it was very interesting. I like this video and hope to see more soon!
…thank you for this very interesting video :)
Thanks for your effort! My heart has always been beating for (good) sound. I've been doing a lot of filming and also photographing over the years but nowadays I think the magic of the image gets more and more lost. At least for me that's why I'm meanwhile getting more joy out of field recording. For me one of the most challenging things is to find good sounding soundscapes with my ears and not my eyes. I still catch myself "looking" for good places to record. The ugliest or most boring looking places can be the best sounding ones. You really have to totally change your focus on how you realize the world around you. I'm looking forward more videos from you. Greetings!
Great video bro and I like the vibes you sending out. It's nice and peaceful and you give out great info. Just got a zoom h1n for 48 euro so that I can record some sounds to load up my Roland sp 404 MK2 🎉🎉
thanks king i appreciate it. Have fun with those sounds!! It's a rich world around us
Hey, I really enjoyed your video. I'm just getting into field recording (got my Tascam DR-7X ready to go) and have been browsing around for inspiration. Mostly I have been bombarded with one particular field recording channel (you probably know the one) but I'm glad I found yours. I hope you keep it up! I would love to hear about what you like to record, how you process/organize it after, and what you do with it. I think you're on the right track, so I look forward to more. Thank you!
Hey Jason thanks for the comment. I’ve been doing a lot of research and been rebuilding the field recording approach, adding video in as well. The field recording vibes playlist is that pursuit. I definitely plan on sharing what I’ve been learning and learning back from the community. Recording the recording, now that’s a neat idea!
Thank you for sharing your experties. I got really inspired about high quality fieldrecording from your demonstration. I will absolute some day get an Zoom recorder for the two stereo channel capturing. I am more of an photo/film camera guy, I have an Röde shootgun external mic for my dslr camera, but I have noticed lately that sound-design is great impact and have heavy importans for the whole experience despite in production of videogame, movies or listening to an audio ebook. Thank you!❤🙏😁 Keep up the great work. You are so talented and genuine.
Dope video, love the sounds of the insects. I do a little field recording here in Los Angeles, but it's always SO NOISEY. I've almost resorted to just capturing the sounds of cars and traffic and cityscapes. I want to do more nature, but that requires a good drive to get out of the city.
@@thepodcasthaven yeah it’s tough in urban environments even with directional mics, the sounds of man are pretty omnidirectional
Thank you verty much for it from Germany. I liked the way you explained it while practice it al lot!!! That makes decisions ... perfect!
Great video! Nicely done explaining basics. Question though, can you recommend some alternatives to Clippy mics? Can't find them in Canada for some reason. Maybe something like Comica XLR CVM-V02O or Movo LV-6? Any guess?
Thank you! I definitely would recommend checking out earsight microphones at immersivesoundscapes.com/
Haven’t heard them personally but I’ve heard good things, plus they have many different formats available to fit specific setups. If I did it again, I would probably try these.
Well done mate. I enjoyed the video and subed to your channel. Keep up the good job! I was #463 subscriber just to refer to it in a year when you have 100K subscribers ;) .
thank you for the love
great video, the vibes were immaculate and i'm really taking the recommendation for keeping it simple, thanks!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I need to upgrade and this helped me. Cheers.
Very understandable. Like it. As well as all others: nice video pciture and descent speaking. Thank you! 🙂
excellent video, thanks for sharing. In the recorder configuration do you use the panned channels L - R or do you keep them in the center?
Great walkthrough!
Great video, thank you! I'm curious, what settings do you use on your Tascam DR-40 for capturing ambient soundscapes with the built-in mics?
minimal settings. I just set the gain so there's maybe 12 dB of headroom or more for very dynamic sounds such as a thunderstorm. I do EQ and stuff in post. Usually, I'll flip the mics out to the AB configuration to capture a wider soundstage.
Awesome! Thanks for making content.
Great video! I've just bought Zoom H2N, how would you record the rain ambience with it?
Thank you. First key to recording rain is obviously protecting the gear from the water, but if you don’t want to hear the water hitting what’s protecting the mics (umbrella, tarp, roof, etc.), you need to diffuse the water droplets.
I’ve seen people online using blown filter material known as “hogs hair” to layer on top of the rain protection layer. I haven’t used hogs hair but I have used a layer of foam batting on top of plastic wrap on a frame of garden mesh to make a silent umbrella, it worked pretty well.
@@atmospherismI haven't thought about using that, thank you 😄
Well done!
Great video!
great content, thank you very much
Hi! Thanks for the video! I have a question I like to go hiking and I'd like to recording it. No talk, just the steps and the nature sounds. What type of microphone could you recommend? Thank you!
Two small Omni lav mics like the ones featured in this video, clip them on your hat or pack and it’ll pick up sounds all around you in stereo.
Hi Keep doing like these nice videos. you have such nice audio equipment. I kile this kind of videos from you. keep recording and sharing the nature and fields
How about the dx40 and dr100 mk3？Which one is better？
And x6
Haven't personally used the dr100mkiii or the x6. The x6 has 32 bit float recording and more bells and whistles. Check out some reviews and follow your intuition!
DR100 mk III is not in production anymore and expensive, if you can find one at all, although it was pretty good. The Zoom F3 is probably the best price/low noise recorder available now, but it doesn’t have built in microphones.
You are so gosh darn adorable I can’t
I hope im not too late to learn field recording.
Think of the old wisdom:
"When is the best time to plant a tree?"
- 20 years ago
"When is the second best time?"
- Right now
Never too late
Promo SM 😍
Thanks for making this video. As someone who is considering this as a hobby, I really appreciate you taking the time to show the differences in how different mics sound as well as demonstrating just how important wind protection is.
I really enjoyed your first video. Your honest, practical advice is spot on.
Alex, I’m a Vermont-based sound recordist; I write books about field recording and teach workshops, and I want to complement you on your program. Very well done, nice delivery, and let me also say that the last thing you said in this first video is important and compelling: that field recording is a great way to get out and experience the world around us. Nice work, sir. Keep them coming.
Love your relaxed style to presenting. Just starting out and would love to record rain. Any budget friendly setup suggestions please?
@@JayGillUK Thank you! For budget friendly rain recording, an inexpensive recorder under a tarp or umbrella covered with foam batting or “hogs hair” filter material to dampen the rain drops hitting the tarp.
Really interesting, thanks for sharing!! I'm studying at university and I used both ZoomF6 and H4nPro, and I love them both. But to start with the experience of field recording myself I've just bought the h4, as you said, the experience of going out and listen to the world is a very important part of the process :) Keep it up!!
Thank you. I hope to one day get as knowledgeable as you. My memory is like a sieve, I have to actively do something every day to not forget it
Generous and thoughtful sharing of knowledge, without trying to sell a product. TH-cam at its best. You rock Alex!
audio in wildlife, awesome
I m into music , talking , nature recordings and i just ordered tascam x8
Which mic is best for talking and music smooth , please mention mid range one , tascam x8 and shipping already bankrupted me 😂,
Looking for reply
I appreciate the sound recording and your advice on starting simply! I'd like to know how far away sounds could be recorded with the omnidirectional mics with low latency mics and what mics are good for quiet night atmospheric ambient sounds how costly they are? What device you used in this demo to control sounds? Is it possible to capture enhanced transportation sounds sitting on the same place with nearby sounds immersing in louder sounds like while the transports are going away from near to far?
Very nice. Thank you for this.
so grateful for this kind of videos, where you explain it in simple terms and show real life examples.
gear always will be something that we are all enthusiasts are passionate about 🙏🏼 keep doing such quality content and explore your limits. that truly inspires 🙌🏼
Thank you, that’s the goal!!
How do you do rainy weather?
And curious to know if you ended up keeping it simple yourself when starting out this journey, and the investment in mics, etc.
when recording rain, obv you want to protect the mics and gear, but if you just put them under a tarp or umbrella, you will hear the rain hitting that barrier. To diffuse the sound, you'll need a layer of foam or fibrous filter media such as "hog's hair" to diffuse the impact of the raindrops hitting the waterproof barrier.
And I started off doing more studio recording and have transitioned into more production/field recording, but when I started the field stuff, I indeed did start simple with just the DR40x handheld recorder and old earbuds to monitor the sounds.
@@atmospherism Thanks for your response. :)
Regarding the hogs hair shield that will help diffuse the impact of the rain drops, do you have any examples of such gear protection anywhere? I tried for a search on amazon to find something like this but I'm unsure what I should be looking for, do you any links to gear like this for sale?
Timestamps
________________________________________________________________________________________________
00:00 Intro
00:38 what is field recording?
01:08 gear
02:47 starting simple; two-track recorder
06:36 listen to the TASCAM DR-40x
07:15 eight-track recorder
08:11 START SIMPLE
09:20 external mics (shotgun mic)
10:54 external mics (omnidirectional mics)
12:08 listen to omnidirectional mics
13:09 external mics (cardioid mics)
15:10 listen to cardioid mics
17:12 wind protection
20:42 the beauty of field recording & closing thoughts
22:35 peace out
such a helpful video, 60fps video is a tad off-putting though!
Nice video. It's really clear you have a passion for this craft.
I too am a gear head. Funny you mention blowing 10 grand.
Bruh that's the Sound-Devices scorpio alone. It's 11 grand now. But me wants it. Lol.
But to be honest the Zoom F8N Pro will more than do.
Right now I have a Zoom H6 original and the H8. But as i'm blind I'm considering the new esssential version of the H6.
The hard 1 to let go of is the 8 as to me it's 3 times more studio sounding then the 6.
The F8N Pro has been excellent so far. Diminishing returns set in quite quickly, though the sound devices is 10x more expensive, I would probably find it hard to discern between the two in a blind test! The real value of the expensive gear is the presentation on set, lol. People take you more seriously when you have more expensive stuff, especially at the Hollywood level where much is image-driven. For now and for years to come, I am sure the Zoom will serve me excellently.
@@atmospherism Agreed well I think so. i've not heard a Rode NT1-A into the F8. But I do recall when Zoom came out with them originally I was like bruh this thing sounds like at the time the 4000$ Sound-Devices 744-T recorder.
As for meh little hand held I have an Olympus LS-14.
It's convenient but I'd rather the whole rig for surround sound and trooth.
This a very helpful good video as your first one.
What kind of headphones did you use in this video?
Man you earned a new follower just by the first minutes of this video, your kindness is amazing, keep going dude!
With a Zoom F6 and a sennheiser ambeo mic you can have really fun :)
This kid rocks
What model are the Omni
I don't like the boominess of voice through a shotgun mic. I much prefer the voice as it was picked up by the omnis and cardiods. The tradeoff is, of course, those mics don't reject background sound. But the boominess seems to be a property of the phase cancelling properties of shotguns. I guess there's no getting around a silent studio room.
The MKE 600 shotgun I used here is in the mid range as far as microphones go, I definitely have to EQ the sound coming from it, and it's not my first choice for recording voice. Do you still find this boomineess in the top level pro shotguns too like Schoeps? I agree a treated studio offers the best opportunity to use a wide range of mics but that's not really applicable in field recording or location sound
As a hobby folly-ist, this is really interesting (and possibly the next step); my question to you is: what do you do with these recordings? Just enjoy them yourself?
@@RudeCanine good question. I name them all and store them on an external hard drive and use them when I’m sound designing films.
Hi, I am new to recording and have a Tascam X8 and Sennheiser MKE 600. Love them both but am I being overly sensitive to "hiss" or just misguided on what is "hiss"? Example listening to your field mics at 6 mins 50 seconds of this video the field sounds are superb but the hiss seemed massively intrusive to my ear. What are your thoughts? I just want clean sound of the thing I am recording and want to hear it loud in my speakers on playback but hiss does my head in. Thank you in advance for any thoughts.
Ah yes noise and distortion have been the battle of sound recording technology since its inception. Essentially they are the same thing but dealing on opposite ends of a scale. It comes down to dynamic range, which is essentially the difference between the loudest sound before clipping, and the quietest discernible sound before it’s lost in the noise floor. Noise in recording technology usually is most prominent in the high frequencies, hence the hiss. Think of old tape recordings, tape hiss is a classic artifact.
At 6:50 this was listening to the built in mics of the Tascam DR-40x which I have noticed the noise floor is not excellent. You get a good bit of digital hiss from this recorder and it’s known for its so-so preamps. If you skip over to 12:25, that is an example where the noise floor is substantially lower. This is because I’m running the clippy omnidirectional mics (which are very sensitive) into the Zoom F8N Pro, which has higher quality mic preamps than that of the Tascam DR-40x.
On top of cheap preamps, cheap mics will often land you with lots of hiss too. Finding the balance of quality and affordability is an interesting one, because as you go up in quality, the prices will start to increase exponentially.
Essentially, make sure both your microphone and the preamp are sufficient quality to avoid too much unwanted noise (for quiet sounds) and distortion (for loud sounds). When researching, the “signal to noise” ratio is a measure of how noisy that piece of gear is based on testing.
@@atmospherism Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a detailed a detailed helpful reply. Agree price to quality is an interesting exercise and this is what landed me on the X8 (32 bit) and the MKE 600 at their price points I felt these might work well for me and not have me wanting to spend a again to early!
What is you view of the Tascam X8 Portacapture Pre Amp?
I am assuming I will get better sound connecting my MKE 600 to the Tascam Portacapture than straight into camera?(although that does sound good). But does it make a difference if I connect the MKE to the Tascam’s 3.5mm jack or its XLR ports?
Again many thanks for your reply. Your videos they are very engaging and helpful hope you keep them coming. Regards Mark
I haven’t heard the Tascam x8 personally so I can’t comment on its preamp quality, however if you want optimal sound for video, the best way would be to connect the mic directly to the recorder via XLR and record onto the audio recorder.
Then, sync that sound in post with the camera sound. The issue with running the recorder or mic into the camera is that since the primary function of a camera is picture, the audio preamps are lesser quality than that of a dedicated recorder.
@@atmospherism Thank you very much 👍🏻
Very helpful
thank you!
I am just astarting in field recording but for enhancement of spacial sound i use mid/side as a main and up to additional, 4 omnidirectional lavs or mini shotguns placed at "points of interest" like just beside stream, nest e.t.c.
Have you used such additional tracks? To mix in?
I actually plan to start mixing audio as 5.1
I haven't brought that many mics into field recording yet, but that is an interesting idea. I've stuck with stereo so far bc if I'm out in nature or the city, I want to keep the recording setup as easy as possible because I like walking light. Maybe I'll try this out and make a video about it
This dope
Thank you, Alex, for simplifying the process of recording nature sounds. I'd like to inquire about capturing rain sounds outdoors. I've experimented with using a plastic cover and recording under a cabin, but unfortunately, the rain hitting the plastic and the sounds of the cabin's roof are prominently captured. I apologize if my question seems trivial, as I'm new to outdoor sound recording. However, I thoroughly enjoy recording the ambient sounds and videos of forests and streams. Could you please provide me with some advice?
Sure thing. The key to avoiding the sound of the rain hitting your rain protection layer is to diffuse the incoming water droplets.
I’ve seen people online using blown filter material known as “hogs hair” to layer on top of the rain protection layer. I haven’t used hogs hair but I have used a layer of foam batting (comes in a roll from the craft store) on top of plastic wrap on a frame of garden mesh to make a silent umbrella, it worked pretty well.
@@atmospherism Thank you, for the fantastic idea! Using foam batting on top of plastic wrap sounds like a great solution to diffuse the rain sounds. I'll give it a try and see how it improves my recordings. I really appreciate your advice! 😀
07:52 looks like a Sony Dual Receiver 🧐
Good eye! I use them for lav mics on set.
Hi Alex, great demo. I am guessing those Behringer mics are the C-2. I have the B-5 which are much quieter and also come with two capsules one Cardioid and one Omni. I've put these into my Rode blimp with great success. Many thanks for the video. By the way my recorder is the Zoom H8. Very good unit.(Check out Curtis Judd review)
Sad you couldn't save Gwen Stacy.
My first field recording setup used to be a cheapo Stereo Cassette recorder with Microphone Input. Then i jumped to a portable reel to reel for better audioquality due to the faster tape speed. Then i switched to a better cassette recorder that was higher quality and that was pretty good. Then i obtained a second hand MiniDisc walkman from 1999 and a little stereo mic (a Thomann t.Bone ST40) and i made the best freaking field redordings with that simple rig. it was small, lightweight and i had a sound that was insanely good. Even if it wasn't lossless, the DAC of the little Sony Minidisc walkman sounded incredible.And the whole rig didn't cost me more than 50 maybe 60 bucks (including the blank MDs). The only downside was i had to record all my recordings to my PC again through the Soundcard, because i had no way to dump the ATRAC audio digitally from my MD. But i was still very happy with the results i got from it. After that i went with a Zoom H2 (the original silver "electric shaver" model) but hated its super noisy Mic Input. So i only used the internal mics which i still loved because it let me chose the Stereo width and of course i did a few 4.0 Recordings as well. Something you cannot do with the majority of digital compact audio recorders, except the Zoom H2n.
Hi Alex, thanks for the great video! Can I actually ask you the reference for your eq. case ? It seems solid and useful ! Thx
Sure it’s an Apache 3800 case from harbor freight and then the trekpack divider kit is for the pelican iM2200 and the lid organizer is Harrison brand for pelican 1450
@@atmospherism Thanks so much!
TH-cam knows I love mics and sound, so your channel popped up in my feed. I’m about to start a random sound channel.
Thank you for putting this together! I'm trying to find just the right mic's for whale recording for an Alaska trip and thunderstorm/weather/nature recording for home (Phoenix). This was super helpful and put together in such a human relatable/personable format! Appreciate your efforts!
Honored to be with ya. Mahalo!
Thanks for sharing!! I find out field recording and ambient noise interesting and great for my art installation project. The tascam and zoom recorder isn't a cheap one in my country, but for start i would use sony or even my phone to record, maybe i will buy an omnidirectional mic for better result. Thanks
Good video. Good information. I love to go out back and record our woods. I too started with a small recorder and built-in mics. Since I already do music recording I upgraded to a 4 input interface plugged into my tablet and using mics from the studio. A friend of mine even recommended making a CD with the intro to each song being nature (mostly birds) for each. So it gave it a fun twist
Great first video! Thanks for sharing. I would be interested in content covering picking a decent set of headphones.
That's really cool. I'm not into this sort of audio, I like music recording and bird recording, but the way you explain the different kinds of mics with the examples is great!
Also that is the perfect asmr rig tbh
Very good content, straight forward and explained simply and plainly. Learned alot from this and would love more!
What a fantastic video! Thanks Alex, really enjoyed this and look forward very much to seeing more of your content 🙏🏼
great informative video. very helpful and well formated. :)
Good video,good info. Keep it up. 😎🎤
i was looking for reviews on the Zoom H1n/H4n for my vlogs and drumming, and now i'm in the field recording rabbit hole lol. i also have those Behringer C2s but it's connected to my UMC204HD interface thats collecting dust atm. my dilemma is either go for the H1n thats super cheap atm (~$70), or spend almost 3x and get the solid H4n instead. though it looks like you already answered my question about the H1n and i think i'm just gonna start with that first, and since it's cheaper i wont lose much if i decided to sell/upgrade.
thanks for the insightful video on field recordings too, the sounds are super peaceful. subbed.
Benefit to the h4n is that you can run 2 mics/instruments into it and record simultaneously with the built in mics. For drumming for example, you could run a kick and snare mic into the xlr inputs on the bottom, and use the zoom mics as overheads. For vlogging alone, the h1n will be a more compact solution, but in that case you could even rock a mic or the h1n on the camera to have a 1 piece grab and go kit.
Hi, nice video. Please could you tell me which brand of omnidirectional mics you were using? Many thanks.
Clippy mics, they use Primo capsules.
Many thanks 😊
Alex, I just found your channel and I subscribed. Awesome overview of the basics of field recording. Looking forward to more from you. BTW, I loved the closing 15 seconds of ambiance with the drone of lawnmowers in the background. Gotta love modern society ;^) I'm in New Jersey and silence doesn't exist here.
Appreciate the thorough walkthrough and explanation. Very helpful for someone trying to get into field recording!
Useful video, thanks!
Nice beginning here on TH-cam😉👍 Subbed. Best of luck going forward.😊
I really enjoyed this symphatetic and very useful video. Thank you! .
Thanks for the video. I just started a TH-cam channel doing outdoor nature videos. I probably don't have the right Mic since I'm using a shotgun ntg Mic although it does sound pretty good I could probably do better. That's just what rode recommended when I ask them what I needed. Where is a good place to buy mics? For field recording? Oh and what audio editor do you use. I just bought RX10 standard from iZotope. Sure is confusing But I'm sure it'll get easier
Depends on what you want from the sound. Shotgun mics are good for isolating sounds like speaking or bird calls. For wide nature soundscapes, you will want at least two mics to capture the stereo soundstage. You can use shotguns for stereo but they’re long and you’ll primarily only hear the sounds where the mics are pointing at. The three stereo techniques I described here are a good starting point (recorder w built in mics, stereo Omni mics, stereo cardioids).
For buying, B&H is a good research reference and they have a large catalogue, I’ve bought a lot of gear from them. Although, for sound specific stuff, I do like to order from production sound websites like gothamsound.com or trewaudio.com they should have the same prices and they have good support. Also check out www.thomannmusic.com they have the best deals I’ve found online for gear.
As far as editing, I really like the Pro Tools workflow for speed, but I hate the subscription model. Thus, I’ve been using Logic Pro X for audio post. It has a much better creative workflow for say music production or sound design, just a little less speedy than pro tools. For detailed editing like noise reduction I have isotope rx too.
@@atmospherism wow thanks for the detailed response. I'll definitely check out those websites and b&h. Right now I have the zoom f3 recorder. I might try some omni directional mics though. I just need to practice it cleaning up the audio in Rx. Looks very complicated at first but I'm sure it'll get easier. Again thanks for the reply
Not sure how hard you’re going in the audio clean up but me personally I almost never use it. I’ll only really do it when I’m cleaning up dialog for a film production.
I tend to do more simple post production, cutting out segments, cross fading, EQ. Not saying you shouldn’t do it but you also don’t “need” to per se. There’s a million different approaches so have fun and see what works for you! When we’re always learning, there’s no one way we do it anyways
This video is a whole experience :D thanks, you have an awesome relaxing way of explaining.
Really nice video! Subscribed!
Straight to the point very helpful thank you 🙏🙏
I dug this video. Rarely do people show real life examples.
Thank you for this video! Like it 🙂
Thanks for this video. Well done Alex.
I bought a week ago a zoom H6 + the accessory h6 set + audio technica m30.
This is my setup to start field recording. Maybe I’ll switch to the f3, for the 32bit, but for now, the h6 is good enough for learning how is going on.
The sound from the Omnis are incredible 😮 ❤
P.s. hope you understand what I’m writing. My English is not the best.
Cheers from Germany
As You're in Germany.. you should look at the t.bone mics.
Cheap mics galore
hi alex nice video good vibes but i have no further questions
Really good. Thanks, Alex 🙂
Thank you for making this.
Maybe an SR3D binaural microphone could also help you out there?
Not a bad idea. If you have an extra one I could video review it
@@atmospherism
And???
@@sr3d-microphonessend me one and I’ll review it!
@@atmospherism you know what to do then don’t ya……
Sick apache case!
nice
Thanks for sharing,dude!
I record even with my cell phone... thank you for the video!
"The best camera is the one you have on you" Often times all I have on me is my phone, and it's better than nothing when there's a cool sound.
Danke für dein tolles Video und deine Mühe 👍
how do you get output from Tascam DR40X to audio mixer, wireless?
Great question, I recorded directly onto the DR40x and sync’d in post
Thanx for great and informative stuff. The question i have for you is maybe weird but still expiring to know. How do u capture wind itself??
I really like the soundscapes the wind does. But find it tricky to capture. Only got zoom h1n to play with right now. // Kim
In order to hear the air moving it needs to have turbulence. You could record it passing through a physical medium such as leaves on trees, a screen, grassland, etc. With proper wind protection, you can record how the moving air interacts with the environment around you.
@@atmospherism thanks a lot. I will talso ry to put a box atound the h1n. Just to hear what ambient that will bring. Thank you for answering 😊
Great video, thank you!
I am wondering if I could just get a usb-c microphone like rode videomic go II and connect to my iphone. What is the difference between that and a zoom h1n or other basic recorder?
I don't see why you couldn't. The downside to phone audio recording is that the phone is like a "jack of all trades, master of few" kind of situation. The audio quality will not be as high quality as a dedicated audio recorder, also keep in mind the rode videomic go ii is a mono microphone, and you will not get the wide stereo effect that brings field recording ambiances to life.
That being said, the phone is a great tool to have because it is something we always have on us, and often the coolest sounds are the ones you aren't looking for.
I use the the "voice record pro" app on iphone as it allows you better customization of recording settings and file formats than the default voice memos app. Even though I have it set to stereo recording, the sounds still end up coming out as pretty mono sounding, which is a lot less grand than dedicated stereo recordings.
@@atmospherism thank you for your response! I want to use it mostly for ambience recording and bird song. Stereo sound will be worth having.
@@mygg15 sure thing. There are stereo microphones to attach to an iPhone such as the zoom iQ7, however they use a lightning connector. I know you mentioned usb-c, not sure if there’s any external stereo mics out yet for the iPhone 15 with usb-c.
@@atmospherism thinking a matched pair of omni mics with 3,5mm headphone jack connected with a usb-c adapter into the phone should work, but maybe not if there is TRS and not TRRS on the mic jack? Can still get a recorder if it doesn‘t work.
@@mygg15 good idea. If I'm not mistaken, you'll probably want to use an external interface, because I doubt the iphone would have stereo preamps onboard, and if they did, they probably would not be all that great. On aa quick search, I found this ikancorp.com/shop/audio/wired-lavalier/dual-head-muti-functional-lavalier-microphone-for-smartphone-w-usb-c-and-3-5mm-output-comica/?device=c&keyword=&campaign=316212193&adgroup=pla-4587918425753848&identifiers=pla-4587918425753848&Campaign=**LP%20Shop%20-%20Catch%20All&CampaignId=316212193&AdGroup=Catch%20All&AdGroupId=1349100995616257&AdId=84318966034265&Network=s&msclkid=fb2664ad9fb91aa569f602aa9a6fcd6f&**LP%20Shop%20-%20Catch%20All&Catch%20All which might actually be perfect. I'm gonna keep this in mind bc truthfully, on most days, my audio gear stays at home and I only bring out my keys, wallet, and phone.