[Wayne R.]

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

[Six String Stu[_3_]]

"Wayne R." wrote in message
...
In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?
Digital field recorder.
Pretty exspensive choice for a one off job tho. Maybe somewhere close to you
is one that could be rented?

[JLMoore]

Wayne,

Take a look at this page for a complete system built specially for
frogs & nature recording:
http://www.frogloggers.com/

You could pick up an inexpensive ($49/ea) microphone:
http://www.frogloggers.com/FL%20158%20Microphone.htm
And then buy a very affordable ($139) Tascam digital recorder:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG

You'd have a competent recording system for under $200 that you could
use for many other recording uses.

The Tascam DR07 isn't as quiet as the Sony PCM-M10, which is what I
would suggest as a starting point for this kind of recording, but the
Sony is $275.

John Moore



On Jan 17, 7:54*am, Wayne R. wrote:
In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

[Laurence Payne[_2_]]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

What recording equipment do you already own?

[Richard Crowley]

"Wayne R." wrote...
In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.
I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.
Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

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

[cedricl[_2_]]

On Jan 17, 6:54*am, Wayne R. wrote:

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.
Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

When you say, "high quality" what do you mean? What will it be used
for? If you're just going to load it in to your iTunes or make a ring
tone, you might already have what you need to do the job or know
someone who has a mini stereo mic that you could plug in to your
laptop. There are so many ways to approach this project that you could
do it for free or spend thousands of dollars for equipment that you
might not ever use or need again. Decide what you want it for first
and then think of a budget you're willing to spend. If you post your
budget, you might get some ideas from people here who have done
similar things on similar budgets.

[David Gravereaux]

Wayne R. wrote:
In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?


These days, stereo is not enough: http://www.holophone.com/
Consider recording it in discrete six channel.

--



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[Wayne R.]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:11:06 +0000, Laurence Payne
wrote (with clarity & insight):

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

What recording equipment do you already own?

Nothing but some laptops.

But I am a tech geek, and used to do audio & video a couple of decades
ago, so I'm not completely in the dark. But I know the hardware's a
million times smaller now...

[Wayne R.]

Excellent response, thanks! I'll check these out.


On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:41:47 -0800 (PST), JLMoore
wrote (with clarity & insight):

Wayne,

Take a look at this page for a complete system built specially for
frogs & nature recording:
http://www.frogloggers.com/

You could pick up an inexpensive ($49/ea) microphone:
http://www.frogloggers.com/FL%20158%20Microphone.htm
And then buy a very affordable ($139) Tascam digital recorder:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG

You'd have a competent recording system for under $200 that you could
use for many other recording uses.

The Tascam DR07 isn't as quiet as the Sony PCM-M10, which is what I
would suggest as a starting point for this kind of recording, but the
Sony is $275.

John Moore



On Jan 17, 7:54*am, Wayne R. wrote:
In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

[Wayne R.]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:16:55 -0800 (PST), cedricl
wrote (with clarity & insight):

On Jan 17, 6:54*am, Wayne R. wrote:

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.
Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

When you say, "high quality" what do you mean? What will it be used
for? If you're just going to load it in to your iTunes or make a ring
tone, you might already have what you need to do the job or know
someone who has a mini stereo mic that you could plug in to your
laptop. There are so many ways to approach this project that you could
do it for free or spend thousands of dollars for equipment that you
might not ever use or need again. Decide what you want it for first
and then think of a budget you're willing to spend. If you post your
budget, you might get some ideas from people here who have done
similar things on similar budgets.

I've got some CD's that are outdoor ambient recordings (surf, rain,
storm, rain forest). I'm hoping to get something similar, though I'm
not too far from an airport. Maybe something early in the morning
before the executives start zooming about.

I'd guess two or three hundred dollars would be a comfort zone. I know
there's a huge diff in quality from free to totally pro, and the costs
grow steeply. But I'd sure like to capture the spatial qualities of
the whole thing as well as the sounds themselves.

"High quality" in this use means (to me) clean, simple, not obviously
crappy, and I can be confident that things will work as intended.

[Six String Stu[_3_]]

"Wayne R." wrote in message
...
On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:16:55 -0800 (PST), cedricl
wrote (with clarity & insight):

On Jan 17, 6:54 am, Wayne R. wrote:

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.
Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

When you say, "high quality" what do you mean? What will it be used
for? If you're just going to load it in to your iTunes or make a ring
tone, you might already have what you need to do the job or know
someone who has a mini stereo mic that you could plug in to your
laptop. There are so many ways to approach this project that you could
do it for free or spend thousands of dollars for equipment that you
might not ever use or need again. Decide what you want it for first
and then think of a budget you're willing to spend. If you post your
budget, you might get some ideas from people here who have done
similar things on similar budgets.

I've got some CD's that are outdoor ambient recordings (surf, rain,
storm, rain forest). I'm hoping to get something similar, though I'm
not too far from an airport. Maybe something early in the morning
before the executives start zooming about.

I'd guess two or three hundred dollars would be a comfort zone. I know
there's a huge diff in quality from free to totally pro, and the costs
grow steeply. But I'd sure like to capture the spatial qualities of
the whole thing as well as the sounds themselves.

"High quality" in this use means (to me) clean, simple, not obviously
crappy, and I can be confident that things will work as intended.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/

[Wayne R.]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:29:09 -0600, "Six String Stu"
wrote (with clarity & insight):

"High quality" in this use means (to me) clean, simple, not obviously
crappy, and I can be confident that things will work as intended.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/

How do these things do XLR & 1/4" mic inputs in the same holes?

[Laurence Payne[_2_]]

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:27:40 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

How do these things do XLR & 1/4" mic inputs in the same holes?

Combo jacks. which offer...er...exactly what you said :-)

[Six String Stu[_3_]]

"Laurence Payne" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:27:40 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

How do these things do XLR & 1/4" mic inputs in the same holes?

Combo jacks. which offer...er...exactly what you said :-)
Plus it has the two balanced mics set at opposites on the other end.

[Wayne R.]

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:47:26 +0000, Laurence Payne
wrote (with clarity & insight):

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:27:40 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

How do these things do XLR & 1/4" mic inputs in the same holes?

Combo jacks. which offer...er...exactly what you said :-)

Thanks. It's been a while since I had either in my hand, and it's hard
to imagine how they've done this. But, I'm getting too old.

[Ty Ford]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R. wrote
(in article ):

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

Audio Technica: BP4025

The hear one, go he http://public.me.com/tyreeford

And download ambi08.wav

Regards,

Ty Ford


--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWaPRHMGhGA

[Tobiah]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R. wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the sounds
of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

Since you have a laptop, I'd go with a USB interface. I have
the Tascam US-122 and I do think that the preamps are quiet
enough for what you want to do. Then you just need a couple
of quiet condensers. Noise is going to be your biggest enemy.

I also have the Tascam HD-P2 which was quite expensive, but
I bought it for outdoor recordings, and I was not disappointed.
I'm using a pair of Rode NT-1A's with it (I build a little stand
for them). Noise is not an issue. It's out of my mind.

[Wayne R.]

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:04:18 GMT, Tobiah wrote (with
clarity & insight):

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R. wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the sounds
of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?

Since you have a laptop, I'd go with a USB interface. I have
the Tascam US-122 and I do think that the preamps are quiet
enough for what you want to do. Then you just need a couple
of quiet condensers. Noise is going to be your biggest enemy.

Electrical noise or ambient noise? An advantage of dedicated solid
state devices would be no fan or drive noise. What are you thinking
of? Please elaborate...

I also have the Tascam HD-P2 which was quite expensive, but
I bought it for outdoor recordings, and I was not disappointed.
I'm using a pair of Rode NT-1A's with it (I build a little stand
for them). Noise is not an issue. It's out of my mind.

Well, it's good to see what appear to be high end capabilities for
reasonable cost. Beyond what I was hoping to spend, but these aren't
unattainable. Thanks.

[Don Pearce[_3_]]

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?


The very article (and plenty of other goodies) is here

https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/type/www...T1-A_index.htm

d

[Arkansan Raider]

Don Pearce wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:54:16 -0500, Wayne R.
wrote:

In a couple of months, the ponds near our house will pop with the
sounds of Spring Peeper frogs. Sounds like zillions of them out there.

I'd like to capture this sound digitally and with high quality.

Can I get some advice on good ways to do this please?


The very article (and plenty of other goodies) is here

https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/type/www...T1-A_index.htm

d

Thanks for posting that article. Very interesting!

---Jeff

[cedricl[_2_]]

On Jan 18, 1:49*pm, Wayne R. wrote:

Electrical noise or ambient noise?


Ambient noise picked up by the microphones. Any outboard USB (or
firewire) interface should should little to no noise. Look at Sound
Devices USB Pre. It's a good solid USB interface.

[Tobiah]

Since you have a laptop, I'd go with a USB interface. I have the Tascam
US-122 and I do think that the preamps are quiet enough for what you
want to do. Then you just need a couple of quiet condensers. Noise is
going to be your biggest enemy.

Electrical noise or ambient noise? An advantage of dedicated solid state
devices would be no fan or drive noise. What are you thinking of? Please
elaborate...

I was thinking about preamp noise.

That was my sole reason for stretching to the Tascam HD-P2.

It is the least expensive flash recorder that is actually capable of
recording the wind flowing through trees without noticeable preamp
noise. I do think that there are USB interfaces though that are also
pretty clean. The comment about laptop fan and drive noise is valid
however.

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

Six String Stu wrote:


"High quality" in this use means (to me) clean, simple, not obviously
crappy, and I can be confident that things will work as intended.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/

Or H2 perhaps ...

Kind regards

Peter Larsen