March 8th, 2010
A French amateur radio operator was able to record and convert the signal of the Mar Express probe’s X-Band transmitter into an audio file. More information plus a sample of the recorded sound is available from here.
The equipment from an abandoned telecom uplink site used to listen in on the ESA’s Mars Express space probe wasn’t enough to allow download of the actual data.
“Listen here to the whistle of Mars Express as it hurtles towards Phobos and consider that this signal was generated on Mars Express by a transmitter only slightly more powerful than a light bulb.” – http://webservices.esa.int/blog/post/7/1058
February 6th, 2010
Recording using an iPod is something that I have briefly tried and always been a bit disappointed, however a new to me gadget looks like someone is trying to take things seriously with these 2 efforts from Logitec. I must admit. I’ve tried Belkin TuneTalk on my Nano and it was a bit rubbish. Mind you, Apple don’t seem to have taken anything more seriously than a ‘memo’. Continue reading and listening to Recording using an iPod
January 27th, 2010
Trackside recording of the Peppercorn 60163 Tornado passing along the old LNER route in Bedfordshire. The recording starts with the sound of the whistle a few hundred yards away and the the locomotive and train passing very close at high speed.
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January 18th, 2010
I’m seriously looking at buying a M 10 and have been doing the usual web research and conseqeuntly picked up a few interesting links to reviews, specs and opinions. Here they are.
Pricing
Product previews and reviews
PCM M 10
http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=11803
January 1st, 2010
Christmas I look forwards to for a lot of reasons but an extra for me is how unusually quiet it is, making for a good opportunity to record and document the relative silence. This year however was an exception and I didn’t bother. I think there are a couple of reasons for the unexpected extra urban noise this year; 1. this year was hit quite badly (for the UK at least) by snow meaning that many seasonal travellers had postponed their journeys until Christmas day, or 2. general urban noise levels are increasing and have increased appreciatively in the last 12 months. Although general urban noise is agreed generally to be on the rise I hope this doesn’t indicate an exponential increase.
Here’s hoping for next year.
December 14th, 2009
Via the BBC, the European Union is proposing changes to MP3 players to prescribe default safe listeing levels for MP3 players. Current legislation mandates that “a statement be put in the instruction manual to warn of the adverse effects of exposure to excessive sound level”. The new proposals would see that the default sound setting for any device “shall be the ‘default’ settings on products”. January will see the start of a two-month consultation of all EU standardisation bodies with a final agreement expected in the spring of 2010.
The EU notes that safe use depends on exposure time and volume levels, “At 80 dB(A), exposure should be limited to 40 hours/week. At 89 dB(A) exposure should not exceed 5 hours/week”.
November 17th, 2009
The Bristol f.2b Fighter makes one of my favourite aircraft sounds. Each time I record it I discover another facet of the complex soundscape it generates. The sounds the Rolls-Royce Falcon III on this machine makes sounds like the whine of a supercharger when you get downwind of it flying but I think this is the sound of the epicyclic gearing, which I think in itself is a unique feature in an engine this early.
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The picture below was taken during the display.
Bristol Fighter, August 2009
November 10th, 2009
According to a telegram discovered by Letter of Note, the U.S. Navy cooperated with a group of astronomers in 1924 in listening in for any radio communications from Mars.
No note is made of any sounds picked up but I can’t help think it would be good to hear the static they more than likely managed to find.
Telegram from the Secretary of the Navy to All Naval Stations Regarding Mars, 08/22/1924
October 20th, 2009
Using a small sample group, CNET have concluded that that people cannot tell the difference between Sky’s streaming audio at 48Kbps AAC+ and Spotify’s use of 160Kbps OGG Vorbis.
Continue reading and listening to 48Kbps AAC+ and 160Kbps OGG Vorbis Testing
October 8th, 2009
I recorded this safety briefing a couple of weeks ago on the EasyJet bus at Glasgow. The Stewardess recited the whole 2 ish minutes without once looking at any kind of paperwork – impressive. If you are familiar with this recital then you can easily visualise the gesticulations of the flight attendants and the bored resignation of the aloof ‘frequent flyers’ cradling their free papers.
Continue reading and listening to EasyJet Flight Safety Briefing
