Field Recording» field recording

Roland CS-10EM binaural microphone tests

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:03:56 +0000

I’ve recently bought a set of Roland CS-10EM binaural microphones. Here are a few test recordings. Monitoring is a strange experience; a strange hollow sounding output which is completely unlike the played back recording. As headphones, these units are OK for a quick review but detail is quite poor.

As with all binaurals like this, moving your head is a problem and produces some cable movement noise. Roland have provided a slip knot type ring on the headphone cable which holds things a bit more securely but not a solution to the problem. The microphones come with silicon earbud fittings. I’ve swapped these for foam based fittings and I’m unsure whether this is an improvement or not. These recordings are using the standard silicon earbuds.

All recordings using Olympus LS-5 using a variety of settings. Getting the setting was a problem although combined with the limiter on the LS-2, the microphones handled sudden noises quite well. Handling wind noise was a real failure.

Recording 1

Street recording, busy traffic and people. LS-2 set with low gain and mid recording volume.

Roland CS-10 test recording 1

Recording 2

Wind noise a problem with low cut turned off. Olympus set in high gain with mid recording volume.

Roland CS-10 test recording 2

Recording 3

A quieter recording inside the London Underground station at King’s Cross, London. Low cut is on, gain setting high and mid recording volume.

Roland CS-10 test recording 3

Recording problems using iSequence for the iPad?

jhuckle — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:21:10 +0000

I’ve been using iSequence on the iPad to do a bit of tracking and sequencing and it’s a fantastic application – the iPad I’m sure will revolustionse alot of audio produciton work – and had some problems using the built in sound recorder.

If you too are getting distorted recordings I’ve found a workaround.

Power off the iPad (hold down the power button and swipe off)
Restart the iPad
Start iSequence and record sound – result is distorted
Shut down iSequence
Start iSequence and record sound – sound is good to go! (within the limits of the hardware)

The iPad isn’t very configurable for recording yet and I don’t see any devices on the horizon to support plug in microphones however for rough and ready instamatic sound snapshots in the right environments, it has interesting possibilities.

iSequence for iPad Record

UPDATE – 5/8/10

A new update to this app is now available with a fix to the recording function, so I’m pleased to say the developers were listening!

Classic Aircraft Sound Recordings for iPad

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:37:51 +0000

I’ve created an iPad and iPhone friendly site for listening to the most requested sound recordings at field-recording.org.uk.

Aircraft Sounds on Mobile website

The site is available from Aircraft Recordings on Mobile

“Optimised” for iPhone OS but should work on everything else too.

Let me know what you think!

60163 Tornado 26 September 2009

jhuckle — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:30:44 +0000

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.

Bristol Fighter, Old Warden 2nd August 2009

jhuckle — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:50:49 +0000

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.

The picture below was taken during the display.

Bristol Fighter, August 2009

My new old gear, AT822 meets H2

jhuckle — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:36:47 +0000

I been trying out some of my kit recently and dusted off my old AT822 and paired it up with a Zoom H2. No the best sounding chain of gear but I was struck by how good the AT822 sounds even considering the significant noise it produces when working with the H2 (I’m sure it wasn’t this noisy with a Hi-MD).

The H2 in-built mics are OK for Instamatic recording and the AT822 has good stereo field where the H2 mics do not at the expense of noise for which, in most urban and similar environments, is perceptibly lost thanks to my brain helping out. A plus side on the external mic is the low cut for windy situations and the fact that the mic units in their assemblies are much more tolerant to wind than the H2 in-builts.

So, as a workable set up for Instamatic sound recording, a little bulkier and a lot less stealthy but overall, worth the effort. I think that if Sony managed to get their act together on Hi-MD usability I’d still be using my units regularly and so would many others.

de Havilland Vampire, Little Gransden, August 2009

jhuckle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:53:15 +0000

Display from a de Havilland Vampire T.11, WZ507 based at North Weald, Essex at the Little Gransden Airshow in 2009. Operated by the Vampire Preservation Group

de Havilland Vampire T.11 WZ507 spectrogram

Vampire Preservation Group Vampire T.11

P-51 Mustang, Janie, August 2009

jhuckle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:28:03 +0000

A sound recording of P-51 Mustang “Janie” recorded in August 2009.

And a spectrogram of the recording.

P-51 Mustang Janie Spectrogram

P-51 Mustang, Marinell, Little Grandsden, August 2009

jhuckle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:22:43 +0000

Sound recording of a recently rebuilt P-51 Mustang “Marinell” at the 2009 Little Gransden Airshow.

And a spectrogram of the recording.

P51 Mustang Marinelle Spectrogram

Spartan Executive, Little Gransden August 2009

jhuckle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:52:46 +0000

2 sound recordings of Spartan Executive aircraft, considered the Lear Jet of the 1930s, popular with US Oil Corporations and owned by the very wealthy.

First recording is of 2 Executives taking off.

Spectrogram of Spartan Executive take off

Second recording of 2 aircraft in a display. The two aircraft are discernible by the note of the engine/propeller, obviously a radial.

Spectrogram of 2 Spartan Executive in display

One of the aircraft is based (as far as I know) at Little Gransden. In the display is the leading aircraft.