描述:Recording made on 6th November 2012 with a Sony PCMM10 on a Hama minitripod, using the builtin microphones covered with a Rycote Mini Windjammer. I have used a graphic EQ profile in WavePad to compensate for the slight muffling of the sound caused by the Windjammer. My three wind chimes recordings made on this particular day mark the beginning of a new project of mine, which I provisionally call Wind Chimes In the Wild, to produce a collection of truly authentic recordings of a range of quality wind chimes out in Nature, where 'the elements' are an important aspect of each recording. I was moved to point myself towards this project because of the sheer awfulness of all the commercial wind chimes recordings that I'd bought or otherwise heard. The problem was usually not the chimes themselves, but the sheer laziness and contempt for the listener of whoever recorded / produced those recordings, which turned out ALL to be faked in various ways either being just repeating loops of a very short recording, or jiggled mechanically and not by any wind, as shown by regularly repeating patterns in the waveform (and far too consistent a sound level), and any wind or other natural sounds clearly just dubbed on, with no relationship between wind strength variations and the chimes activity. The only decent wind chimes recordings that I'd found were a small number on Freesound, and they include some really beautiful ones. So, I decided to help fill the gap left by the lazy and profiteering commercial producers of wind chimes recordings, and make real 'in the wild' wind chimes recordings, with full authenticity, including even wind noise in the microphones at times. The latter, although for many purposes regarded as undesirable, actually enhances my recordings at least provided it doesn't get really disruptively loud. After all, if you're out in the wind you do get the wind rumbling, booming and drumming in your ears, and really it's a nuisance only when it gets really strong and gets drowning out what you actually mean to be listening to out there. On 6th November 2012 I took out with me three sets of Woodstock wind chimes, with the intent to record some 10 minutes of each solo, and a full halfhour of each of the four possible combinations of these. In the event conditions enabled me to get only three recordings. I hung the chimes on small low branches of stunted trees by the Hunter's Path overlooking the oversteepened valley (popularly known as the Teign Gorge, though it is not actually a gorge) in the vicinity of Sharp Tor, very near Drogo Castle. This recording is of the smallest of the chimes I'd brought the Chimes of Pluto, which are moderately highpitched and are tuned to a very sweet sounding pentatonic scale (actually a bit sweeter than I prefer). I hung them on a stunted tree right beside the track, overlooking the very steep slope to the valley bottom, from where you can hear a distinct continuous background rushing sound of the River Teign. The only workable place where I could put the recorder was actually with the minitripod straddled on a junction of low branches of this tree, and it was distinctly exposed to the wind, which made quite a lot of noise in the microphones, but, at least to me, makes a lot more variety and interest in the recording, though I wouldn't want it any stronger than it gets later in this recording. I chose not to make further recordings at that spot that day and since I uploaded this excerpt I have used a graphic EQ profile on the full recording to slightly 'tame' the heaviness of that noise. Actually, for some people the wind in the microphones would be more or less troublesome anyway, simply because it works well only with listening equipment that has a reasonably flat and well extended bass response. Any tendency to boominess, or indeed a significant deficiency in very low frequency response (as would be the case in virtually all computer speakers) would make that wind noise more problematical. This excerpt from the 12minute full recording is the opening five minutes. For some reason, as with the other two recordings I made on that day, there is a fair bit more 'action' and indeed at times boisterousness after the first five minutes which works out quite satisfyingly when listening to the full recordings. The photo below is of the actual setup for this recording, with the recorder on the minitripod just visible rather awkwardly astride the base of a branch. http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/chimesplutohunterspath299x355.jpg Please note that the volume level of this recording has been carefully adjusted for listening purposes, and ALL my recordings so far are meant to be listened to with a volume setting that would give a realistic level for playback of CLASSICAL music (a large but not exceptional symphony orchestra). If you have the right volume setting, you should not need to change that setting from one recording of mine to another.(Later note: This recording with better sound than here is on one of my commercial CDs, and can be found in my eStore.) Please remember to give this recording a rating http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/meicon_wink.gif
描述:On 28th November 2012 I took out with me a large and a small set of cheap bamboo chimes and two sets of Music of the Spheres Gypsy (quality, metal) wind chimes the Soprano and Mezzo sizes, the sounds of which latter two mesh together beautifully. My intention was to hang the chimes on the same tree that I had used for my recordings a week earlier, at Sharp Tor, by the Hunter's Path, high up on the north side of the oversteepened part of the River Teign valley known as the Teign Gorge, Devon, UK. In the event the wind, being from a northeasterly direction this time, was not sufficiently reaching anywhere along there, and I finally reluctantly went higher up on the slope, almost to the top, where a chilly breeze was coming over and moving the tree branches a bit. I hung the chimes on one tree and made one recording, but after nearly 10 minutes of rather modest activity the wind got up more and then appeared to be too continuously on the strong side, so I then moved to a nearby tree that was not catching the wind so strongly, to make the further recordings, including this one. Being this high up was not ideal, for the sound of the River Teign in the valley bottom, although still audible, is heard only indirectly and faintly, so, when listening to the recording, it is difficult to tell what is the nature of the very faint continuous roar in the background. Also, here I was very close to the grazed pasture that covers the broad top of the hill, and a result of this is that all this day's recordings are punctuated by faint moos from distant cattle that were far away and out of sight. This recording is of the two sets of bamboo chimes, which I had purchased locally in Exeter for just a few pounds each, plus the Music of the Spheres Gypsy Chimes, Soprano size. The refined ethereal, 'liquid' tone and precise tuning of these metal Music of the Spheres chimes contrast beautifully with the dry, earthy rattlings, clatterings and 'donkings' of the bamboo chimes. Indeed, these Gypsy chimes, with their particular timbre and tuning to some sort of Eastern European scale, sound at a distance like some ghostly organ playing. People who passed by while I was making recordings with these chimes tended spontaneously to use the words 'haunting' and 'magical'. This is a 5minute excerpt from the 29+ minutes full recording. http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/chimesbamboogypsymezzorecordingaboveteigngorge450x405.jpgThis photo shows my recording studio for 28th November 2012 almost at the top of the north side of the Teign Gorge, and facing obliquely away from it. The sets of chimes visible are the large and small bamboo, with the Gypsy Mezzo in the middle.Note that actually this was a first time learning experience for me with the Gypsy chimes, and actually for best effects the Gypsy chimes needed to be about twice the distance from the recorder than I actually used on this particular day, on account of their having a stronger and more penetrating tone than my other chimes. Recording made with a Sony PCMM10 on a Hama minitripod, using the builtin microphones covered with a Rycote Mini Windjammer. I have used a graphic EQ profile in WavePad to compensate for the slight muffling of the sound caused by the Windjammer.I caution that the wind noise in the microphones is bound to sound too intrusive when this recording is played back through speakers / headphones that are prone to boominess; good quality hifi speakers with extended and flat bass response are really needed for any of these recordings really to sound right. Please also note that the volume level of this recording has been carefully adjusted for listening purposes, and ALL my recordings so far are meant to be listened to with a volume setting that would give a realistic level for playback of CLASSICAL music (a large but not exceptional symphony orchestra). If you have the right volume setting, you should not need to change that setting from one recording of mine to another. N.B. Initially I gave all this day's recordings a 3dB cut of the lower bass to somewhat lighten the sound of the wind in the microphones, and so all the excerpts here from this day's recording have that bass reduction. However, subsequently, on careful listening, especially through my decent hifi speakers, I came to the conclusion that the wind noise in the microphones did not reach a level at which such processing was really necessary, and so I have subsequently restored those bass frequencies to the full recordings, with a distinct improvement in the sound as heard through my hifi speakers. Please remember to give this recording a rating http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/meicon_wink.gif
描述:Recording made on 6th November 2012 with a Sony PCMM10 on a Hama minitripod, using the builtin microphones covered with a Rycote Mini Windjammer. I have used a graphic EQ profile in WavePad to compensate for the slight muffling of the sound caused by the Windjammer. My three wind chimes recordings made on this particular day mark the beginning of a new project of mine, which I provisionally call Wind Chimes In the Wild, to produce a collection of truly authentic recordings of a range of quality wind chimes out in Nature, where 'the elements' are an important aspect of each recording. I was moved to point myself towards this project because of the sheer awfulness of all the commercial wind chimes recordings that I'd bought or otherwise heard. The problem was usually not the chimes themselves, but the sheer laziness and contempt for the listener of whoever recorded / produced those recordings, which turned out ALL to be faked in various ways either being just repeating loops of a very short recording, or jiggled mechanically and not by any wind, as shown by regularly repeating patterns in the waveform (and far too consistent a sound level), and any wind or other natural sounds clearly just dubbed on, with no relationship between wind strength variations and the chimes activity. The only decent wind chimes recordings that I'd found were a small number on Freesound, and they include some really beautiful ones. So, I decided to help fill the gap left by the lazy and profiteering commercial producers of wind chimes recordings, and make real 'in the wild' wind chimes recordings, with full authenticity, including even wind noise in the microphones at times. The latter, although for many purposes regarded as undesirable, actually enhances my recordings at least provided it doesn't get really disruptively loud. After all, if you're out in the wind you do get the wind rumbling, booming and drumming in your ears, and really it's a nuisance only when it gets really strong and gets drowning out what you actually mean to be listening to out there. On 6th November 2012 I took out with me three sets of Woodstock wind chimes, with the intent to record some 10 minutes of each solo, and a full halfhour of each of the four possible combinations of these. In the event conditions enabled me to get only three recordings. I hung the chimes on small low branches of stunted trees by the Hunter's Path overlooking the oversteepened valley (popularly known as the Teign Gorge, though it is not actually a gorge) in the vicinity of Sharp Tor, very near Drogo Castle. This recording is of the tenorpitched Chimes of Olympus together with the smaller and thus higherpitched Chimes of Pluto. The Olympos chimes are tuned to a very melancholic sounding ancient Greek pentatonic scale, while the Pluto chimes are tuned to a very sweet sounding pentatonic scale (actually a bit sweeter than I prefer), and thus there is an intriguing interaction between the two sound worlds, resulting in an overall balancing out of the emotional effects. I hung the chimes on low branches of a stunted tree very slightly off the track, where a rock crag jutted out over the very steep slope to the valley bottom. However, I could not workably put the chimes actually on top of the crag because of lack of trees just there, so the situation of this recording is a bit odd, for the recorder is actually pointing more or less back towards the track, facing away from the valley slope, and placed on a small prominence on that hunk of rock, which latter, thus, is behind the recorder and blocking direct sound from the River Teign far below in the bottom of the valley. However, you still hear the sound indirectly, as a distinct continuous rushing, which is neither wind nor traffic. To my ears the wind noise in the microphones adds considerably to the positive effect, very much augmenting the feel of wildness. However, for some people the wind in the microphones would be more or less troublesome, simply because it works well only with listening equipment that has a reasonably flat and well extended bass response. Any tendency to boominess, or indeed a significant deficiency in very low frequency response (as would be the case in virtually all computer speakers) would make that wind noise more problematical. This excerpt from the halfhour full recording is the opening five minutes. For some reason, as with the other two recordings I made on that day, there is a fair bit more 'action' and indeed at times boisterousness after the first five minutes which works out quite satisfyingly when listening to the full recordings. Since I uploaded this excerpt I came to the conclusion that the wind noise in the microphones did need a slight 'taming', so I used a graphic EQ profile on the full recording to slightly reduce the heaviness of that noise (which is more apparent after the first five minutes). Please note that the volume level of this recording has been carefully adjusted for listening purposes, and ALL my recordings so far are meant to be listened to with a volume setting that would give a realistic level for playback of CLASSICAL music (a large but not exceptional symphony orchestra). If you have the right volume setting, you should not need to change that setting from one recording of mine to another.(Later note: This recording with better sound than here is on one of my commercial CDs, and can be found in my eStore.) Please remember to give this recording a rating http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/meicon_wink.gif
描述:On 18th February 2013 I took out with me a large and a small set of cheap bamboo chimes and three sets of quality metal wind chimes, to my regular field recording location for wind chimes the Teign Gorge, Drewsteignton, Devon, UK. This time, however, a brisk and fairly cold southeasterly wind drove me away from spots that would have been suitable on previous occasions, and this time eventually I settled for Hunter's Tor, a southrunning rather rocky crest and spur that bounds the north side of the west end of the Teign Gorge. This was about half the height from the valley bottom as compared with my previous recording spots here, and a result of this was that my recordings here got more bird sound, which was an improvement. However, the spot still turned out not to be ideal, in that, for a start, the recording was picking up some unwanted sounds from the fringing countryside. A distant cockerel belonging to one of the farm cottages down among the woods out to the west (straight ahead in the recording) kept crowing, and there was some power saw activity at times far away to the south. For the most part I removed parts of my recordings here in which the power saw was audible, though I think there is still a trace of it buried in a few of the noisier parts where the chimes were very active. As for the cockerel, although I didn't really want it, I had little option but to accept it as 'part of the scenery'. Also, the wind gusts were sometimes a bit too strong against the recorder, so that, despite its windshield, the microphone wind noise became a bit overpowering albeit quite briefly. This was primarily the case for this particular recording my first one at this spot because I had the recorder in a position that caught the wind just a little more. Well, that was my initial impression, but upon subsequent listening through my hifi system I have considerably uprated my assessment of this recording. Yes, some wind gusts are strong, but definitely within my limits of acceptability, and they simply give a greatly exhilarating effect. The sound of these particular chimes themselves is truly beautiful to my ears, at least in this setting, even though their sound is a dry staccato with no obvious 'sustain'. Indeed, I find the full 26minute recording unsatisfyingly SHORT, and I feel a certain regret at not having continued the recording to about 40 minutes I note the relative lack of interest in my bambooonly chimes recordings by visitors to my Freesound pages, and that is a pity, because they are missing something very beautiful because of the preconceptions they evidently have about bamboo chimes sound. I hung the chimes on small low branches of a particular well situated stunted tree, and had the recorder facing west, so that the fairly distant rushing sound of the River Teign well below was to the left. However, that sound is also combined with a general distant rushing sound of wind in the trees on the valley slopes which is why its volume does vary during the recordings. This recording is of the bamboo Chimes only both large and small sets. It is a 5minute excerpt from the 26 minutes full recording. http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/recordingchimes5setshunterstor1302181.jpgThis photo shows my highlevel recording studio for this particular day on Hunter's Tor. The sets of chimes visible are the bamboo chimes, Chimes of Pluto, and Gypsy Chimes (Soprano and Mezzo). In this recording only the bamboo chimes were used (hanging at the same positions as shown), but the recorder was a bit further from them, on the left hand side of the track that you see in the foreground, and that meant, as already noted, that it was picking up a bit more wind than it was in the photographed position. Recording made with a Sony PCMM10 on a Velbon Mini Tripod, using the builtin microphones covered with a Rode Dead Kitten windshield. I have used a graphic EQ profile in Audacity to compensate for the slight muffling of the sound caused by the windshield. I caution that the wind noise in the microphones is bound to sound too intrusive when this recording is played back through speakers / headphones that are prone to boominess; good quality hifi speakers with extended and flat bass response are really needed for any of these recordings really to sound right. Please note that the volume level of this recording has been carefully adjusted for listening purposes, and ALL my recordings so far are meant to be listened to with a volume setting that would give a realistic level for playback of CLASSICAL music (a large but not exceptional symphony orchestra). If you have the right volume setting, you should not need to change that setting from one recording of mine to another.(Later note: This recording with better sound than here is on one of my commercial CDs, and can be found in my eStore.) Please remember to give this recording a rating http://www.broadhorizonnature.co.uk/meicon_wink.gif