The westerly edge of Cwm Berwyn plantation
Finally, after weeks of cold wet weather, things have begun to brighten up and I've managed to get out to do some sound recording. Since it's almost exactly a year since I've posted anything here, this is long overdue, too!
My main intention on this trip was to record the dawn bird chorus at Llyn Berwyn, and that will be posted as a separate item. But in addition, I brought along an experimental 4 channel recording rig which I placed in the nearby plantation immediately on arrival the evening before. So I also have a recording of this lovely flurry of birdsong at sunset.
Taking centre stage here is a Blackbird, who sings a gentle song of considered phrases, each slightly different from the last. Also heard, just to the left, is the strident but rather melancholy song of a Robin, together with more distant Wren, Chaffinch, Cuckoo, and a few other species. Sections of the plantation might be overdue for harvesting, but one of the things which makes this location special, is the rich echoic acoustic in the dense conifers. This we have to savour before the last of the tall spruce are felled, and the cycle begins anew.
Technical note
This multi-channel "surround" recording was made with an "IRT cross" microphone format. This uses 4 cardioid pattern microphones, each placed at the corners of a 30cm square, and angled 90degrees from each other. Since both intensity and arrival-time differences are captured, this results is a more spacious and realistic sense of ambiance than is possible with some other techniques.
Playback should ideally be made through four loudspeakers placed in a equidistant square. This isn't very practical for normal home listening, nor does it work with headphones. However, for two channel playback any two adjacent channels may be selected for left & right. For convenience, I've made a two channel version available for download below. My real purpose in experimenting with the surround format is to collect some natural ambiances for use in exhibition spaces, where people are moving around and need to be enveloped by the soundscape. For this, the IRT cross arrangement works well.
I should add that, with this recording, I've broken my rule of "no sound processing", and have had to use some noise-reduction to reduce the background rush of streams which drifted up the valley in the gentle breeze.
For the most realistic effect, please play back at low level, so that the background sound is barely audible.
Recorded: 2021-05-26 2030LT
Location: 52.20021, -3.84760
2 channel clip to play in browser
For 2 channel systems and headphones
Download full length recording 2channel:
26min, 37MB, .ogg format
For 4+ channel systems. 1:Left front 2:Right front 3:Left rear 4:Right rear
Download full length recording 4channel surround:
26min, 73MB, .ogg format
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.