Rycote windscreen affecting frequency response

Being a field recordist for a number of years now trying to capture the character of a location. I became more and more puzzled why my recordings weren’t sounding as I heard them in the life situation.  Refusing to think that it had to do with mental filtering I started to search for a solution how I could make my recordings more real. Besides that the differences between the real thing and the recording weren’t always the same. On average I was ending up with an exaggerated low end in the recordings with some sort of resonance around 150Hz.

This is a series tests I to find out what was the audible effect of my Rycote full Windscreen Kit on my Schoeps Mk4/Mk8mid/side combination. This test was done in my studio. With a wave editor I created a pink noise file which was played back over Genelec studio monitors. I have to mention that the acoustics in my studio are not optimal. But I think that was not a problem for this test because I’d be measuring the difference between several setups and not the acoustics themselves. For this first test I wanted to start with a frequency test. So I put my field recording setup in the studio.  The Rycote windshield mounted on a Manfrotto tripod. Everything was recorded on a Sonosax SR-R4 in 44Hz/24bit. The mic rig was facing the speakers and was placed on the ‘sweetspot’.

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Call for work: Ear to the Earth 2010

Here’s a call for your participation in Ear to the Earth next year. About Ear to the Earth Ear to the Earth is an annual festival and worldwide network based on the idea that environmental sound can connect us to the environment with a special vibrancy and emotional depth. About next year’s festival The theme of next year’s Ear to the Earth festival, to take place in October 2010, will be water. Although the festival will be focused at different venues in New York City, it will have an international scope. We would like to demonstrate that artists around the world are concerned about the environment. We’re interested in the sounds of water and/or sounds or performances that will make us aware of water. We want to direct the public’s attention to environmental problems relating to water, including, as a few examples, drinkable water, melting ice, rising sea levels, and polluted rivers. The festival will incude documentary field recordings, instrumental and electronic compositions, performances, installations, interactive websites, and any other forms of experimental audio with imagery and multimedia. To create a clear context for the festival, we are also planning to invite scientists and artists to participate in panels and forums on different aspects of water-related issues. Call for works Send descriptions of your ideas or works, or send pointers to websites or downloads by email to emf@emf.org with the words ‘Ear to the Earth’ in the subject line. If you prefer to send examples of your works as CDs or DVDs, send them to EMF, 307 Seventh Avenue Ste 1402, New York, NY 10001. If you have an idea for a specific venue in New York City, let us know. If you plan to produce a water-related event anywhere throughout the world during October 2010, and if you would like us to include it as a festival event, let us know. Our deadline for receiving ideas and materials is January 7, 2010. We’re beginning now to curate the festival, so please act or be in touch as soon as you can.

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European Cities become noisier by the day

(PARIS) – Half of urban Europe endures noise pollution from road, rail and air traffic loud enough to disrupt sleep, impair learning and trigger hypertension at night, according to a report released Monday.

More than 41 million people in cities of at least 250,000 people from 19 countries that submitted road transport data to the European Environment Agency (EEA) deal with road racket averaging 55 decibels or higher — the World Health Organization threshold for health impacts.

Among capital cities, Bratislava is the noisiest, with nearly 55 percent of the population thus exposed, followed closely by Warsaw and Paris, the EAA reported.

Some 3.6 million urban dwellers cope with an ear-splitting levels of 70 decibels or higher.

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Starting to think about

It’s just a few days now that Whatnight #3 is over. Thinking about how to show and publish field recording works  in the future. There has to be a way in which this material can communicate better with a non involved audience.

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