My field recordings capture the sounds of nature as we really hear them. This means recording 3D Binaural Soundscapes. To do this, I use a stereo ambient sampling system (SASS) with ultra low noise microphones. This system mimics the properties of a human head and ears so that it “hears” what we do.

I have spent many days and countless hours seeking these pure soundscapes. It is not easy to find areas without noise pollution. I am proud to share these field recordings with you. Check out my other playlists for genre-specific nature sounds.

Thank you for your interest in pure, natural sounds. To experience these recordings as 3D environments of sound, please use headphones. Unplug from your daily stress and reconnect with nature’s healing music. 

To learn more about me and my work, please visit www.acousticnature.com

Thank you for listening! ♪

Relaxing Nature Sounds Playlist | Binaural Field Recording Album

Full Story: https://acousticnature.com/journal/field-recording-nature-sounds-in-santee-coastal-reserve

This album is a collection of the best recordings I made while exploring the Santee Coastal Reserve in South Carolina. The variety of sounds reflects the diverse landscape within the reserve.

All sounds were captured with handmade SASS microphones recording to Sony D100, Olympus LS-10, or Tascam DR05x field recorders.

Dawn Chorus - Santee Coastal Reserve (7:52am)

Cardinal Dusk Chorus - LS10 Drop Rig (7:38pm)

Chorus Of Drumming Woodpeckers - LS10 Drop Rig (7:37am)

Wind In The Swamp Ambience (2:03am)

Full Story: https://acousticnature.com/journal/field-recording-nature-sounds-in-santee-coastal-reserve 

This album is a collection of the best recordings I made while exploring the Santee Coastal Reserve in South Carolina. The variety of sounds reflects the diverse landscape within the reserve.

All sounds were captured with handmade SASS microphones recording to Sony D100, Olympus LS-10, or Tascam DR05x field recorders.

Photo Attribution: Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Wild Alligator Bellowing at Night (11:57pm)

Full story + video: https://acousticnature.com/journal/recording-nature-sounds-in-the-okefenokee-swamp

My last day visiting the Okefenokee Swamp was filled with severe thunderstorm warnings. This storm happened early enough in the morning that the campground was still quiet. I'm assuming some people did leave during the storm, but the sheer loudness of the rain and thunder masked their activities. 

This recording was made with the internal microphones of the D100. It was on a mini tripod beside me in my tent pointed toward the thunder.

ASMR Thunderstorm + Rain Sounds Inside Tent (6:30am) - D100

Full Story + Video: https://acousticnature.com/journal/recording-nature-sounds-in-the-okefenokee-swamp

Shortly after setting up my LS-10 drop rig, my SASS microphone captured this active group of southern cricket frogs calling amongst a few pig frogs.

Cricket Frogs and Pig Frogs (8:44pm) - LS10 w/SASS

Full Story + Video: https://acousticnature.com/journal/recording-nature-sounds-in-the-okefenokee-swamp

This field recording is of a powerful thunderstorm slowly approaching a small pine forest on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. To deaden the sound of raindrops on the SASS microphone, I put spanish moss on top of the enclosure. This worked really well!

Thunderstorm from Pine Forest POV (3:17pm) - LS10 w/SASS

Full Story + Video: https://acousticnature.com/journal/recording-nature-sounds-in-the-okefenokee-swamp

This is an ambient recording of the Okefenokee Swamp at night that showcases the rich soundscape of this ancient place. 

The stars of the show sonically are pig frogs, Rana grylio. Their powerful, low grunts echo across the swamp. In the background are southern cricket frogs, whose call sounds like glass marbles hitting one another. Another layer deeper in the soundscape are chirping crickets. Still deeper are the occasional calls of barred owls.

Explosive Pig Frogs at Night (10:12pm) - LS10 w/SASS

The evening of my 5th and final night in the Chattahoochee National Forest brought extreme winds. I setup an LS-10 with a SASS microphone near my camp to capture the ambience. 

This 25min segment is the highlight of the powerful winds that swept over the ridge that night. 

During spring of 2021, I spent 5 nights camping in and recording the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia (4/18 - 4/23). Specifically, I was at the Lake Conasauga overflow campground.

Lake Conasauga is an artificial lake that is very popular with fishing people and camping families. Due to this popularity, I knew before I arrived that I didn't want to camp on the lake itself. As predicted, the lake was very busy (noisy) with people during my stay.

The overflow campground was quiet, empty, and was the location of the songbird trailhead; a trail leading to a mountain pond created by beavers. The area around the pond is managed by the Forest Service for bird diversity.

This trip was the longest period I've ever gone with zero human interaction in my life. From Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, the only people I saw were driving by the campground on the gravel road, and even then there were few vehicles. 

This area within the Chattahoochee blessed me with so many amazing experiences and sounds. By my last day I was filled with so much love and appreciation for the land. I've never felt more connected with our planet.

Please enjoy this presentation of one of the most peaceful places on Earth. Thank you for listening, until later ☼

30+ MPH Wind - Beautiful and Powerful Soundscape (7:45pm) - LS-10 w/SASS

This recording was made on a wooded boardwalk that jutted out into a mountain pond created by beavers. This recording served as an acoustic scouting report of the pond. From this drop rig, I learned what wildlife species exist on the pond, where they call from, and at what times.

During this windy night, my microphones captured pickerel frogs, spring peepers, barred owls, and beaver tail slaps. This upload is a nice ≈ 10min recording of this ambience.

Windy Pond Night Time Ambience (12:05am) - LS-10 w/SASS

Watch Video + Read Blog → https://acousticnature.com/journal/pachaug-state-forest-nature-sounds 

Full Album: https://soundcloud.com/acousticnature/sets/the-sounds-of-pachaug-state-forest 

In celebration of the Equinox, I camped and recorded nature sounds in the Pachaug State Forest in Connecticut on September 22nd, 2021.

Although Connecticut is my home state, this was my first overnight field recording trip. That's because Connecticut is not a great state for recording quiet nature sounds. Connecticut has zero national forests, zero national parks (not counting historic sites), and zero BLM land.

Since the Pachaug State Forest is the largest forest in the state (27,000 acres), I thought it was my best chance at recording silence. Although I did capture some noise pollution free sounds, it was challenging and most of my recordings were polluted even late into the night, primarily by vehicle noise. 

Most of these recordings were made possible thanks to rain and wind overpowering the noise pollution, rendering it inaudible.

Recording Gear Used:
Olympus LS-10
Olympus LS-10s
SASS Microphone
Telinga Modular Parabolic Microphone
JrF D-Series Hydrophone

Powerful Wind Blowing Across Pond at Night | SASS

Underwater Rain Sounds | JrF D-Series Hydrophone

Geese Echoing Across Pond | Telinga Modular

Campfire at Night Ambience | SASS

Windy Pond at Night Ambience | SASS

🎧 Great Horned Owls Territory Battle | SASS

This is the most silent ambience I've recorded to date. Captured in an old growth forest in the White Mountains National Forest during Autumn, there are no sounds other than gentle wind blowing through the trees. 

The full recording is 1 hr 33 min and features nothing but occasional leaves moving and tree branches knocking into each other. 

Thanks for listening ♫

Windy Forest Soundbed (9:24pm) | LS-10 w/SASS

While exploring my local woodland during Winter Storm Bobby on 1/29/2022, I noticed a particularly loud and frequent creaking and popping coming from a large, dual-trunked yellow popular, Liriodendron tulipifera.

Upon further inspection, I found the popular was hollow and had a large, vertical crack running about 25' up the trunk. 

I setup my SASS microphone directly in front of the cavity and recorded for about an hour.

Unfortunately, a snow blower polluted most of the recording but I was able to capture about 20 minutes of pure tree creaks and pops! This recording is an excerpt from that longer file.

I plan to revisit this tree during every major wind storm with the hope of capturing the moment that it gives way and returns to the forest floor...stay tuned :)

Thanks for listening ♫

Tree Creaks Inside a Yellow Popular

Here in New England, Winter Storm Bobby brought over a foot of snow and winds in excess of 35mph to the landscape.

The storm started late Friday night (1/28/2022) and dropped about 3 inches of snow. 

Saturday was the main event with the heaviest snowfall occurring between 8am and 1pm at a rate of just over 1" per hour.

Luckily, I live within walking distance to a woodland and spent about 4 hours exploring and recording the storm. 

This recording is an excerpt from 45min recording from atop a ridgeline. Without a tripod due to packing light, I balanced my microphone against an old tree riddled with woodpecker holes and captured the sound of the wind. 

My favorite part of this recording is the almost sand-like texture the snow and ice add to the wind as it blows across the landscape. 

Thanks for listening.

Winter Wind And Snow | Winter Storm Bobby

All albums available for "Name Your Price" on BandCamp (personal listening use only). Please contact me to license my recordings.

Relaxing Nature Sounds Playlist | Binaural Field Recording Album

Jared Blake