I'm deep in the Amazon rainforest, sleeping on an open platform with just a thin mosquito net between me and the jungle. The sounds of the rainforest weave into my dreams and eventually wake me up. Long version at https://youtu.be/GsZG1ggSQFw

Amazon Rainforest Waking Up

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

🎧 Great Horned Owls Territory Battle | SASS

In the rainforest, each creature has its own little place in the frequency spectrum or time domain. The apparent chaos is random only when looked at (or listened to, rather) for very short durations. More details at https://youtu.be/E7byvKAJHGU

Costa Rica jungle atmosphere

In this episode, Radiance Talley shares her poetry, insights, and reflections about how practicing patience helped her both find beauty in pain and create beauty from pain.

Resources:

Moments of Meaning is presented by Sean Hinton, mixed by Jamey Heath, and produced by the team at BahaiTeachings.org.

Music:

Cello by Elika Mahony from the song The Hallowed Beauty.
Yang Qin by Jin R from the album Meditations Of The Spirit.

Patiently Striving to Create Beauty From Pain — With Radiance Talley

As the sunset in the old disused quarry, just outside Lérouville, most of the songbirds fell silent. But the Song Thrush perched just to the left of my microphones and continued singing for another 15 minutes. In the background we hear the melodic chorus of Common Midwife Toads that were located in the sandy hill just ahead of my mics. At around 3 minutes in, we also hear Parsley Frogs off in the distance.

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x MKH 8040s (ORTF)
Recorded on 05.06.2022

Song Thrush And Common Midwife Toads - Lorraine, France

Cervus elaphus hispanicus refers to the red deer of Portugal and Spain. It's slightly smaller than those across the Pyrenees.
The rutting season (referred to as 'brama' in Portugal) starts mid-August and goes until the end of September. 
The recording was in an area in interior Alentejo where wild boars and white-tailed deer live in big numbers and all can be heard throughout this segment.

Red deer call in the valley

Red Deer call in the valley

Recorded 17th May 2022
Aragon, Spain

My alarm was set for 5am local time, about 45 minutes before the dawn chorus had been starting up on recent mornings in the hills. But I hadn't taken account of the full moon. Beware the power of the moon in a clear sky. When I switched on the recorder a few minutes later, this was what I heard: the larks all in full swing. 

There are Calandra Larks, Lesser Short-toed Larks and the incomparable Dupont's Lark here.

before dawn on the Ebro steppe

(Lyrics and chords to come)

Recorded at an ISGP undergraduate seminar

Be Anchored - Denzil & Hanieh

Recording made on November 13, 2016 in Flatside wilderness area, central Arkansas, USA in a remote area.  Microphone was about 12 in. off the ground on a mini tripod, near several trees with evidence of woodpecker activity.

Pileated woodpecker drumbeat - soundscape, Flatside Wilderness 11/13/16

Asymptotic Freedom I - for six electric guitars

This is the first version of the piece (Asymptotic Freedom II – is going to be a one-hour long piece and performed in different rooms of the same building). 

The piece is created in close collaboration with my friends, wonderful musicians Chris Moy, Ruben Mattia Santorsa, Francesco Palmieri, Samuel Toro Pérez, Giuseppe Mennuti and Alejandro Tentor.

Special thanks to Yaron Deutsch for his support and curation of the project.

The project is commissioned by the studio la Muse en Circuit, Darmstädter Ferienkurse and Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik.

Elena Rykova - Asymptotic Freedom I [six electric guitars] - headphone mix (2020)

Full Story + Photos: https://acousticnature.com/journal/field-recording-trip-vermont-ice-storm 

I recorded this soundscape at my friend's cabin in Vermont near the Green Mountain National Forest. The forest was covered in a thick layer of ice from a recent freezing rain storm. 

While I was chopping wood, I noticed the sound of ice crystals falling to the forest floor and shattering. The sound was constant and gusts of wind caused larger crystals to fall. 

As soon as I became aware of this subtle sound, I knew I had to record it. Because I didn't know how much battery life I would get in the frigid temps (15°F), I waited until 11pm to setup my recording gear. I did this to maximize my chance at a noise-pollution-free recording hoping that most people would be asleep.

To setup the recording I wanted to bungee cord my binaural microphone to a tree, but it was too difficult and too cold to have the patience necessary to get it right. Instead, I simply put the microphone on top of a snow bank facing the forest and the D100 in a dry bag next to it.

I was shocked to find the D100 still recording when I returned at 7:26am.

In total, I recorded for 8hr 22min and ended up with 23min of usable audio (≈4.6%). In post-production, I added a lo-cut filter at 180Hz, 12dB/octave to remove some low-frequency wind rumbling, and increased the loudness slightly to -30LKFS. 

Recorder: D100
Mics: DIY Binaural Housing
Sensitivity: 4
Lo-cut: OFF
Time: 11:04pm
Wind Protection: 2 Winter Hats

To learn more about me, my gear, or field recording in general, please visit my website at www.acousticnature.com

Thank you for reading and listening. ♫
-Jared

Shattering Ice Forest | Freezing Rain Aftermath in Vermont

Welcome to Cloud9 by BahaiTeachings.org! We feature interviews with artists from around the globe to learn about what inspires, uplifts and motivates them to make a positive contribution to the world.

Patiently Striving to Create Beauty From Pain — With Radiance Talley

BahaiTeachings.org

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