I've taped my microphones to the sides of a tree, slightly closer to each other on one side of the trunk. They're about 20cm apart, roughly the distance between human ears.  Longer version at https://youtu.be/qJxecG7nOKY

Jungle rain - Rainforest soundscape

Listen to gentle rain falling in a British forest. I recorded this soundscape using small microphones that I placed on trees under thick branches the middle of a British forest. Longer version at https://youtu.be/noY1LuBIZIw

Calm Rain In The Forest

As night falls in the African savanna, the sounds of the bush become louder and more ominous. Everything changes as soon as you light the campfire. Long version at https://youtu.be/sHMq4jkKht4

A campfire in the African savanna

A thunderstorm of epic proportions on the horizon in the Amazon rainforest. Long version at https://youtu.be/R8lLynze4Oo

Massive thunderstorm approaching in the Amazon rainforest

Light rain with the sounds of blue jays and spring peepers. Recorded 5 September 2017 at 10 am in Shindagin Hollow near Ithaca New York.

This is a remarkably immersive binaural 3D field recording that is best appreciated by listening over headphones. The raindrops provide a wide, relaxing soundstage against which blue jays sound off with a variety of nasal sounds and jay-calls. Occasionally spring peepers give brief series' of bird-like peeps ... their "autumn piping" from trees and shrubs, often occurring quite far from their breeding pools and ponds.

In my appraisal, this lovely soundscape cradles one's spirit  and promotes a sense of calm freshness ... such a gentle soundscape that will instantly transport you into the wild (especially if you listen using headphones or earbuds).

When I make a recording such as this, I remember exactly why I do this kind of work.

For a more detailed discussion of this recording, please check out my blog post: https://musicofnature.com/light-rain-and-blue-jays/

Rain and Blue Jays

Calm afternoon storm recorded at Tabin Wildlife Reserve in North Eastern Borneo. Recorded with Sony PCM A10 and Lom MikroUsi mics. Listen to more recordings I made in Borneo at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCRlYmmK1sqrM_BB3xp6quofSq7fYdEPA

Borneo Rainforest - Afternoon Storm with rolling thunder

Spring Thunderstorm

This recording was INSANE! 

At 3am, I was awoken by this thunder storm. I remembered I had left my car windows cracked so I quickly dressed and went outside to close them. Before I went back inside, I stayed on the porch for a few minutes just listening to the storm. I realized that this was a huge storm and would be a great opportunity for field recording! I went back inside, grabbed my Sony D-100 and got to work. 

The full-length recording is 24 minutes but I could only use this 15 minute section because I initially had my gain set too high. As the storm increased in intensity, I had to lower my gain twice. This segment is the pinnacle of the storm. The bolts of lightning were so loud they literally reverberated inside my body.  

I have never experienced a thunderstorm this close in proximity. Next time I record lightning, I will be sure to set my gains lower initially.

Thank you for listening ♫

Insane Lightning Storm Sounds of Thunder [Field Recording]

This months instalment of Detroit Deconstructed pays homage to the roots of Detroit house music in the queer black community. Expect bits by Barbara Lewis, Andres, Tiff Massey, and more.

Detroit Deconstructed - July 2020

Summer 2020 Ambient Field Recordings done during the age of continued COVID-19 pandemic social distancing and isolation. In and around Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.A.

Equipment: Zoom H4n Pro with LOM mikroUsi microphones.

Snowy Range Mountain Creek on the North Fork Trail

Ierapetra Harbor - Past Midnight

Visual Artist • Traveler • Urban Sketcher • Field Recordist 

Current field recording audio equipment...
• Zoom H4n Pro digital recorder
• LOM mikroUsi microphones 
• Altura Photo mini tripod
• Movo Ws-G9 windscreen

Doug Russell’s artwork has been exhibited in solo shows at the Missoula Art Museum, the Helen E. Copeland Gallery in Bozeman, MT, the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, WY, the Leedy Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City, and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His work has also been shown in numerous group exhibitions including The Big Draw at the William Havu Gallery in Denver, The Architecture of an Idea at the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, Evidence and Residues: An Investigation of Contemporary Drawing at Indiana State University, and three International Drawing Annuals (INDA) published through Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center.  His work is in several permanent collections, including The Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. 

He is a Professor of Art at the University of Wyoming where he is coordinator of the drawing program.

Snowy Range Mountain Creek on the North Fork Trail

Doug Russell

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