Many thanks for that.  I think you've just saved me $700 as I already have the Lom Usi which I believe are very similar to your EM172's.

Great tip, I work with EM172/272 all the time, will give it a try!

The European fire-bellied toad is, in fact, a frog. (No fire, either.) However, this is more than compensated by its satisfyingly fun-to-say Latin name: Bombina bombina. They also produce antimicrobial peptides in their skin secretions – the even more fun-to-say ‘bombinins’. 

Native to eastern mainland Europe – recorded here in the protected land of Poland’s Barycz Valley Landscape Park – they use their internal vocal sacs to produce their “whoop” call: the mournful, slow-motion honk immortalized here. Imagine the sound that clowns might make when they cry and you won’t be far off.

Bombina bombina mysterious call

Rooftop Morning Seagulls And Crows, Istanbul, Turkey

Street Vendor On Megaphone, Da Nang, Vietnam

Northwestern University Library - Vent

Rotary Gas Meter

Recorded on the land of the Peramangk people.
Deep, slow, careful listening required.
Read the Playlist description for more information: https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/sets/2023-iron-curtain-autumn-and-summer

2023.03.16 Iron Curtain. Early Autumn.

An hour before sunrise in a secluded valley mire in Dartmoor National Park. Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) are performing their "winnowing" courtship display, flying up and diving downwards so their tail feathers vibrate with a distinctive thrumming sound. Tawny Owls and Cuckoo call across the valley.

Recorded on 1st May 2023 with 2 x AT4022 microphones in an Olson stereo array (www.trackseventeen.com/mic_rigs.html) and a Sound Devices 722 recorder.

May Day Snipe

This is a very high-gain recording, the forests are so quiet in this part of Sweden, I like the idea of really opening up the gain.  MixPre3 the gain set to 74db, with a pair of Lewitt 440's.  Recording 4000.

Stream (1) -  12 May 23 - 11am - Dalsvallen

At the crossroads of day and night, diurnal birds meet nocturnal animals for a precious hour. Thus the black-crowned night herons, doves, ducks meet the roar of the deer, the fleeting bats and the tawny owl, in a unique and precious soundscape in the heart of the forest of Orléans, the biggest forest in France

Crépuscule Automnal À L'étang Du Ravoir (Automn Nightfall At Ravoir's Pound)

Recording I made while waiting in a parking lot to get out until the rain shower was over.

Rain on the roof of a car - interior

PodCast

Rain on the roof of a car - interior (September 21st, 2023)

Another test of the BP4025 vs Primo EM172 (FEL Clippy XLR). This time in a more real-world setting. 

I have noticed how bright the EM172s are in comparison to the BP4025 (and AT4022 which I tested earlier). This led me to think they can stand a little EQ adjustment to try to reduce the noise, which is naturally higher than the BP4025.

1. Primo EM172 stereo pair
2. BP4025
3. Primo EM172 with EQ applied (-4db reduction in the 5-15khz range)

1 and 2 were recorded simultaneously to a Zoom F6 and later normalised. 3 is a copy of 1 with EQ applied.

Conclusion 1: BP4025 is naturally more quiet than the EM172 but has a more narrow stereo image. However, applying some EQ to the EM172 brings the noise level even lower, and without any negative impact to the overall sound. To my ears, it sounds even more natural now. 

Conclusion 2: I didn't need to buy the BP4025 to achieve lower noise recordings. Damn!

EM172 VS BP4025 VS EM172 With EQ

Stereo soundscape recordings. Sometime nature, sometimes people, sometimes machinery. Sometimes quiet things like a single branch creaking in the wind on Dartmoor, sometimes odd moments in the city. Mostly local, but sometimes travelling. 

EM172 VS BP4025 VS EM172 With EQ

Douglas Langley

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