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

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 my car - interior (September 21st, 2023)

ST_amb_usineVallorbe

A Days Walking in the Hills North of Innerleithen Scottish Borders Summer 2024

A lone Golden Plover vocalises near the southwestern top of Windlestraw Law. 

 7th July 2024. 

EM272 pair + Sony A10

Windlestraw Law

amb_st_reveil_naples_2

There's two old empty oil storage tanks beside Tahkoluoto harbor. The tanks are closed, but have one open maintenance hatch through I put the microphones inside. I waited for a stormy day to do that, and so it sounds. Headphones recommended! 

http://www.rupuranta.net/weblog/filet/180922/

(MKH8020 ab50cm, SD702, nothing done in edit, 24/48 flac)

Jan Eerala Finland

The Black Hole - 22/9/2018 - Tahkoluoto Finland

I'm always looking to shrink the size and weight of my rig. I just love carrying the minimum amount of equipment!  I did this test to see how small I could go with microphone separation without sacrificing quality. All configurations were Clippy EM172 stereo pair to Sony PCM-A10.

My conclusion is that AB40cm rig with simple Rycote lav wind protection gives me a great sound with a very small and light footprint but not great wind protection. The quasi-binaural rig gives perhaps a more accurate stereo field with the advantage of excellent wind protection (it is housed in the equivalent of a blimp with proper windjammer). To get better wind protection for the AB40cm rig would require a massive and heavy (by my standards) blimp.

1. AB20cm - narrow, too narrow...
2. AB30cm - getting wider, pretty nice...
3. AB40cm - wider still but nice balance of width and centre-image?
4. AB60cm - very wide but hole in the middle?
5. Quasi-binaural (20cm spacing with foam cylinder baffles) - improved placement of sounds in the stereo field?

Would be very interested to hear what other folks think. Please comment if you care to.

Omni Spacing Test

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. 

Omni Spacing Test

Douglas Langley