Werbeliner See bei Leipzig, 23.04.2023, 07:00 Uhr

www.bemtevi.de

Morning At The Lake, April 2023, 2 Schwarzkehlchen (Stonechat)

I wasn't going to upload this recording as the song got interrupted briefly by a Sedge Warbler. These two were squabbling a bit as the Reed bed they picked to breed in is on the small side, so they don't have a heap of space between their territories and it wasn't helped by the fact that the Reed Warbler was mimicking the sounds of the Sedge Warbler, so it was asking for trouble really. You can even hear the Reed Warbler mimicking its alarm calls right at the end, albeit, softer and quieter than the Sedge but it was funny to witness this heated interaction. 

Gear: Sound Devices MixPre 6 ii / Telinga Dish / Schoeps CCM 4 + Stereo Mk 2's

Gavin Vella

Reed Warbler And Sedge Interuption - MixPre - 6399

Werbeliner See bei Leipzig, 08.05.2023, 7 Uhr
www.bemtevi.de

Morning At The Lake, May 2023 (Lesser Whitethroat)

Enigmatic Grille

This is a recording of a mug full of water and two sticks of chalk. Chalk has a loud natural reaction when placed in water as the air escapes and bubbles out. Recorded with an Aquarian Audio Hydrophone and a Crank Sturgeon plasti-dipped contact mic inside the mug in the water and a Lom Geofon suctioned onto the outside of the mug. No overdubbing or Fx.

Chalk In Water -Hydrophone, Contact Mic, Geofon - Zoom F6

The sounds of a new day in the African bush. This album was recorded in Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana and features the diverse sounds of birds and wildlife in an ecotone of mopane woodland and arid savanna.

Botswana: Dawn in Tuli Wilderness

Botswana: Dawn in Tuli Wilderness - Album Sample

Out of all digital recordings that I have made since 1991, this is the one I love the most. The bird is magic. 
Recorded with a Telinga stereo parabol and a Sony DAT TCD-D3 machine in June 1991. No filter.
You don´t need headphones for this track.

Whinchat

The sounds of wildlife at night in the African bush. This album was recorded in Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana and features the sounds of some iconic species often heard at night in Africa's savannas and woodlands, including lion, leopard, elephant, Spotted Hyena and Black-backed Jackal, as well as nocturnal birds such as Pearl-spotted Owlet & African Scops Owl.

Botswana – Night in the African Bush

Botswana: Night in the African Bush - Album Sample

I've recently acquired another Mk 2 Capsule as I just love those omni's, they're so transparent and have such low noise, they're just extremely versatile. That said, just like any microphone, they each come with their own 'colour', or more so in this case, their own sound stage, with the cardioid pattern of the Mk 4 being much more punchy / mid supporting than the more open 'big' sound of the Mk 2 omnis. 

Now it's worth explaining here that I'm using 2 omni mk 2's outside the Telinga Dish also, so you're just comparing the bird sound here. 
I've applied my usual workflow, as the Mk 4 capsule does come with significant handling noise which I've become proficient at eliminating now but the Mk 2 capsule had absolutely zero handling noise, and that in itself can be a big game changer, so it's worth noting that. 

I will also be getting the Mk 21 soon, which is more of a wide cardioid and should in theory have slightly less handling noise than the mk 4 but will it sacrifice too much? 

It's all about the detail I find in this one, but those mk 2 capsules are so low noise, it also leaves room for boosting the highs in post to extract more detail in the highs. 

I'll let you decide which you prefer, but I can see the appeal in having both, as there are just some scenarios that each microphone capsule will bring something 'extra' to your subject, and that totally depends on the environment.

Wood Warbler - Schoeps CCM4/Mk 4 - MixPre - 7037

Chant des Grenouilles communes dans la mare de l'ESAT, à Saint-Ulfrant

Eure

Grenouille commune, Pelophylax kl. esculentus, à Pont-Audemer (27) Eure, France un 12 mai 2024

It might be strange, but this is my first decent recording of Common Frog (Rana temporaria). For some reason I have mostly seen Moor Frogs, although they must be both very common in Estonia. Yesterday evening I was out to record evening soundscapes but it was too windy. On my my way back home I saw a lot of frogs on the road and I checked a familiar ditch in hope to hear some frogs. There were many toads there but also in a shallow pond a happy bunch of common frogs. Luckily the place was mostly protected from wind and I put the tripod with SASS in shallow water. After 15 minutes frogs didnt mind the tripod anymore and started calling again. You can also hear the faint creaking sound of Common Toads in this recording. Recorded on 22. April 2015, 23:10.

Wood Warbler - Schoeps CCM4/Mk 4 - MixPre - 7037

Gavin Vella

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