Waves On Beach With Smooth Rocks 2

Waves On Beach With Smooth Rocks 1

Thunderstorm in Amazonia, Ecuado, a small selection from a longer recording.

Ecuador Thunderstorm Sample

Ecuador Thunderstorm

This is one of my favorite places in the area where I record my Northern Europe ambiences. A rather small, almost square swamp with sparse pine and birch trees, in the middle of a forest. The place has fantastic acoustics with a beautiful distinct echo and diffuse tail due to the sparse trees. During my first of the 2 expeditions this spring I recorded a lot of crystally transparent night and early morning ambiences in this place, I had a chance even to catch the trumpeting flight calls of a swan flying over right above the swamp and then a chorus of swan calls forming an otherworldly drone, reminding a chorus of mermaids. 
Working now on converting all these treasures into publishable libraries. Here’s an example of an early morning 4 AM 4th of May recording with woodpeckers’ drumming communication and a cuckoo in this natural concert hall. In the second half some large bird makes some gentle snorting or moaning sounds CLOSEUP to the right side and then flies by with swishy wings flapping. Recorded with Nevaton MC50 Quad into Sound Devices MixPre 10 II, mixed to stereo for this example.
There were freezing temperatures at nights at this time, but this swamp, covered with fresh evergreen moss, emits a fantastic flower-like fragrance all year around. Also, I suddenly remembered for myself that the cover photo for our first library “Northern Europe Forest Meadow Ambiences. Summer” was taken right here in July of 2018.
All rights reserved. Copyright Dmitry Chernov, LARX Audio.
If you want to use this recording in your productions/creations, please contact us through the contact form at our website https://larxaudio.com

Forest Swamp May 4th  04 AM Woodpecker Cuckoo ST

Swainsons Thrush and flying insects are busy in a thickly forested area in the mountains of Montana.  I recorded this a couple summers ago.

Swainsons Thrush And Flying Insects In Montana Summer Forest

Insects and frogs call throughout the night in the cloud forest near a small stream, and some wind gusts pass through the canopy, shaking rain drops down.  The rain was light and falling through the foliage.  I recorded this with a Double Mid-side system.

Costa Rica Cloud Forest Night Chorus Near Small Stream with Gentle Rain and Wind

Cactus Dodger

I enjoyed recording some winds recently, in this section there are some grasses, loose sand, and occasional birdsong, and various tones from the shape of the spot where I had the mics

Desert Wind with Grasses and Sand

The Red Deer Rut (Brame du Cerf) recorded in the heart of the  the Orleans Forest, the largest Forest in France. 

Zoom F3 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH8020s
23.09.2023

Red Deer Rut - Forêt d'Orleans, France

This is a long recording from a ridge near the ocean, so the surf is in the background, there is bird and animal activity at dusk and dawn, and a big thunderstorm rolls in.  The Yellow-Throated Toucan is very active, and the Scarlet Macaws, Tinamou, and Mantled Howler Monkeys are also calling at dusk. I removed one section of a few minutes where the rainfall was so heavy it started leaking through and hitting the mics but otherwise left this recording intact.  I used my Sennheiser Double MidSide system with a Sound Devices MixPre recorder.

Dusk To Dawn Costa Rica Osa Peninsula Coastal Forest Thunderstorm

This one may only be of general interest to my fellow North American field recordists. There's a bird we hear *all*the*time* yet, when early in our careers we often confuse it with a "distant generator thumping". Yes. The Ruffed Grouse.
Also called the "Fool's Hen" for it's propensity for not running quickly away when approached, leading one to feel like you can catch it if you're quick enough. Inevitably it darts off just before caught.
During mating season, the male Ruffed Grouse declares its territory and availability by finding a log to sit on. On a period of every five to twelve minutes it rapidly fluffs its feathers and pounds the log to produce a low rapid thump that can carry for quite some distance.

It continues to do this for five to to twelve hours at a time if undisturbed. Making the only later evidence of its presence just a collection of drying fecal drops on the Chosen Log.

In most recordings it rarely rises above 100 Hz. When just 50 feet (15 meters) away, it still feels more like a thumping pressure than a sound you think you actually hear.

I was recently out recording for a few days when I heard the tell-tale thump. Later, on a walk around the campsite, I heard a disturbed rustle and just glimpsed a Ruffed Grouse hopping off its log. Confirming it with the tell-tale poop drops I though, "Here's my chance to show its more than just an amusing generator stand-in".

I snuck a pair of small omni microphones in around 1900, placing one about two feet above the poop and one off to the side, just in case it moved around. I hit record on my hidden recorder and wandered off to bed. I heard thumping throughout the night, so I was certain I got something. I wasn't quite prepared for a ten-hour performance, though.

The following two clips are from somewhere around 4am. Unfiltered, unmastered, no leveling. The first clip is merely edited from the second so you don't get bored just... waiting... for... the... next... drumming.

Channel one/ Left is the "side" omni, which also got a lot of the roominess of the log itself. Channel two/ Right was right on target and just a few inches above the bird's head.

For more info on Ruffed Grouse and other recordings, photos, and VIDEO, check out the Cornell Library's entry here:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruffed_Grouse/

For the technically-curious, gear used: microphones and recorder. If you're really, truly interested, feel free to message me directly.

Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus - male drumming, edited

Field Recordist / Sound designer
Shhhhh. Listening to nature.

To license sounds or for all other inquiries: info@andymartinsound.com

#naturesound #naturesoundscape #fieldrecording #naturesounds #savequiet #listentonature #soundscape

Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus - male drumming, edited

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

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