Golden Twanger, Diemeniana euronotiana, recorded above 1000 metres altitude in grass tussocks above the old mine at Sunny Corner, NSW, 3rd December 2014, on a hot sunny day.  Olympus LS10 recorder, electret mics.

GOLDEN TWANGER CICADA, SUNNY CORNER, NSW, 3 DEC 2014

Might be Cicadetta sp?  This small cicada was about 2 cm in length, lots of them in grass tussocks above the old mine at Sunny Corner, NSW, above 1000 metres ASL.  Calling at midday on a hot day, 3rd December 2014.  They were very wary and hard to approach.

SMALL GREY CICADA SC 031214

A male Superb Lyrebird giving mimicry and territorial song, recorded by me at Mt. Airly in NSW, Australia, 30th May, 1995.  This is a 3 minute extract from a sequence that lasted for over half an hour.  Equipment used, Sony TCD D10 DAT recorder, Sennheiser ME67 gun mic.


Superb Lyrebird

Chirruping calls from a small flock of Cockatiels drinking at the water's edge.  Location: Bullita Camp, East Baines River, Gregory National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.  There was a sandy riverbed with freshwater pools surrounded by tropical vegetation.  Sony TCD D10 DAT recorder, Sony ECM-MS5 one point stereo microphone.  27 August 1993, 9 a.m., hot and humid.

COCKATIELS.E.BAINES RIVER.NT

This recording compares two SASS rigs, using two different pairs of mics, Sennheiser MKH 8020s and Sennheiser MKH20 mics.  There are two consecutive recordings where crickets are trilling constantly.  The mics were running to a Sound Devices recorder.  The 8020s had less noise.

MKH 8020s v MKH 20s

I compared a stereo pair of MKH 8020s mounted in a DIY foam SASS, with a pair of Audio Technica AT 4022s mounted in a Crown SASS.  These are consecutive recordings (rather than simultaneous), it was early dawn on Xmas morning, rigs were set up on my front verandah.  By ear I cannot pick the difference between the two rigs, but a sound spectrograph shows that the 8020s are a little noisier.  Both rigs alternately ran to a Sound Devices 702 recorder, I added 3 db to the 4022s in post, to match the levels.

SASS RIGS COMPARED: MKH 8020s v AT 4022s

MKH 8020s in DIY foam SASS running to Sound Devices 702, versus Audio Technica 4022s mounted in a foam Olson Wing, running to a Denecke phantom power unit and an Olympus LS10 recorder.  Even running to the LS10, the 4022s are a bit quieter, but they do lack some of the lower frequencies, and the stereo image is not quite as precise.

MKH 8020s SASS v AT 4022s Olson Wing

Three species of frogs were all calling together, then all stopping together, on a moonlit night after rain, at a puddle of water in dry woodland habitat, Capertee Valley, NSW, Australia.  First you hear Eastern Brown Froglet Crinia signifera with its persistent 'crik-crik-crik', then some Ornate Burrowing Frogs Limnodynastes ornatus join in with intermittent 'unk' calls.  Then Green Tree Frogs Litoria caerulea, with 'crawk-crawk-crawk'.   23 degrees C, 60% humidity, 4 Feb 2012, 3/4 moon, part overcast, 10:45 pm DST. SD702 recorder, 2 x MKH 8020 mics in DIY SASS rig.

798. ORNATE BURROWING FROG

A roll of thunder growls directly overhead, recorded with two Audio Technica 4022s mounted in a DIY closed-cell foam SASS to a Sound Devices 702 recorder, 20 January 2012 in Capertee Valley, NSW, Australia.  The storm veered away to the east fortunately, as it was soon to dump lots of hail.  Small cicadas are buzzing, a few birds are chirping, it was warm and humid and a wet summer generally.

787 THUNDER.4022s.SASS.200112

Distant thunder rolls in the background while cicadas make a racket in the summer sunshine.  Redeyes (Psaltoda moerens) give buzzing & yodelling calls and Southern Black Squeakers (Pauropsalta encaustica sp.) give persistent dee-dee-dit calls.  The storms later brought heavy hail to areas 60 km to the south.
Capertee Valley, NSW, Australia, 13 February 2012, 3.54 pm, 27 degrees C, 26% humidity, dry woodland habitat.  MKH8020s in DIY SASS to Sound Devices 702 recorder, volume 57.2.

834 CICADAS & THUNDER 130212

The deafening roar of massed Black Prince cicadas (Psaltoda plaga) in their creekside habitat, Capertee Valley, NSW, Australia. Recorded with Olympus LS10 and Telinga clip-on mics, headworn.  30 degrees C, sunny, humid after rain.  19 February 2012, 11.37 a.m.  Not pleasant to listen to but an interesting record of my local summer soundscape.

BLACK PRINCE CICADAS 190212

More thunder!  Lots of storms here this summer.  Recorded using MKH 8020s in DIY closed-cell foam SASS, to a Sound Devices 702, volume 30, increased in post by 15 dB.  Yellow-rumped Thornbills and Eastern Yellow Robins are calling.  Capertee Valley, NSW, Australia.  22 degrees C.  February 17, 2012, 2.15 pm.

846 THUNDER 8020s SASS 170212

A comparison of SSM and SassLite, both using twin pairs of Primo EM172 capsules per channel.  Both units weigh the same.  One is commercially produced, the other is home-made.  Not much in it really.  The SSM image is more centred than the SASS which has a wider image.  Rigs are set up one metre apart, 6th September 2012, early morning near a dam in NSW, Australia.  Noisy Friarbirds are calling in the distance to the left and a pair if Australasian Little Grebe call occasionally near the centre.  Both rigs are running to Olympus LS10 recorders, levels set at Low 10, no low cut.  No filtering.

TELINGA SOUNDSCAPE MIC (SSM) VS SASSLITE

Recorded at 100 metres with my SASS Lite (using two pairs of EM172 capsules) to an Olympus LS10 recorder, settings of low sensitivity, recording volume 10.  Does anyone know how I can estimate the decibel output (noise level) of this bike, from this recording?

2-STROKE MOTORBIKE 4.19PM 230912

For comparison with the motorbike track, here is my Suzuki 4WD car revving then sounding the horn, recorded at 100 metres (same distance and location as the 2-stroke bike on previous recording), Olympus LS10, low sensitivity volume 10, no low cut, calm conditions.  SASS Lite mic rig is the same as for bikes, has 2 pairs of EM172 capsules.  After the car is a short sequence of 'silence' same location. 

SUZUKI CAR HORN AT 100 METRES 270912

Comparing thunder:  1. LS10 with DIY "Powys-Lite" SASS; two pairs of EM172s, low sense vol 7, low cut off.  2. Sound Devices 702, Knapp-SASS with MKH20s, vol 40, 8 db added in post.Both cuts recorded 44.1/24 bit WAV, converted to FLAC, no filtering or EQ.

Vicki Powys

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